In the United States, each year, in preparation for the Major League Baseball (MLB) season, each team begins it's season with a one month series of practice games.
There are two separate MLB spring training venues.
One, the Grapefruit League, is located in the state of Florida.The Grapefruit league has fifteen (15) teams that play in fifteen (15) different baseball parks.
The other spring training league is the Cactus League located here in the greater Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area.
The Cactus League has ten (10) baseball parks serving fifteen (15) MLB teams. The stadiums are located in eight individual cities within the greater Phoenix metropolitan area : Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Glendale, Goodyear, Surprise, Tempe and Peoria.
The Cactus League schedule began on February the 21st and its season concludes on March the 27th.
On Wednesday, March the 7th, Detroit Tiger Tom and Ginny asked me to join them in a game or two. Luckily I had an open day, free from the medical appointments that Patti and I have at the Mayo Clinic, and so I joined them for two games.
http://bobbacaps.blogspot.com/2018/03/mar-10-18-cactus-league-baseball-in.html
http://bobbacaps.blogspot.com/2018/03/mar-14-18-cactus-league-baseball.html
This past Thursday, March 15th, I ventured out alone and found and attended a game at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Stadium located in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick is the joint Arizona home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies.
SALT RIVER FIELDS AT TALKING STICK, Scottsdale, Arizona
Just in case, on the off-chance, that one of you is interested, the below link to Wikipedia will fill-you-in on this complex maze of individual baseball parks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_River_Fields_at_Talking_Stick
Captain Oh Captain, are we ever going to see some photographs?
Detroit Tiger Tom and Ginny, do you see what you started here?
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, is NOT in downtown Phoenix. Nor is it in downtown Scottsdale. It is in the desert, out and off the 101-Loop Freeway, on the East side of Phoenix.
The above and below photos clearly show you why the name of the ballpark is pluralized. There are a number of individual ballparks within the complex.
Let me tell you, these 'other' ballparks are not teenie-weenie little venues. Below is a photo of one of the other ballparks.
In the photo below, IF it looks to you like a mile-up-to-the-ticket office, it is because it was a mile-up-to-the-ticket office. Just kidding but you get the idea.
I had a choice when I faced the above walk. Ride in a multiple-person motorized scooter or walk. I was in and I was out of the ballpark several times so I did each. The scooters only ran during the pre-game time frame.
I could write-a-book. These Cactus League spring training baseball games are meaningless (unless it is YOU playing, hoping-against-hope you will make-the-team). Why on this good earth all of these baseball fans come out and pay enormous prices (higher than regular season games in many instances) is beyond me.
For a $5 dollar parking fee coupled with a $22 sit-on-the-lawn ticket, it cost me $27 dollars to walk around the ballpark for a few hours. It was so freezing cold (we had a terrible temperature plunge down into the very high 60's at game time) and so windy that I had to wear Patti's coat. I was not alone. Down vests and down jackets were also worn by others. Some, many actually, were in shirt-sleeves.
Now, with no further adieu, I am going to show you around the ballpark.
Yes!
Oh Yes I Know.
Far, FAR, too many baseball park photos for most of you.
We begin looking into the infield from out in right field.
Panning to the right you see the outfield.
First base side of the infield.
I know, I know. It looks hot and sunny doesn't it?
The view from behind home plate.
Below we pan from left field to center field to right field.
The third base line.
A good look at the pitcher and batter, facing off against one another.
Now we are out towards left field looking back into the infield.
Now we look at the scoreboard in left field.
Below we are looking at the heart of center field.
Right down the left field foul line / foul pole into the infield.
There are 'my people'. Sitting on the lawn, far out in left and right field, all for only $22 and the grass.
"Captain! Not one of us believes you when you tell us it was a c-c-c-cold day. We have eyes and can see otherwise."
Dead center field looking in at second base.
Now we are in right field looking back into the first and second base part of the infield.
Looking back out into center and left field.
I was there. I took the photos. I was wearing a jacket. I will admit that my own photos make it look like a wonderful, sunny day.
Looking at the right field foul line / foul pole.
A great crowd indeed. Below, first base is on the right, just out of the photo below.
And we are back where we began.
Now we will look at some of the other features of the ball park.
I am going to close-out with something really special.
Major League Baseball knows that its very future depends on the children of today growing up to become baseball fans.
So to stimulate the interest of the children who come to the games with their parents, below are photos of a special little ballpark just for the children.
