ST. PETERSBURG -- It's a long, long road for many to get to the big leagues, but the road seems a bit shorter if you hail from Lakeland High School.
The school is located just 56 miles from Tropicana Field, but in the past year the home of the Dreadnaughts has been a breeding ground for some of the top Major Leaguers in the game. Indeed, five Lakeland High Alums have been on Major League rosters over the past year, and two of them faced off in Friday night's Chicago-Tampa Bay tilt, as Rays first baseman Steve Pearce squared off against fellow Lakeland alum and White Sox ace Chris Sale.