Editing Chicago Cubs (section)

===Spring training history===
The Chicago White Stockings, (today's Chicago Cubs), began spring training in [[Hot Springs, Arkansas]], in 1886. President [[Albert Spalding]] (founder of Spalding Sporting Goods) and player/manager [[Cap Anson]] brought their players to Hot Springs and played at the Hot Springs Baseball Grounds. The concept was for the players to have training and fitness before the start of the regular season, utilizing the bath houses of Hot Springs after practices.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://baseballhall.org/archive-collection/short-stops/school-days-in-arkansas |title = School Days in Arkansas |access-date = February 25, 2016 |archive-date = February 20, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150220024216/http://baseballhall.org/archive-collection/short-stops/school-days-in-arkansas |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.hotsprings.org/pages/history-buffs/ |title = arlington hotel, oaklawn, gangster museum, hot springs baseball trail, historical landmarks – Hot Springs, Arkansas |access-date = February 25, 2016 |archive-date = February 16, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180216151214/http://www.hotsprings.org/pages/history-buffs/ |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="encyclopediaofarkansas.net">{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=6221|title=Major League Spring Training in Hot Springs – Encyclopedia of Arkansas|website=www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net}}</ref> After the White Stockings had a successful season in 1886, winning the National League Pennant, other teams began bringing their players to Hot Springs for "spring training".<ref name="encyclopediaofarkansas.net"/><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/1886.shtml |title = 1886 Chicago White Stockings Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics |work=Baseball Reference }}</ref> The Chicago Cubs, [[St. Louis Browns]], [[New York Yankees]], [[St. Louis Cardinals]], [[Cleveland Spiders]], [[Detroit Tigers]], [[Pittsburgh Pirates]], [[Cincinnati Reds]], [[New York Highlanders]], [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] and [[Boston Red Sox]] were among the early squads to arrive. [[Whittington Park (baseball)|Whittington Park]] (1894) and later [[Majestic Park (baseball)|Majestic Park]] (1909) and [[Fogel Field]] (1912) were all built in Hot Springs specifically to host Major League teams.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://digitalballparks.com/SpringTraining/BanJohnson.html |title = Ban Johnson Park-Whittington Park/Majestic Park/Fogel Field – Hot Springs Arkansas – Major League Spring Training grounds |access-date = February 25, 2016 |archive-date = March 4, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304202630/http://digitalballparks.com/SpringTraining/BanJohnson.html |url-status = usurped }}</ref>

The Cubs' current spring training facility is located in [[Sloan Park]] in [[Mesa, Arizona]], where they play in the [[Cactus League]]. The park seats 15,000, making it Major League baseball's largest spring training facility by capacity. The Cubs annually sell out most of their games both at home and on the road. Before Sloan Park opened in 2014, the team played games at [[HoHoKam Park]] – Dwight Patterson Field from 1979. "HoHoKam" is literally translated from Native American as "those who vanished". The North Siders have called Mesa their spring home for most seasons since 1952.

In addition to Mesa, the club has held spring training in [[Hot Springs, Arkansas]] (1886, 1896–1900), (1909–1910) [[Sports in New Orleans#Baseball|New Orleans]] (1870, 1907, 1911–1912); [[Champaign, Illinois]] (1901–02, 1906); Los Angeles (1903–04, 1948–1949), [[Santa Monica, California]] (1905); [[French Lick, Indiana]] (1908, 1943–1945); [[Tampa, Florida]] (1913–1916); [[Pasadena, California]] (1917–1921); [[Santa Catalina Island, California]] (1922–1942, 1946–1947, 1950–1951); Rendezvous Park in [[Mesa, Arizona|Mesa]] (1952–1965); [[Blair Field]] in [[Long Beach, California]] (1966); and [[Scottsdale, Arizona]] (1967–1978).

The curious location on Catalina Island stemmed from Cubs owner William Wrigley Jr.'s then-majority interest in the island in 1919. Wrigley constructed a ballpark on the island to house the Cubs in spring training: it was built to the same dimensions as Wrigley Field. The ballpark was called Wrigley Field of Avalon.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.digitalballparks.com/SpringTraining/Catalina.html |title = Avalon's Wrigley Field – Catalina Island California – Former Spring Home of the Chicago Cubs |access-date = March 13, 2016 |archive-date = March 15, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160315124452/http://www.digitalballparks.com/SpringTraining/Catalina.html |url-status = usurped }}</ref> (The ballpark is long gone, but a clubhouse built by Wrigley to house the Cubs exists as the Catalina County Club.) However, by 1951 the team chose to leave Catalina Island and spring training was shifted to Mesa, Arizona.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.springtrainingonline.com/teams/chicago-cubs.htm |title = Spring Training Online History |publisher = Springtrainingonline.com |access-date = August 1, 2014 }}</ref> The Cubs' 30-year association with Catalina is chronicled in the book, ''The Cubs on Catalina'', by [[Jim Vitti]], which was named International 'Book of the Year' by ''[[The Sporting News]]''. The Cubs left Catalina after some bad weather in 1951, choosing to move to Mesa, a city where the Wrigleys also had interests.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://springtrainingmagazine.com/history2.html |title = Spring Training History Articles }}</ref> Today, there is an exhibit at the Catalina Museum dedicated to the Cubs' spring training on the island.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catalinachamber.com/mediafilming/whats-new/catalinamuseum |title=Catalina Museum Re-Opens with New Exhibit - Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce |access-date=March 13, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314010409/http://www.catalinachamber.com/mediafilming/whats-new/catalinamuseum |archive-date=March 14, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.catalinamuseum.org/exhibitions_view.asp?nexhibition_ID=%7BA8ADEE93-DCB7-4EC8-9818-B116EB1B5FC7%7D |title = Catalina Island Museum |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150110041100/http://www.catalinamuseum.org/exhibitions_view.asp?nexhibition_ID=%7BA8ADEE93-DCB7-4EC8-9818-B116EB1B5FC7%7D |archive-date = January 10, 2015 }}</ref>

The former location in Mesa is actually the second Hohokam Park ([[Hohokam Stadium]] 1997–2013); the first was built in 1976 as the spring-training home of the Oakland Athletics who left the park in 1979. Apart from HoHoKam Park and Sloan Park the Cubs also have another Mesa training facility called Fitch Park, this complex provides {{convert|25000|sqft|m2}} of team facilities, including major league clubhouse, four practice fields, one practice infield, enclosed batting tunnels, batting cages, a maintenance facility, and administrative offices for the Cubs.