26. Chase Field
The second baseball stop in my 2015 Southwestern Baseball Road Trip was Phoenix, where my fraternity brother Patrick and I caught the Arizona Diamondbacks in Chase Field.
When Chase Field opened in 1998, it was the very first stadium to have a retractable roof over natural grass, a model I saw previously in both Miami and Seattle. Of course, Seattle and Miami both get a lot of rain. Why does a park in Phoenix, where it almost never rains during the baseball season, need a roof? The answer of course is the heat. They leave the roof open during the day for the grass, but of course it gets very hot in Phoenix, so they close the roof three hours before game time and pump it full of air conditioning, then open the roof up for the game itself in the evening. This sounds ridiculously, wastefully American, but as it happens on the night Patrick & I attended the roof was closed because there was rain in the desert! It also rained when I was in Las Vegas for work and when I was in Arches National Park in high school. It's like I am Josh Donaldson!
In any event, Patrick is not much of a baseball fan, but he was happy to humor me. After feeding us a sumptuous lunch, his wife Kim dropped us off at the game. I don't get to see Pat often and he is one of my favorite people, so I'll freely admit that we didn't walk around the park very much. We left our seats to grab a few beers but otherwise we sat and talked and watched the game. It was good game for baseball fans, as the Pirates won 2-1 when they pushed a run across in the top of the ninth. Alas, the highlight for home team was probably when their mascot dueled with a man dressed as Jack Sparrow and dumped him into the swimming pool beyond the fence in center-right field.
Otherwise, Chase Field has the mandatory giant video screen, the practically mandatory neighborhood full of trendy bars surrounding it (we drank at an Irish one afterwards while waiting for Kim to pick us up), and the dark green paint scheme. Like Citi Field, there is a large rotunda leading into the stadium which is covered in desert murals. I really liked that. There was a good crowd for a average team. I particularly like the teenage couple they put on the video screen with the sign saying "we're going to the game before we go to prom."
In summation, I rate this park highly because:
- It is pretty much like Safeco, and I liked Safeco
- It has a pool in the outfield
- I got to sit with one of my favorite people and drink beer and chat for several hours while watching good baseball.
- After the game we had more beer and then got greasy takeout Mexican food and talked late into the night.
Since it's pretty clear that I'm not even trying to objectively rate these parks, that works, right?
Park Rankings
RankParkTeamFirst Visit# Visits
1 Marlins ParkMiami MarlinsMay 23, 20141
2 Wrigley FieldChicago CubsApril 23, 20042
3 PNC ParkPittsburgh PiratesSeptember 25, 20042
4 Jacobs FieldCleveland IndiansApril 17, 199963
5 Miller ParkMilwaukee BrewersApril 24, 20041
6 Camden YardsBaltimore OriolesJune 22, 20121
7 Kauffman StadiumKansas City RoyalsJune 9, 20131
8 Yankee Stadium (original)New York YankeesJuly 28, 20061
9Chase FieldArizona DiamondbacksApril 25, 20151
10 Safeco FieldSeattle MarinersAugust 25, 20141
11 Coors FieldColorado RockiesApril 20, 20151
12 Comerica ParkDetroit TigersJuly 31, 20041
13 Target FieldMinnesota TwinsJuly 25, 20141
14 Turner FieldAtlanta BravesMay 5, 20071
15 Busch Stadium IIISt. Louis CardinalsAugust 8, 20131
16 Nationals ParkWashington NationalsJune 21, 20121
17 Citizens Bank ParkPhiladelphia PhilliesJune 23, 20121
18 Citi FieldNew York MetsJune 24, 20121
19 Rogers CentreToronto Blue JaysMay 21, 20051
20 Cinergy FieldCincinnati RedsAugust 8, 19984
21 Yankee Stadium (sequel)New York YankeesJune 25, 20121
22 The MetrodomeMinnesota TwinsJune 22, 19923
23 Shea StadiumNew York MetsJuly 24, 20061
24 Great American Ball ParkCincinnati RedsMay 9, 20041
25 U.S. Cellular FieldChicago White SoxApril 25, 20041
26 Tropicana FieldTampa Bay RaysMay 21, 20141
Background: Prologue Memory Interlude
When Chase Field opened in 1998, it was the very first stadium to have a retractable roof over natural grass, a model I saw previously in both Miami and Seattle. Of course, Seattle and Miami both get a lot of rain. Why does a park in Phoenix, where it almost never rains during the baseball season, need a roof? The answer of course is the heat. They leave the roof open during the day for the grass, but of course it gets very hot in Phoenix, so they close the roof three hours before game time and pump it full of air conditioning, then open the roof up for the game itself in the evening. This sounds ridiculously, wastefully American, but as it happens on the night Patrick & I attended the roof was closed because there was rain in the desert! It also rained when I was in Las Vegas for work and when I was in Arches National Park in high school. It's like I am Josh Donaldson!
