The Giants have completed the first phase of renovations at their Spring Training facility in Arizona, spending $50M to "build a 40,000-square-foot clubhouse, office and training complex at Scottsdale Stadium," according to Henry Schulman of the S.F. CHRONICLE. As players arrived earlier this week, workers were "still applying cosmetic touches to a building that was designed not just for comfort," but also to "foster communication." The clubhouse is "designed to elicit more conversations among players than the old space, a square room with obstacles in the middle." Scottsdale Stadium before the renovation had the "oldest facilities in the Cactus League." The first phase included $35M from the city of Scottsdale and $15M from the Giants -- used mostly on "construction of the clubhouse structure, but also improvements to mundane elements such as wiring and pipes." Fans will notice a "new entryway and a few subtle changes." Next spring after the second phase, they will see "far bigger changes to the seating and public areas of the ballpark." The Giants in '21 "will move their minor-league facility from the substandard Indian School Park to Papago Park, the former A's complex" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 2/12).
CHANGE OF SCENERY: This offseason marks the Braves' first full Spring Training at CoolToday Park in North Port, Fla., and in Atlanta, Steve Hummer wrote the facility is an "invigorating change of venue" with "some major differences" from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. At the Disney facility, the dining area was "so small that food often had to be prepared outside and schlepped into one cramped room." But at CoolToday Park, there is a "fully self-contained area dedicated to the comfort, care and feeding" of the team. It also features a "large state-of-the-art weight room, as well as an outdoor conditioning area." The Braves had become "more and more isolated in Orlando," but now they are just an hour or so away from the facilities of the Red Sox, Twins, Rays, Orioles and Pirates. Now, "not so many of their spring road trips" will be "grinding commutes" through some of Florida's worst traffic (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 2/13).
