Maryvale Baseball Park

10/10

Milwaukee Brewers,Cactus League

The main sign for the entrance is quite high above the main gate.

 The last home game of 2014 saw the Brewers, Reds and no Sausages.

I was furious.....

The crowd enjoys a nice spring afternoon as the Brew Crew battle the Padres in 2010.

Bonus photo: The victorious Hot Dog and admirable Chorizo after another great Sausage Race.

This might be an unusual pick, but Maryvale is far and away my favourite Cactus League ballpark and I'll tell you why.

The ballpark is one of the older ones in Arizona, built in 1997, which makes it an elderly 17 years old at the time of my writing this. But enough sarcasm. It's actually located within the City of Phoenix's Maryvale neighbourhood. I didn't really notice until my third visit that the area is somewhat run down, which speaks to how it's still quite safe to go to a game here. Parking is no problem in the stadium lots, unless you're quite late(in which case there's lots of options in the area, just don't park at the mall, as they tow) or they're playing the Cubs.

The park is laid out much like your average AAA park, with a concourse behind the seating, as well as an outfield berm. The berm doesn't go all the way around, so there's a gap in center field. There isn't much shade here, which is probably its biggest drawback. Sitting in the back two or three rows of the three sections closest to home plate will do the trick though.

Plus one of Maryvale is the atmosphere. Brewer fans are very loyal to their small market team and very welcoming to anyone who's cheering for the other side, or just around. They will drop in on your conversations, but in a good way. The Racing Sausages will make an appearance during the game, unless, as I found out in 2014, it's too late in the month. "The Beer Barrel Polka" will make an appearance regardless and most fans will sing and some will even dance. The atmosphere is relaxed, and very Cactus league, as opposed to being more of a minor league game. On field promotions do not happen, there is no "in game host" and the music is pretty vanilla. It's all about the game here, the way it ought to be.

The other reason I like this park is the food. Options are limited at the actual concessions, but there are two big plusses, the sausages(they sell all 5 kinds in the race) and the number of food carts thrown onto the concourse behind home plate. You can get a lot of variety in this part of the park.

You do not have to fight much of a crowd here unless they're playing the Cubs. Tickets are reasonable and with Municipal Stadium now off the loop, it's the most centrally located Cactus League stadium. You don't have to be anything resembling a Brewer fan to thoroughly enjoy this place and I highly recommend it.

Update 2016: I am now up to six games here and can't say a bad thing about it. Cheap but enjoyable option for cactus leaguing. I usually get a game in here every year I'm down.

Linescores


2010-03-26
                     123 456  789   RHE
San Diego     303  001 011  9 14 0
Milwaukee    020  000 200  4 7 1

Temp: 71F Time: 3:02 Att: 4,407

2012-03-27
                       123  456   789  R H E
Kansas City     013 001  220  9 12 0
Milwaukee      000 010  231  7  13 1
Temp:78F  Time: 2:47 Att: 2,652

2012-03-28
                     123   456   789  R H E
Arizona         100   000  000  1 5   1
Milwaukee    000   160  000  7 14 0
Temp: 81F  Time: 2:20  Att: 4,543

2013-03-22
                           123   456   789  R H E
Chicago Cubs     000    010  003 4 11 0
Milwaukee          000   000  100  1 7 1
Temp: 80F  Time: 2:47   Att: 8,806 

2014-04-04

                        123   456   789   R H E
Cincinatti         001   012   301  8 14 0
Milwaukee       100   000   010  2 6  2
Temp: 66F  Time: 2:59  Att: 4,016


2015-03-26
                      123  456  789  R  H  E
Seattle            001  000  000  1  4  1
Milwaukee     400  320  24x  15 22 1
Temp: N/A  Time: 3:01   Att:  3,302

Stephen Schott Stadium

Santa Clara Broncos, 

(No Rating)

 

 

A relatively pleasant brick exterior welcomes you on the walk up.

What I think are student dorms overlook the ballpark on the right field side.

A compact ballpark that seats 1,500 comfortably.

We swung through here in 2016, after my efforts to get tickets to a Giants/Rivercats exhibition in Sacramento proved beyond futile. I had only ever been to one other college ballpark, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This was the Broncos home opener versus crosstown rival San Jose State. 

