Catching a Dodgers game in Arizona spring training

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The Los Angeles Dodgers trained 64 years at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida before becoming the last team to join the Cactus League in 2009. The move was made for obvious financial reasons. The Dodgers and Chicago White Sox share the large Camelback Ranch complex owned by the city of Glendale. The 10-year-old stadium is located by the 101 Loop Freeway not too far from where the NFL Cardinals play. Ample parking is free! There is a major league feel meaning not too good for autographs and photos. Architecture is nice being constructed of desert stone. The two-story Dodger clubhouse sits behind right field and similar White Sox clubhouse behind left field and behind each are six additional playing fields per team. The concourse is wide and 380 around. The rear entrance is at the end of a small manmade lake. Fans are greeted are giant photo op bobbleheads of Tommy Lasorda and Frank Thomas. Team stores feature twice as much Dodger merchandise as White Sox. Scoreboard is new and shade awnings over first base line have been added. I attended a night game so no issues with the desert sun. The Dodgers played the Colorado Rockies but none of the Rockies stars made the trip so it was like a B squad against most of the Dodger regulars like Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner and Yasiel Puig. Non-starter Ross Stripling started for the Dodgers while Rockies ace Jon Gray took the mound. The game was sloppily played with numerous errors and poor pitching. Even though the Dodgers handily won the game, I was not impressed by what I saw. The best moment was a video tribute to Dodger pitching legend Orel Hershiser who took a bow from the broadcast booth where he now works. The location may have been Phoenix but it was an LA crowd. The parking lot was virtually all California plates. The same could be said of the crowds at Sloan Field where the Cubs play in Mesa and other venues dominated by the “homies.” Photo of Dodger Stadium is Pixabay.