Preview Se7en Wetlands Before Saturday’s Opening
Mobile link: If you go, open the Lakeland ParkFinder on your smartphone to navigate Se7en Wetlands via GPS.
Exhibitors: Scroll down for a list of sponsors at Saturday’s 10 a.m. grand opening.
Recreation / Sports
Former SEU Golfer, Now a Firefighter, Playing First Masters at 30
Matt Parziale became a firefighter in Brockton, Mass., in 2014, partly because the job would give him time to work on his golf game. He earned three All-American honors and an individual championship when he golfed at Southeastern University from 2006 to 2009. He qualified for the Masters by winning the U.S Mid-Amateur Championship last October.
ALSO: Parziale’s SEU coach and a roommate/teammate tell ESPN about his college days.
Spring Training Replants a Bit of Michigan in Lakeland
And a companion article at the same link: Ty Cobb may be the greatest Tiger ever, but fans hold special reverence for Al Kaline, the player whose name appears on the street entering Tigertown.
Video: Dedication of Dog Park at Cleveland Heights
ALSO: Facebook photo gallery from City of Lakeland Parks & Recreation
Gun Show at High School Tournament Venue Surprises Coach
When a bus carrying the Nova High School girls basketball team pulled up for the state championship game at the RP Funding Center Saturday night, head coach Jason Hively said he was stunned when he saw somebody carrying a “big rifle” in the parking lot. A gun show was being held at the venue at the same time as the FHSAA finals. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Whatever your feeling is on the Second Amendment, I don’t think the two mesh here,” said Hively, whose school sits in the same county as the Parkland high school where a gunman killed 17 people last month.
Tigers Game a Step Toward Umpire Breaking Gender Barrier
Jen Pawol, 41, called balls and strikes behind home plate at Joker Marchant Stadium on Thursday as the Detroit Tigers defeated Florida Southern College 6-1. She hopes to be the first woman to ump a regular-season MLB game.
ALSO: Detroit News coverage
Spring Training Tip: Stay in Lakeland to See the Stars
Major League Baseball is relaxing a rule that requires teams to send all players on the road during Spring Training for the next week or so, but MLive reports that managers sometimes keep veteran players home during out-of-town games.
Video: City Manager Gives Updates, Answers Questions
Lakeland City Manager Tony Delgado gave updates on projects such as the soon-to-open Dog Leg Park along the Cleveland Heights Golf Course and the Se7en Wetlands nature area, as well as the Mirrorton development north of Lake Mirror this morning at his third quarterly “Tony Talks.” He also answered citizen questions.