Tempe Diablo Stadium

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Spring Training)

7/10

The crowd files in prior to the Angels taking on the Brewers in 2012.

A large crowd takes in the game on a nice afternoon.

Albert Pujols swings for the fences against the Rangers in what I believe was his first spring training with the Angels. These two teams battled to the final out.

Tempe Diablo Stadium is one of the older parks in the Cactus League. Case in point: The Seattle Pilots held their only spring training ever here in 1969. I went here for a game against the Brewers in 2011 and against the Rangers in 2012. The stadium was renovated after the other Seattle team, the Mariners, left for Peoria in 1993. The next year, the Angels moved here from Palm Springs  and haven't looked back. They are here, just east of downtown Phoenix until 2025, at least.

This is a relatively basic place, concessions and the stadium itself are markedly average and the atmosphere was not too bad, given the proximity to Los Angeles, but nothing too memorable either. The 2nd time I went, it was a matchup against Texas where both teams appeared poised to battle for the AL West crown in 2012(They kind of did, but Oakland beat Texas by 1 game and the Angels by 5).  I did not get a good shot from the home plate area, but the backdrop features a large hill by the left field pole and I-10 in the background.

I need to get back here sometime soon, as I apparently remember little, but in the meantime, unless you're an Angel fan, or Tempe is your best bet on any given day, I wouldn't be in any particular hurry, given the other options in the east valley.

Update 2020:  It's been 8 years since I made it out here, cannot believe it's been that long. I will keep it in mind the next time I do the Cactus League. I don't believe much has changed, but the next visit will tell the story.


Linescores
2011-03-24                  
                                  123   456   789   R  H  E
Milwaukee                   440   021   000  11 13  0
Los Angeles(AL)          002   003   021   8  13  3
Temp: 68F Time: 3:13  Att: 7,906


2012-03-25
                                  123   456   789  RHE
Texas                          000   000   023  582
Los Angeles(AL)           110   000   022  690
Temp: 79F  Time: 3:00  Att: 9,613

Smith's Ballpark

Salt Lake Bees, Pacific Coast League

8/10

 The crowed queues outside for a Monday night game versus El Paso.

Pre-game festivities well underway for the Bees/Chihuahuas

 The scenery of this ballpark is tough to beat.

After we left our seats to wander. About 60% of the crowd stayed until the end.

We rolled through here in the summer of 2014, having seen a game in Great Falls the previous afternoon and headed for a baseball-free evening in Las Vegas the next night. I had Salt Lake in mind for awhile, I'd heard nothing bad about it and the scenery was supposed to be amongst the best anywhere.

It was a Monday night match up seeing the hometown Bees lined up against the El Paso Chihuahuas. Monday is without question, the hardest sell for attendance, and like a lot of other clubs, Salt Lake go for the family crowd, which they got plenty of. We sat upper deck, first base side and the adult to child ratio was pretty low. I remember the concessions as nothing spectacular, but on second thought, there were a lot of unique choices. Atmosphere was alright, I vaguely remember some on field promotions/contests and the fans weren't terribly into the game, but did recognize good plays. We ended up sitting next to a guy in a Nashville Sounds jersey, who as it turned out, was on a similar trip, only with no Major League games....since 1994's strike. Some people have even better memories than me I suppose.

The best thing about Smith's Ballpark is actually the park itself, which is rare. The location is one plus. While there isn't anything too memorable right next to the park, there is a lot between the park and downtown. Light rail stops right next the ballpark and parking appeared to be easy enough. We walked about half an hour from downtown to the game after driving a good distance that day and besides the fact that it's around 35 Celsius in Utah in the summer, it wasn't bad at all.  I would gladly go to another game here and would recommend it.

Update 2017: We went back here again in 2015 for what ended up being a 7 inning game as part of a single admission doubleheader against Las Vegas. The ballpark is great, but this time, the atmosphere began to drag things down a little. It's par for the course that most people are quite casual about going to a game in this day and age, but the crowd at this game bordered on oblivious. A woman walked into our row and proceeded to stand there for about 40 minutes, talking to a friend she had run into. It had been kind of an inkling before but it seemed to cement that this is clearly a place to hang around first for some.

I really like this park, the food is average, but the atmosphere is non-existent, people don't care about the game at all. It's not bad enough to take off a point, but I did consider it. Salt Lake is an area I swing through usually at least once a year, but I'd prefer giving Ogden another look before coming back here.

Linescores
2014-08-11
                                           123  456  789  R H E
El Paso Chihuahuas (SD)       002   010  202  7 9 1
Salt Lake Bees (LAA)            322   001  00X   8 10 1
Temp: 94F  Time: 3:02  Att: 10,817  


2015-08-08
                                           123  456  7  RHE
Las Vegas 51s (NYM)           112   000  0  490
Salt Lake Bees (LAA)            001  000 0  140
Temp: 77F  Time: 2:32  Att: 11,176

Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, American League

10/10

 The crowds file in for a game with Seattle in April, 2014.

