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1997
CACTUS LEAGUE
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No Grapefruits Allowed!
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Important Announcement!
November 25, 1998
If you've been a regular visitor to this web site, then you've realized that it hasn't been updated in a few years.

"Why?" you ask...well, the main reason is because many more reliable sites exist for Cactus League information. On the web today, you'll find many official and mainstream sources for Spring Training information. This was not the case when this site was started in '94 or so. Back then, the Mariners were the only baseball club that even had an official web site. I can't even remember if big sites like mlb.com and ESPN Sportszone even existed, but if they did, Spring Training info and coverage was sparse to the point of being non-existent.

I've also cut back on my own attendance of games, but that's another story. But it has a net effect: collating information is now an active task, rather than an incidental task. In other words, I used put together the info for my own use and posted it for the benefit of others. I've since re-directed my hobby energies into other directions (click the graphic to see).

So, at one time, this site served a purpose. It has been supplanted by many other professional and responsibly updated sources, and I humbly and happily cede to them. I would recommend going to your favorite team's official site and getting all the info you need from there.

1999 Scehdules

If you want schedules, these links will take you directly to official 1999 schedules (efficiently blowing past those annoying entry screens and funky frames):

Note: At the time of this posting, I could not find the Padres ST schedule on their site. If anyone finds it, pass the URL on to me and I'll link it. 		All the rest of the info on this web site is obsolete! Some critical updates:
  • The Brewers now play in Maryvale (west Phoenix). The Chandler facility is no longer used by any club.
  • The Cubs play in a re-built Ho Ho Kam Park, at the same site as the old stadium.
  • The Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks now play in a new ballpark in Tucson (Tucson Electric Park).
  • The awful bleachers at Tucson's Hi Corbett have been replaced with much less congested regular seats. Good move.
  • Bell Road from Tatum Boulevard to 75th Ave. is the world's longest strip mall.
  • The Los Angeles Dodgers are considering moving to AZ from their current Grapefruit League home in Vero Beach, FL. A sure sign that the Apocolypse is upon us.
  • Many of the street parking tips listed here have been negated by rampant development in surrounding areas.
  • Ticket prices have gone up. For a general estimate of any current ticket price, convert it like celsius to fahrenheit: Take the price listed here, then double it and add 30 cents.
  • Eleven new layers of cyclone fencing and obstruction screening have been added at Indian School Park. Take the old Berlin Wall, double it and add 30.
  • Ticket price and order info should be obtained by rooting around the links to the left. You should go to the root URL (e.g., "www.milwaukeebrewers.com") and find the appropriate info links.
  • Phoenix now has the worst drivers in the United States. If you are visiting, expect to see three road accidents for every hundred miles you drive.

You may be wondering why I'm even leaving this site up. Well, this is the Internet version of clutter. I bet if you look behind your toilet right now, you'll find a Reader's Digest from 1995. Same thing.

If you made it this far, then please visit my Hey Dude web site. It's the old Nickelodeon show that took place on a dude ranch. It's much more interesting than this icky baseball stuff.

Below is the web site as it has existed the last several years, including the misspelled "unoffical". How many years and not one person has ever brought this to my attention. Sheesh. You guys don't deserve this page...(just kidding!). (Update: Due to storage constraints, several old pages have been taken off-line. Sorry).

Have fun,
Dan Ichikawa
November 25, 1998
Phoenix, Arizona.

e-mail: danichi@swlink.net

Cactus League ticket stub

Looking ahead to 1997

This site won't reflect real changes for the 1997 season until late November. Until then, this site will be a mish-mash of mostly 1996 stuff with only text-edited references to the '97 season.

All pages updated for 1997 will be so noted, probably with a big ol' graphic of some kind. As of now there are none except this home page, and all it has gotten was a quick little once-over...

For now, let's assume the best: that there will be a labor agreement and that baseball will open their training camps on schedule. That said...

Eight Major League Baseball teams will open their Spring Training Camps here in Arizona in late February. Pitchers and catchers report early, the postion players show up about a week later, and the exhibition games start in early March. All through the month the teams shake out the winter rust, evaluate the new talent, and enjoy the Arizona climate.

If you're a baseball fan, you can attend the games for a lot cheaper than you would at a Major League facility, although recent pricing trends are beginning to challenge that notion. Workouts are always free. At both, you'll get access to the players and coaches you'll never get again once Opening Day arrives. At its worst, you can work on your tan.

This is an unoffical guide to the 1997 Cactus League. Last year, it took until mid-January to get all the pieces put together. Hopefully the schedule will be ready before the end of the year. If you leave me an e-mail note, I'll be sure to e-mail it to you as soon as I get it.

All information can be found in the following sections:

1997 Cactus League Schedule with links to team schedules.

Cactus League Stadium Information includes info on game tickets. ['96 info only!]

Cactus League Baseball Teams see right below.

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Baseball Teams of the Cactus League

And coming soon....

More Info
If you can, get your hands on the February 11th, 1996, Sunday Edition of the Arizona Republic. It contains a guide to the 1996 Catus League season. But there's not much in it that you can't find here, especially if you read these two articles from the paper:

1996 Spring Training Baseball Yearbook, an official publication of Major League Baseball. This slick guide is ok, but it lacks any real meat. Coverage of all MLB teams is equal, so 75% of the mag is frittered away on Florida's Grapefruit League. It has a nice section on "Top 100" prospects and the obligatory fantasy baseball sections. The filler articles are wholly unrelated to the current Spring training scene: "The '47 Dodgers in Havana" and "Sliding into Cooperstown," an interesting look at future Hall of Fame voting. You should be able to pick it up at bookstores and supermarket magazine stands when you arrive in Phoenix.

I've included links to other Arizona-related WWW sites that may be of help or interest to visitors.

And if you got on the wrong plane or interstate and somehow ended up in Florida, don't worry. You can still watch all the baseball you want. Just buy a laptop, a modem, get that free 10-hour deal from AOL or Prodigy and plug into the Tampa Tribune's Florida Spring Training Guide.

For good, general information on baseball in general check out these sites:

[Baseball Link of the Week] for the week of February 18 - 24.

Disclaimer
I obtained most of this information directly from ticket brochures published by the host club/stadium authority. I have checked this work to ensure its accuracy, but I will not be responsible for any errors, omissions, or changes, due to either my work or the source material.

Let me add a caveat that would seem inane in a saner world, but unfortunately is grounded in the reality of 1995: If you spend a cool grand on plane fare, resort reservations, game tickets, and tee-off times, don't blame me if Spring Training gets cancelled or postponed. Blame Bud Selig, Don Fehr, and the bodies they represent! (Hey, I have a dog named "Bud.")

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EasyCAD for Windows, a full featured 2D CAD program for Windows.

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Last updated February 19, 1996.
Please leave any comments or editorial contributions to danichi@swlink.net