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SCOTTSDALE, Arizona -- Two different ballparks named HoHoKam Park were home to the Cubs for spring training during the 1979-2013 period. The first was torn down after the 1996 spring season, and a new one was built on the same site that opened for spring 1997.
That's the park that has been renovated and is now the spring home of the Oakland Athletics.
I don't have a precise count of the number of times I went to Cubs spring games at HoHoKam; it's probably about 100. It will be very odd to be there as a fan of the visiting team this afternoon.
On a completely unrelated topic, here's an article on Scott Boras and his relationships with Cubs players from Patrick Mooney at CSNChicago.com, which I pass along without comment. (I'm sure you will have some comments, though.)
Cubs lineup:
Fowler CF, Lake LF, Soler RF, Rizzo 1B, Bryant 3B, Montero C, Baez 2B, Russell SS, Jackson P
Today is Starlin Castro's 25th birthday. It had been stated last week he'd probably be back playing today. He isn't. Here's why:
#Cubs Starlin Castro is not playing today. He said he could. Most likely, team wants him to workout, make sure all is well after off day
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) March 24, 2015
Athletics lineup:
Crisp LF, Fuld CF, Zobrist RF, Butler DH, Davis 1B, Semien SS, Vogt C, Ladendorf 2B, Sogard 3B
Hey, look! It's our old buddy Sam Fuld.
Edwin Jackson gets the start for the Cubs. On the Cubs relief pitcher list today: Drake Britton, Francisley Bueno, Jorge De Leon, Blake Parker and Joseph Ortiz. For some of those relievers, this might be their last shot at impressing management, as roster cuts are likely coming soon. Of those five, three (Parker, Ortiz and Britton) are on the 40-man roster. Britton is out of options. Ortiz has one option left. Parker has to go through waivers before being assigned to the minors.
Drew Pomeranz goes for the A's. Barry Zito, who pitched against the Cubs in this year's first spring game at Sloan Park, is also expected to throw today.
Today's game is on cubs.com with Len Kasper and Mick Gillispie.
Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.
Please note that during spring training, Gameday doesn't usually go pitch-by-pitch as it does during the regular season -- usually, it will update after each at-bat.
For spring-training games, we'll have a first-pitch thread at five minutes to game time and one overflow thread, 90 minutes after game time (because I know how you all like overflow threads!). For today, that will be 3:05 p.m. CT and 4:30 p.m. CT. These threads will not post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked "Chicago Cubs Game Threads" at the bottom of the front page. They will also appear in this StoryStream™. The pitcher box and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.
Discuss amongst yourselves.