In brief, concessions here were not bad, prices were very low, which is the norm at the college level. The product on the field is similar to Low A at best and Rookie at worst. Crowds are small and family or boosters almost exclusively, although some students did show up in middle of the game and proceed to act out as much as possible. We ended up leaving in the 7th to make our way to San Francisco. Overall, a decent night out, given our lack of choices, but I won't be headed out of my way to go back.

If I had to rate this park, it'd probably end up with a 7, with a plus of concessions, but the atmosphere taking that point back. 

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

Texas Rangers, American League

8/10

I took this picture walking in from the parking lots. It's very obvious from this photo that the park is largely off by itself.

The view in from Right Field.

The Rangers and Rays line up for the national anthem prior to game 1 of the 2011 ALDS.

Firstly, this park again has a corporate sponsor, making it Globe Life Park in Arlington. When I went, it was Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, so it is on here as well.

Firstly, the most interesting part of my trip to Texas was even getting there in the first place. I had my home base in Phoenix for a few weeks in September of 2011 and before heading down, figured the Rangers were going to make the playoffs instead of Oakland. I had tickets to the Rangers first home game of the Division series, which I figured would be Game 3 against Detroit, on the next Tuesday. 2011 was the year of Game 162, which I spent at Chase Field, watching the Dodgers and Diamondbacks in a game that meant relatively little. I spent the time watching the out of town scores and texting people who asked what my plan would be, which made it that much more important for me to get another game in there. Anyway, the Rays won and the Red Sox lost, which meant the Rangers ended up with home field advantage, which meant that I ended up leaving that same night for the 15 hour drive to Arlington. After many driving adventures and overnights in Tucson, AZ and Midland, TX, I rolled into Arlington for Game 1 of the division series.

The ballpark is located not far from I-30, between Fort Worth and Dallas in the Suburb of Arlington. The area is dedicated to Sports and Entertainment and is also home to AT&T Stadium and the Dallas Cowboys, as well as the Six Flags over Texas theme park. Unfortunately, besides that, it is surrounded by parking lots. Within a few blocks are a ton of restaurants, but they're a bit of a hike. Public transit doesn't appear to really factor in to a trip to a ballgame for most people.

The game was game 1 of the ALDS. The Tampa Bay Rays, fresh off their epic comeback against the New York Yankees sent Matt Moore to the hill in his rookie season, with little prior experience. The taunt from Rangers fans was "Matt Who?". By the end of the game, with the Rays having cruised 9-0, I doubted that any Ranger fan would struggle with Moore's last name ever again. Still, this Ranger team bounced back to go to the World Series, where they took St. Louis to one strike from victory, before the Cardinals came back and won game 6, then game 7. 

The park itself is a Retro-Modern design, built not long after Camden Yards changed the whole school of thought on Ballpark design, so it still seems quite modern. The biggest knock against the park, which I didn't really experience, is the lack of a retractable roof, or even very much shade. In the 110 degree heat of a Texan summer, this can present a problem. The only other major drawback is the neighbourhood and the fact that while its a very serviceable ballpark, it's in the middle of a parking lot, in the middle of other parking lots, next to the interstate. There has been chatter of a new park, but it hasn't gone too far.

But there are many plusses. The overall design is not too bad, with several distinctive features. The "Home Run Porch" in right field is very well shaded and I'm sure is very popular on summer afternoons. Fans scrambling onto the grass batter's eye after homeruns looking for souvenirs is a staple of this place, but with the Rangers failing to advance a runner past 2nd base, I didn't see it. I ended up with some relatively unmemorable food here and didn't notice much in the way of special amenities.

But, keeping in mind that this was the first playoff game I'd ever been to, the atmosphere was what kept me interested. The fans weren't outwardly hostile, mostly because the Rays don't have any fans to get mad at, but they were vehemently supporting their nine and only turned on them somewhat when they fell behind. I would like to come back here for a regular season game, as part of a Texas loop.

Update 2016: I considered coming back here on my Texas loop in 2015, but opted for a new park in San Antonio instead. Sooner rather than later though. I'd give this place a half point for each of atmosphere and facility, so 8/10 stands.

