7/24/2009 - Chase Field - MLB Ballpark #24

2009 Game #22 - Pittsburgh Pirates at Arizona Diamondbacks
Final Score: Pirates 10, Diamondbacks 3
Hot Dog - 4/5

Our adventures into the Land of the Rising Bird began several hours before game time, when we arrived at Chase Field to buy tickets.



The city’s light rail runs alongside the park, so we were unable to find street parking.  We drove onward to a point where we could cross the tracks and found ourselves in the park’s underbelly (the illustrious “Gate J”), where a kind parking lot attendant let us park in one of the special, important-person lots in order to get our tickets.  On our way out, we struck up a conversation with John and he asked where we planned to park for the game.  In answer to the knocking sound (it turned out to be opportunity knocking), we asked him where he would recommend and he offered to let us park in his lot for no charge.  He took our info and told us to ask for his friend Rico (described to us as looking “like he’s the third runner-up in a Cesar Romero look-alike contest”).  What a character!  Anyway, long story short (…too late), Rico was a really friendly guy and gave us the primo spot in the lot, immediately next to the park entrance.  Score.

From the moment I walked into the park (and into the wonderfully wonderful air-conditioning), I knew I loved it.  Chase Field is a beautiful stadium inside, even with its roof closed (which, with regular temperatures over 100, is every day).  Like (we assume) Milwaukee and Houston, there is a lot of natural sunlight streaming in, making an indoor park feel less enclosed.  We were allowed down to the field to take pictures of visitor batting practice (Hey, Los Angeles– are you listening?!) and got to see all the cool angles and sightlines of the stadium.  These included two overhanging porches in the outfield (reminiscent of the old Detroit upper deck) and an outfield swimming pool.  The only negative was the grass, which lacked the lush green color we’ve become used to (they leave the roof open during the day).

The game wasn’t great, with the yard-sale Pirates in town to determine once and for all, which team is worse.  The D-Backs were.  Arizona pitcher Yusmeiro Petit was pretty bad, giving up runs to some rather young (and a few rather bad) Pittsburgh hitters.  Buc starter Zach Duke was better, at least making it into the 7th before getting pulled.

This was typical of National League games in that it featured a bunch of double-switches (where a pitcher is substituted into a position player’s spot in the lineup, thus creating a scoring nightmare for those of us with a pencil and scorebook).  It was unlike typical National League games in that very few runs were manufactured (small ball, bunting, sacrifices, etc.).  Instead, there were several home runs, incuding one that landed in the swimming pool, which was actually kind of neat.

I really liked the game presentation.  It wasn’t too noisy or obnixious, and it was pretty funny when, on the jumbotron, they put pictures of Jack Sparrow and Lego pirates behind the player photos/bios.  Also, we got free car window sunshades and a free fireworks show.  There was however, one very big problem.

Baxter.

Now, we’ve complained about mascots before, I admit.  I don’t see the need for a major-league level sports team to have a mascot (Boston, are YOU listening?!).  But what the D-Backs have… is absolutely pathetic.  Clearly a guy with a… costume head on.  I’m not sure what he’s supposed to be… a bobcat? a werewolf? a meerkat?  I know he’s not a diamondback/rattlesnake (that would frighten the children), but I have no idea what he actually is.  Other than stupid.  Intensely stupid, in his prancing, t-shirt throwing, child-badgering, game-distracting idiocy.  Luckily, Baxter didn’t taint my game experience.  I had a great time at a great ballpark.

-Rich