In any event, Patrick is not much of a baseball fan, but he was happy to humor me. After feeding us a sumptuous lunch, his wife Kim dropped us off at the game. I don't get to see Pat often and he is one of my favorite people, so I'll freely admit that we didn't walk around the park very much. We left our seats to grab a few beers but otherwise we sat and talked and watched the game. It was good game for baseball fans, as the Pirates won 2-1 when they pushed a run across in the top of the ninth. Alas, the highlight for home team was probably when their mascot dueled with a man dressed as Jack Sparrow and dumped him into the swimming pool beyond the fence in center-right field.
Otherwise, Chase Field has the mandatory giant video screen, the practically mandatory neighborhood full of trendy bars surrounding it (we drank at an Irish one afterwards while waiting for Kim to pick us up), and the dark green paint scheme. Like Citi Field, there is a large rotunda leading into the stadium which is covered in desert murals. I really liked that. There was a good crowd for a average team. I particularly like the teenage couple they put on the video screen with the sign saying "we're going to the game before we go to prom."
In summation, I rate this park highly because:
- It is pretty much like Safeco, and I liked Safeco
- It has a pool in the outfield
- I got to sit with one of my favorite people and drink beer and chat for several hours while watching good baseball.
- After the game we had more beer and then got greasy takeout Mexican food and talked late into the night.
Since it's pretty clear that I'm not even trying to objectively rate these parks, that works, right?
Park Rankings
RankParkTeamFirst Visit# Visits
1 Marlins ParkMiami MarlinsMay 23, 20141
2 Wrigley FieldChicago CubsApril 23, 20042
3 PNC ParkPittsburgh PiratesSeptember 25, 20042
4 Jacobs FieldCleveland IndiansApril 17, 199963
5 Miller ParkMilwaukee BrewersApril 24, 20041
6 Camden YardsBaltimore OriolesJune 22, 20121
7 Kauffman StadiumKansas City RoyalsJune 9, 20131
8 Yankee Stadium (original)New York YankeesJuly 28, 20061
9Chase FieldArizona DiamondbacksApril 25, 20151
10 Safeco FieldSeattle MarinersAugust 25, 20141
11 Coors FieldColorado RockiesApril 20, 20151
12 Comerica ParkDetroit TigersJuly 31, 20041
13 Target FieldMinnesota TwinsJuly 25, 20141
14 Turner FieldAtlanta BravesMay 5, 20071
15 Busch Stadium IIISt. Louis CardinalsAugust 8, 20131
16 Nationals ParkWashington NationalsJune 21, 20121
17 Citizens Bank ParkPhiladelphia PhilliesJune 23, 20121
18 Citi FieldNew York MetsJune 24, 20121
19 Rogers CentreToronto Blue JaysMay 21, 20051
20 Cinergy FieldCincinnati RedsAugust 8, 19984
21 Yankee Stadium (sequel)New York YankeesJune 25, 20121
22 The MetrodomeMinnesota TwinsJune 22, 19923
23 Shea StadiumNew York MetsJuly 24, 20061
24 Great American Ball ParkCincinnati RedsMay 9, 20041
25 U.S. Cellular FieldChicago White SoxApril 25, 20041
26 Tropicana FieldTampa Bay RaysMay 21, 20141
Background: Prologue Memory Interlude