Linescores
2011-10-
                     123  456   789  R H E
Tampa Bay     033  020   011  9 11 0
Texas             000  000  000   0 2  1
Temp: 84F  Time: 3:00  Att: 50,498
Note: Game one of Division Series 

Safeco Field

Seattle Mariners, American League

10/10

Seattle's finest keep an eye on the crowd leaving out the left field gate after a game against the Jays in 2010.

            

Finally got a decent, centered shot facing out here in 2015.

The shot with the roof closed is also centered now.

Me and Safeco Field go back a long way. This was my third Major League park, after the then-Skydome and Kingdome. I remember watching the first ever game here against the Padres in 1999 on a summer road trip, on television. Before long, we were down here, seeing amongst other teams, the Blue Jays, Royals, Devil Rays, Red Sox and Blue Jays again. Each time was for two games, for a total of 10, making it my most attended park at any level. So I know this one best of all. It is one of my absolute favourites, no doubt about it.

But where to even start? Firstly, Safeco is a retro-modern park and it does quite well. The main entrance is apparently inspired by Ebbets Field, but I mostly used the outfield entrances, which are adorned with banners of the biggest names on the team and feature some decent art installations of key moments in club history. The upper concourse features banners dedicated to many different baseballers, many who never played for the Mariners, including some Negro Leaguers and a few NPB players.

Some of the other quirks of Safeco include a hand-operated scoreboard in Left Field, the standings of all three divisions of the AL via flags in left field and the retractable roof, which comes in handy the first few months of the season, although it doesn't help with the temperature. The park is located in the "SoDo" or SOuth of the DOme district, as Safeco was built next door to the Kingdome, with the team moving over in the middle of the 1999 season. Qwest Field was built on the Kingdome site. The area is dotted with pubs and is only a few blocks from Pioneer Square.

The atmosphere in Seattle is in the top tier of the MLB parks I've been to to date. Mariner fans love their team and while there aren't as many of them coming out in recent years, they loyally supported sub-par teams for a long time before finally deciding to stay away(except when King Felix is pitching). Still, Mariner fans seem on the whole to be quite knowledgeable and while they cheer, they keep it clean and games with lots of opposing fans(the bigger clubs and the Blue Jays draw here) they are more of the "thanks for coming" type as opposed to something more sinister.

So many visits here means I know the food quite well. Besides standard ballpark fare, the Mariners have incorporated numerous local options into the menu. Firstly, Kidd Valley hamburgers make a nice gourmet burger and a great milkshake. Secondly, Ivar's seafood(deep-fried seafood, but still..) is another local treat. Thirdly, there is the "Red Hook". Red Hook make a few different kinds of beer now but "A Red Hook" gets you a nice India Pale Ale. Lastly, I almost forgot to mention the Garlic Fries. They could easily be the most popular thing in the park. By the late innings, you will smell garlic.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoy this park every time I go and if you are a serious ballparking type, you need to budget a few games here. If you're in town and looking for a good night out, head over if you can.

Update 2016: I have now seen 11 games here and will be upping that to 14 next month when I swing through for a three game set versus the Blue Jays. There are some interesting food choices in the center field concourse that I only remember being new, not much about them. I will head out there for sure when I go back.

Linescores

2000-07-27
                      123   456  789  R H E
Toronto              100  000 501  7 16 0
Seattle             000  020  000  2 7  1
Temp: 75F   Time: 3:26  Att: 40,398



2000-07-28          
                       123   456  789  RHE
Toronto              004  000  000  461
Seattle              021  300  10x  790
Temp: 70F  Time: 3:11   Att: 37,126

2003-08-26
                       123    456  789    R H E
Tampa Bay       300    000  000   3 7 0     
Seattle             000     040  50x  9 12 0
Temp: 72F   Time: 2:58  Att: 43,287

2003-08-27
                       123    456  789    R H E
Tampa Bay        021  020  021   8 11 2
Seattle               000   030  010   4 5  1
Temp: 73F   Time: 2:58   Att:  42,442

2004-08-26
                        123  456   789   R  H E
Kansas City        400  002   100   7 11 0
Seattle              100  001  001   3  8  3
Temp: 70F   Time:  3:08  Att:  30,962

2004-08-27
                       123  456    789   R  H  E
Kansas City       001  030  010   5  9  0
Seattle             000  031  03x  7 14 1
Temp: 66F  Time: 2:30  Att: 35,690


