Arizona Diamonds dazzle baseball fans: Springtime visitors can see their favorite major league teams in action - Brief Article

Travel America, Nov-Dec, 2001 by Charlie Vascellaro

For more than 50 years baseball fans from around the country have been flocking in droves to bask in the Southwest's most comfortable season and watch major leaguers engage in their annual rite of spring at ballparks surrounded by desert scenery. Cities like Scottsdale, Tucson, Tempe, and Mesa are popular resort locales year-round, but Cactus League baseball is a big reason why March has become the height of Arizona's vacation season.

Fans enjoy the luxury of most of the ballparks being close to each other. Currently, 10 major league teams hold spring training in Arizona (with two more scheduled to arrive in 2003). Seven teams play their home games in the greater Phoenix area and three in Tucson. Here's a look at the stadiums:

TUCSON ELECTRIC PARK. The "expansion" Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox (formerly spring-based in Florida) entered into a partnership at this new park in 1998. A spectacular view of the Santa Catalina Mountain range expands beyond the outfield wall to the deepest reaches of fair territory and what appears to be the end of the world. Because the park is shared by two teams, there's a game being played just about every day on the Cactus League schedule.

HI CORBETT FIELD. Since 1947, Tucson's Hi Corbett Field hasn't missed a season. Originally the home of the Cleveland Indians, Hi Corbett has been the only spring home of the Colorado Rockies since the team joined the majors in 1993. Although it has undergone extensive renovations since the Rockies moved in, Hi Corbett, the former home of the Tucson Toros, retains a decidedly minor league ambience. Baseball movie buffs know the original Hi Corbett was used for the spring training scenes in the movie Major League.

SCOTTSDALE STADIUM. Of the current group of ballparks, more teams have played their home games in Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale than any other Cactus League venue. The park was originally opened by the Baltimore Orioles in 1956 and has also been home to the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Oakland A's, and San Francisco Giants. Remodeled in 1992, it has been home to the Giants since 1984. Designed by the architectural firm responsible for Baltimore's Camden Yards, Scottsdale's red brick and green awning ball yard was among the forerunners of the country's ballpark renaissance of the early 1990s.

PHOENIX MUNICIPAL STADIUM. While just a 10- or 15-minute drive from Scottsdale, Phoenix Municipal Stadium is light years away from its crosstown counterpart, at least aesthetically speaking. Opened in 1966 during the days when most new ballparks resembled flying saucers, "Muny" was the spring home of the San Francisco Giants and permanent home of the Giants Pacific Coast League minor league affiliate for many years. It has been the spring home of the Oakland A's since 1984.

TEMPE DIABLO STADIUM. Gently nestled beside a red rock formation known as the Tempe Buttes, Diablo Stadium, home of the Anaheim Angels, affords one of the league's most scenic vistas. A beautiful sunset before a night game or after a day game is included with the price of admission.

HOHOKAM PARK. This park in Mesa has been home to the Chicago Cubs since 1979. With a faithful following of die-hard Cubs fans (it doesn't matter whether the team is any good or not), Hohokam is easily the most lively Cactus League locale and probably the toughest ticket. Complete with a giant Jumbotron video scoreboard, Hohokam feels more like a big league stadium than any of the others in the league.

PEORIA SPORTS COMPLEX. The first facility to be shared by two major league teams, the Peoria Sports Complex has been the spring home of the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres since the teams entered into a partnership with the city in 1994. The main stadium is surrounded by 12 practice fields and a pair of infield diamonds. Considered the crown jewel of Cactus League ballparks at the time of its arrival, this highly touted complex is quite possibly the premier baseball training and development facility in the world. Because two teams call the Peoria Sports Complex home, there's a game scheduled just about every day.

MARYVALE BASEBALL PARK. The Phoenix spring training grounds of the Milwaukee Brewers is the most fan-friendly park in the league. The wide open-air concourse behind the sunken seating bowl is shaded from above by louvered sun screens stretching down the first and third base lines. The sight lines are just about perfect from anywhere in the park. Seats behind home plate and down the baselines are remarkably close to the action. The concourse completely circles the stadium, and the grass seating spans the length of the outfield and sits at a comfortable incline.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Contact the following Cactus League teams for tickets:

Anaheim Angels: Ticketmaster, (408) 784-4444, or Diablo Stadium, (602) 438-9300.

Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox at Tucson Electric Park: (520) 434-1111.

Chicago Cubs: tickets.com, (800) 905-3315, and Hohokam Park, (480) 964-4467.

Colorado Rockies: (800) 388-ROCK or Hi Corbett Field, (520) 327-9467.