A "Good Year" Begins....

The 2009 season is underway! The Cleveland Indians have now "officially" broken ground in their new home of Goodyear, Arizona - and it was a grand day.... even if the good guys lost. There could not have been a better day for baseball...blue skies, slight breeze, and the sounds of bat cracks in the air. What snow?

The Indians and the Reds, who will be joining the complex next year, paid for the audio and video cabling of the ballpark. Simply put, it means that the facility has been pre-wired to place cameras in the basic locations of game coverage. This may be unprecedented in spring training facilities. Not necessarily a big deal to those outside the business, but to those of us who work in this area, this eliminates cabling around thousands of fans coming into the ballpark, keeps the park looking neat, and truly aids in a successful setup for the show.

They realllllly did it right here.... In a world where excellence has taken a back seat, they have truly met the challenge here in Goodyear for the TV folks. But enough about us....did I mention the great sight lines for fans? Or about the variety of food? What about the hospitality of the folks in Goodyear? And how about those Indians?

C'mon down and see for yourself....and if you can't, check out the games on SportsTime Ohio.... Forget the groundhog - spring starts now!!!!

Goodyear Park - Part II

The time grows closer for the official opening of the ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. Final construction is underway with recent shots showing the field and stadium very close to being totally complete.

Here are some more shots of the ballpark continuing a tour around this beautiful,new ballyard. There may not be too much around it right now, but there is more construction to come as time moves along here.

We will be heading down to the Valley of the Sun early next week to prepare for our first ever telecast from Goodyear. We are looking forward to it! OK you caught me - I love the snow...... butttttttt.......having some sunshine and warmer weather ain't so bad either!

The good news about spring training for those of us in Ohio is that it truly means spring is around the corner - and with all the snow that has passed through the area this year, it can't come too soon!

If you can, join us at 3 PM Eastern Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday on SportsTime Ohio as we "officially" begin the season for the Tribe. Play ball!

Goodyear Ballpark --- Part I

So after just a day at the entire complex, we had a really good perspective as to the layout of the training facility. From what I understand they are making good use of it already - and the coaches are very pleased with the final product!

Now we move to the ballpark itself. It is just up the street from the training complex. A month ago or so when these pictures were taken, it was coming along very well. As they say "the devil is in the details" - and there was a lot of detail work left to do. Having said that, the entire area was buzzing with construction workers with opening day their main target. The project is really coming along quickly, but here is an installment of photos with another set yet to come...

Watch the snow fall outside and check these out!

Hit the Field!

So now it's time to head out to practice under that big Arizona sky....plenty of property and grass in the desert to work out on as well. It is an interesting contrast to see all the green with the surrounding brown of the desert floor and the mountains.

The pictures show just how much room the team has to spread out with .... and there is much more that you don't see. The folks at Goodyear and the Indians staff have really put together an outstanding facility for the use of the team and the community.

And by the way, the name Goodyear? As a side bar if you don't know, the history of Goodyear actually does have some ties to the Northeast Ohio area in its history in the west. We will look at the ballpark next!

Shaping Up...

One of the biggest issues faced by the team is injury - it can happen at any time or place during the pre-season or the regular season. The Cleveland Indians have taken a giant leap forward in this are with the new facility in Goodyear, Arizona.

As we continued our tour, we visited the spacious area designated for the medical department and training staff of the team. This area has been outfitted with 21st century equipment - whether it is used for building bodies or rehabbing them. It offers year round facilities to many of the players who live in and around the greater Phoenix area. To prospective players, it represents the thinking of a team that is interested in the health and well-being of its players.

After this, we head to the practice fields to see some of the wide open spaces of he Arizona desert that are fast being occupied with baseball players!