Dodgers trade (Vero) beach for (Camelback) ranch
If Dodgers fans were hoping for Jackie Robinson Yard or Vin Scully Stadium as the name of the team's new spring training park, they'll need to get used to "Camelback Ranch." That name -- announced today -- is Arizona-picturesque not Dodgers-centric because the team shares its new Glendale digs with the Chicago White Sox.
Today the Dodgers also released photos that show the state of the park's construction. The field is still dirt, but the nearby practice fields are shaping up nicely. Eventually the 141-acre site will include 13 full baseball fields and three half fields, plus trails, an orange grove, two ponds and a lake. The stadium will seat 13,000, which includes 3,000 on the lawn.
The team's first game in Glendale is tentatively set for March 1 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Camelback Ranch will be the largest in the Cactus League -- with some of the priciest tickets. The best seats will sell for $90 (and include parking, water, sunscreen and cool scented towels). Lawn seats will sell for $8. Tickets will go on sale soon.
In the team's announcement, here's what Dodgers owner Frank McCourt had to say:
"The name ‘Camelback Ranch’ inspires the pioneering spirit of the Dodgers’ original move west in 1958 and with our relocation this spring to Arizona, that move is now complete. We believe this facility will be the best in all of Major League Baseball and will provide our team with an unparalleled place to prepare year-round for championship-caliber baseball."
Here are two more looks at the ranch. The first is an artist's rendering released by the Dodgers. The second in another view of the ongoing construction , also released by the Dodgers.
-- Sherry Stern
Photo: Construction is ongoing at the ranch. Credit: Courtesy of the Dodgers
