It’s become a tradition in Las Vegas for Major League Baseball teams to visit the desert at the end of spring training on their way to the regular season. It’s a sure sign that winter is over and the baseball season is soon to return to Las Vegas.

Chuck Johnson, the assistant general manager for the Las Vegas 51s, says Big League Weekend gives the city a taste of top-quality baseball and reintroduces the 51s to the city. This year, Big League Weekend will feature two games pitting the Chicago Cubs and the Seattle Mariners, at 7:05 on March 30 and 1:05 on March 31.

 “It’s a great chance for us to remind the community that baseball season has started once again,” Johnson says. “The 51s home season doesn’t start until April 13, so for this weekend, baseball fans can whet their appetite by watching two great teams.”

LVCVA President and CEO Rossi Ralenkotter says the weekend is an important yearly event for the city.

 “This year’s Big League Weekend will kick off the baseball season for the Las Vegas community,” said Ralenkotter. “This will mark the 17th consecutive year that Las Vegas has hosted Major League Baseball exhibition action. This event allows us to showcase Las Vegas to baseball fans from Chicago and Seattle, two of Las Vegas’ key feeder markets.”

For 2007, the two teams are hoping to contend in the upcoming season.

The Chicago Cubs have added a new manager, former Yankee skipper Lou Piniella, and a slugger, outfielder Alfonso Soriano, who was considered the most coveted player in this year’s free agent market. Last year, while playing for the Washington Nationals, Soriano became just the fourth player in MLB history to join the exclusive “40-40 Club”: at least 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases. In addition, the Cubs bring former Las Vegas Stars player Derrek Lee who has emerged as a bonafide star. Lee is coming off an injury-plagued 2006 after establishing career highs of a .335 batting average (National League leader), 199 hits, 46 homers and 107 RBIs in 2005.

The Seattle Mariners once again bring in superstar Ichiro Suzuki. In 2006, Suzuki became the first player in Major League Baseball history to record 200 hits over the first six seasons of a career (adding to his own record, as in 2005 he became the only player to record 200 hits in his first five seasons).

The 2006 Big League Weekend attracted 33,025 fans over three games featuring the Cubs, Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Mariners.

The Cubs and Mariners return to Cashman Field for the third straight season. The Cubs faced the Padres last season and split the two games. San Diego won 8-4 on March 31 before 11,327 and the Cubs defeated the Padres, 6-5 in 10 innings, on April 1 before another sellout crowd of 11,427. The Cubs and Mariners were featured in the 2005 Big League Weekend that helped celebrate the Las Vegas Centennial (1905-2005). The Mariners defeated the Dodgers, 4-3, on March 30, 2006, before a sellout crowd of 10,271.

Don Logan, the general manager for the Las Vegas 51s, says the team is excited about the 2007 weekend.

“The Cubs fan base and popularity is enormous and we welcome them back to Las Vegas,” he says. “Chicago fans, both locally and the tourists that visit during this event, always enjoy watching Cubs baseball at Cashman Field.

“We are also delighted to have the Mariners back in Southern Nevada. In Ichiro, they have one of the premier hitters in baseball. He also draws fans from Japan to this event. Big League Weekend is also a great showcase for the fans of Las Vegas to view Major League Baseball up close and personal.”

The 51s, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, will play their 25th Pacific Coast League season under first-year manager Lorenzo Bundy. The season starts Thursday, April 5, at Salt Lake City, Utah, against the Salt Lake Bees, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Las Vegas’ home opener will be on Friday, April 13, against the Bees at 7:05 p.m. at Cashman Field.  Season tickets and mini-plan packages (10, 20, 33-game plans) are available by calling the 51s office at (702) 798-7825.

Tickets for Big League Weekend are on sale at the Cashman Field box office. Tickets can also be purchased through TicketMaster (474-4000, www.ticketmaster.com).

By Roger Gros

Roger Gros is publisher of Casino Connection and editor and publisher of Global Gaming Business magazine, the industry’s leading gaming trade publication. Prior to joining Global Gaming Business, Gros was president of Inlet Communications, an independent consulting firm. He was vice president of Casino Journal Publishing Group from 1984-2000, and held virtually every editorial title during his tenure. Gros was editor of Casino Journal, the National Gaming Summary and the Atlantic City Insider, and was the founding editor of Casino Player magazine. He was a co-founder of the American Gaming Summit and the Southern Gaming Summit conferences and trade shows. He is the author of the best-selling book, How to Win at Casino Gambling (Carlton Books, 1995), now in its third edition. Gros was named “Businessman of the Year” for 1998 by the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce.

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