September 8, 2009
Chase Field (Capacity: 49,972)
Phoenix, AZ
Arizona Diamondbacks vs Los Angeles Dodgers
Final Score: 4 – 5
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On a vacation to the Western United States, Phoenix was our first stop before traveling through Arizona to the Grand Canyon and then on to Las Vegas. This sprawling city has grown substantially the last several decades and is now the sixth largest city in the country with a population of nearly 1.5 million. Located in the Sonoran Desert of Central Arizona, the area is most known for oppressive heat and desert landscape. Chase Field, which opened as Bank One Ballpark in 1998 is downtown and home to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who arrived as an expansion team that same year. For a young franchise, the D-Backs have been very successful with four playoff berths and one famous championship in 2001 that may be the greatest World Series ever. At the beginning, Chase Field was quite a unique ballpark with its retractable roof and outfield swimming pool. The nostalgia has worn off, while the ballpark has an odd feel with various touches of retro and new.
Prestige Ranking: 3 out of 5
Location
Along with the nearby basketball arena, Chase Field sits at the southern edge of downtown Phoenix, nearby the Copper Square section. Here, there are several places for food and drink, many of them about a 10-minute walk to the northwest. As for things to do, it was actually disappointing as we visited Heritage Square which included the science center and history museum. There wasn’t much to really see and the entire downtown area was dead. Granted it was a weekday and 103 degrees outside, but still even the car traffic was very minimal. Other places to visit include the Biltmore Hotel, the Zoo in Papago Park and some of the Central City / section.
Location Ranking: 6 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
The lack of traffic downtown also helped make this the easiest big city facility to drive and park in. Both I-10 and I-17 surround Phoenix and the straight-line street grid of the city makes it very easy to get to the center and Chase Field (via 7th St or Jefferson Ave). Plenty of close parking is available throughout and we parked across the street at a garage on 5th Street that made for a quick departure. There is also a Metro Light Rail that runs right by the ballpark.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 8 out of 8
Exterior
Before reaching the building, there is a nice plaza on the west side that includes a restaurant, and a spot to congregate with pleasant landscaping along and water misters to cool down. Now, Chase Field itself isn’t all that appealing from the outside as it is hard to pin down an identity. Rectangle is the shape of the facility, while towards the top, there is more of an arcing design. Most fans arrive from the outfield and as they come in, large picture murals of generic baseball players are displayed along what is otherwise a glass entrance. The rest of the ballpark features brick and some beige siding. Things clash and it’s just not that cohesive or attractive
Exterior Ranking: 4 out of 10
Concourse
It certainly was a relief to leave the intense heat for the comforts of an air conditioned inside and the opening Rotunda was a nice introduction. Highlighting the area is a map mural of Arizona on the floor and various wall pictures from scenic state spots circling above. The brick-walled main concourse has a shopping mall feel to it, but regardless there is plenty of room and it is presented with a clean look that includes field views. An odd smell accompanies the walkways and I couldn’t place my finger on it, but it was just a minor nuisance. The upper-level was smaller and enclosed, but a nice option for those in the 300s. Outfield walkways included railings to stop and watch the game, which was a good feature. It just became more congested than other areas in the ballpark.
Concourse Ranking: 4 out of 5
Food
Food was fine with a decent variety in the selections, though there were way too many national chain places for my liking. There was a Southwest flavor with things like burritos and quesadillas. Given the abundance of Mexican food in Phoenix, additional and more diverse stands would have been good. One spot I did really enjoy was the “Taste of the Majors”, which offered specialty items from cities around the league. There are three restaurants and one private club (see Interior for more on that).
