Hi Corbett Field

Infobox Stadium
stadium_name = Hi Corbett Field
nickname =


caption = Hi Corbett Field entrance, 2004
location = Tucson, Arizona
coordinates =
broke_ground =
opened = 1937
renovated = 1992, 1997, and 1999
expanded =
closed =
demolished =
owner =
operator =
surface = Grass
construction_cost =
architect =
project_manager =
main_contractors =
former_names = Randolph Field
tenants = Colorado Rockies (spring training) (1993-Present)
Cleveland Indians (spring training) (1945-1992)
Tucson Toros (PCL) (1969-1997)
Tucson Toros (GBL) (2009-future)
Arizona Heat (NPF) (2004-Present)
Tucson Cowboys (A-TL/A-ML/SIL) (1937-1958)
USA Baseball (headquarters) (1997-2003)
Tucson Javelinas (AFL) (1993-1994)
Tucson Lizards (A-TL) (1932)
seating_capacity = 9500
dimensions =

Hi Corbett Field is a baseball field located in Tucson, Arizona. The stadium holds 9,500 people. It is the spring training home of the Colorado Rockies.

Venue history and statistics

Built in 1937 for the Class D Tucson Lizards (Arizona/Texas League), Hi Corbett Field was originally called Randolph Municipal Baseball Park.cite news
last = Levesque
first = John
coauthors =
title = Field of memories, if not field of dreams
work = Seattle Post-Intelligencer
pages =
language =
publisher =
date =
url = http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/levesque/216984_leve22.html?source=rss
accessdate = 2007-01-09 ] It was renamed in honor of Hiram Stevens Corbett (1886-1967), [cite web
last = Kestenbaum
first = Lawrence
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Index to Politicians: Cooperrider to Corby
work = The Political Graveyard
publisher =
date = 2005-03-10
url = http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/coots-corbly.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-09] a former Arizona state senator who was instrumental in bringing spring training to Tucson, specifically by convincing Bill Veeck to bring the Cleveland Indians to Tucson in 1947. Veeck owned a ranch in Tucson at the time, and players sometimes rode Veeck's horses after the games.

Hi Corbett was remodeled in 1972 and renovated in 1992, 1997 and 1999. It is part of a larger city park complex, Gene C. Reid Park (which also includes the Reid Park Zoo) and Randolph Park, located between Broadway Boulevard and 22nd Street in midtown Tucson.

The main playing field's dimensions are as follows: 348 feet in Right Field, 392 feet in Center Field, and 366 feet in Left Field, with a "Green Monster" fence in Center Field. The ballpark currently has a capacity of 9,500, including 598 box seats, 8,350 reserved seats, and 562 bleacher seats. There are also two ancillary fields for use in spring training, but these make no provision for spectators.

The main stadium building is located at coord|32|12|48|N|110|55|9|W.

Teams

Hi Corbett served as the spring training home of the Cleveland Indians from 1945 through 1992. Parts of the 1989 movie "Major League" were filmed at Hi Corbett Field. This production used members of the University of Arizona baseball team as extras.

Since 1993, Hi Corbett has been the pre-season home of the expansion Colorado Rockies, who moved into Hi Corbett with their inaugural spring training.

Hi Corbett is also closely associated with minor league baseball. Aside from the Lizards, the Tucson Cowboys (Class C; Arizona-Texas League) played at Hi Corbett intermittently from the late 1930s until 1958. The Tucson Toros (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) played there from their inception in 1969 until 1997. The largest Tucson Toros crowd at Hi Corbett was 12,863 on May 17, 1981 against Salt Lake City. In 1997, the Toros essentially exchanged ownership and franchises with the nearby Phoenix Firebirds, so that the ex-Toros played in Scottsdale Stadium as the Firebirds, and the ex-Firebirds played at Hi Corbett as the Toros. In 1998 the Phoenix team relocated to Fresno, California and was renamed the Fresno Grizzlies, [ [http://www.geocities.com/big_bunko/pacificcoast0499.htm] ] and the Tucson Toros became the Tucson Sidewinders, and played in the new Tucson Electric Park. cite web | title = Team History | work = Tucson Sidewinders web site | publisher = Minor League Baseball | date = 2006 | url = http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/ballpark/page.jsp?ymd=20060125&content_id=39224&vkey=ballpark_t549&fext=.jsp&sid=t549 | accessdate = 2007-04-09 ]

The Arizona Fall League, a short season league for major league prospects, fielded a team at Hi Corbett in 1993 and 1994, known as the Tucson Javelinas. The team relocated to Peoria, Arizona in 1995 (becoming the Peoria Javelinas) to limit travel distances to the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area.

was headquartered at Hi Corbett from 1997-2003.

In 2004 Hi Corbett became home to the Arizona Heat women's professional softball team. Their season runs from June to August, at the height of the "Arizona heat."

In addition to the large number of visiting teams that have appeared there as part of regular league play, Hi Corbett has hosted exhibition games featuring the Colorado Silver Bullets, Houston Astros and University of Arizona, among others. Baseball Hall of Fame members who played at Hi Corbett include Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Ted Williams and many others.

Future

In 2007, the Rockies asked for a package of improvements to Hi Corbett potentially totaling $10-20 million under the threat of a possible move to Goodyear, Arizona. In response, Pima County is planning to charter a regional sports authority possibly funded by tourism and other taxes. [cite news
last = Meltzer
first = Erica
title = Pima County moves closer to forming sports authority
url = http://www.azstarnet.com/business/228236
work = Arizona Daily Star
publisher = Lee Enterprises
location = Tucson, Arizona
date = 2008-03-05
accessdate = 2008-03-10 ] Such authority would have to be approved both by the Arizona Legislature and voters of the county.

In 2009, the Tucson Toros will return after an eleven-year absence; playing as members of the Golden Baseball League, the new Toros will once again make Hi Corbett Field their own home ballpark. [cite news
title = Golden Baseball League Expands to Tucson
url = http://www.goldenbaseball.com/ArDisplay.aspx?ID=4712&SecID=303
work = GBL Website
publisher = Golden Baseball League
location = Dublin, California
date = 2008-09-01
accessdate = 2008-09-02] [cite news
last = Pangburn
first = Joe
title = Tucson Toros make their return home to Hi Corbett next year
url = http://www.azbiz.com/articles/2008/09/01/news/doc48b6e5de83776081205646.txt
work = Inside Tucson Business
publisher = AZBiz.com
location = Tucson, Arizona
date = 2008-09-01
accessdate = 2008-09-02]

References

* Tucson Toros 1997 Media Guide (Tucson: Tucson Toros Baseball Club, 1997).
* [http://www.springtrainingonline.com/teams/colorado_rockies.htm Spring Training 2006: Colorado Rockies] .
* [http://www.springtrainingonline.com/teams/colorado_rockies.htm Colorado Rockies 2007 Spring Training] , Spring Training Online.
* [http://www.ballparkwatch.com/visits/tucson.htm Ballpark Watch]