Cubs legend Fergie Jenkins was holding court at his regular corner table at Don & Charlie's restaurant, where I'd joined him for a steak dinner to talk spring training.
I wanted to get some tips about this area where the former pitcher trained with the Cubs from 1967 to '73 and '82 to '83 — and to hear a few stories about how things have changed.
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"Spring training, you know there's no comparison to nowadays," said Jenkins, a full-time resident of nearby Athens for the last 15 years. "Back when I was playing, we just had a few buckets of balls, a couple batting cages, and you stay late on your own if you wanted to work out. Now the Cubs here have something like 22 pitching mounds, 15 batting cages and seems like five coaches for every player. And that Sloan Park is just great."
Jenkins is a bit of a regular at Sloan Park, the Cubs' state-of-the-art spring training home in Mesa. He's often there on behalf of The Fergie Jenkins Foundation (www.fergiejenkinsfoundation.org), bringing old friends like Andre Dawson and Lee Smith with him for autograph sessions to raise money for juvenile diabetes research and Boys & Girls Clubs.
When Jenkins isn't at the park, he does what a lot of people in the area do — he goes golfing and fishing. But horseback riding? Not so much anymore.
"Back in '69, I think it was, we'd see tourists riding around on horses all the time," Jenkins recalled. "So Glenn Beckert or one of the guys got the great idea we'd get some horses and go out riding before practice. Well, we're going down a hill, and my horse throws me off. Hurt my hip and couldn't pitch opening day. (Manager Leo) Durocher was so mad he told me, 'I'm going to send you so far from the majors that a 10-cent stamp couldn't find you.' And you know, back in those days, a 10-cent stamp could send you pretty far!"
Jenkins paused to congenially sign some autographs and take photos with the steady stream of Cubs fans coming to our table to say hello.
I remarked how generous he was with his time.
"Well, I'm a retired ballplayer," he said with a shrug. "I got plenty of time on my hands."
Jenkins' autograph booth is behind center field at Sloan Park. Opened in 2014, the stadium seats 15,000 in an environment meant to evoke Wrigley Field — with the added benefit of warm Arizona sunshine. There's even a rooftop area outside the park with a capacity of 900. Food booths sell Giordano's pizza, Portillo's hot dogs, Goose Island Beer and, of course, Budweiser. Other Sloan Park perks include a grassy hill behind center field that can fit 4,500 fans, and pre-game tailgating in an adjacent parking lot.
Last year, the Cubs set an all-time spring training attendance record of 226,000 fans over 15 games at Sloan. You can bet the reigning World Series champions will attract even more fans this season, Feb. 25 to March 29.
Things outside the park have changed a lot since Jenkins' day too.
"Back then, we'd stay at the local Ramada and just walk over to the field," he said. "Scottsdale was a small town then, with only a couple two-lane roads."
These days you'll find a maze of 12-lane mega-highways, dozens of hotels in the Scottsdale and Mesa area, and a slew of activities to entertain visitors of all ages. But some things are the same. You can still stay at a hotel that's walking distance to the park, the Cubs fan-centric Sheraton Mesa at Wrigleyville West.
Jenkins vividly recalls another hotel that's still around: "One spring, when I was in a contract holdout, I spent 15 days in the parking lot of the Valley Ho hotel playing catch with my attorney. Our clubhouse guy, Yosh Kawano, would sneak me over some balls. Billy (Williams) and (Ron) Santo kept coming by to tell me to get to the park. It was a tough time. Old Mr. Wrigley sure didn't like negotiating with an agent, and I was the first guy to get one. But I kept myself in shape for the season on my own. No personal trainers for us."
Fans headed to spring training these days can expect to see the regulars play just a few innings a game before being replaced by minor leaguers getting some practice and exposure to scouts.
It was a little different in Jenkins' day.
"Leo (Durocher) used to say, 'This isn't a country club! You're pitching nine innings!'" Jenkins said. "I had to start throwing in January to get ready."
For visitors, the greater Phoenix area really is one big country club. The TPC Scottsdale Stadium golf course next to the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is one of the best in the U.S., right on par with the resort's fine-dining restaurants and two giant pools. Jenkins' bass fishing holes, Lake Roosevelt and Pleasant Lake, are about an hour's drive away. For kids, the expansive Riverview Park just outside Sloan Park is truly a major league playground. Nine other stadiums host another 14 major league teams in the Cactus League. (When Jenkins played, only four teams trained in Arizona.)
Food options abound. Fergie favors Scottsdale's Lo-Lo's Chicken & Waffles for rib-sticking soul food, Bandera for rotisserie chicken and Don & Charlie's for steak and calamari.
Cubs fans congregate in Mesa for beers at Diamond's Sports Grille, which has shuttles to the park. They stock up on tailgate eats at Orange Patch farmers market.
While Cubs spring training game tickets are tough to come by this season, fans can still head to Sloan to watch players work out on the practice fields, drop by the team store or maybe snap a photo of some of the World Series champs walking from the training center to the park.
If you do land a ticket, be sure to stop by Jenkins' booth to buy a couple of autographs to support his foundation — or just to say, "Hi."
He may have time to say "hi" back and, if you're lucky, share a story or two.
Bill Fink is a freelance writer.
If you go:GETTING THERE: Airports are in Mesa and Phoenix, but Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is the closest to Sloan Park.
SLOAN PARK: The Cubs' spring training home in Mesa will host 17 games this season, Feb. 25 to March 29. Ticket prices range from $16 for lawn seats to $75 for infield reserve, depending on the game. Many are already sold out. It's free to watch practices on nearby fields; 480-668-0500, www.mlb.com/chc/sloan-park.
CACTUS LEAGUE: The 15-team Arizona-based spring training league plays at 10 stadiums spread around the Phoenix-Scottsdale-Mesa-Glendale area; www.cactusleague.com.
STAYING THERE: Rooms at Sheraton Mesa Hotel at Wrigleyville West in Mesa start at around $269 during spring training; 480-664-1221, www.sheratonmesa.com.
Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is a family-friendly resort about a 25-minute drive to Sloan Park with rooms starting at around $359; 800-344-4758, www.fairmont.com/scottsdale.
Also in Scottsdale, Hotel Valley Ho — where the Cubs used to stay back in the day — is a refurbished, old-school property with a cool, retro feel. Rates start at around $280, 480-376-2600, www.hotelvalleyho.com.
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