Spring training stadium tour: HoHoKam Park

Here is a look at HoHoKam Park in Mesa, spring training home of the Cubs since 1979. This is the first of our spring training stadium tours of 2013.

It is the farthest east of the Cactus League stadiums, and at 33 miles away is the second longest trek from Camelback Ranch (Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, which is both east and north in Scottsdale, is 40 miles from Camelback Ranch):

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Tickets at HoHoKam Park range from $8 to $32, and parking is $7. The Cubs' minor league facility is about a mile away in the residential neighborhood, located at 160 E. 6th Place in Mesa.

Wednesday was my first trip to HoHoKam Park, the only Cactus League park I didn't see last year. The entrance::

There is a cool Cubs mural on the wall to the right, and on the wall to the left are some posters of Cubs greats:

Here is the home plate view:

A look at the seats in the infield, behind home plate:

All along the walkway in the seating area there are rails, which are nice to cozy up to and get a nice view of the ... oh, never mind:

There are several concession stands both behind home plate...

... and down the lines...

... but when in the Cactus League, it's hard to avoid the best place for day drinking:

Here's a view of the left field berm

... and the view from left field.

Here is a look at the left field scoreboard both up close...

... and far away

The center field entrance ...

... and the center field view

... is right next to a pair of Cubs practice fields.

You can see the press boxes and suites from there, too:

Here was my view from the press box

The Cubs take batting practice in cages down the right field line

Here is a view of the right field berm

... and some views from right field

Both bullpens are in right field, with the visiting bullpen above and behind the Cubs' bullpen. Both bullpen catchers, Rob Flippo and Fumi Ishibashi, wait for the pitchers to show up.

If you want to talk to Cubs fans about their World Series experience, you can do so across the street from the park

I wasn't the only one to take a tour of HoHoKam Park on Wednesday. Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk is here, too, and has several more pictures up, including one of my new haircut. That's right, rounded in the back. Not square.