Angels Say New Digs Are a Site to Behold : Spring training: Team’s facility in Tempe, Ariz., will feature rebuilt stadium, practice fields and 15,000-square-foot clubhouse.

There probably haven’t been this many Angel executives grinning at the same time in the same place since 1989, when an Angel team few expected to challenge for the American League West championship went 91-71 and finished third in the division.

The occasion Tuesday was a tour of Tempe Diablo Stadium, the centerpiece of the organization’s new spring training facility in Arizona.

A $5.8 million renovation of the stadium, financed by Maricopa County and the City of Tempe, is expected to be finished in January, and Angel officials are understandably excited about what they believe will be a premier spring training site.

“This is where we’ve always wanted to be,” Angel President Richard Brown said. “We looked at a lot of different spring training stadiums in Florida and Arizona, and we incorporated what we saw and liked from those into this place. A strong foundation is critical for a club, and we have that here.”

The Angels used to spend the first four weeks of spring training at Mesa, Ariz., and the final two weeks in Palm Springs, but in Tempe Diablo Stadium, they finally have a permanent spring home.

The complex includes a completely rebuilt 9,785-seat stadium, where the Angels will play their spring home games, and 2 1/2 practice fields--two complete fields and an extra infield. The Angels signed a 25-year lease with the city, making Tempe their spring home until 2017.

The Mesa complex doesn’t have a stadium, which forced the Angels to play all of their February and early March games on the road, and Gene Autry Park in Palm Springs consisted of only the stadium and an extra infield.

Angel minor leaguers will still train in Mesa, but now they’ll be only minutes away from the major league club. And opposing Cactus League teams won’t have to make the long bus ride to Palm Springs.

“We have a lot more flexibility if we want to bring a minor league player up for a game or split squads,” said Kevin Uhlich, Angel vice president and director of facilities operations.

“In the past we’ve had to break camp, bring the big truck in, pack up and move to Palm Springs. It killed a couple days and broke our continuity. It was also tough for other teams to come out (to Palm Springs).”

Angel officials were concerned that Tempe might be too long a trip for Southern California fans who regularly migrated to Palm Springs in March. But they believe their new facility--built with the fan in mind--will attract new and old spectators.

Among the stadium’s features are five concession stands that face the playing field, so that fans in line can still watch the game, two picnic areas and a novelty store.

There will be 235 seats for disabled persons. Ticket prices are $8 for field box seats, $7 for pavilion, $5 for grandstand and $3 for lawn seats beyond the left-field fence. Some 400 season tickets have been sold for the spring season, which begins March 5.

“There are roads leaving from Tempe to Palm Springs and it’s not that far (about 270 miles on Interstate 10),” Brown said. “I think this will be worth the drive.”

The stadium was designed by Kansas City-based HOK Sports Facilities Group, which also designed the new Comiskey Park in Chicago and Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

State-of-the-art press facilities will accommodate 30 media members, print and electronic. Adjacent to the press box will be eight executive offices, one executive conference room and two multipurpose rooms with wet bar facilities, each with a view to the playing field.

“For the first time in years we won’t be working out of a trailer for six weeks,” said Tim Mead, Angel media relations director.

The 15,000-square-foot Angel clubhouse will include a locker room, manager’s office, coaches area, conference and video rooms, two covered batting/pitching cages and training facilities.

The only items remaining from the old Tempe Diablo Stadium, where the Seattle Mariners trained until 1992, are the field and the visitors’ clubhouse.

“We want to make a big splash here,” Brown said. “We have to let people know this gorgeous edifice will be ready in time for spring training. I think this is a showcase.”