2007-06-25
               123   456  789  R H  E
Boston      002  000 002  4  8  1
Seattle       010  050 30x  9 10 1
Temp: 65F  Time: 3:21   Att: 33,830
        
2007-06-26
                 123   456  789  R  H  E
Boston     101  022  010  7 14 1
Seattle      310  022  00x  8 12 1
Temp: 73F  Time: 3:25  Att: 35,045

2010-05-19


               123   456   789  R H E
Toronto     001  200  000    3 6 1
Seattle     000  000  200   2  10 1
Temp: 57F  Time: 2:36 Att: 19,208

2010-05-20
               123   456  789  RHE
Toronto     000  020  100  350
Seattle     001  000  003  480
Temp: 52F  Time: 2:35  Att: 20,452

2015-07-26
               123   456  789  10 R H E
Toronto      130  000 100   0  5 9 1
Seattle      102  000 200   1  6 13 1
Temp:66F  Time: 3:05  Att: 35,159

Foothills Stadium

Vacant

No Rating

The ballpark is fenced off with motion sensitive cameras, so this was about as "inside" as I got.

This is through a chain link fence....

And my best one probably, you can see the melting snow on the ground.

 I took a walk around Foothills Stadium in March of 2016, when I was in Calgary overnight and it was right across the street from my hotel. This place hosted the PCL Calgary Cannons for many years and when I moved to Alberta in 2011, the North American League's Calgary Vipers were playing here. Famous Cannons such as Bret Boone and Alex Rodriguez played here. I casually looked at a few dates, but didn't go. Of course, the end of the 2011 season saw the end of the North American League and most of it's franchises in short order. The Vipers were controlled by what I call a "hobby owner" and unfortunately, he had gotten very sick and needed to step away, leaving the Vipers without really any chance of operating for the year. Calgary was out of the league by the end of September 2011, leaving the Edmonton Capitals a lot more vulnerable, without a travel partner 3 hours down the road.

This place is simply put, well past it's prime it's a mostly wood and metal ballpark with a very high outfield fence that when I visited, wasn't painted. All I can say is that this place has almost certainly seen it's last pro game, as it's not even the nicest park in the area anymore, as the summer league Okotoks Dawgs play in Seaman Stadium just a few miles south of the city limits, which from photographs is around Pioneer League calibre. Still, I would have liked to have gotten a game in here. It serves as a reminder to get to the vulnerable parks sooner rather than later.

Ogren Park at Allegiance Field

Missoula Osprey, Pioneer League

7/10

The entrance to the park is rather bland.

A decent crowd takes in a Sunday evening game vs. the Ogden Raptors

I apparently hadn't mastered my park photos by this point, but did manage to capture

the nice view of the rolling hills near Missoula,

We rolled into Missoula on the 1st stop of a 3 game Pioneer League loop that served as a send-off road trip prior to me moving away for work. This marked myself and my stepbrother's first Pioneer League game ever. In short, they are great and I highly recommend them.

At any rate, Missoula is home to the Arizona entry in the circuit, the Osprey, who in 2014, will play their 15th season in the area. We arrived not long before our 5:05 start time, I can only assume because the team wanted the family crowd, while at the same time, wanted not to play in the midday heat of the grasslands in late July. The facility is located in the midst of a cluster of softball fields, with lots of on street parking.

It's a relatively straightforward 3,500 seat park with home plate entry onto a concourse, which then goes down into the seats, not unlike Billings. Unlike Billings, it just doesn't look as impressive. However, the backdrop of the rolling hills is a definite plus. There is berm seating down the 3rd base line and down the first base line, there is a "party deck", which is elevated above a gravel underlay, which has the added bonus of keeping fans well away from the opposing bullpen.

Concessions are not too bad, my stepbrother reported the hot dogs were at grade and I had a not too bad pulled pork sandwich. The most unique quirk was the 7th inning was officially the "Peanut Inning" with free peanuts if the Osprey scored, leading to several peanut related chants.

Overall, Missoula was an entirely adequate park for the PL, but not a whole lot more. Still, I think it deserves another visit, and with it being located right on I-90, it may end up getting one in the next few years.