Goodbye and Good Day, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
Detroit Tiger Tom and Ginny, thanks for the gift of some Arizona Cactus League action. I owe it all to you.
Smiles
Cap
There are two separate MLB spring training venues.
One, the Grapefruit League, is located in the state of Florida.The Grapefruit league has fifteen (15) teams that play in fifteen (15) different baseball parks.
The other spring training league is the Cactus League located here in the greater Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area.
The Cactus League has ten (10) baseball parks serving fifteen (15) MLB teams. The stadiums are located in eight individual cities within the greater Phoenix metropolitan area : Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Glendale, Goodyear, Surprise, Tempe and Peoria.
The Cactus League schedule began on February the 21st and its season concludes on March the 27th.
On Wednesday, March the 7th, Detroit Tiger Tom and Ginny asked me to join them in a game or two. Luckily I had an open day, free from the medical appointments that Patti and I have at the Mayo Clinic, and so I joined them for two games.
http://bobbacaps.blogspot.com/2018/03/mar-10-18-cactus-league-baseball-in.html
http://bobbacaps.blogspot.com/2018/03/mar-14-18-cactus-league-baseball.html
This past Thursday, March 15th, I ventured out alone and found and attended a game at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Stadium located in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick is the joint Arizona home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies.
SALT RIVER FIELDS AT TALKING STICK, Scottsdale, Arizona
Just in case, on the off-chance, that one of you is interested, the below link to Wikipedia will fill-you-in on this complex maze of individual baseball parks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_River_Fields_at_Talking_Stick
Captain Oh Captain, are we ever going to see some photographs?
Detroit Tiger Tom and Ginny, do you see what you started here?
Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, is NOT in downtown Phoenix. Nor is it in downtown Scottsdale. It is in the desert, out and off the 101-Loop Freeway, on the East side of Phoenix.
The above and below photos clearly show you why the name of the ballpark is pluralized. There are a number of individual ballparks within the complex.
Let me tell you, these 'other' ballparks are not teenie-weenie little venues. Below is a photo of one of the other ballparks.
In the photo below, IF it looks to you like a mile-up-to-the-ticket office, it is because it was a mile-up-to-the-ticket office. Just kidding but you get the idea.
I had a choice when I faced the above walk. Ride in a multiple-person motorized scooter or walk. I was in and I was out of the ballpark several times so I did each. The scooters only ran during the pre-game time frame.
I could write-a-book. These Cactus League spring training baseball games are meaningless (unless it is YOU playing, hoping-against-hope you will make-the-team). Why on this good earth all of these baseball fans come out and pay enormous prices (higher than regular season games in many instances) is beyond me.
For a $5 dollar parking fee coupled with a $22 sit-on-the-lawn ticket, it cost me $27 dollars to walk around the ballpark for a few hours. It was so freezing cold (we had a terrible temperature plunge down into the very high 60's at game time) and so windy that I had to wear Patti's coat. I was not alone. Down vests and down jackets were also worn by others. Some, many actually, were in shirt-sleeves.
Now, with no further adieu, I am going to show you around the ballpark.
Yes!
Oh Yes I Know.
Far, FAR, too many baseball park photos for most of you.
We begin looking into the infield from out in right field.
Panning to the right you see the outfield.
First base side of the infield.
I know, I know. It looks hot and sunny doesn't it?
The view from behind home plate.
Below we pan from left field to center field to right field.
The third base line.
A good look at the pitcher and batter, facing off against one another.
Now we are out towards left field looking back into the infield.
Now we look at the scoreboard in left field.
Below we are looking at the heart of center field.
Right down the left field foul line / foul pole into the infield.
"Captain! Not one of us believes you when you tell us it was a c-c-c-cold day. We have eyes and can see otherwise."
Dead center field looking in at second base.
Now we are in right field looking back into the first and second base part of the infield.
Looking back out into center and left field.
I was there. I took the photos. I was wearing a jacket. I will admit that my own photos make it look like a wonderful, sunny day.
Looking at the right field foul line / foul pole.
And we are back where we began.
Now we will look at some of the other features of the ball park.
I am going to close-out with something really special.
Major League Baseball knows that its very future depends on the children of today growing up to become baseball fans.
So to stimulate the interest of the children who come to the games with their parents, below are photos of a special little ballpark just for the children.
Goodbye and Good Day, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
Detroit Tiger Tom and Ginny, thanks for the gift of some Arizona Cactus League action. I owe it all to you.
Smiles
Cap
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