Cactus Country

1 TEMPE DIABLO STADIUM ( Angels) This place is devilish--and dangerous. Angels SS Gary DiSarcina broke his left forearm when first base coach George Hendrick accidentally thwacked him with a bat in 1999; in a 2002 bench-clearer (Padres versus Angels), Anaheim lefthander Dennis Cook wound up on the DL with bruised ribs.

2 TUCSON ELECTRIC PARK ( Diamondbacks and White Sox) In '98 Rockies manager Don Baylor accused the D-Backs of spying on his team by videotaping from centerfield without permission. In 2001 Arizona's Randy Johnson infamously struck and killed a flying dove with a fastball.

3 HOHOKAM PARK (Cubs) Where hope springs eternal: Cubs set a spring training attendance record with 189,692 fans in 16 games in 2004 and regularly lead the league in fan turnout.

4 HI CORBETT FIELD (Rockies) The oldest park (it opened in 1928) in the Cactus League adjoins a zoo and a public golf course. Also where some of the ball-playing scenes in Major League were filmed.

5 MARYVALE BASEBALL PARK (Brewers) The Brew crew's home away from home: mid-game sausage races, bratwursts with Brewers "secret stadium sauce" and sparse crowds.

6 PHOENIX MUNICIPAL STADIUM (A's) In 1991, with outfielder Rickey Henderson griping publicly about his meager $3 million-a-year salary, A's manager Tony La Russa and players stuffed a jar with dollar bills and gave it to him. "You're worth more than $3 million. We know it; we want you." Said Rickey, "Fill it up again."

7 SCOTTSDALE STADIUM ( Giants) Home of the Arizona Fall League Hall of Fame. Not among its members: a long-legged outfielder named Michael Jordan, who played for the league's Scottsdale Scorpions here in '94, hitting .252 in 35 games.

8 PEORIA STADIUM (Mariners and Padres) During batting practice in 1995 Mariners manager Lou Piniella bet Ken Griffey Jr. a steak dinner that Griffey couldn't hit the next pitch out of the batting cage. Griffey whiffed. He later delivered a 1,200-pound cow to Piniella's office.

9 SURPRISE STADIUM (Rangers and Royals) How's this for a surprise: Just before an A's-Royals exhibition game here last year, a huge swarm of African bees had to be fought off by firefighters. The facility cost $48.3 million to build by its 2003 opening and lured both teams from their spring homes in Florida. -- Adam Duerson