Baseball Travel: Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix

Arizona Diamondbacks / Bank One Ballpark

Baseball Travels

Arizona Diamondbacks
Beloit Snappers
Billings Mustangs
Butte Copper Kings
Duluth-Superior Dukes
Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
Helena Brewers
Madison Black Wolf
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins
Missoula Osprey
Montreal Expos
Rockford Reds
Schaumburg Flyers
Sioux City Explorers
Sioux Falls Canaries
St. Cloud River Bats
St. Paul Saints
Tucson Sidewinders
Winnipeg Goldeyes

Rating

Specifics

Address/Directions: 401 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix. If you're looking at a downtown Phoenix map, the BOB is bounded by 7th Street to the east, 4th Street to the west, Jefferson Street to the north and the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks to the south. Two freeways ring downtown Phoenix, and both provide access: exit I-10 at 7th Street and turn south, or exit I-17 at 7th Street and turn north. In addition, there's alternate routes provided by freeway signs, which bring you to the ballpark via Washington Street (which runs parallel to Jefferson Street). The Diamondbacks advise against using the 7th Street exit on busy nights.
Phone: 602/462-6500.
Web: www.azdiamondbacks.com
Online ticket sales? Yes, after a fashion; you fill out a form on the Web site and request a ticket.
Online broadcasts? Yes.
Capacity: 49,075.
Year Built: 1998.
Last Visited: May 1999.
League: National League.

Description

Bank One Ballpark, the BOB, isn't loved by the baseball purists. It's loud, brash, and completely from outside the traditions of major-league baseball. There's a countdown to the nightly opening of the retractable roof, an event that's accompanied with a loud wall of sound more appropriate for a noisy factory than a ballpark. Advertising signage is attached to anything that doesn't move -- and some things that do move -- and it can seem at times that the actual baseball game is secondary to the "experience" of visiting the BOB.

The purists, however, miss the point. Sure, there are sideshows galore, but the heart of the BOB is an excellent baseball facility, where most of the seats afford a good and comfortable view of the action, with ground-level seats, an excellent orientation for the first-base- and third-base-line seats, and an wide-open concourse area perfect for strolling and browsing. You're never too far away from a beer vendor or a bathroom. More than 80 percent of the seats are inside the foul poles, and there is no upper deck around the outfield.

The BOB's retractable roof opens in five minutes, and it's quite a sight. Because of the retractable roof, the Diamondbacks play on a grass surface, albeit a specially developed zoysia blend know as DeAnza. And let's face it -- between June and August, daytime highs average over 100 degrees F, and without the climate control afforded by the roof, outdoor baseball would be quite uncomfortable.

If you approach the BOB with an open mind, you should have a great visit. In addition to the action on the field, there are some other worthy destinations within the rest of the ballpark.

The Cox Clubhouse is mandatory for anyone who loves baseball history. The museum portion of the Clubhouse features vintage and current uniforms from all 30 major-league teams. In addition, there's memorabilia on loan from the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Also part of the Cox Clubhouse is a high-tech demonstration area featuring high-speed Internet access, and an interactive area on the second floor where kids can try their hand at hitting, running and pitching.

Baseball-history nuts will also appreciate the displays of historical memorabilia from Cooperstown throughout the main concourse. Take note of the small gloves the old-timers used, as well as programs and memorabilia from the old Phoenix Firebirds minor-league franchise (whose logo was a classic).

Be warned that it's not cheap to see the Diamondbacks, though there are some weird inconsistencies in the pricing structure. The cheapest seat in the house is $1, which gets you the worst seats in the house (a thin row of seats tucked behind the foul poles that basely look onto the field), while the $4 upper-level seats barely puts you into the same area code as the Diamondbacks. More realistically, you'll want to pay a minimum of $10 per seat for anything decent, and that gets you into the outfield bleachers or the upper-level picnic area. I sprung for a $55 clubhouse seat, which put me five rows behind the action to the right of the Diamondbacks dugout (and one row behind rocker Alice Cooper, a devoted Diamondbacks fan). However, the section behind the Clubhouse seats was priced at $22.50 per ticket -- which was quite reasonable, considering that they were very good tickets -- and the Field Box seats behind each dugout were $35.

You have to give the Diamondbacks credit: they do cater to the fans. That $55 seat gave me access to a private club and restaurant, as well as extra-wide rows and complimentary game notes. Unique in baseball is the DiamondBackers Frequent Fang Program, where you accumulate points by attending games and applying said points to discounts on Diamondback merchandise, AMC movie-theater discount coupons and game-day discount coupons.

Finally, there's the issue of the Sun Pool Party Pavilion. Purists snicker at the presence of a party pool at a major-league ballpark, noting that pools are more closely associated with the likes of Mike Veeck and other minor-league operators. So what? The fans love the pool, and in a state like Arizona, where poolside recreation is a given, a pool in the outfield makes perfect sense.

