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“Scenes From Spring Training” Photo Gallery
Click on any image below to see photos in full size and to start Photo Gallery:
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- Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson, Spring Training, 1950
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- Browns players at Spring Training
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- Yankees Spring Training St. Petersburg, Florida, March 5, 1930
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- Cubs at Catalina Island
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- Cardinal players at Hot Springs Arkansas, February 16, 1934
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- Six Cub pitchers on Catalina Island, 1941
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- Angels warming up at Polo Grounds in Palm Springs, 1961
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- Bob Feller with child at Olive Memorial Stadium, 1949
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- Hank Majeski with Marilyn Monroe at Spring Training, 1951
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- White Sox at Pasadena Brookside Park
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- Babe Ruth, Miller Huggins, Lou Gehrig at St. Petersburg, Florida, 1929
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- Giants Carl Hubbell, Gus Mancuso, Joe-Joe Moore, Mel Ott, John Hubbell on trip from New Orleans to Havanna, Cuba for Spring Training
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- Dodgers at Spring Training, 1912
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- Carl Hubbell, Spring Training February 20, 1937
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- Dodgers at Spring Training in Hot Springs, Arkansas, March 1912
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- Babe Ruth hitting fungos, 1932
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- Cub players Jimmie Wilson and Dizzy Dean arrive on Catalina Island
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- Airport on Catalina Island where the Cubs held spring training
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- Steve Dalkowski warms up before a spring training game circa 1962.
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- George Burns and Art Fletcher during Spring training 1919 at Gainesville, Florida
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- Mets first spring training
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- Mets first spring training: Don Zimmer, Felix Mantilla, Charlie Neal, Gil Hodges, Casey Stengel
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- Spring training, 1962
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- New York giants at Spring Training in Marlin, Texas, 1912
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- Scene from Red Sox spring training, 1918
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- The Cubs Oscar Dugey at spring training on Catalina Island, 1922.
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- Greg Carlton’s rare newpaper photo showing George Halas, Jack Brickhouse, Governor Ronald Reagan, and Leo Durocher from Spring training, 1967
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- Batboy Greg Carlton at Spring training
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- Greg Carlton at Spring training in Mesa, Arizona
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- Dodgers at Spring training in Dodgertown
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- Dodger players at Spring training, 1955: Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, PeeWee Reese, Gil Hodges
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- Dodgers at Spring training in Dodgertown
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- An aerial shot of Holman Stadium in Dodger Town in the 1950s.
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- Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio, March 7, 1936 Spring training
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- Joe DiMaggio with manager, Joe McCarthy, Spring training, 1936
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- That’s me with my grandson Lou meeting Jim “Mudcat” Grant in Phoenix at a Cubs’ spring training game. Bill Buckner on the left.
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- Yankees at Spring Training, 1939
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- Giants at Arlington Hotel for Spring training in Marlin, Texas about 1911-12
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- The Babe receiving some recognition during Spring training
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- Cub players loosening up before Spring training begins
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- Cub players ready to start Spring training on Catalina Island
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- Spring training on Catalina Island
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- Spring training in Florida, 1948
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- The Great Jackie Robinson at Dodger Spring Training in Vero Bach, Florida.
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- Cub manager Charlie Grimm brought Eddie to the big leagues in 1943
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- Jimmie Wilson, right, with brother Robert Wilson on Catalina Island, 1941, colorized by Don Stokes
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- Having fun with Charlie Grimm on Catalina Island
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- Charlie Grimm and Gabby Hartnett on Catalina Island.
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- Catalina Island airport circa 1920s
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- Catalina Island Ferry
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- Batting practice on Catalina Island, with Gabby Hartnett taking some cuts
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- Catalina Island harbor
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- Cub players in military formation on Catalina Island
Spring Training, Part I: Let’s Play Ball!
If this photo won’t take your mind off winter and put you in the mood for baseball, nothing will!
The snow is deep…the air is cold…the Superbowl is over. And now the players are packing their bags and heading south for warmer climes! Those wonderful words we all love to hear, “Pitchers and Catchers Report” is now a reality. Camps are opening this week.
With spring training upon us, it’s time to repost one of my favorite pics: It’s the Cubbies and Orioles at spring training in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona. That’s Camelback Mountain in the background. Check out the photographers right on the field. And how about those beautiful “azure skies,” as Harry Caray used to say. All of a sudden the winter doesn’t seem so bad…so what if we just got a foot of snow in Chicago this week…spring training is here!
(Excuse me while I go start up my snow blower and clear away last night’s snow fall. I’ll be right back…)
OK…I’m back! I’m starting to warm up just looking at this pic…It’s therapeutic!
Thanks to Karl Isenberger who did a lot of research on this great photo a couple years ago when I first posted it. Analyzing the Cubs uniforms and using the 1956 Orioles Media Guide as a reference, Karl was able to determine that this was probably the very first game played at old Scottsdale Stadium on March 10, 1956 between the visiting Cubs and home team Orioles. The Cubs won the game 3-2 on a home run by Ernie Banks.
Karl also mentioned that “five photographers on the field trying to catch the out in a spring training game would be unusual otherwise, so there’s also a very good chance this is a photo from the top of the first inning and that’s the very first batter in the new stadium and the five photographers are trying to record the historic event.” I concur.
We came up with some identifications for the players in the photo. I initially thought the tall blonde pitcher on the left in the Cubs’ bullpen was 6’4″ Bob Anderon who I well remember from my early days as a Cub fan. I remember Bob Anderson as being a huge blond guy. But thanks to James Montemurro for pointing out that Anderson did not wear glasses (something I didn’t pick up in the photo), and is more likely 6’4″ Jim Brosnan.
The base runner is probably Don Hoak, the Cubs’ leadoff man for most of the year. The left-handed first baseman is probably African-American Bob Boyd of the Orioles. The first base coach is slightly visible behind one of the photographers. That’s probably Ray Blades.
Both the Cubs and the Orioles had forgettable seasons in 1956. The Cubs under Stan Hack went 60-94, finishing dead last in the eight-team National League. The Orioles, managed by Paul Richards, and three years removed from being the St. Louis Browns, went 69-85 and ended up slightly better with a sixth-place finish.
The original Scottsdale Stadium, pictured here, served at one time or another as the Cactus League home of the Orioles, Red Sox, Cubs, Kansas City A’s, and Giants. They were joined in the Cactus League by the Indians, the expansion Royals, Brewers, and Padres. Construction on a new Scottsdale Stadium began in 1991 and opened its doors for Spring Training in 1992 and I believe it’s still the spring home of the Giants.
What’s the temperature in Arizona right now, anyway? Anybody know?? Surely we have some lucky readers in Arizona!
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Gary Livacari
Photo Credits: Featured photo sent to me by my OTBP’s partner, Ron Bolton (not sure where he found it!); others fromGoogle search.
Information: Information on Scottsdale Stadium and the Cactus League sent to me from some of our readers
Count down to Opening Day: 41 days…and counting!
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The pitcher in the forefront sure looks like Jim Brosnan. Bob Anderson did not wear glasses.
Yep…I think you’re right. I’ll have to update the text!
The innocence and purity shown in this beautiful photograph is totally lost in today’s game. Thank you Gary for preserving what was once so special.