When the Pirates rolled into town on their train, Honus Wagner, was of course the main attraction. Wagner recalled of a time when he lived next to Muncie City Controller John Lewis’ father, Dave Lewis, in Carnegie Pennsylvania before the birth of John. On the station platform, the Pirates players and coaches were already off to a great state in the town of Muncie. Spring training practices were free and open to the public as long as they behaved themselves and remained in the stands. However, the Pirates obliged Muncie baseball fans with their presence off the ball field just as much as on it.  In a particular heartwarming tale, the Pirates trainer, Dr. Jorgensen, met with Muncie Central basketball star Jack Snyder after Jorgensen noticed him walking on crutches.  Snyder had been on crutches for roughly six weeks before Dr. Jorgensen invited him back to Hotel Roberts for some adjusting. Honus Wagner drove Snyder from his parent’s house to the hotel, in a questionnaire distributed to locals by Richard Neel for his doctoral thesis, Jack recalled, “he turned me every which way but loose for over an hour and a half.” Jack would walk out of Hotel Roberts without the use of his crutches after taking two vitamins given to him by Dr. Jorgensen. Twenty years later Snyder recalled the event of hitching a ride with the greatest short stop to ever play the game, “They treated me as good as gold. A guy doesn’t think about getting autographs or souvenirs at that time because it did not seem like a big deal since they were such regular types of guys.”​

     The first spring training session was generally well received by the players, and even better received by the locals. The wartime period left major league baseball without much mid level players as many went off to fight in the war. This time period gave kids who were previously incapable of making it to the big leagues a chance to play the game they love with some of the stars they grew up admiring; players such as Muncie Central pitcher Lloyd Tolle who pitched a no hit inning during an inter-squad game on March 25, 1943.  The Pirates also played against Ball State Teacher’s College squads, as well as the Muncie Industrial League nines.  These games would be like getting nine players from your place of employment to play against the Chicago Cubs; a feat that kids in French Lick did get to enjoy.​

     Of course the weather was not always great in Muncie, so when the team experienced rainouts they would often do drills, or even play games of basketball, in Muncie Fieldhouse.  This would come to be the theme of the 1944 spring training, which could best be described as the less an exceptional training weather.  When the Pirates first arrived in 1944, it was 70 degrees. Manager Frankie Frisch took advantage of this unseasonable weather by having his team perform calisthenics at McCullough just three hours after arriving.  However, the next month was in the 30s or 40s and often occupied by rain or snow. It is during these many days spent in Muncie Fieldhouse that Pirate Basketball was developed, which consisted on seven on seven games with little to no rules.  In an interview with the Pittsburgh Gazette, Manager Frankie Frisch stated, “Right now it looks as if we might get out on the ball field next July.” The Pirates would experience a muddy McCulloch field through much of the ’44 spring training, getting in bunting practice and away games whenever possible.  The weather would become more cooperative towards the end of spring, but the weather was slowly but surely growing on the nerve of Pirates players.

     Unfortunately for the residents of Muncie, the 1945 spring training season would be the last they would see of the Pirates players in the spring, as the war would come to an end later that year.  However, many Americans did not know this in the spring of ’45, and many players were worried about the work or fight legislation currently being addressed in Congress.  Under this legislation, major league baseball would suspend its season and the players would be required to fight in the war or enter the workforce for the war. Much to the delight of ball players and fans, the season was not cancelled, but 60% of the 143 spring training games scheduled were cut. Luckily for the Pirates shortened session, earlier that spring a new drainage system was installed in McCulloch Park so the Pirates would be able to workout outside more often than the following year. The Pirates spring training mostly consisted of inter-squad and local games as they only had one major league exhibition game set up against the Cleveland Indians.  The Pirates spent a lot of time during this spring training mingling with Muncie locals. The team was welcomed by a local woman in for a dinner with Muncie officials, the team held a bowling competition at a nearby bowling alley where they would face two all female squads to raise money for war bonds, and of course, many players were seen out on the town at night with local women. ​

     On opening day of the ’45 season, many Muncie residents traveled to Cincinnati to watch their Pirates take on the Reds. Mayor Hampton and City Controller, John Lewis, were given box seats behind the Pirates dugout. Although some players complained about the weather of Muncie, most were just discouraged that there wasn’t as many attractions as in San Bernardino, CA, then the spring training headquarters for the team. Manager Frisch had no problem with these accommodations as he figured this was a time for the players to get into shape. While some players recalled that fan attendance was low in Middletown, the town became baseball crazed, becoming a minor league affiliate for the Reds in ’46 known as the Muncie Reds.  Middletown, USA now had a major league team affiliated with it, only short of renaming Muncie to Apple Pie, IN could a more American town exist in the Midwest.