February 20, 2004|By Joe Christensen | Joe Christensen,SUN STAFF
Still, Mora will have to get used to the change. He played six positions last year but hasn't spent a single inning at third base since 2000. Nonetheless, the Orioles are confident he'll be fine, and they backed it up by giving him a three-year, $10.5 million contract last month.
Mora played a full year at third base in 1994, when he was at Single-A Osceola in the Houston Astros' farm system. He also played five games there this winter in Venezuela and said he doesn't think it will take him long to get comfortable during spring training.
"Just for two weeks, in my mind," Mora said. "Everything's fine. I know the team can count on me. Whatever they want to do with me, I'm pretty happy."
If you go
Ballpark: Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Stadium
Built: 1962.
Orioles' years there: Nine.
Capacity: 8,340.
Dimensions: 332 feet to left field, 320 to right, 401 to center
Ticket prices: Box seats $15; reserved grandstand $10 (seating under cover); general admission $7 for adults/$3 for children 14 and under. Children under 3 do not require game-day ticket.
Purchasing tickets online: Go to www.theorioles.com and click on tickets logo.
Purchasing tickets at stadium: Windows are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. No individual game phone orders are accepted through the stadium.
Purchasing tickets by fax or mail: Call 954-776-1921 to receive an order form. Order forms also may be mailed to the stadium with a check, money order or credit card guarantee.
Purchasing tickets by phone: Call Florida Ticketmaster at 954-523-3309, 305-358-5885 or 561-966-3309. There is a service charge.
Ticket options: For season tickets, group discounts or skyboxes, call 954-776-1921.
Senior discount days: Fans 60 and older can purchase a reserved grandstand seat for weekday afternoon games for $5. Tickets must be bought 24 hours in advance.
What can be brought into the stadium?: Stadium policies prohibit bats, umbrellas, cans, glass bottles, jugs, hard coolers and thermoses. They also restrict baggage of any type, including backpacks, duffel bags, briefcases and oversized handbags. You may bring cameras and cell phones but not large electronic equipment, such as camcorders and laptop computers. Ballpark security reserves the right to inspect all items carried into the ballpark.
Getting into the stadium: Gates open two hours before game time. There are three separate entrances to the ballpark: one for box and reserved grandstand seating, one for left-field general admission and one for right-field general admission. There is no re-entry.
Parking: $5.
Attending practices: Workouts are accessible only before the Grapefruit League schedule begins. Admission is free. Gates open at 9 a.m.
Autographs: Autograph seeking is permitted in the two-hour window before game time. Fans will be allowed down near the field but cannot block the view of someone seated for the game.
Orioles Charity Breakfast: Feb. 29, 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., at Fort Lauderdale Stadium. Cost is $15. Includes an on-field autograph session with Orioles players, a photo opportunity with the Orioles mascot and memorabilia auctions. Call 954-776-1921.
