Ultimate Baseball Road Trip (107 page)

Everyone knew, that is, except for the Arizona Diamondbacks and their loyal fans. And a strange thing happened. The untouchable Rivera became mortal, if just for that one inning, and the Diamondbacks tagged him with a loss. In as dramatic a finish to a season as any the game has seen, with two outs Gonzalez blooped a single into left field that scored Bell and put the finishing touches on a two-run ninth that gave Arizona the Championship. Chase Field proved to be central to the home team’s feat, as the D-Backs notched all four of their wins at home. Johnson shook off any concerns regarding his ability to deliver in the postseason,
as he and Schilling earned co-MVP honors. For the season Johnson won his second straight Cy Young Award, while Schilling finished second among NL vote-getters.

Though the D-Backs were swept in the 2002 NLDS by the World Series–bound San Francisco Giants and then swept again in the 2007 NLCS by the World Series–bound Rockies, those seasons were also full of magical moments that the local fans turned out to cheer.

Chase Field also drew crowds during the spring of 2006 when it served as one of the first-round sites for the World Baseball Classic. The United States downed Mexico 2-0 before more than thirty-two thousand fans in the first game, while two subsequent games featuring teams other than the US squad averaged about seventeen thousand fans apiece. A more recent showcase event at Chase was the 2011 All-Star Game, in which the NL prevailed 5-1 behind MVP Prince Fielder’s three-run homer. The day before Robinson Cano had won the annual Home Run Derby, narrowly edging Boston’s Adrian Gonzalez in the final round.

Kevin:
The boys at ESPN must have loved that one.

Josh:
Because it pitted two great players in the final round?

Kevin:
No, because it pitted a Yankee against a Red Sox player.

Chase Field has also been used for college football, college basketball, super-cross events, professional bull-riding, monster truck rallies and international soccer matches. And in 2004 it even served as one of President George W. Bush’s rallying sites during his reelection campaign. At its heart, though, Chase Field is a baseball diamond. Imperfect though it may be, it presents a vast improvement over the previous generation’s domes and even over its immediate predecessor in Toronto. While the ever-expanding reach of technology upon our already ultra-modern lives can be at times daunting and at times a bit much for the purists among us to swallow, the advent of a field fit for the Grand Old Game in the inferno of Phoenix is something for which all fans—and Phoenicians especially—should be grateful.

Getting a ticket to Chase Field is not the problem. It’s getting a seat that won’t make you feel as though you’re watching from atop one of the Camelback Mountains. If you’re after that “every seat is intimate” ballpark feel, we can only suggest driving to Dodger Stadium. Joking aside, the closest you can get to achieving intimacy within the Arizona stadium is by getting a seat on the lower levels between the bases … next to your special someone. Bada-bing. That’s the last intimacy joke, we promise. The good news, as far as the plight of the traveling fan goes, is that the Diamondbacks only average about twenty-five thousand fans per game, so there are usually some pretty good (just not intimate) seats on the first level available to those who plan in advance.

The lower bowl has a medium grade that’s just steep enough so that you can see over the guy in front of you, unless he plays for the Suns. And those guys are up in the luxury boxes. Seeing as there are nine price tiers within the lower sections, we’ll try to simplify things a bit.

By the time you read this, the lower rows of Sections 113–131 will already be sold to season-ticket holders and other high-level schmucks in monkey-suits. Those are the most expensive seats in the ballpark, so there are really only five lower level ticket options with which we need to concern ourselves. See, we’re making it easier for you already.

The seats in Sections 115–128 are between the bases. They sell as Infield Boxes at a price that we consider pretty reasonable compared to comparable chairs at other parks. So snatch these up if the opportunity presents itself. Low retaining walls down the lines provide clear sight lines for nearly all of the first level, so that is not a concern as it is at some ballparks. In the upper reaches of each section a good rule for the entire first level is to avoid any row higher than thirty-nine. It’s not that the overhang is much of an issue, but the industrial piping that clings to the bottom of the second deck. This heavy duty venting can block the view.

The Baseline Box seats in Sections 112–114 and 130–132 are still very good, appearing just beyond the corner bags. Shoot for 114 and 130 over the other sections in this tier.

A bit farther down the lines, in shallow outfield territory, a Baseline Reserve ticket grants visitors access to Sections 109–111 in right field or 133–135 in left field. Although these are preferable to the deeper-still Bullpen Reserve (106–108 and 136–138) seats, we don’t recommend any of these sections as a whole. But there are four sections where some of the seats are worth considering. The lowest rows of Sections 109 and 108 in right and 135 and 136 in left place fans right down near the field, with the added advantage of having the bullpens nearby. If you can get into the first ten rows, we say go for it. If not, you’ll be happier paying more and sitting much closer, or paying significantly less and sitting in the bleachers.

