In the Arizona springtime, baseball can be played as it is played best -- outdoors, in the daylight, in the sunshine, with neither rain nor cold as hostile detractors. And if this be the perfect clime for playing the game, it is no less ideal for the baseball spectator. As Roger Angell wrote in "Taking Infield":
The Arizona circuit is decidedly junior. The Cactus League first fielded more than one major league club in 1947 while the Grapefruit League dates back 75 years to 1914. And the Cactus League has always been the smaller of the two, currently fielding eight teams to the Florida circuit's eighteen. Still, the discrepancies between the two leagues, in terms of longevity and size, have done little to lessen arguments about which league is "best."
These friendly but vigorous disputes commenced the first spring major league clubs called Arizona their winter home. Arizona supporters solicited more teams to locate in their state, citing Florida's inhospitable March rains and late-winter chills. The Florida towns, reacting to the threat of a major-league exodus, reminded their ballclubs of Arizona's sandstorms, the greater travel distances involved (remember, it was not until 1958 that the majors had a home town west of St. Louis), and the shortage of other major league opponents for exhibition games.
The ballplayers themselves often got caught up in comparing the relative benefits of the two training and exhibition leagues. Bob Feller, ace right-hander of the Cleveland Indians, was asked about the suitability of Arizona's climate for conditioning a pitcher's arm. It was the spring of 1948, the second spring the Tribe trained in Tucson. Rapid Robert, who had enjoyed the agreeable weather of Fort Myers and Clearwater, Florida in previous years, reportedly said, "I don't think it's good for a pitcher out here (Arizona)." The dry heat, he explained, made it tough for players to work up a sweat and loosen up. Mel Ott, the manager of the New York Giants who had trained in Phoenix the previous year, laughed when told of Feller's remark: "What's he complaining about after the season he had last year?" The manager had a point. After preseason training in Tucson in 1947, Feller proceeded to lead the American League in wins, games started, strikeouts, shutouts, and innings pitched with a whopping 299.
The controversy persists and probably always will. Yet for most spring training fans, there's no real argument. The Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues are each immensely enjoyable, Arizona and Florida are each fascinating and unique. The real dilemma for patrons of exhibition baseball is wishing they could be both places at once.
Angell's observation suggests another dynamic fueling the Cactus League: competition for spring training with Florida.