Play Ball!

After months of intense televised sports, die hard fans may now find themselves permanently embedded in that comfortable couch, anchored in front of their overheated TV set. These devoted sports enthusiasts were compelled to sit through an endless parade of college bowl games during December and January. Then came the "must see" barrage of NFL playoff games, which culminated the "can't miss" Super Bowl XL. Now, confronted with college basketball's March Madness, will these homebound sports buffs have the strength and will power to pry themselves off the couch, turn off the television and venture outside once again?

The answer is yes because on March 1, the lure of spring weather, the roar of the crowd, and the friendly confines of the intimate outdoor stadium will draw them to another exciting season of Cactus League baseball. The twelve Major League baseball teams which comprise the league are back for spring training. For the next thirty days, you can catch them playing at one of the ballparks in Phoenix and Tucson.

Last October was the Chicago White Sox' time to shine with their spectacular performance in the 2005 World Series. This month, you can get an up close preview of the reigning champions at Tucson Electric Park. They share the park with our own Arizona Diamondbacks who brought home a world Series championship of their own in 2001. Tucson's Hi Corbett Field plays host to the Colorado Rockies.

The other nine Cactus League teams play in stadiums throughout the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. With a capacity of 10,500, Surprise Stadium is the Valley's newest. The Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers share the west Valley facility which over looks the Bradshaw Mountains. Peoria's impressive Sports Complex is home to the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres where it drew 225,00 fans in just 30 games last year. The Milwaukee Brewers' Maryvale Park is considered to be very fan-friendly. The newly renovated Tempe Diablo stadium host the L.A. Angles of Anaheim. The Cubbies set a league attendance recover last year at the new Hohokam Park in Mesa. Scottsdale's red-bricked stadium is, long time home to the San Francisco Giants. And the Valley's oldest venue is the Phoenix Municipal stadium where you can see the Oakland A's play this month.

In the immortal words of the man in blue — play ball!