 Just about ready to begin against Oakland in August 2009.

I enjoyed my 3rd game at the Big A probably most of all, thanks to a good atmosphere in the upper deck.

Angel Stadium is now one of my favourites. I have been here a total of five times now, twice against the Athletics in 2009, once on a cool April evening against Seattle in 2014 and twice in September of 2016 against the Blue Jays.

It's located near a trifecta of freeways and about a 10 minute drive from the Disneyland area. It's surrounded by a ton of parking in the immediate area and a little further there are actually some bars and restaurants, over towards the Honda Center, the home of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks.

The park was built in the mid 1960's as a new home for the Angels after they spent their first few years at LA's Wrigley Field and "Chavez Ravine" as Dodger Stadium was called when it hosted them. It was massively renovated when the NFL's Rams moved in and massively renovated again when they moved away. The results are incredible. Compare the before(By watching the remake of Angels in the Outfield maybe?) and the after(by going) and be amazed. From the outside it is very obvious it's an older park and maybe in the upper deck, but on the bottom it appears 30 years younger than it really is. That's my favourite thing about this park, it was turned from a gargantuan NFL-sized stadium into something more reasonable.

The fans here are passionate about supporting their team, instead of the other team in the LA area.

I like the food here quite a bit. There's lots of good options. As of 2014, it included Panda Express and Jack in the Box, as well as a very good pizza chain that replaced California Pizza Kitchen, the name escapes me at the moment....

The atmosphere is great, very baseball-oriented, with just enough quirks to keep things interesting.

The backdrop of the Honda Center and hills makes it a nice place to spend an evening.

In 2009, I went for a night game against Oakland and was so impressed by the crowd at atmosphere that I went back the next afternoon and sat in the sun on a 112 degree afternoon. The guy at the pulled pork sandwich stand (Reggie?) insisted on selling me a medium pop instead of a small saying "You'll thank me later."

Thanks Reggie.

I returned in April 2014, for the final game of a season opening series between the Angels and the Seattle Mariners. It actually did get cold in the upper deck later on and some of the dining options had changed, but it was more or less the same park, which was good. If you haven't gone, try to go and if you have, go back, it's just as good the 2nd time.

Update 2017: I went back here for two more games in September 2016, as the Blue Jays were in town. They lost to the Angels without much of a struggle both games I saw. There was still a good crowd both days, despite the latter being the same afternoon as the first home game for the new Los Angeles Rams.  It reminded me of the game versus Oakland in 2009, where it was very, very hot.

Food service options at the park changed again with "Oggi's" now the pizza of choice and Jack In the Box having taken over the burger stands. I frequented a custom gourmet hot dog stand, which while expensive, was fantastic. There's also a healthier concession deep in the outer concourse of the park, as well as several others in a sort of food court. I made it onto the mezzanine this time around and was not dissapointed. I'd still give this park a 10/10, it's a favourite. I wonder if now that Oakland is without the NFL, they could renovate it in the same vein?


Linescores
2009-08-29
                                123    456   789  RHE
Oakland                    000   000   310  491
Los Angeles(AL)        001  200   000   390
Temp: 89F  Time: 3:01  Att: 43,011

2009-08-30
                             123   456   789    R H E
Oakland                  001   000  000   1 6 0
Los Angeles(AL)     000   040   05x   9 13 1
Temp: 92F  Time: 2:12  Att: 38,018

2014-04-02
                                 123   456  789    R H E
Seattle                      001     014   002  8  13 0
Los Angeles(AL)        000     000    002  2  3  1
Temp: 57F  Time: 2:39   Att: 38,007

2016-09-17
                               123   456  789    R  H E
Toronto                     000   000  010  1 10 3
Los Angeles(AL)       010  012   20x  6  8  0
Temp: 83F  Time: 3:08  Att: 39,195

2016-09-18
                              123   456   789   R H E
Toronto                    000   000   000   0 4  1  
Los Angeles(AL)      010   010   02x   4 10 0
Temp: 84F Time: 3:25  Att: 36,270

San Manuel Stadium

Inland Empire 66ers, California League

8/10

The exterior is painted an appropriate colour of beige.

I enjoyed my food so much, I didn't do my picture walk until later than usual.

The 66ers in their baby blue home shirts go to bat against Lancaster, lined up the field.

I made the trip down to San Bernardino as part of my Cal League loop in 2016. I had taken in an early start in nearby Rancho Cucamonga, then driven to Yorba Linda and the under renovation Richard Nixon Presidential Library. I arrived well before the first pitch. The park is another early 90's design from Populous, which is why it's laid out almost exactly the same as Lancaster, Peoria and Hohokam Park. The exterior is painted a beige-yellow and comes across as somewhat southwestern. Overall, it's hardly a bad park, but it's hard not to consider it average, especially knowing of it's many cousins in the southwest.

