According to a press release on their website, the Phillies security team are installing metal detectors at Spectrum Field.
All guests will be expected to walk through metal detectors at all entrance gates, starting with the Phillies vs. Tampa Spartans game on Thursday, February 23, 2017. The added security is part of a Major League Baseball mandate that all fans are subject to metal detection screening.
I'm confused. This is a Major League mandate. Not a Minor League mandate. Why is it being done at a Minor League field? The reason security is high at Major League parks is because they are typically large gatherings of 25,000 to 50,000 people. Spring Training at Clearwater rarely tops 10,000 and Florida State League games at Clearwater rarely top 5,000 and typically are between 1,500 and 3,000.
However unlikely the odds, if a terrorist were to plant a bomb at Spectrum Field, there are only a few select dates in which they would inflict maximum human casualties. If there was a gunman, that is something that can be taken out by a quick thinking armed security guard, which I hope are already present.
And it doesn't prevent a drone from flying in something. Or someone from hoping a fence.
Or someone getting hurt in a bar fight. After all, there is a bar in left field that serves alcohol.
Threshers average attendance has been over 2,700 per game the last three seasons. While Spring Training fans might not mind the security inconvenience, we will see if local Clearwater fans will put up with this latest episode of Security Theater.