I have been so busy with the baseball playoffs that I nearly missed the press release by the Arizona Diamondbacks announcing the selection of a contractor for the new Spring Training home of the Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.
Mortenson Construction was awarded the project to be the general contractor on the Spring Training complex. This is a name that should be quite familiar to Cactus League fans. They recently completed the fields for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox that opened last year in Glendale, Arizona.
The Dodgers/White Sox Spring Training home is one of the most luxurious of all the Cactus League venues. Situated on 141-acres, Camelback Ranch has a stadium with a capacity of 10,500 seats plus an additional 3,000 grass seats. Besides the stadium, each team also has an array of practice fields including a replica of Dodger Stadium field and US Cellular field.
Baseball is not the only activity on the property; a 1,300-foot lake and walking paths with natural Sonoran desert landscaping abound. Given the accolades that Camelback Ranch has received since opening, excitement is building for the new Diamondbacks-Rockies complex.
Mortenson has worked with both the Diamondbacks and the Rockies so there should be few surprises that could hold up construction. That is a good thing since the Diamondbacks and Rockies are both scheduled to vacate their current Spring Training home in Tucson after 2010.
According to the press release site, clearing has begun at the Indian Bend property with formal groundbreaking scheduled for the middle of November. I am not sure who I need to talk to in order to get invited to that party.
I am not looking for a free hand out; I would gladly pitch in and help. I just bought a new shovel (well technically my wife bought the shovel as part of her honey-do list she has for me to do before pitchers and catchers report in February). I would be more than happy to bring my own shovel and I even have a couple of lawn and grass bags left over from mowing the lawn last week.
I’ll also bring my own can of spray paint so we can mark where my seat location will be for Spring Training. I want to make sure that they don’t build Rally Sally’s seat anywhere near me. It is bad enough that I have to deal with her during the season, the last thing I need is to have her waving her flag in my face all spring too.
This could work out great, it could be like an Amish barn raising party but with electricity and fewer beards. Maybe we can get everyone to bring their wives or girlfriends and they can make sandwiches and churn some butter.
The Rockies and Diamondbacks play their cards right and this field could be done before Spring Training 2010, saving them a truckload of money on gas that they can use to get us another front line starting pitcher. This idea is golden or at least Sedona Red.
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