I hit the concession shortly after arrival and opted for the Pulled Pork/Mac and Cheese nachos. At 10 dollars, I expected a slightly smaller than acceptable serving, but no. I ended up with a veritable boat of food, feeling very satisfied that I had gotten what I paid for. Needless to say, concessions here were solid, with the nachos factoring into my top 10 ballpark food items.

Atmosphere here was sedate, as you might expect on a midweek game in may, based on what the cluster of diehards in my section were calling the worst 66er team in memory. An elderly gentleman sitting in front of me claimed to have played for the USC Trojans in his day and piped up with a critique of the home side's strategy every few innings. About half the tickets sold for the game appeared to be redeemed. Still, with either the Dodgers or Angels in town pretty much every night, it's hard for the team to compete.

Overall, I enjoyed my stop here, food was fantastic, but with the park being a one of many in this design, plus the absence of any real crowd, it's hard to rate it too high. 8 it is.

Linescore
2016-05-04                             123    456    789   RHE
Lancaster Jethawks(HOU)       122    000    100   690
Inland Empire 66ers(LAA)        000    000    010   192
Temp: 68F  Time: 2:51  Att: 1,994

Community Field

Burlington Bees, Midwest League

8/10

First of all, this is the first of 5 reviews from my 2012 Midwestern swing, where on the way home, my camera, loaded with all my photos, absconded, never to be heard of again. A lengthy investigation on my part, proved fruitless. I am now borderline OCD when it comes to downloading photos ASAP. Anyhow.....

I swung through Burlington, Iowa as part of a 6 game/5 park/5 day/6 state Midwestern swing and I'm glad I did. The city itself is apparently the smallest, full-season market in the affiliated minors, checking in at just over 25,000 people in the city proper. The local economy is apparently somewhat depressed, as the local mall, right across from Hotel #1(more on that later), featured numerous empty stores.

As for the park itself, it is a total gem. Renovations in 2006 bought the Burlington franchise some more time in town. This particular franchise has had the same name since 1973, when it was the affiliate for the Kansas City Athletics. The team was affiliated with the Oakland A's when I passed through, I don't believe that that's continuous, but am not sure(Checked in 2016, it's not). Now, the team is with the LA Angels.

The Monday night game I saw featured the hometown Bees, stocked with Oakland farmhands, in an all-Iowa matchup, taking on the Cedar Rapids Kernels, who at the time, were the LA Angels affiliate. I had come down from Bloomington, Minnesota, just outside of Minneapolis, taking the scenic route to stop in Dyersville, Iowa, and the Field of Dreams movie site, which I highly recommend if you're able to stop by.

The layout is a relatively simple grandstand. The seats stop just past third base on one side, and well before first, which has an area with several picnic tables. Concessions are pretty simple, but some of the lowest prices I've ever encountered. I took advantage of the low prices on everything to pick up a t-shirt(which I am wearing as I type this), as well as a program. The concourse(or what passes for one) features banners referring to past Bees logos and affiliations, with a few simple staircases leading to the seats. The ambience is baseball-first, primarily because that's all there is. There's no bouncy-castle, or mascot, or too many wacky sound effects and if there were, they didn't stick in my mind at all.

The most memorable thing about Community Field is that it lived up to it's name. A largely middle class group of apparent season ticket holders were out in force, providing subtle comments such as "Hey ump, you from Cedar Rapids?" in just the right tone of voice. Numerous fans seemed to know at least which players on the team looked to be progressing towards a promotion. But the best moment had to be when a draw for a child's baseball glove didn't have an answer. The team employee asked everyone within ear shot, "Hey are the X's here tonight?" to which some random voice replied, with a perfect local accent "I think they just went to the bathroom."

After the game, I walked back to HoJos, to discover the accommodations were so Spartan, that I actually checked out and went somewhere else.

Overall, I liked Community Field a great deal. The low prices, small-town community feel of the team and baseball first ambience were a welcome addition to my trip. I would gladly go back, if for no other reason than to get some good photos.

Update 2016: Both these teams swapped affiliates after 2012, with the Angels taking the Bees and Cedar Rapids ending up with Minnesota. The A's ended up with the Beloit Snappers of Wisconsin. A new ratings system doesn't change the rating here, the atmosphere earning a full point, but nothing else, leaving the score at an 8.

Linescore
2012-07-30
                                                123      456    789   RHE
Cedar Rapids Kernels(LAA)         000     000    000   061
Burlington Bees(OAK)                100     010     000   280
Temp: 90F   Time: 2:52    Att: 881