Frances forces Miracle to cancel rest of season

By Naples Daily News staff

The Fort Myers Miracle announced the 2004 season has officially ended, canceling games today and Sunday against the Lakeland Tigers at Hammond Stadium. In addition, the game scheduled to be played in Dunedin on Friday night was also canceled.

With Hurricane Frances bearing down on Florida, the Miracle, their parent club, the Minnesota Twins, and the Lakeland Tigers all have agreed the right move is to cancel the final two games on the schedule. The Tigers had contacted the Miracle early Friday morning and indicated that they would not be making the trip to Fort Myers this weekend.

"If we learned anything from Hurricane Charley it's not to take any chances," said Miracle general manager Steve Gliner. "This allows the players and staff from both the Miracle and the Tigers enough time to make their travel plans prior to the arrival of the Hurricane. We realize that everyone's safety is the most important thing at this time."

Southwest Florida took a major hit from Hurricane Charley just three weeks ago. Hurricane Frances is presently heading toward the east coast of Florida, and it is expected that Southwest Florida will experience strong winds and extremely heavy rain beginning this afternoon. Those conditions are forecast to remain in the area through Monday morning.