![]() ![]() Oh, yeah, and how about the fact that the concourse leading from the grandstand to right field is randomly cut off by a passageway, which is fenced off during batting practice. Circulation is confusing and randomly cuts off a certain points, reminiscent of a jewel box park constructed piece by piece as years went by. The aisles behind the seats and the bullpens all have aggressive, unfriendly “NO STANDING” signs. ![]() The interior is the same, characterized by an oddly lazy and vague southwest sensibility illustrated by the grandstand façade and steel canopy. The exterior concrete couldn’t be more tasteless and muted, and not in a 80s utilitarian kind of way, but in an imagineless way. As ridiculous as I found Mesa throwing 84 million at a new facility, I was just as amazed at just how boring, uninspired, and sterile the entire existing ballpark was, in every single way (save the fans). My answer ultimately fell somewhere in the middle. On the surface its hard too see why, but you’ll soon understand.Īnd then I actually went to the ballpark. Unlike other spring training parks of the era, HoHoKam is being replaced then renovated. What’s the beef? The Cubs were being frivolous, unfairly leveraging their large, multigenerational fan base for an unneeded new facility from a cash-strapped city like Mesa. The existing structure easily allows for upgraded amenities and renovations. It has a wraparound concourse with berms. I looked at the blue print: It has suites. I knew spring training ballparks had a historically short lifespan, but these new 90s ballparks were meant to be more economically sustainable and attractive. Replacing a ballpark built in 1997!?!? Why? (some claim it’s technically a renovated version of the old one, but that’s not really true). Unless there’s significant historical attachment, give me a new ballpark!īut even I found this one ridiculous. That’s not my game (I usually fall for the civic pride argument). I’m not one to complain about wasteful spending on new, unnecessarily ballparks, that in all honesty, likely won’t jumpstart significant economic development in the area. ![]() But Hohokam Park, and the situation the city of Mesa was going through, was something I had to see. ![]() I usually don’t review (or go out of my way to see) ballparks that are about to close, unless there is some sort of historical significance obviously. Because of the peculiarity of one team’s old spring training home undergoing renovations for a new team, I have decided to keep this page under “Chicago Cubs”, and create a new page for the Athletics’s HohoKam Stadium under “Oakland Athletics”, even though it is the same park as this one. The Oakland Athletics moved into this facility, now formally called HohoKam Stadium, in 2015. ***IMPORTANT NOTE: The Cubs trained at HohoKam Park from 1997 to 2013. People who practiced the culture can be called Hohokam as well, but more often, they are distinguished as Hohokam people to avoid confusion.The New Comiskey of Spring Training While I originally thought replacing a facility that opened in 1997 was absurd, the Cubs may actually have a point, as the bland and sterile HoHoKam simply doesn’t measure up to other parks of it’s time Hohokam practiced a specific culture, sometimes referred to as Hohokam culture, which has been distinguished by archeologists. Hohokam ( / h oʊ h oʊ ˈ k ɑː m/) was a society in the North American Southwest in what is now part of Arizona, United States, and Mexico. Remember when the Chicago Cubs played at Hohokam Park? We do! Until to 2013, the stadium was the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |