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Opinion by Greg Hansen : 'Heading north' not nice words in Tucson

Opinion by Greg Hansen
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 03.27.2008
Wednesday morning at Hi Corbett Field, an 18-wheeler from Fort Worth Freight Lines carefully maneuvered into a small space behind the right field wall.
A dozen men commenced the laborious task of moving the Colorado Rockies' weight-lifting equipment from underneath two makeshift pavilions.
"Heading north,'' said Kent Thorpe, one of those doing the heavy lifting. "All the way to Coors Field.''
Alas, in Tucson, the two sorriest words of spring training are heading north.
At least they did not mean north to Phoenix. Not yet.
You would have never suspected spring training 2008 was in its last day at Hi Corbett Field.
Behind the right field wall at the old ballpark, another world, one that is mostly off limits and unknown to the casual spring training fan, was in full whirl.
About 150 Rockies' minor-league ballplayers, coaches, scouts, umpires, trainers and attendant baseball personnel had just begun playing three intrasquad games with Class A, Class AA and Class AAA teams. Two additional fields on the Reid Park Annex were being used for infield and bunting practice.
"A lot of us are here until June,'' said Rockies minor-league coach Anthony Sanders, a former big-league outfielder from Tucson who played high school ball at Santa Rita. "There's stuff happening out here every day.''
It made you wonder: In the limited baseball facilities of Hi Corbett Field, where do they all go to take a shower?
As the minor-leaguers played through the lunch hour, 8,643 fans — the largest gathering of the spring at Hi Corbett — were processed through the turnstiles. It was, officially or otherwise, "Save Spring Training Day,'' the first public effort by community leaders to manifest interest in keeping the Rockies here.
Before the first pitch, Tucson activist/broadcaster Dave Sitton stood behind home plate with a microphone and exhorted those in attendance to recognize the perilous future of spring training baseball here.
"It's not going to be a committee of six that makes this happen,'' he said. Flanking Sitton, executives from the Diamondbacks and Rockies politely applauded his words.
The "saving'' has quietly begun.
At first glance, the Rockies' spring attendance average of 4,928, which ranks 13th of 16 National League teams and dead last of the 12 Cactus League clubs, appears to be an indignity to the defending National League champs, and a signal that Tucson does not care much.
But it is not attendance as much as it is amenities and convenience that drive spring training decisions.
The Rockies can legally leave Tucson if the White Sox's inevitable move to Glendale is not accompanied by a suitable replacement team. What appears to be of great importance is an upgrade of the facilities at Hi Corbett.
How much of an upgrade? Probably $25 million, minimum. Gulp. You know how that plays in the political arena.
Realistically, the long-term use and viability of Hi Corbett Field is not a good buy. There is no chance to spin off that $25 million with private investment, commercial development or residential expansion.
The Hi Corbett area is built out. You cannot even squeeze in another parking space.
Barring an 11th-hour campaign to build a ballpark downtown — that ship sailed about 15 years ago and shipwrecked on Ajo Way — it would make more sense for the business leaders in space-available Marana or Oro Valley to spend $25 million on a spring training facility.
Not happenin'.
So it spins on the remake of Hi Corbett.
To their credit, the Rockies have not alienated Southern Arizonans by publicly criticizing local entertainment options, the weather, financial opportunities or by expressing Phoenix-envy.
They have said they would like a more modern ballpark. And they have a good case.
Here is a comparison: After 16 years, the Cleveland Indians played their final game in Winter Haven, Fla., on Wednesday. They are moving to the Phoenix suburb of Goodyear and will transition into a 42,000-square foot clubhouse.
That is about double the size of the Rockies' cramped clubhouse.
The Indians' new complex will include a permanent weight room; the Rockies' is actually outdoors, protected from the weather only by some hastily installed plastic wrap.
In Goodyear, the Indians will have indoor hydrotherapy chambers, video training rooms, two offices for team psychologists, conference rooms for coaches and even a room specially equipped for a "cultural coordinator,'' in which Latin and Asian players will be able to acclimate themselves to language and cultural barriers.
It will be a year-round site for Cleveland's minor-league operations, instructional league endeavors and a medical rehabilitation center for the entire franchise.
The Rockies have none of the above in Tucson.
Such is the price of living in the Big City as it relates to spring training and 21st century baseball.
By comparison, Pima County officials last week indicated they are "very seriously'' looking at a Chicago proposal to replace the White Sox with (please, don't laugh) a youth baseball tournament.
Given that mentality, those 18-wheelers heading north today are apt to return to Hi Corbett Field someday to move the Colorado Rockies to Phoenix.
● Contact Greg Hansen at ghansen@azstarnet.com or 573-4362.
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