California, in . However, they were replaced by the Philadelphia Phillies, who played in the park until , until they left for Winter Haven. In 1928, the Boston Red Sox were looking at coming to Bradenton, after spending the prior three years training in New Orleans. However, before the team would commit to the Bradenton, the Red Sox officials asked to see the attendance and financial figures of what they would see if they moved their training to Bradenton. Robert M. Beall Sr. gave the Red Sox the actual figures they requested. The Boston officials were impressed with Beall's honesty. Every other city competing for the Red Sox had given the club projected figures on what they might expect if they choose their city, not their actual figures. The Red Sox trained in Bradenton until . That season the Cardinals returned to Bradenton and would stay there for the next seven springs. The Cardinals' second term: The "Gashouse Gang" era In the 1930s, the Cardinals returned during what journalists refer to as "the gashouse gang era". During that time they had ball players including Paul Derringer and future-Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean. Dean, who played at the stadium in the 1930s, liked Bradenton so much, he bought a local gas station and hung out there when he wasn't playing, giving the Cardinals' famed Gashouse Gang its nickname. Dean also bought a home in Bradenton. To keep him out of trouble, the Cardinals sent him to Bradenton weeks before spring training, and paid a local sportswriter to keep an eye on him. In the Cardinals moved their training to City Island Ball Park, located in Daytona Beach. Boston Braves' first era The Boston Bees (today's Atlanta Braves) played at the stadium until , when they left for San Antonio, Texas. The stadium did not host another team for seven years. World War II: Camp Weatherford During World War II, many major league teams avoided the long trip to Florida for training, opting instead to hold their sessions closer to their home cities to cut down on costs. The United States military used the field as a training base from 1941 to 1945. The base was first named Camp Bradenton. However the name was later changed in 1943 to Camp Weatherford, in honor of Pfc. Willie Weatherford, who was the first Florida native killed in the war. The baseball field was filled