http://www.sfgate.com/athletics/shea/article/A-s-new-spring-home-to-be-Mesa-Ariz-4331326.php http://athletics.scout.com/2/1271787.html http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130305&content_id=42285328&vkey=news_oak&c_id=oak A's new spring home to be Mesa, Ariz. The A's might have serious troubles relocating to San Jose, but moving to Mesa, Ariz., is no problem. In 2015, the A's will begin training in Mesa, ending a 33-year run in Phoenix, after a 20-year deal was finalized Monday night that'll house the A's at HoHoKam Park, the longtime home of the Chicago Cubs. HoHoKam is not as centrally located in the Valley of the Sun as Phoenix Municipal Stadium, but it'll be a far better complex, especially after it receives a $20 million face-lift. "Some of our facilities are lacking a little bit, so I certainly understand the move," said A's manager Bob Melvin, who called Phoenix Muni, which still has light standards from the Polo Grounds, "dated." The Phoenix ballpark, which will be taken over by Arizona State's baseball program in 2015, has a ton of history going back to 1964, when Willie Mays' Giants began training there. The A's moved to Phoenix in 1982, swapping homes with the Giants, who took over the A's facility in Scottsdale. Legend has it that then-Giants general manager Spec Richardson helped orchestrate the deal so he could be closer to the Pink Pony, the dingy nightclub in downtown Scottsdale. This won't be the first time the A's train in Mesa. They camped there from 1969 to 1978 before moving to Scottsdale. In two years, they'll return to Mesa and leave behind a facility that reminds them in too many ways of the Oakland Coliseum, long past its prime and not considered functional like other modern complexes. "We can move (to Mesa) tomorrow and have more amenities than we have today, without any improvements," said A's clubhouse manager Steve Vucinich, whose first year with the A's in Mesa was 1971. "We had a great relationship with the city in the past, and I expect it to be the same." The A's also are relocating their minor-league camp, currently at Phoenix's Papago Park, to Mesa's Fitch Park. The Cubs will vacate HoHoKam and Fitch and relocate to another site in Mesa. "Obviously, it's a little further, but they'll put some work into it, and it'll be a great facility for us," said A's infielder Eric Sogard, who grew up in Phoenix and as a kid attended games of the Phoenix Firebirds, the Giants' old Triple-A team that played at Phoenix Muni. Sogard played at Arizona State and said "it's too bad" the team will move off its Tempe campus. Apparently, the university must do all maintenance and upkeep at Phoenix Muni, the oldest facility in the Cactus League. One A's official said, "I don't know if Arizona State knows what it's in for." Phoenix Muni is where Tony La Russa's A's worked out for two days after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, before the A's returned to the Bay Area to finish off their World Series sweep of the Giants. "Heavy rain was predicted for the Bay Area, and we flew out here," Vucinich said. "We got here, and 5,000 people showed up to watch our workouts. The proceeds went to earthquake relief." Billy Martin was the A's manager when they first trained in Phoenix, and he had a big white trailer beyond the left-field fence, where he and his coaches slipped in for an adult beverage or seven. Monday night, Mesa's city council approved the 20-year deal, which has two five-year options. Managing general partner Lew Wolff said in a statement, "With the improvements planned over the next two years, we believe HoHoKam Stadium and the surrounding facilities will rival any in Major League Baseball. Our players and coaches, as well as our great fans, will be the beneficiaries." The A's will pay $2.5 million of the $20 million face-lift. The rest is compliments of Mesa and the Arizona Sports and Tourism authority. --

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