Peoria (Az.) will spend $48 million on upgrading the spring-training complex for the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners as part of a lease extension running through 2034. Spring training has become a big business, with demanding — and receiving — first-rate complexes. The Peoria Stadium complex was considered state of the art when it […]
Tag Archives | cactus league
Cactus League facing uncertainty, financial issues
With Oakland and Milwaukee potentially relocating and tourism taxes coming up short, Cactus League officials are working to identify new sources of revenue to pay down spring-training-ballpark debt. While it’s highly unlikely either team will leave the greater Phoenix area — Oakland is negotiating a move to HoHoKam Park once the Cubbies depart and the […]
Don’t look now, but spring training is around the corner
Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but spring training is around the corner. Time to make your plans, as tickets are going fast at some spring-training ballparks. At least, that’s the report from Scottsdale, where Salt River Fields general manager David Dunne reports that opening day and some weekend games for the Arizona Diamondbacks and […]
Regents approve Sun Devils move to new Cubs training facility
The Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team will be sharing a new Mesa spring-training facility with the Chicago Cubs starting in 2014, as the move was approved by the Arizona Board of Regents last night. The move will cost the athletic department $2 million for the construction of a team clubhouse. In return, according to […]
Future of City of Palms Park still under debate
Though many in Fort Myers would like to see another MLB team train at City of Palms Park, that’s not happening any time soon, and Lee County is struggling to find a future use for the ballpark — with an outdoor pool again at the top of the list. It’s no secret Fort Myers and […]
Parsing the spring-training attendance numbers
With Spring Training 2011 now over, it’s time to look at the winners and losers in the annual tune-up to the Major League Baseball season, with over 3.5 million fans attending games in Florida, Arizona and other exhibition venues. There are actually a few different sets of spring-training numbers floating around out there: MLB tallies […]
Ricketts: Not so fast on Wrigleyville West
Despite telling Mesa voters that development would be part of the mix at new Chicago Cubs spring-training complex, owner Tom Ricketts now says Wrigleyville West will need to wait until the new ballpark opens — if it happens at all. The issue is pretty simple: early feedback indicates there’s little demand from retailers and restauranteurs […]
It’s truck day!
At MLB clubhouses across the nation, the same scenario will be played out in the next few days: large trucks bearing lots of equipment will heading to Florida or Arizona, to be broken out for spring training. Yes, friends, it’s Truck Day! At least for the Red Sox, who not only have made Truck Day […]
Feeding frenzy expected for Cubs spring facility work
When the city of Mesa releases a “request for qualifications” notice in coming weeks, we’ll see a feeding frenzy as architectural and construction firms jockey for position — and we hear the process is expected to be wide open. Discussions of the new facility were fast and frequent at the Winter Meetings, as lots of […]
First game at Salt River Fields slated for Feb. 26
The first game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the new spring home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, will be held Feb. 26, as the facility is unveiled to the public. As you might expect, the Diamondbacks and the Rockies will square off in this first game; the Diamondbacks will be the […]
New Cubs spring facility approved by Mesa voters
Despite the anti-tax sentiment carrying the day in most of America, Mesa voters yesterday voted to spend almost $100 million on a new Chicago Cubs spring-training facility, funded by higher hotel taxes and a selloff of city land. The approval came via two ballot issues. The first, which passed with 63 percent of the vote, […]
Mesa to vote on new Cubs complex today
Mesa (Az.) voters will go to the polls today to decide on the fate of a new Chicago Cubs spring-training complex, as two questions on the ballot will authorize the city to go ahead with the plan and its funding. Voters must approve a referendum question to raise the city hotel tax by two percentage […]
Wooing voters, Mesa and Cubs release ballpark renderings
In an effort to turn out support for public funding of a new Chicago Cubs spring-training complex in northwest Mesa, the city and the team released renderings of a lovely new facility, complete with retail, iconic sign a la Wrigley and office space. Mesa voters will have before them two referendum questions on Nov. 2 […]