Baseball – Travel Smart With Jodie

Enjoy spring at Camelback Ranch or Sloan Park

Instead of waiting for spring to descend on Chicago and the Cubs and Sox games, enjoy both this month in Arizona.

Go online to pick up Cubs or Sox tickets, book a trip to Phoenix, find a hotel in the Phoenix-Mesa area and enjoy the more casual MLB games in the Cactus League.

At home in Sloan Park, the Cubs will take on the Oakland A’s Feb. 22, Colorado Rockies Feb. 25, KC Royals Feb. 26 and Milwajukee Brewers Feb. 29

Their away games (sometimes easier to get tickets) are the LA Dodgers, Feb. 23, Seattle Mariners Feb. 24, Texas Rangers Feb. 27 and San Diego Padres Feb. 28

For tickets and the calendar visit MLB/Cubs/schedule2020

Camelback Ranch in Glendale is the spring home of the Chicago White Sox. A suburb of Phoenix, visitors get all the advantages of Phoenix’s museums, hotels and its famed Botanic Garden but are close to White Sox action.

The Sox have a home game against the LA Angels Feb. 22 and are awayh against the Cincinnati Reds Feb. 23, LA Dodgers Feb. 24, have a split squad against the Indians away and the Giants at home on Feb. 25, then away against the KC Royals,Feb. 26, are at home against the Mariners Feb. 27, Indians Feb. 28 and away against the Rangers on Feb. 29.

For ballpark info visit WhiteSox/springtraining/ball park. For White Sox season info see Sox schedule..

The Desert Botanic Garden is a popular Phoenix destination. (J Jacobs photo)

If you go

The excellent Sheraton Mesa at Wrigley West places you right at Sloan Park. But check Visit Mesa to see other accommodation choices. It’s also a good referral to restaurants and attractions.

While in the area try to get to the Desert Botanical Garden and hike Camelback Mountain or Pinnacle Peak Park. Do visit the famed Heard Museum for fine Native American arts.

While visiting one of the Cub’s or White Sox’s away games in or near neighboring Scottsdale, browse fine art galleries in Old Town and visit Scottsdale’s Museum of the West.

So get away from Chicago’s winter. Relax outdoor with a margarita or cold draft beer while shouting Hey! Hey! at Wrigley West. You will feel right at home because the border streets are Waveland Avenue, Clark Street and Sheffield Ave.

Or enjoy a Chicago hot dog (no ketchup please) at Camelback Ranch and watch the newly rebuilt Sox team take on old rivals.

Take a spring training vacation

Sloan Park aka Wrigleville West before fans filter in. (J Jacobs photo)

Not sure when our weather predicting ground hogs thought spring was putting in an early appearance but waiting for that warm weather to come to Chicago while sunning in Arizona is looking pretty good right now.

Besides, both Chicago baseball teams are there and won’t be back home until April; the 8^th for the Cubs against the Padres and the 4^th against the Mariners for the Sox. And their spring training facilities are in good vacation areas.

The Cubs’ Sloan Park, otherwise known by its somewhat similar layout and vendors as Wrigleyville West, is in Mesa.

An easily doable, laid back town with a couple of museums, outlet shopping, and is down the road from good restaurants, mountain scenery, and close to highways.

You’ll know Sloan Park in Wiglleyville by the street signs: Waveland Avenue is on the north, Sheffield Avenue is on the east and Clark street on the west.

Cubs tickets at other teams’ AZ parks might be easier to get than at Sloan and visiting other parks is also fun.

To stay next to the Cubs’ action check out the Sheraton Mesa Hotel at Wrigleyville West. For lots of Cubs information visit Spring Training. For home info see MLB/Cubs/Park.

Go to spring training and wave your Chiago Whtie Sox cap. (M Temkin photo) — Go to spring training and wave your Chiago White Sox cap. (M Temkin photo)

Camelback Ranch, in Glendale is the spring home of the Chicago White Sox.and shared with the LA Dodgers.

In Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix, visitors get all the advantages of Phoenix’s terrific museums and its famed botanic garden but are close to White Sox action.

At last report, spring training tickets are still available for Camelback Ranch but do check for Sox games in the area

For ballpark info visit WhiteSox/springtraining/ball park. For White Sox season info see MLB/WhiteSox.

Jodie Jacobs

Three Chicago Cubs notes

First, the Convention

Chicago Cubs convention, White House and Spring Training notes. Photo by Jodie Jacobs — Chicago Cubs convention, White House visit and Spring Training notes. Photo by Jodie Jacobs

You know Cubs Convention 2017 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago is sold out. But you can catch some highlights and commentary on WGN-TV Saturday, Jan. 14 at 8 p.m. CT.

The program, hosted by WGN sports commentator Dan Roan, will show some of Friday’s opening ceremonies, player and coach interviews, Cubs legends interviews, some of the seminars and a bit from “Friday Night with Ryan Dempster.”

If you miss the Jan. 14 Convention special watch the show Sunday, Jan. 15, on CLTV at noon.

Or watch both times. After all, you’re probably still replaying the final out in the Cubs World Series Championship game.

Secondly, the White House

You know the Cubs were invited to visit President Barack Obama at the White House. It’s been delayed due to schedule conflicts but it is finally taking place Jan. 16, a few days before the White House changes hands. So catch the coverage of the historic meet and greet event Monday on Chicago stations’ news reports.

Third, Cubs Spring Training

The Cubs open their Spring Season in Arizona on Feb. 25 with a split squad. The games are against Oakland A’s in the Cubs’ Sloan Park in Mesa and against SF Giants in Scottsdale. Both games start at 1:05 p.m. For the complete Spring Training schedule click here. For tickets visit Cubs Tickets.

The baseball season never winds down for true fans of the game and its players

Book Review

Even though the 2010 World Series is entering its final phase now that the playoffs are over, baseball fans don’t have to wait until spring training to get their “fix.”

“Roadside Baseball” (2003, Sporting News division of Vulcan Sports Media, Inc, St. Louis, MO, $16.95) by Chris Epting, maps out places where fans can find historic traces of a stadium, a home plate, a players’ home and a museum that recounts memorable moments.

An ardent researcher and appreciator of baseball and interesting culture landmarks, Epting divides up the places he has uncovered by geographic locations across the United States and into Canada.

All a baseball fan has to do when traveling to Florida or Arizona to escape winter weather or to any US destination to see friends or family is leaf through a state’s chapter to see what historic baseball location is nearby.

Even an armchair traveler who reads through the chapters will be saying, “I didn’t know that.”

In a foreword by Emmy award winning announcer Joe Buck, the sportscaster says: “Even if you consider yourself the foremost authority on the history of the game, this book can’t help but put a smile on your face. It put one on mine because its pages are filled with information that I thought I knew but really didn’t; stories of which I was totally unaware and now am glad I know.”