MESA, Arizona -- Arizona spring training has ended for another year. It's one of the best times of baseball, in my view. The weather is (generally) perfect -- temperatures usually in the upper 70s to low 80s with low humidity, gentle breezes and unlimited sunshine. You can watch the future of the Cubs on the major-league field; in recent years, more and more players from the minor-league camp have been given playing time in big-league spring games, even when they're not officially given non-roster invitations.
And the results of the games don't matter much. There's almost no correlation between spring record and regular-season record, which is something that the Kansas City Royals hope to disprove, what with their 24-7 spring mark this year not only the best in the Cactus League, but the best in baseball (the Orioles won the mythical "Grapefruit League title" with an 18-9 record).
For those of you who have been to spring training in Arizona before, these scenes will look familiar. For those of you who haven't, here's a picture gallery of scenes we will never see again -- Cubs spring baseball at HoHoKam Park in Mesa.