Editing Avon Park, Florida (section)

=== 1927–29 spring training ground of the St. Louis Cardinals ===
From 1927 to 1929, Avon Park's newly constructed Cardinal Field (now Head Field) was the spring training ground of the [[St. Louis Cardinals]], a [[Major League Baseball]] team. Avon Park resident Charles R. Head convinced his friend [[Sam Breadon]], the owner of the Cardinals, to move the baseball team's spring training ground to the city.

The spring training matches were very popular affairs and many matches saw attendances above the entire population of the city. On March 16, 1928, before a spring training match between the [[New York Yankees]] and St. Louis Cardinals, residents presented Yankees player [[Babe Ruth]] with a {{Convert|52|in|cm|abbr=on}}, {{Convert|14|lb|kg|abbr=on}} commemorative baseball bat in a pre-game ceremony. Ruth also struck a home run which landed on a nearby street and the city had the street renamed "Ruth Street" in his honor.

At the end of the agreement in 1929, Breadon moved the Cardinals' spring training ground to [[Bradenton, Florida|Bradenton]], citing inadequate hotel facilities and poor field conditions. Avon Park mayor C. S. Donaldson disputed Breadon's accusations and claimed that the city had five excellent hotels and that the field was well maintained, had a modern clubhouse to accommodate players, and was even built to the specifications of the team, under the supervision of a Cardinals groundskeeper.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Byrne |first=Jason |date=April 27, 2023 |title=Cardinals Played in Avon Park from 1927-1929 |url=https://floridahistoryblog.com/cardinals-played-in-avon-park-from-1927-1929/ |access-date=November 8, 2024 |website=Florida History Blog}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Roar of the 20s in Two Centuries |url=https://floridagrapefruitleague.com/the-roar-of-the-20s-in-two-centuries/ |access-date=November 8, 2024 |website=Florida Grapefruit League}}</ref>