I want to start by saying that I am a huge LA Dodgers fan. I was in Phoenix in March of 2009, just after the Dodgers and White Sox each opened up brand new Camelback Ranch, which both teams are sharing. The stadium is in Glendale, Arizona, a newer suburb on the northwest side of Phoenix. This was very big news because, for the previous 60 years, the Dodgers were in the Grapefruit League training in Vero Beach, Florida, also referred to as “Dodger Town.” I really wanted to see a game while I was out there, but time did not permit me to do so. I did however have a little time to drive to the stadium as the game was ending, to get a feel for a future visit.

The outside of the stadium was spectacular! It really had a southwestern Arizona Cactus League feel to it with cactuses, western ranch architecture and beautiful mountains in the background. The stadium was very accessible for fans, with a big parking lot and few main gates to enter and exit the stadium. The best part was not just seeing the stadium, but I saw Casey Blake driving out of the stadium after the game and he stopped to sign autographs! I did not get an autograph, but it was nice to see how fan accessible it was. It was also very easy to get there, located right off the 101 freeway near University of Phoenix Stadium and Jobing.com arena. One of these years, I will definitely see my Dodgers play a spring training game at Camelback Ranch.