Ballpark: Chase Field

Chase Field is a pretty cool stadium (pun somewhat intended). I bought a ticket in the upper deck off a scalper for $10 because I was just looking for something to get me in the door. I got to Chase Field just as the doors were opening and headed to left field to see if I couldn't catch a ball in batting practice. the roof was closed and the air conditioning was on - a welcomed break from the sun after hiking all afternoon. Even with the closed roof, the park felt spacious. The outfield walls head straight out from left and right with little arc and then angle towards one another in center. Even though the center field fence is 407' from the plate, it feels father because the yellow home run line extends up to about 25' above the playing surface. Just to the right of center is one of the marquee features of Chase Field: the swimming pool seats. Unless you are seated high up, it is surprisingly easy to miss the swimming pool.

Arriving for batting practice paid off in two ways. The first was I was able to catch a home run ball in batting practice. The second was I was able to stay in good seats in left field for the entire game. Probably 20 minutes before the game started, the roof to Chase Field opened. This whole operation took about 2 minutes. The stadium remained cool even after the roof was opened because the sun was below the stadium walls and side panels were opened to create a little bit of a cross wind. Overall, opening the roof made the stadium feel brighter but it was still somewhat enclosed. As much as I hear people say that retractable roof stadiums feel totally different depending on the roof configuration, I didn't get that feeling at Chase Field. Unfortunately, I never quite got the feeling of old-time baseball either. 

The fan experience at Chase Field was a big plus. Even though the stadium was about half-full, there was plenty of room to move about the concourse. The restroom lines were small and the concession prices and selection were very reasonable. I only ended up getting ice cream late in the game because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get back down to my seat if I left during the earlier innings. I am considering buying a pop in the souvenir cup at the remaining ballparks I go to so I can stay hydrated and have a memento from each ballpark. I looked for an abandoned souvenir cup after the game but to no avail. I guess I am 0/2 on getting souvenir cups thus far.

My take-away thought on Chase Field was that it was a unique, inviting, and fan friendly atmosphere to watch a baseball game. The retractable roof, swimming pool, and outfield wall give the ballpark character even if there are no city views and no smells of old-time baseball.

Update: So I forgot the most important part of the baseball game in a post about a baseball game... The Diamondbacks were playing the Phillies in a battle that featured to lefty aces. Established ace Cole Hamels for the Phillies and now 5-0 Patrick Corbin for the Diamondbacks. Both starting pitchers and bullpens pitched very well but the Diamondbacks were able to pull out the 2-1 victory. There were base running errors on both sides that lead to outfield assists by Gerrardo Parra and Domonic Brown. I was impressed with Diamondback SS Didi Gregorius who was 2 for 3 and made a couple of nice defensive plays. Also props to D-backs manager Kirk Gibson for playing the shift against Ryan Howard which took away two base hits.

West Coast Trip: Day 1

My Dad and I left our house at 5:45 for me to catch my 8:00 AM flight from Grand Rapids to Phoenix via Chicago O'Hare. The flights went rather smooth and I landed in Phoenix around 11:30 AM local time. I then took the light rail from Sky Harbor Airport into downtown Phoenix, suitcase and backpack in tow. The Arizona State graduation was just finishing up so I weaved my way through herds of graduates and their relates. I had call the Downtown Phoenix Sheraton Hotel earlier in the week to see if they would hold my bag despite me not being a guest and they said they would. I then dropped my suitcase and backpack off at the hotel, only keeping a drawstring bag containing essential items (water, maps, sunglasses, etc.). I then hopped back onto the light rail and got off at Papago Park, just East of Downtown and just North of Tempe. Papago Park has a golf course, holds the Phoenix zoo and Desert Botanical Gardens, the Oakland A's spring training stadium, and hiking trails. I hiked for close to two hours around the several buttes in the park. The most interesting of the buttes was the hole-in-the-rock, where there was literally a large hole in the middle of the butte that offered a view of downtown Phoenix. The hikes were interesting: on one side of the trail was a large rock formation sparingly dotted with desert plants and on the other side was a golf course, a busy freeway, and the airport and Phoenix skyline in the distance.  I have always heard Phoenix was built in the middle of a desert but it is hard to believe that the whole area once looked like the terrain surrounding the buttes. 

I then took  the light rail back downtown for the Diamondbacks vs. Phillies game at Chase Field. I bought a ticket from a scalper for $10 and ate at pretty much the only restaurant near the stadium: a sports bar called Legends. I was hoping for a cheap and authentic Mexican place but I can't really complain about happy hour priced appetizers. I then headed to the game for batting practice. I will talk about my ballpark experience in a future post, but I really enjoyed Chase Field. After the game, I walked back to the Sheraton, got my bags, and took a taxi to the Greyhound station where I am now waiting for my 1:30 AM bus to Los Angeles. I had thought about walking around Phoenix some more after the game but it was dark, I wasn't really sure where I would go, and concluded that tonight wasn't the time or place for exploring. I have been up for about 22 hours now and I am looking forward to getting some sleep on the bus.