FLORIDA: THE GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE
Because teams are more spread out in Florida than they are in Arizona, there’s more history, but less match-up intrigue in the Sunshine State. For example, with 160 miles separating the Yankees and Mets complexes (which is a lot of distance in the busing world of spring training), the Big Apple rivals don’t meet here. Neither, in 2010, will the Yankees and Red Sox, but the 1986 Champion Mets will host the Red Sox.

But this year’s real sign that an uneven number of teams in Arizona and Florida is causing scheduling weirdness? The Yankees thrice play at both Detroit (Lakeland) — and Philadelphia (Clearwater). Now, don’t get my wrong, I’m all for a spring training tussle between the Phillies and Yankees — but three away games against the Phillies? I mean, they're not even in the same league, plus Philly also plays twice at the Yankees' facility in Tampa. And — a reminder — the Bronx Bombers don’t play the Red Sox even once during spring training. Huh? If that wasn’t wacky enough, the Pinstripes also won’t play at Dunedin even once, home of the Blue Jays, and they’re just 23 miles away. The Jays do play twice in Tampa against the defending champs.

The Phillies are the only team in the National League East to play on Florida’s west coast. The Nationals, Mets and Marlins play along the eastern, I-95 corridor while the Braves hold court in Central Florida. With the Orioles crossing the state from Fort Lauderdale to Sarasota in 2010, all American League East teams now train on Florida’s left coast — paying attention?

Baltimore’s Grapefruit League move northwest also means it will be getting nostalgic again — playing both its 1979 and 1983 World Series opponents, the Pirates and Phillies, respectively. For the Birds, it’s déjà vu all over again, as Baltimore held court up until 1995 in St. Petersburg, not far from Sarasota, playing their 1979 World Series opponent during spring training before heading to South Florida a year later.

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No division is more all over the place in the Sunshine State than the National League Central where the Pirates train in Bradenton on the western Gulf Coast; the Astros train in Kissimmee, near Orlando in Central Florida; and the Cardinals hold shop in Jupiter in South Florida, outside Palm Beach.

Despite the geographical spread, here are some rare Grapefruit League nuggets:

• Perhaps the Yankees recent spring training scheduling love affair with Lakeland has more to do with the Indians exodus to Arizona in 2009? The formerly Winter Haven-based Tribe used to be a short, 15-mile commute from Tiger Town. Not anymore. The next closest team is now the Yanks: 35 miles away;
• Incidentally, the Tigers (Lakeland) and Twins (Fort Myers), are the only American League teams in the same division in MLB — and with spring training in the same state — that do not face each other in spring training, with 110 miles separating the clubs and the other three AL Central teams holding their spring training in Arizona;
• The only National League clubs in the same division — and training within the same state — that don’t duel in spring are also All-Central: the Pirates (Bradenton) and Cardinals (Jupiter), which are separated by nearly 170 miles, do not play one another in spring;
• Although Florida boasts only one dual-use facility compared to Arizona’s four, multi-use complexes, the Marlins and Cardinals (Jupiter) have each won a World Series’ in the past 10 years, a claim neither the Indians-Reds; Rangers-Royals; White Sox-Dodgers; and Padres-Mariners can boast;
• Speaking of the Fall Classic, there are plenty of match-ups here, from the Jays-Braves (1992), Phillies-Blue Jays (1993), Yankees-Braves (1996 and 1999); Red Sox-Cardinals (2004); and Phillies-Rays (2008).
• The Astros-Cardinals rivalry, as well as the Astros tussle with the Mets (remember 1986?) remain annual rituals; ditto, for Mets-Braves and Astros-Braves;
• With the Orioles move to Sarasota, that eliminates the annual spring training, Beltway Series hook-up with the Nationals (you can stop yawning now).

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Joe Connor is a contributor to NBCSports.com and author of the annually-updated online spring training travel guide, “A Fan’s Guide To The Ultimate Spring Training Experience” which is available for purchase exclusively at his Web sites: http://www.modernerabaseball.com and http://www.mrsportstravel.com.