Mets' Spring Training Upgrades Will Not Be Ready Before Players Report

The $57M renovation to Clover Park, the Mets' Spring Training home, "won't be completed by Monday, when pitchers and catchers report," according to a front-page piece by Keona Gardner of the ST. LUCIE NEWS TRIBUNE. The overhaul of the 7,100-seat ballpark is "only 62% complete." St. Lucie County, Fla., officials now "hope to have work" on the ballpark done by Feb. 24, two days after the Mets' Spring Training home opener. The entire project -- including "landscaping and other aesthetic items -- is to be completed by June 3." No reasons were provided for the delay. Despite the ballpark being just two-thirds completed, the Mets are "'100% confident' the ballpark will be ready Monday for pitchers and catchers and Thursday for fans to watch player workouts" (ST. LUCIE NEWS TRIBUNE, 2/7).