Lakeland is my hometown and current residence, and I feel very lucky to have the big club's spring training games and High-A ball here. I have enjoyed many games with friends and family over the years. I know we have some serious minor league baseball fans on TCDB, so I thought some of you might find the following info interesting.
Since this photo was taken, the Lakeland Tigers rebranded as the "Flying Tigers" in the 2000s. It was a nod to the fact that the Tigertown complex, where they have played since Joker Marchant Stadium opened on the site in 1966, was used during WWII for (I believe) flight training/aircraft maintenance. You can still see some historic hangars on the premises today that are now used by the city. It was also a nod to the many WWII generation retirees and veterans in general living in the area. (I also learned how to "pilot" a car in the Marchant Stadium parking lot, but I don't think that had anyhing to do with it. )
Speaking of the palm trees on the card, Joker Marchant Stadium was renovated 5-6 years ago, so the lines of sight have changed. I miss sitting down the third base line and looking out past the right field wall at the palm trees and Lake Parker behind it. It was idyllic. But, they did a great job on the reno, and you can still see plenty of palm trees on the premises. If any of you guys come south for the Grapefruit League, you know what I'm referring to.
Also, Tigertown (where that photo was taken) is about a mile or two up the road from the Tigers' old spring training park, Henley Field. Henley was built in 1922 and was home to the Indians (1923–1927) and Tigers (1934–1965) until the Tigers moved to Marchant, so you can imagine some of the names who played there through the years. Long Gone with Virginia Madsen was filmed there, and it is on the National Register of Historic Places. Here's Henley's wiki entry. It is also where the Florida Southern College Moccasins, 9-time Div-II National Champions (and my alma mater), play their home games.
I know that's probably way more than you wanted to know, but it's not every day a Lakeland Tiger is the COTD and again, I thought some of you minor league baseball lovers might like the trivia.