Colorado Rockies players sign balls for fans at a Cactus League baseball game in Surprise, Arizona. With 12 of Major League Baseball's 30 teams camped in Arizona, the Cactus League draws more than a million fans and now rivals Florida's Grapefruit League as a springtime attraction. (CP PHOTO)

At Tucson Electric Park, the Chicago White Sox are on the field and the Chicago dogs are on the concourse.

Best's Kosher hot dogs fly in from the Windy City, going south with the baseball fans who migrate to Arizona for the spring Cactus League.

Grabbing a snack at the Best's cart down the first-base line, with a view of the grass-and-dirt diamond and the distant Santa Catalina Mountains in the early afternoon sunshine, it's a taste of home in the Sonoran Desert for the Chi-town faithful.

"Go Sox," shouts a twentysomething with a Midwest accent, clutching a Chi-dog piled high with tomato wedges and a dill pickle in one hand, and a cold beer in the other.

The appeal of spring training in the desert keeps growing, with 12 of the 30 Major League clubs now camping in Tucson and the Phoenix area. Most of the spectators come from the western half of the continent, as do the teams.

It's a more laid-back scene than the Grapefruit League in Florida. More of a Left Coast crowd. Younger. More couples sun-bathing on the lawn beyond the outfield fences. More college kids skipping classes, from the University of Arizona in Tucson and Arizona State outside Phoenix.

For those who visit from the north, the lure of the location is as great as the lure of the game.

"In Chicago, it's 25 degrees (Fahrenheit)," booms the pre-game announcement on this year's opening day at Tucson Electric Park. "Here in Tucson, it's 65 degrees."

Professional baseball teams have been sampling a southern exposure since the early 1900s. By 1910, when all the major league clubs were based in the eastern United States, Florida became the hot-spot for spring training.

The first serious snowbirds in Arizona -- the New York Giants and the Cleveland Indians -- arrived after the Second World War. The Chicago Cubs soon followed.

But the real push started in the late 1950s, as Americans -- and baseball -- moved west. Those Giants from Manhattan relocated in San Francisco, closer to their spring home in the Phoenix area. Now, nearly all the teams from west of the Mississippi River spend the late winter and early spring in the desert.

The state seems to recognize the benefits of baseball. Attendance at spring training games in Arizona tops more than a million. The governor's office pegs the economic benefit at about $250 million US. And it's hoping to entice even more teams to move west from Florida.

"I am determined to grow our economy by building on our spring training success and bringing more teams -- and fans -- to Arizona," Gov. Janet Napolitano said recently.

The attraction for baseball fans is obvious. The Arizona-based teams boast the sport's most alluring stars: Barry Bonds of the Giants, fast-becoming the all-time home run king; and Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners, the Japanese marvel who last year set the record for most hits in a season.

A professional baseball player signs a ball for a young fan at a Cactus League baseball game in Surprise, Arizona. (CP PHOTO)

For travellers who care less about baseball, and more about a winter getaway, the choice between Arizona and Florida can be apples and oranges -- or, in this case, grapefruits and cacti.

Those who prefer saltwater, stone crabs and Disney World will get their fix in the Sunshine State. Those who hanker for a hike in the Grand Canyon, great Mexican food and rodeos will head for Arizona. (The arrival of baseball also coincides with the annual bloom of wildflowers in the desert.)

At Tucson Electric Park, on the concourse behind home plate, is a concession stand called El Charro. It's a ballpark outlet of the city's famous El Charro Cafe (est. 1922).

Between innings of the opening-day game between the White Sox and the Colorado Rockies, a line starts forming.

What's the most popular item on the menu?

"The carne seca," says the young woman behind the counter, explaining it's a combination of dried beef, tomatoes, onions and green chili peppers.

About the same number of people are queuing up for Best's Kosher hot dogs.

Like baseball, everybody has a favourite -- whether it's a player or team.

At spring training time, when it's a choice between Arizona and Florida, it's also a matter of taste.

BOTTOM LINE

For more information on baseball’s spring Cactus League in Arizona, here is a list of the cities, teams, ballparks, ticket office phone numbers and websites (follow the “spring training“ link):

PHOENIX: Oakland A’s, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 602-392-0217, http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com; Milwaukee Brewers, Maryvale Stadium, 623-245-5500, http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com.

SURPRISE: Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals, Surprise Stadium, 623-594-5600, http://texas.rangers.mlb.com, http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com.

PEORIA: Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres, Peoria Sports Complex, 623-878-4337, http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com, http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com.

TEMPE: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Tempe Diablo Stadium, 480-350-5265, http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com.

MESA: Chicago Cubs, Hohokam Stadium, 480-964-4467, http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com.

SCOTTSDALE: San Francisco Giants, Scottsdale Stadium, 480-990-2886, http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com.

TUCSON: Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox, Tucson Electric Park, 520-434-1111, http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com, http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com; Colorado Rockies, Hi Corbett Field, 520-327-9467, http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com.