Major-league baseball fans can watch the Florida Marlins in Miami and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in St. Petersburg throughout their seasons April through September, but the entire state is a baseball hotbed from late February to the end of March, when many other teams tune up for the regular season with "Grapefruit League" exhibition games.

Most of Florida's spring-training stadiums are relatively small, so fans can see their favorite players up close; maybe even get a handshake or an autograph. Also, tickets are priced from $5 to $12, a bargain when compared with admission for regular-season games. Many games sell out by early March, so don't wait until you're in Florida to buy tickets.

The teams can move from year to year, so contact the Florida Sports Foundation, 2390 Kerry Forest Pkwy., Suite 101, Tallahassee, FL 32309 (tel. 850/488-8347; fax 850/922-0482; www.flasports.com), which usually posts the Grapefruit League schedules on its website late in January. The main office of Major League Baseball, 350 Park Ave., New York, NY 10022 (tel. 212/339-7800; www.mlb.com), is another place to find out where your favorite teams will be playing.

Here's where the teams played in 2003:

Atlanta Braves, Lake Buena Vista, near Orlando (tel. 407/939-GAME; www.braves.mlb.com); Baltimore Orioles, Fort Lauderdale (tel. 954/776-1921; www.orioles.mlb.com); Boston Red Sox, Fort Myers (tel. 877/733-7699; www.redsox.mlb.com); Cincinnati Reds, Sarasota (tel. 941/954-4464; www.reds.mlb.com); Cleveland Indians, Winter Haven (tel. 863/293-3900; www.indians.mlb.com); Detroit Tigers, Lakeland (tel. 813/287-8844 or 407/839-3900; www.tigers.mlb.com); Florida Marlins, Jupiter (tel. 305/930-HITS; www.marlins.mlb.com); Houston Astros, Kissimmee, near Orlando (tel. 407/933-2520; www.astros.mlb.com); Kansas City Royals, Davenport (tel. 868/424-2500; www.royals.mlb.com); Los Angeles Dodgers, Vero Beach (tel. 561/569-4900; www.dodgers.mlb.com); Minnesota Twins, Fort Myers (tel. 800/338-9467; www.twins.mlb.com); Montreal Expos, Jupiter (tel. 561/775-1818; www.expos.mlb.com); New York Mets, Port St. Lucie (tel. 561/871-2115; www.mets.mlb.com); New York Yankees, Tampa (tel. 813/879-2244; www.yankees.mlb.com); Philadelphia Phillies, Clearwater (tel. 727/442-8496; www.phillies.mlb.com); Pittsburgh Pirates, Bradenton (tel. 941/748-4610; www.pirates.mlb.com); St. Louis Cardinals, Jupiter (tel. 561/775-1818, ext. 7; www.cardinals.mlb.com); Tampa Bay Devil Rays, St. Petersburg (tel. 888/FAN-RAYS or 727/825-3250; www.devilrays.mlb.com); Texas Rangers, Port Charlotte (tel. 941/625-9500; www.rangers.mlb.com); Toronto Blue Jays, Dunedin (tel. 800/707-8269 or 813/733-0429; www.bluejays.mlb.com).