As a lifelong Valley resident, I would often drive by the spring training stadiums for the Chicago Cubs or the Los Angeles Angels. I always wondered why we had outside teams playing in the Arizona.

The reason dates back to the 1940s before the state even had its own Major League Baseball team. Arizona's relationship to Americans' favorite pastime started with a coalition of baseball teams that would eventually become known as the Cactus League.   

This week on Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, I look into the history of that league, while answering my own question, "Why is Arizona home to the Cactus League?" 

In this episode, you'll hear:

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