PHOENIX, Ariz. — First, take four meticulously manicured major league baseball fields, add a couple of specialty areas like a major league infield with no outfield and a super bullpen where six pitchers and catchers can work at the same time; Spread them around among the red rocks of Phoenix’s Papago Park Baseball Complex, sprinkle the area with well over 60 freshly uniformed players and coaches; Throw in a dash of autograph-hungry fans, light it all with bright, warm Arizona sunshine, and what have you got?

The Oakland Athletics on their second day of Spring Training 2006.

Things could not have been more ready. The buckets of brand new baseballs had yet to feel the whack of a bat or pick up the grass stains that will eventually identify them as practice balls.

Every player had a new, bright green personal equipment bag out of which protruded his latest issue of shiny wooden bats with which he hopes to slug his way to “The Show.”

Clever pitching machines were zipping curves, sliders and fastballs across the home plates of every diamond with indefatigable accuracy.

Other machines were flinging pop flies so high into the bright blue Arizona sky that there was some question as to whether or not they would ever come down.

The drills and routines that were underway were not unlike those taking place on thousands of diamonds across the country. The differences, of course, were the players. These were the best in the business — not T-ballers or Little Leaguers or high schoolers or college players — the crème de la crème as it were.

Nevertheless, the drills were the same.

The first and third basemen charge the bunt while the second baseman covers first — over and over and over again. Runners on first and third, the pitcher fakes a pickoff to first, wheels and throws to third — again and again and again. The ball is off the wall, the outfielder snares the carom, spins and throws to the cutoff man who rifles it to the plate — one, two, three, four times in a row.

Meanwhile, off the diamonds, players are mixing and mingling. In this early going before the team moves its operations to its spring training stadium, autographs are the order of the day. Digital cameras are everywhere. The players willingly have their pictures taken with fans.

Between drills, which change about every 30 minutes, players walk along the paths or across the lawns from one venue to another. Fans walk with them, carrying on happy conversations about how things are going to go this year. Security guards are present but are not particularly fussy. Out in the parking lot, big signs on the lamp poles say “Welcome Fans.”

The sentiment plays out on the grounds. Papag.o Park is simply a great spring training place to be.

Of course, spring training would be truly incomplete without the media.

During my wonder years as the proud possessor of a spring training press pass, I have gotten to know some of the folks who make their living telling baseball stories in print day after day. One whom I read regularly all winter is Mychael Urban, a reporter for MLB.com who writes about the A’s on the Internet.

I met Michael in the parking lot this morning. He told me that he had been assigned to cover the South African team in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

Interestingly, there is a connection between the Athletics and this team. Former A’s scout Rick Magnante, who will be managing Oakland’s Vancouver Canadians this year, is the manager of the South African team. Probably because of this connection, the team is training in the Oakland facility. Indeed, the whole team was at the morning workout in their green and gold South African warm-ups.

Another of my media heros is Susan Slusser, the A’s beat writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Like a great many Oakland fans, I depend on Susan’s reports all season. I wound up sitting with her for a few minutes this morning talking a little baseball, a little weather, and a little travel.

Hers is certainly a dream job, especially if you love suitcases.

Spring training, of course, has its hard and disappointing side. Over the course of the next several weeks, many hopefuls will be cut from the big league roster in the annual ritual of whittling away in order to get down to the number of players who can be on the team during the regular season.

However, in February, when Papago is all aglow with hopes and aspirations, nothing could be finer than playing the game under the warm winter sunshine in the Valley that claims its name — the Valley of the Sun.