Arizona Then & Now: Cactus League spring training

Good weather wasn’t the only reason Arizona became a hotspot for springtime baseball

Now that the lockout is over and teams are starting Cactus League workouts, did you ever wonder how Arizona became a hub for baseball teams preparing for the season?

Sure, the weather had a lot to do with it, but there were other factors.

For most of the early days of major-league baseball, teams trained in Florida, Texas, California, Mexico and, occasionally, Arizona.

The first spring-training game in Arizona was between the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates in 1929. The Tigers had a bad season after that game and decided not to come back to Arizona.

Arizona’s climate was part of the lure for teams from cold-weather locations, but the integration of baseball also was a factor in teams coming out this way.

Jackie Robinson was the first black player in Major League Baseball when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. The season before that he played with the Dodgers' minor-league affiliate in Montreal.

Robinson joined the team for spring training in Daytona Beach, Fla., in 1946 but was not allowed to stay at the team’s hotel because of segregation laws. Some Florida cities even prohibited mixed-race teams.

The Dodgers held their winter workouts in Cuba and the Dominican Republic the next two seasons to avoid those conflicts.

As more black players joined major-league rosters, some teams sought other solutions.

Larry Doby was the first black player in the American League, making his debut with the Cleveland Indians on July 5, 1947.

Cleveland owner Bill Veeck wrote in his autobiography "Veeck – As in Wreck" that the racial climate out West was friendlier so he brought his team out here, where they were joined by the New York Giants.

The Giants and Indians played here in 1947 and 1948. The Chicago Cubs brought their teams to Arizona in 1952, followed by the Baltimore Orioles in 1954.

Other teams followed and, although some would return to Florida, the Cactus League was established.

As racial tensions in the South eased, the growing number of teams west of the Mississippi kept Arizona an attractive option.

Today, 15 of the 30 Major League teams train in Arizona.

THE REPUBLIC A fan watches the game through binoculars during an Iowa Cubs and North Carolina Knights game during spring training March 19, 1990.

THE REPUBLIC Baseball fans who wish to only pay $2 for a seat can spread their own blanket on the lawn in a special section at the stadium during spring training March 11, 1987. The fans are shown doing just that during the Brewers/Padres game.

THE REPUBLIC Mary Craft had been a Cubs fan for 60 years by the time she went to a spring training game on March 25, 1989.

THE REPUBLIC Even with cloudy skies, the Expos fills the stands during spring training March 24, 1991.