Sweat Out Baseball 2006 Spring Training in Arizona

February heralds the end of winter hibernation and the time for true baseball fans to wake up. In looking to spring training camps in Florida and Arizona, fans can forget their 2005 dashed hopes (unless you are a White Sox fan), and renew faith in a spectacular 2006 World Series finish. Indeed, baseball is a sport of eternal optimism and as folks travel to see their favorite teams stretch and try out new pitches or batting stances, baseball itself settles in for a new year of history. Injuries and disputes keep the players circulating amongst teams and leagues, but the game remains true to its roots. Let us saddle up and head out west for a look at the Cactus League.

Arizona slowly lured teams to the desert with new stadiums and dry, sunny weather. Snowbirds need to lather up the sunscreen and apply liberally. With no shady palm trees, Arizona offers a backdrop of cactus. In Phoenix, you can learn about different types of cacti at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden.

In Tucson Electric Park, the World Series championship trophy will be on display March 13-19 as the Chicago White Sox bask in its hard fought 2005 glory.

Arizona is the place for doubleheader action. The Padres and Mariners both play at the Peoria Sports Complex. The Rangers and Royals share space in Surprise, Arizona with one baseball team playing in the afternoon, and the other team resting for a night game. Early in the day, you can see workouts from both teams at their separate fields. You can spend a day absorbing baseball. The other teams using a dual complex are the White Sox and the Diamondbacks. They share Tucson Electric Park. Additionally, the shortest distance between two Arizona training camps is four miles. The Giants are in Scottsdale, while the Athletics play in Phoenix.

With Barry Bonds actually at training camp this year and possibly contemplating retirement, Scottsdale will be the place to be. Fans will be cheering his home runs and saluting his batting skills. This could be the first time in two years that Bonds actually plays spring- training exhibition games.

No doubt Frank Thomas, now with Oakland, will incite some crowd noise especially when the Athletics play his former team, Chicago. Baseball is a sport, but also a small community. So, as the Cactus League heats up its March exhibition games, players will fall short of expectations or will start a hitting streak that continues into the regular season. They will cause controversy, or quietly play the game for the sheer joy of running bases. Either way, it is time to enjoy baseball spring training and warm up the arm for April's opening day 2006.

American League Teams in the Cactus League

CentralWest
Chicago White SoxLos Angeles Angels
Kansas City RoyalsOakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers

National League Teams in the Cactus League:

CentralWest

Chicago CubsArizona Diamondbacks
Milwaukee BrewersColorado Rockies
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants

Cactus League - Teams and Spring Training Locations:

Arizona Diamondbacks-Tucson Electric Park, 2500 E. Ajo Way, Tucson AZ 85713
Chicago Cubs-HoHo Kam Park, 1235 N. Center St, Mesa AZ 85201
Chicago White Sox-Tucson Electric Park
Colorado Rockies-Hi Corbett Field, 3400 El Camino Campestre, Tucson AZ 85716
Kansas City Royals-Surprise Stadium, 15960 N. Bullard Ave, Surprise AZ 85374
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim-Tempe Diablo Stadium, 2200 W. Alameda, Tempe AZ 85282
Milwaukee Brewers-Maryvale Baseball Park, 3600 N. 51st Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85031
Oakland Athletics-Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 5999 E. Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ 85008
San Diego Padres-Peoria Sports Complex, 16101 N. 83rd Ave, Peoria AZ 85382
San Francisco Giants- Scottsdale Stadium, 7408 E. Osborn Rd, Scottsdale AZ 85251
Seattle Mariners- Peoria Sports Complex
Texas Rangers - Surprise Stadium (Billy Parker Field)

Sources -
USA Today
Baseball Weekly
Dallas Morning News