The new spring-training facility for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies has a name.
The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) and their partners, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies, announced today that their new Spring Training facility will be called Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. The new complex is located at 7555 N. Pima Road on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. It is the first Major League Spring Training facility built on Indian land.
The name defines the location of the new baseball Spring Training complex and speaks to the Community’s cultural heritage. “Salt River Fields” alerts baseball fans that they are visiting the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. The word “Fields” refers to the 12 practice fields located within the facility and also the Community’s rich agricultural history while the term “Talking Stick” is a historical reference to the traditional Pima calendar stick on which carvers recorded significant events and milestones.
The name arrives with a new logo that is based on a concept by local Pima artist and calendar stick carver Royce Manuel. Manuel chose to incorporate a rattlesnake to symbolize the D-backs and a mountain to symbolize the Rockies. The logo also emphasizes the scenic mountain ranges that surround Salt River Fields at Talking Stick and illustrates the role of the rattlesnake in southwestern Native American legends.
“Salt River Fields at Talking Stick will offer our guests a unique experience when they see elements of our culture blended with baseball, a great All-American pastime,” said SRPMIC Vice President Martin Harvier. “Fans will attend Cactus League games and get a glimpse of our rich heritage and the panoramic desert and mountain landscape that makes the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community a unique location to watch, play and enjoy Spring Training.”
Located adjacent to Scottsdale, Arizona, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick is being constructed on a 140-acre site that will be home to an 11,000-seat ballpark, 12 practice fields, as well as Major and Minor League clubhouses, training facilities and offices for each team. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies will start Spring Training at the facility in February 2011.
“We are impressed with the collective representation and presence within the name and logo and look forward to incorporating it in our daily operations related to Spring Training,” said D-backs’ President & CEO Derrick Hall. “The mere fact that a name and a logo have been selected is an exciting reminder that the opening is just around the corner. We eagerly await the soon-to-be opportunity to call the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick home with our terrific partners from SRPMIC and the Colorado Rockies.”
Located just west of the Loop 101 freeway and north of Indian Bend Road, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick will feature a mix of seating options: 7,000 in fixed seats and 4,000 in a general admission lawn berm area located beyond the outfield fences. It is designed with built-in shade to give fans the most pleasant Spring Training experience.
“History and tradition have always played a large role in Major League Baseball. Naming the Spring Training complex for something unique and relevant to the Community and the region is a strong message that history and tradition are important to us and all baseball fans,” said Rockies’ Executive Vice President of Business Greg Feasel. “We are proud to partner with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.”
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick will be the newest entertainment venue to carry the “Talking Stick” brand as it joins Talking Stick Golf Club and Talking Stick Resort.
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