The stated purpose of my recent trip to Arizona was to see three Spring Training games with my San Francisco Giants, although seeing my friends and getting back to nature were also motivators. I am not alone in visiting Arizona during March as shown in the above map of visitors staying at my hotel. March is a beautiful time to visit the Valley of the Sun with temperatures in the 70-80 degree mark with sunny skies and very expensive rental cars and hotel rooms.
The first game was the Colorado Rockies v. Giants at Scottsdale. Scottsdale Stadium is one of the older parks in Phoenix for Spring Training and is showing its age. The location is perfect, but the parking is tough and the seats and speakers are not enjoyable. It was my first hot dog and beer of the season which were bought at the only stand where 100% of the profits went to the little league team running the stand! Plus, a night game was a perfect cool introduction to Phoenix baseball. Unfortunately, the Giants lost this game.
The next day, I went to the Giants v. Rockies at the new Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. This place was impressive. It is the first ballpark built on Native American land next to Scottsdale and near the new Talking Stick Resort, which is a fun place to lose your money too. Everything was perfect except sitting in the desert sun for over two hours. Beer and sunblock work well in those brutal conditions. Their food is also impressive with a highly recommended Bison Dog with excellent flavor. Local beer from Four Peaks and SanTan too. I had my big camera with me to take some better photos. I had a great time there, especially with a Giants win!
The final stadium was HoHoKam Park in Mesa, AZ to see the Giants v. Chicago Cubs. This is the final season at this old park, so I made sure to pop an Old Style and squeeze in between some big Cubs fans. One of the nice things about Phoenix is that the mountains are usually visible in the outfield which makes any hit even more impressive. Ironically, I did not get a hot dog here since my belly was still full from an awesome green chile fry bread taco from my favorite place in Phoenix. The Giants won this last game of my trip, and fortunately I had full shade the entire game - plus a little A/C from the press boxes directly above me.
Even though I enjoyed my trip, I will probably not return for Spring Training. I recommend that every baseball fan visit at least once - especially to justify a trip to Arizona - but the scene has changed from the simpler times I remember growing up. The tickets are expensive, the stadiums are packed, and the baseball is not very interesting. We are really just watching practice games with few big names and fewer big plays. Fortunately, the Arizona Diamondbacks are in the National League West and seeing my Giants play at Chase Field will always be a draw.
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