The Bleachers in Sections 101–105 in right and 139–144 in left offer the best seat for the money at Chase. That’s right: They’re real seats, not uncomfortable benches. From these home-run territory sections there is a sight-line loss of the warning track, but nearly none of the grass is obscured from view. Also a tad unfortunate but not devastating is the gully between the bleachers and fence. While the D-Backs use this gully well for handicapped seating—which we applaud, and which the Chase has in spades—we’re never really fans of space between us and our chance to interfere with the game.

Though not really a seating area, parties of up to thirty-five people can rent the pool/hot tub patio for a mere $6,500 per game. That king’s ransom covers the price of admission, pool maintenance, lifeguard, twenty stadium chairs, 16 lounge chairs, five parking passes, complimentary caps and towels and $750 in food and beverage vouchers. If that sounds like a good deal to you and you have thirty-four friends who aren’t really that interested in the ballgame, then go for it.

At the home of the Diamondbacks, it makes some sense that the Club level is called the “Diamond Level.” Some, but not a whole heck of a lot. While the seats are mostly good the boxes themselves are tucked beneath the third deck. This decision goes a long way toward protecting the sight lines of the folks upstairs, but would most likely anger us if we were corporate big wigs who’d paid extra for the luxury accommodations. We say kudos to the Diamondbacks. Thanks for putting the little guys first! That said, the Diamond boxes hang down nice and low over the first level, so the view from most of them is still quite good. As a general rule, we suggest that you seriously consider any seat in Sections 203–217, though it’s best to avoid the back row (Row 11) or two so as to minimize the overhang. As for the remaining Diamond boxes—those in the outfield corners—you can do better.

We applaud the Diamondbacks for making things simple by only breaking the Upper Level into three pricing tiers. And we give them credit for offering all of the top-shelf seats at affordable prices. In addition, the views are unobstructed by the underhang that plagues many of the triple-deck stadiums. However, the deck climbs and climbs seemingly forever, rising more steeply and to a greater height than many of the cliffs in the surrounding mountains. We do not recommend any of the Upper Level seats higher than Row 20. In the sections behind home plate—Sections 310–322—you could probably get away with sitting as high as Row 32,
which is the highest row. The view is a tad eagle-eyed, so, appropriately, there are plenty of birds living in the rafters, snacking on french fries.

As mentioned previously, Chase Field’s system does not cool the entire air mass inside. The higher you go, the hotter it gets. Seats in rows higher than twenty-five remain pretty warm on a typical Arizona day—and the money you save on tickets by sitting up here will be spent on extra sodas, beers, ice waters, slushies, and the like. Then again, if you’re trying to lose a few and sweating off a few pounds sounds appealing, then these uppermost seats might be the way to go.

Sections 300 and 301 in right do have underhang issues, severe ones. But when you’re sitting this far away, who cares if the right-field corner is missing? You’re so far from the action you might as well bring a portable TV.

Being a scalper in Phoenix (when the Suns aren’t playing) is akin to being a snow-cone salesman at the North Pole. Nonetheless, there are determined folks who make a living plying hot passes to this large ballpark that practically never sells out. Whatever you do, don’t pay a penny more than face value for a ticket to Chase.

Chase Field is located in Copper Square (aka the Downtown Phoenix Business Improvement District), a historic part of town bounded by Fillmore Street, Jackson Street, 7th Street and 3rd Avenue. This is a culturally rich area filled with more than 200 shops, restaurants, and bars. It’s a very solid setting for a ballpark that keeps getting better.

Kevin:
Arizona was once known as the Copper State and produced more precious metal than the other forty-nine states combined.

Josh:
Makes you wonder why they didn’t call the local nine the Copperheads.

Accessing Chase from the freeway involves getting off at the Seventh Street exit from Interstate 10 or Interstate 17.

Parking studies have shown that there are more than twenty thousand spaces within a fifteen-minute walk of the ballpark. Lot spots start at as low as $5 per game and rise as high as $20. For a night game we found a nearly unlimited number of two-hour meter spots within a few blocks walk of the ballpark that could be plugged with quarters until 5 p.m. when they become free for the night. There are also free spots north of Van Buren on streets like McKinley and Garfield for those who don’t mind a half-mile walk and like to show off their knowledge of US presidents.

Josh:
Did you know Martin Van Buren was the first US president who spoke English as a second language?