TEMPE, Ariz. — A ride down Interstate 10 and motorists might notice Christmas lights illuminating a stretch of the highway.
They are leftover from the illumination show that ran just past the beginning of this year, still up for any passerby to see.
"We still got Christmas lights yeah,” said Jerry Hall, stadium manager at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
Hall said staffing issues have caused the lights to stay up, even as spring training is quickly approaching.
“We need it by mid-next week," Hall said.
Hall plans to have the stadium ready to go by the time games are scheduled to start in late February.
However, the start date is in doubt, thanks to an ongoing labor dispute in Major League Baseball.
“Well, we are wait-and-see,” said Bridget Binsbacher, the executive director of the Cactus League. "We are optimistic it’s going to happen."
Both Binsbacher and Hall said it would not take much time for the stadiums to get ready if given the green light.
For Arizona, millions of dollars potentially hang in the balance when it comes to spring training season.
In 2020, about 40% of the games were lost because of COVID-19, generating an economic impact of only $363 million.
Whereas in 2018, an Arizona State University study showed spring training raked in $644 million to the local economy.
Sports
Watch more of the latest sports videos on the 12 News YouTube channel. Don’t forget to subscribe!