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		No need for economic stimulus in Cactus League By Daniel Dullum March 21, 2009

	PHOENIX, Ariz. – It’s turning into a vicious merry-go-round, both in Arizona and Florida, that is, this spring training business of “Keeping up with the Jones’s.” The battle actually started around 15 years ago, when Florida began poaching teams from Arizona to the extent that there was concern over the survival of the Cactus League. In turn, Arizona retaliated with a vengeance. In recent years, Kansas City, Texas, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox have all vacated Florida to train in the desert. Cleveland, which trained in Tucson for 45 years before leaving for Winter Haven, Fla., in 1993, returned to Arizona this year and Cincinnati joins them in Goodyear in 2010. And, of course, they all bring their millions of tourism dollars with them. With all of this comes the reality of building newer, better, splashier digs for spring training, which team owners who occupy the older facilities look at with a jealous eye. Owners learned years ago the fine art of blackmail when it comes to getting a city, county or state to pony up for what they want. No other non-sports business could possibly get away with that. The White Sox paid the City of Tucson $5 million to break their lease at Tucson Electric Park so they could move to Camelback Ranch – Glendale as soon as possible. To use the jargon of owners who want something in a late model, we’ll call it “aging TEP,” built in 1992. There’s nothing really wrong with TEP, except that Camelback Ranch is newer, shinier, and closer to Sox Owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s winter home. When the Sox bolted for Glendale, that action kicked in a clause of the Tucson leases for Colorado and Arizona, stating that if the number of teams there dropped below three, they could leave. And it looks like they both will. The Diamondbacks have informed interested parties of their requirements to bring their training facilities to their area – the city must fund and build the stadium and training facility (for them and the Rockies), pay the team an unspecified amount of money to buy out the Tucson lease, and when that’s accomplished, the team will think about it. D-Backs ownership has also said they have no intention of spending one dime on a new complex. They know they don’t have to. For example, if Casa Grande – located about 40 miles south of Phoenix along Interstate 10 – is chosen, the city has asked to have a measure placed on the May 19 general election ballot to see if voters will approve a nine-tenths of a cent increase in the city’s sales tax. But the smart money says the Diamondbacks will head to the Indian reservation north of Scottsdale. The Diamondbacks aren’t the only ones playing this game. Chicago Cubs chairman Crane Kenney has informed the City of Mesa that HoHoKam Park needs a facelift, or more, if the Cubs are to remain there. Kenney recently told the media, “We’ve enjoyed out time in Mesa and they’ve done a good job for us here. But if anybody’s been to Goodyear or Glendale, we no longer have a facility that is commensurate with the type of team we have.” He’s right. A team that hasn’t won a World Series since 1908 and hasn’t been in a Fall Classic since 1945 deserves better. It doesn’t matter that the Cubs have trained in Mesa for 44 of the last 58 springs. Cubs management knows it can set up spring training shop almost anywhere and make it work. This franchise averages over 10,000 a home game in the spring and routinely helps the other 14 teams spike their attendance by merely showing up. Even for split-squad affairs. Because the city fathers know how much money the town will lose (spring training brings in nearly $300 million annually to the Arizona economy) if the Cubs bolt, logic says they’ll do whatever it takes to keep them. If it means remodeling HoHoKam Park into a scaled-down Wrigley Field, with double-deck seating to handle the ever-growing influx of yuppies that have made the spring training experience miserable by making it fashionable “to be seen at a spring training game,” Mesa will do it. The Cubs’ lease at HoHoKam runs out in 2012, but they have to give notice by February 2010, plenty of time to entertain what will be numerous offers in Arizona and Florida to snag them. In the proper spirit of sports business, the Cubs will undoubtedly string along a market or two to use as a lever to squeeze Mesa. When that happens, the other training facilities throughout Arizona will then be perceived by the team owners as obsolete, even the brand new ones. And, the whining from owners about the need for an upgrade with start again in unison. Economic downturn? Not, apparently, in the Cactus League. The developers are standing by. Koskie ends comeback bid Corey Koskie ended his comeback attempt with the Chicago Cubs today after the veteran third baseman tried to overcome the effects of a concussion suffered over two years ago while he played for Milwaukee. Koskie, who came up with the Minnesota Twins in 1998, was in the Cubs camp as a non-roster invitee. He suffered a concussion in 2006 and hasn’t played in the majors since. The 35-year-old Koskie was on Canada’s roster for the World Baseball Classic, but did not get an at-bat. He took himself out of Thursday’s game against Seattle after going 0-for-2, but made his final decision Saturday after discussing his situation with team doctors and his personal physicians. Giants turn triple play against A’s It’s rare enough to see a triple play during the regular season, even more so in spring training. But the Giants turned one in the bottom of the eighth inning of their 8-4 split-squad win over Oakland at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. With runners at first and second with nobody out, designated hitter Bobby Crosby hit a sharp grounder to San Francisco third baseman Ryan Rohlinger. Matt Carson, the runner at second, stepped out of the baseline and was ruled out. An alert Rohinger then fired to second baseman Matt Downs for the second out, and Downs’ throw to first baseman Scott McClain retired Crosby to complete the trifecta. Travis Ishikawa sparked the Giants with a pair of home runs – a solo shot in the fourth inning and a three-run blast in the sixth put San Francisco ahead to stay at 4-3. Ishikawa is hitting .313 this spring. Giants catcher Buster Posey made his first start of the spring, going 1-for-3 with a home run. Posey, who is hitting .421 with seven RBI, received a $6.2 million signing bonus as San Francisco’s first draft choice in 2008. Oakland pitching prospect Trevor Cahill turned in an impressive performance, giving up only Ishikawa’s homer over five innings. Cahill has a 3.94 ERA in exhibition play and is a long shot to make the A’s big league staff. In the Athletics’ camp, second baseman Mark Ellis played three innings of defense in a minor league game, as rehabilitation continues on his surgically-repaired shoulder. Ellis expects to play in an A’s exhibition sometime this week. Oakland outfielder Danny Putnam hit a home run over the Phoenix Muni scoreboard in right-center field. And, from the infirmary, left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez is expected to miss at least a week with a sore throwing shoulder, and shortstop Orlando Cabrera will miss a couple of games with a sore back. Righthander Jerome Williams stepped in for Dallas Braden, who was a pregame scratch against Seattle due to a root canal. Across town in Peoria, former A’s DH-1B Mike Sweeney is enjoying a strong spring for Seattle and came up with two hits and an RBI in the Mariners’ 8-5 win over Oakland’s other squad. Jack Cust went 3-for-4 for the A’s, and Travis Buck added a run-scoring triple. And in Scottsdale, Emmanuel Burriss had two singles in a nine-run sixth inning, as the Giants split squad ripped San Diego 12-4. Burress is tied for the major league lead in exhibition base hits with 22 while hitting .415 with six RBI. Pablo Sandoval and Fred Lewis also had two hits in that sixth inning rally, with Benjie Molina and Jesus Guzman each adding two-run singles. Giants starter Joe Martinez gave up two runs in four innings against San Diego. Meanwhile, the Giants picked up minor league shortstop Sergio Santos from the Chicago White Sox.