Update 2016: I have not been back since, meaning this one is well and truly overdue for a follow up visit? This summer maybe? I'd like that. For now, average everything leaves this at a 7.

Linescore 

2010-07-18

                                      123  456   789   RHE

Ogden Raptors(LAD)        110  000   000   264

Missoula Osprey(ARI)       200  200  000   460

Temp: 83F  Time: 2:01  Att: 2,178

HoHoKam Stadium

Oakland Athletics(Spring Training)

8/10

The exterior of the ballpark was somewhat bland and didn't do it justice. See the new one further down.

The stadium teems with rooters for a Satuday afternoon clash with San Diego.

Another shot of a nice crowd.

Bonus Picture: This shot from the left field pole shows the layout of the grandstand, with only a few spectators dotting the seats.

The newly repainted exterior really "pops" (I hate that phrase, but it's true). No wondering who plays here.

A giant new LED scoreboard welcomed me in 2014

Pre-game preparations for Cubs/Oakland

HoHoKam Stadium was the Chicago Cubs Spring Home from 1997-2013. I've been to two games here, a Fall League game in 2011 and a Cactus League game the next spring. HoHoKam was the last Cactus League park I went to and I was glad to have all of them in the bag.

My first experience with this park was in the fall league, seeing a decent game with only around 50 people in the stands. The fans ended up bunching up in the middle innings as it began to rain, with the only cover in the back few rows.

Still, the Fall league doesn't give you a really good picture of a park, so I decided that I had to get this one in for 2012. We headed over for a Saturday afternoon game versus the Padres and found out that in March, the area gets unbelievably crowded on game days. Traffic is bad, parking is worse and you must brave the crowds for everything from food to the toilet. This place averaged over 10,000 people....in 1999(!) and it hasn't let up since. I'd recommend avoiding the Cubs when they're on the road and only going to their home games when you feel you must(Cubs fans are exempt from this). The Cubs know they have a good thing going in Mesa, so prices for everything from tickets to concessions can be relatively high. The exterior is a bland grey, although Cubs legends names and numbers are in the sidewalk outside, which I thought was a nice touch.

On the plus side, this is a nice place to watch a game. There is an upper concourse effectively dividing the park in half, the lower seats are close to the action, but the loge seats have most of the shade. The atmosphere is pretty good, the Cubs have a pretty good contingent come to Arizona from the Chicago winter, following them from park to park around the Valley.

But, the park was at its limit and the Cubs decided they'd rather build their own and for 2014, they will be training at Cubs Park, a brand new 15,000(!) seat facility about two miles west, but still in Mesa. The Cubs were giving up a few thousand paying customers for every home game and the neighbourhood wasn't handling the game day crowds too easily. But unlike most ballparks that get passed by, HoHoKam is still relevant. The Oakland A's, training in Phoenix at Municipal Stadium, see HoHoKam as a massive improvement over their current digs, particularly on the training side of things, so after a year to get ready, Cactus League baseball will return in 2015. HoHoKam is now one of the older parks in the area, but with the A's wisely choosing to move in, it will be in the Cactus League loop for years to come.

Update 2016: I managed to get back here to see the A's version of this place in 2015, it's first season since Oakland's return and was pretty happy with the work that'd been done. The two big differences I caught were the Facade and the Scorboard. The board is a big new LED job which in my opinion, does add to the experience slightly, while the park is painted(on the outside) in A's colours. On the inside, things are only so different, with concessions being adequate and the atmosphere being around normal for Spring Training. Still, the improvements here are worthy of a point for facility, so this place goes up to 8/10. If I was in the East Valley(as opposed to out west) I'd likely make this a regular.

Linescores

2011-10-16
                                  123    456   789    RHE
Surprise Saguaros         000   052   001   891
Mesa Solar Sox             201  210   001   791
Temp: 83F  Time: 2:45  Att: 145

2012-03-24
                                123    456   789    RHE          
San Diego                  000  300   002    591
Chicago Cubs             010  000   000    133
Temp: 86F  Time: 2:40   Att: 12,872

2015-03-24
                         123    456   789    R  H  E
Chicago Cubs      101    000   000   2  6  2
Oakland               226    120  10x    14 18 1
Temp: N/A  Time: 3:27   Att: 9,032