Teams: 12. Venues: 9. Days: 31. Excuses to ditch an afternoon of work: incalculable. Spring training in Arizona is most definitely a numbers game. All games start at 1:05 p.m., unless noted; "ss" denotes a split squad. Check out www.phoenixnewtimes.com for a complete Cactus League schedule.
Thursday, February 27: Arizona vs. Colorado at Hi Corbett Field; Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco at Scottsdale Stadium; Oakland vs. Milwaukee at Maryvale Baseball Park; Seattle vs. San Diego at Peoria Sports Complex; Texas (ss) vs. Kansas City at Surprise Stadium; University of Texas vs. Texas Rangers (ss) at Surprise Stadium (4:05 p.m.).
Friday, February 28: Chicago White Sox vs. Arizona at Tucson Electric Park; Kansas City vs. Texas at Surprise Stadium; Milwaukee vs. Oakland at Phoenix Municipal Stadium; San Francisco vs. Chicago Cubs at HoHoKam Stadium; Seattle (ss) vs. Anaheim at Tempe Diablo Stadium; Seattle (ss) vs. San Diego at Peoria Sports Complex.
Saturday, March 1: Anaheim vs. San Francisco at Scottsdale Stadium; Arizona vs. Chicago White Sox at Tucson Electric Park; Chicago Cubs vs. Milwaukee at Maryvale Baseball Park; Oakland vs. Kansas City at Surprise Stadium; San Diego vs. Seattle at Peoria Sports Complex; Texas vs. Colorado at Hi Corbett Field.
Sunday, March 2: Chicago White Sox vs. Arizona (ss) at Tucson Electric Park; Colorado (ss) vs. Anaheim at Tempe Diablo Stadium; Kansas City vs. Chicago Cubs at HoHoKam Stadium; Milwaukee vs. Texas at Surprise Stadium; San Francisco vs. Oakland at Phoenix Municipal Stadium; Seattle vs. San Diego at Peoria Sports Complex; Colorado (ss) vs. Arizona (ss) at Tucson Electric Park (7:05 p.m.).
Monday, March 3: Arizona vs. Oakland at Phoenix Municipal Stadium; Chicago Cubs (ss) vs. Colorado at Hi Corbett Field; Milwaukee (ss) vs. Anaheim at Tempe Diablo Stadium; Milwaukee (ss) vs. Chicago Cubs (ss) at HoHoKam Stadium; San Francisco vs. Chicago White Sox at Tucson Electric Park; Seattle vs. Kansas City at Surprise Stadium; Texas vs. San Diego at Peoria Sports Complex.
Tuesday, March 4: Anaheim vs. Chicago Cubs at HoHoKam Stadium; Chicago White Sox vs. Texas at Surprise Stadium; Colorado vs. Arizona at Tucson Electric Park; Kansas City vs. Oakland at Phoenix Municipal Stadium; Milwaukee vs. Seattle at Peoria Sports Complex; San Diego vs. San Francisco at Scottsdale Stadium.
Wednesday, March 5: Chicago White Sox (ss) vs. San Diego at Peoria Sports Complex; Colorado vs. Kansas City at Surprise Stadium; Oakland vs. Milwaukee at Maryvale Baseball Park; San Francisco (ss) vs. Arizona (ss) at Tucson Electric Park; Seattle (ss) vs. Anaheim at Tempe Diablo Stadium; Seattle (ss) vs. San Francisco (ss) at Scottsdale Stadium; Texas vs. Chicago Cubs at HoHoKam Stadium; Arizona (ss) vs. Chicago White Sox (ss) at Tucson Electric Park (7:05 p.m.). -- Jill Koch
3/3 - 3/9
Kings of the Court
In tennis terms, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras are the equivalent of fossils from the Paleolithic Age. In recent months, however, the two longtime rivals have rediscovered their glorious pasts, picking off respective Grand Slam victories and breathing new life into the men's game in the process.
While the tennis world waits for a new generation of superstars to emerge, what could be more fun than watching a couple of aging legends battle an armada of upstarts with designs on their legacy? Find out at the Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic, Monday, March 3, through Sunday, March 9, at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort. The field, which also includes rising American star James Blake, will be vying for $380,000 in prize money. Chances are, the old school will have something to say about how the purse is divvied up.
Ticket package information is available at 480-922-0222. Individual tickets are available through Ticketmaster at 480-784-4444 or www.ticketmaster.com. For tournament details, visit www.scottsdaletennis.com. Craig Wallach
Ballparks
Tickets to most games also can be purchased online at www.mlb.com.
Hi Corbett Field, 3400 East Camino Campestre, Tucson. Tickets available through 1-800-388-ROCK.
HoHoKam Stadium, 1235 North Center, Mesa. Tickets available through 480-964-4467.
Maryvale Baseball Park, 3600 North 51st Avenue. Tickets available through www.tickets.com or 1-800-933-7890.
Peoria Sports Complex, 16101 North 83rd Avenue, Peoria. Tickets available through www.ticketmaster.com or 480-784-4444.
Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 5999 East Van Buren. Tickets available through www.tickets.com or 1-800-225-2277.
Scottsdale Stadium, 7408 East Osborn, Scottsdale. Tickets available through 1-800-225-2277.
Surprise Stadium, 15850 North Bullard Avenue, Surprise. Tickets available through 1-800-326-4000.
Tempe Diablo Stadium, 2200 West Alameda, Tempe. Tickets available through www.ticketmaster.com and 480-784-4444.
Tucson Electric Park, 2500 East Ajo Way, Tucson. Tickets available through www.azdiamondbacks.com and 1-866-672-1343.
