By Gary Nelson | The Republic | azcentral.com
With the snip of a ribbon, soul-rattling blues and promises of future on-field glory, the Chicago Cubs officially opened their new Mesa stadium.
The ceremony on the unseasonably warm morning of Feb. 12 kicked off a new era for the Cubs, for whom this will be their 50th spring in Mesa.
Cubs Park is the fourth city-built stadium to be used by the team here, and it’s built to last the course of the team’s 30-year lease and beyond. State-of-the art practice facilities next to the stadium are aimed at giving the team a competitive edge and ending its century-plus championship drought.