Tiny Marana is pushing forward plans for a $125-million, three-team spring-training complex. But are there three teams interested in training in the Tucson area? Tiny Marana is pushing forward plans for a $125-million, three-team spring-training complex. But are there three teams interested in training in the Tucson area?
We don’t think so, which makes Marana’s quest — coming through the Pima County Sports and Tourism Authority — so Quixotic. But we’re not going to call the planning totally futile: after all, the city is merely responding to a RFP from the Arizona Diamondbacks, who issued a call for a 12,000-seat spring-training facility. And it’s no secret the Diamondbacks are working in tandem with the Colorado Rockies on a spring complex.
Still, staying in Tucson may be a tough sell for both teams: they don’t draw well there, and it’s inconvenient to drive more than a hundred miles many days for a road game. Putting three teams in Tucson will help with the minor-league scheduling, especially if a group planning on leasing Tucson Electric Park for Japanese spring training follows through. But we don’t sense much enthusiasm for Tucson from anyone involved.
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