Hohokam mesa3/14/2023 ![]() Spring Training 2015 would see the return of the Oakland Athletics to a newly renovated Hohokam Stadium. With the opening of Sloan Park, Hohokam was forced to find itself new tenants. The Cubs would continue to enjoy the friendly confines of Hohokam until 2014. This remodel saw the addition of nearly 2,500 seats and updated amenities. Support from area residents, as well as the snowbirds from Chicago, helped play a role in the development of an expanded and remodeled Hohokam park. By 1997, it was clear that Hohokam Park desperately needed a remodel. The seats succumbed to long years in the Arizona sun, and fans complained of dangerous conditions on the concourse. It was a good day if the scoreboards turned on, let alone functioned properly. Despite the record attendance and popularity of the Cubs, Hohokam was quickly turning from a crown jewel to an eye sore. However, the intimate and nostalgic feel of Hohokam did not stop the slow creep of Mother Nature. Patterson Field, the same Dwight Patterson who is now known as the father of the Cactus League and was integral to bringing major league baseball to Mesa. In 1991, the stadium at Hohokam Park is officially named Dwight W. The Cubs continuously ranked at or near the top for attendance and they quickly became the top draw for a floundering Cactus League. Nah it’s just fun to read the temperature chart and imagine your neighbor with a snow shovel while you bask in the sun.” It was not uncommon for fans and visitors to interact with Cubs greats from the 1980s and 1990s, with longtime Cubs announcer Harry Carrey being amongst the most popular.Įven with abysmal performances by the Cubs throughout the 1980s, Hohokam enjoyed record turnouts during the spring. Except, as one author points out, “not everybody is anxious to read about the latest exploits of Shawn Dunston or Ryne Sandberg. The air, the ambiance, the smells, all harkened back to Chicago. It drew sellout crowds of die-hard Cubs fans, and transported huge swaths of baseball fans in a way to Chicago. Despite the stadiums lack of glam, it was the epitome of Spring Training experiences. By the mid-1990s, Hohokam Park was the place to be for spring training. Described by some as having, “all the charm of an abandoned drive in movie theater,” Hohokam reminded many a dislocated Cubs fan of home in the windy city. Much like the friendly confines at Wrigley, Hohokam Park did not enjoy the finest amenities. For over three decades, Hohokam Park, as it was then known, was Chicago’s home in the arid Arizona Desert. In 1979, the team from the North side of Chicago returned to Mesa after a 12-year tenure in Scottsdale. Built to replace the old Rendezvous Stadium, Hohokam Park quickly became a crown jewel of Mesa. ![]() Hohokam Stadium opened in the spring of 1977, hosting the Oakland Athletics of the American League. For 35 of those years, the Chicago Cubs spent their springs preparing for a grueling season just west of Center Street in North Mesa. Until 2016, the Chicago Cubs have been America’s lovable losers for over a century. Our climate is typical of the upland Sonoran Desert and delivers average high temperatures of 83.4 degrees and average lows of 53.8 degrees, making this one of the most comfortable places to live in the country.Mesa's Hohokam Stadium has hosted both the Chicago Cubs and the Oakland Athletics its long history reveals the history of Cactus League Baseball. The community is located 20 miles north of downtown Tucson and just 13 miles north of the Tucson city limits and is convenient to the expressway for easy access to downtown.Īt an elevation of approximately 1000 feet above that of Tucson the temps here can be a few degrees cooler than in Tucson, with an average of 279 glorious days of sunshine each year. Here, you will find excellent public and private schools, family parks, hiking trails, world class golf, day care, places of worship and so much more.all close by Hohokam Mesa is one of a number of communities in the Rancho Vistoso Community Association, a Planned Area Development located in Oro Valley, Arizona.
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