Food Ranking: 6 out of 8
Interior
Chase Field has three levels of dark green seating in a somewhat standard set-up. The first level is partially split by a walkway and extends around the foul poles (where they unfortunately become bleachers with chair backs) before cutting off diagonally to the center field wall. The second deck is the club level and these smaller sections are interrupted behind home plate for the press box. Behind the second level are the suites and then the third level is a very steep upper-deck with a significant amount of seats that help account for the stadium’s large capacity. This is a level that is way too big and the seats heading towards the top are notoriously far from the field and secluded. On the plus side, the steepness and lack of a second luxury level makes the lower 300s a solid option. The outfield is decent with several unique areas to sit. “Friday’s Front Row Sports Grill” is a restaurant with outdoor seating for the game (this is open to the public with a ticket). The Diamond Club and Arizona Club are similar, along with the free Picnic Pavilion where fans can eat and watch. Great to see these aren’t all closed off to luxury guests. Standing room along the outfield wall is available as well. Yet all of these are not the most desired spot to watch the game. That would fall to the swimming pool just beyond the wall in right-center, the stadium’s signature feature. The mini oasis includes a hot tub and other seating to watch the game. Some windows try to let natural light in when the roof is closed, but you still have the interior/mall feel. At least when the roof opens, the outfield panels open to city views. Chase Field’s retractable roof operates with three panels moving to the sides and full operation only taking four and a half minutes.
Interior Ranking: 7.5 out of 14
Scoreboard
The scoreboard has always been impressive and it has been updated with the times to keep it one of MLB’s best. The huge board is at center field and features crystal clear video that takes up the full screen. During the game, the box score and a ton of stats/info are displayed. Not all the stats are needed, but for the sabremetric, this is really fun. Above the scoreboard is the stadium logo and a time clock. Lineup cards are listed on separate scoreboards to the right and left. Graphics for out of town scores are located in the outfield corners.
Scoreboard Ranking: 4 out of 4
Displays
In the same area as the rotunda honoring Arizona, there is a display featuring the 2001 championship team. It’s small, but it does include the World Series Trophy and a looping video that replays the clinching hit. Concourse walls feature various player pictures, while team honors can be found inside. Instead of banners, the team has a logo and year displayed under three labels in the outfield: NL West Champions, NL Champions and World Champions. Overall, displays are limited, though understandable for a young franchise.
Displays Ranking: 3 out of 6
Cost
Prices were very reasonable as the D-Backs have the cheapest average ticket in 2009. Because of the low demand, we went the secondary market route for extra savings and ended up with great seats at $15 each. Most of the ballpark is affordable and same with the concessions. The game program was free and even better, we validated our parking at the nearby Science Center garage and stayed there during the game as well.
Cost Ranking: 8 out of 8
Fan Support
Attendance has dropped this season given the poor play on the field and the crowd at this game was quite sparse, looking like about 15,000 (announced was 22,589). During the last five seasons, the team has been in the #15 – #20 range for MLB attendance. Of course there are lots of fans of the team, but comparative to the rest of the league, support is just ok.
Fan Support Ranking: 4.5 out of 8
Atmosphere
The atmosphere in Chase Field was not the greatest, but it’s hard to expect much from a late season, mid-week game with the home team well under .500. Many Dodger fans were on hand and the noise level they produced was on par with Diamondback fans. The home fans were supportive and they cheered, but it was not all that loud. In general, I’ve found Arizona to have an ok game atmosphere. Come playoff time, the team has a nice home field advantage with a crowd worthy of a game in October.
Atmosphere Ranking: 6 out of 14
Other Stuff
There was a noticeable breeze in the stadium, which made it quite pleasant. I was also happy the air conditioning did not make it feel ice cold inside, as we found many places to be in the area…..All of the people we encountered on this trip were very nice and it made for an enjoyable experience. During the game we sat next to a season ticket holder who was quite friendly and we enjoyed the company……In 2007, the Diamondbacks changed their team colors to more of a red base, as opposed to the purple and turquoise that was all the rave in the 90s…..Chase Field was the first ballpark in the United States to have a retractable roof and it was also one of the first to include a natural grass playing surface.
Game
In the game, we saw a big comeback. After an early LA run, the Diamondbacks scored two in the 1st to take a 2-1 lead. After tacking on a few more runs, Arizona was up 4-1 thanks to some stellar pitching by Billy Buckner (who came in with an 8.63 ERA). Buckner only gave up 5 hits and 1 run in seven innings and the infield behind him was fantastic with five double plays turned. The bullpen came in for the 8th and they could not turn a sixth double play as Juan Pierre kept the inning going. With two outs, the Dodgers rattled off five hits to take a 5-4 lead and hang on to win by that margin. Andre Ethier went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
