GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Standing before the crowd just minutes before the first pitch at Goodyear Ballpark, Indians president Paul Dolan remembered the phone call that paved the way to Wednesday's Cactus League opener.

"When we were contacted by the city of Goodyear, we had to look it up on an atlas," Dolan said. "And now it's the center of the baseball universe."

Shortly after Dolan's comments, the Indians took the field to play the Giants in what turned out to be a 10-7 loss, and Jeremy Sowers, in front of 4,181 fans and a national audience on MLB Network, delivered the first official pitch at the Tribe's new home away from home.

Sowers didn't know it, but he had been given clearance to throw that pitch a few minutes earlier by 4-year-old Jordan Knight. The little guy had walked into the ballpark with his grandparents and uttered an order that the people of this growing desert town had been waiting years to hear:

"Play ball!"

Jordan's grandmother, Josephine McAfee, watched him play Wiffle ball in the open area beyond the first-base line and soaked in a cloudless day in Phoenix's West Valley.

"It's really beautiful out here," McAfee said.

That's been the general sentiment of the Indians the past few weeks, as they've taken an immediate liking to their new spring surroundings. While the posh Player Development Complex caters to their every fancy, the ballpark is viewed by the organization as the veritable icing on the cake.

"We didn't place nearly as much emphasis on the ballpark as [the training facility], because we only use it for 15 days a year," general manager Mark Shapiro said. "But it has a great atmosphere and is a special place. It's a point of pride for us here."

On Wednesday, no one was prouder of the new relationship between the ballclub and the town than Goodyear mayor Jim Cavanaugh, who first contacted the Indians four years ago. At first, the club gave the city the cold shoulder, because the Indians didn't want to leave Florida. The two sides didn't meet to discuss the possibility of the Indians moving until May 2006, and, despite the Tribe's initial hesitation, the offer to move to Arizona was too good to turn down.

Now, almost 33 months to the day after that meeting, Goodyear Ballpark came to life, much to Cavanaugh's delight.

"In this economy where people are losing jobs and going through foreclosures, we needed this," he said. "It's uplifting. Thank God for baseball."

Clearly, though, the economy is going to impact the Indians at the turnstiles this spring. Having less than half of the 10,000-seat ballpark filled for the opener had to be viewed as a bit of a disappointment. But Dolan said he's not overly concerned with the attendance forecast.

"Cleveland fans love baseball," Dolan said. "And 85 degrees and clear blue skies sells itself."

The ballpark itself isn't that tough a sell, for it appeals to everyone from a 4-year-old like Jordan to 90-year-old Hall of Famer Bob Feller, who is continuing his tradition of throwing out a ceremonial first pitch before the Tribe's home Spring Training games.

As a line of fans waiting for his autograph snaked through the concourse area behind home plate, Feller summed up the situation as only he can.

"If the ballclub's as good as the facility," Feller said, "they ought to win the World Series in four games."

But first, there is a full slate of Cactus League games to be played here. That should give fans plenty of time to enjoy the ballpark's many amenities.

For starters on Wednesday, rickshaws delivered fans from their cars in the parking lot to the main gate. Once inside, fans found a spacious Indians Team Shop, a full lineup of concessions and a concourse that wraps around the field, allowing them to follow the game from any angle. The best view might be in the lawn areas on each side of the center-field batter's eye, where you can soak up the sun while soaking in the action.

For the kids more accustomed to short-attention-span theater, the Wiffle ball field in the right-field corner is a nice diversion. Before and during Wednesday's game, dads were pitching to their sons and daughters, who could run the bases after pummeling the plastic ball.

Outside the ballpark, the city has plans for development, but it will be a slow process. A hotel is expected to be erected beyond the right-field exterior of the park, and there are also plans to have a food and shopping district. The economic picture, however, has put those plans on what is considered a temporary hiatus.

What is for certain is that next year, the Reds will make the move from Sarasota, Fla., and share Goodyear Ballpark with the Tribe. In fact, their logo is already painted on top of the third-base dugout where they'll reside.

Cavanaugh, for one, can't wait for his city to become the West Coast home of Ohio baseball.

"It's a good fit," he said. "After all, our neighbor to the west is Buckeye."

The Indians officially joined the neighborhood Wednesday, and the block party began.