Normally I am not a fan of sideshows pretending to be baseball games. While the Diamondbacks come close to that fine line between carnival and ballgame, they don't cross it, and as a result the BOB is a great place to see a game on every level.

Concession Highlights

You can't throw a dead cat in the BOB without hitting a concession stand of some sort. The food is expensive, even by major-league standards -- the Oscar Meyer quarter-pound Diamondbacks Dogs are a whopping $4.75, for instance -- and most baseball fans won't be overwhelmed with the selection of the standard stadium fare. Other smaller stands ringing the concourse offer fresh snacks (vegetables and cheese trays) and grilled-to-order sausages and brats. For a change of pace check out the concession stands near sections 130 and 325, where a "Visiting Team Special" -- such as a Dodger Dog -- is added to the menu for each series.

If ballpark food doesn't grab you, there are third-party vendors who have opened up shop at the BOB: McDonald's (home of the $3 Big Mac), Desert Ice, Blimpie's, Little Caesar's, Garcia's (a local Mexican eatery) and Ben & Jerry's. In addition, the Fry's Picnic Pavilion in left field features more stadium fare in a designated picnic area, while a TGI Friday's Front Row restaurant opens onto the ballpark.

The beer flows freely at the BOB. On draft at most concession stands is MGD, Miller Lite or Bud Light ($5 for a regular beer, $6 for a large), while a few stands also serve Fat Tire beer, a microbrewed beer from Fort Collins, Colorado (of all places). There are many other beer stands where you can find Budweiser, Coors or Sonora (brewed by a Phoenix microbrewery) beers on tap. The same beer stands also have a wide selection of bottled beers ($4.75 for bottles, $8 for "bombers"), including Rolling Rock, Sam Adams, Corona, Fat Tire, Beck's, Beck's Dark, Heineken and Foster's. Other alcoholic beverages are served at the BOB as well, including wine, mixed drinks, and slush cocktails (frozen margaritas, strawberry daiquiris).

Outside the stadium, the Leinenkugel Ballyard Brewery serves up microbrewed beers, sandwiches and bar fare. The radio and television broadcasts of the game are piped into the restaurant, if you decide to sneak out for a heater and beer. On tap are baseball-themed brews; I enjoyed the Rally Red and Bleacher Blond microbrews. In addition, the brewery has an outdoor seating area where you can sip a beer and smoke a cigar.

Smoking

There's no smoking within the ballpark itself. You can go to one of three designated exits and sneak out for a smoke.

For the Kids

Older children with an appreciation for the history of baseball will enjoy the abovementioned Cox Clubhouse. Younger kids who need to burn off some energy will appreciate the children's playground area located directly in front of the Cox Clubhouse.

Parking

There's an onsite parking ramp, costing $10. Unless you park several blocks away from the BOB, you won't save anything by parking in a private ramp or lot. You can check out the Downtown Parking Web site for more information on specific locations.

Before the Game

Architecture fans will want to check out Taliesin West, conveniently located on Frank Lloyd Wright Drive in nearly Scottsdale. Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Fellowship wintered at Taliesin West, and today that unique set of buildings set amongst 600 acres of desert is open for tours.

Otherwise, the pickins are slim in terms of must-see attractions in Phoenix, and an outing for the natives usually involves a trip to a local mall. Let's face it -- Phoenix is primarily a retirement community, and there's not much in terms of indigenous culture. If you've never visited the BOB, you'll want to arrive as early as possible (gates open two hours before gametime), quaffing a brew at the Leinie brewery and exploring the park. In addition, by arriving early you miss some of the parking and traffic crunches.

After the Game

Phoenix is known as a pretty decent restaurant town, with the local cuisine dominated by southwestern cooking -- combining Mexican influences and familiar dishes.

With that in mind, I dined with great pleasure and gusto at the Waffle House, where real folks go to eat. For those who have not visited the south or the southwest, the Waffle House is a regional chain of diners that specializes in burgers, steaks, breakfasts and -- of course -- waffles. You can get them to go, but Waffle House waffles are best eaten hot off the wafflemaker, with butter melted and soaked in syrup. (I've never had the courage to ascertain the origin of the Waffle House syrup, but I'd lay odds that Waffle House syrup didn't originate in a tree.) Sure, you can order T-bone steaks and burgers at a Waffle House, but doing is like ordering a Pabst Blue Ribbon at the Leinenkugel Ballyard Brewery.

And, let's be honest, the munchie value of a Waffle House waffle is high, particularly after you've had a few beers or whatnot -- that combination of starches with sweets is impossible to resist.

Where to Stay

The BOB is technically in downtown Phoenix, so any hotel in the city center should serve you well, like the Crowne Plaza (100 N. 1st St). Be careful, however -- there are a lot of cheap motels downtown that are in some borderline areas, and if you don't know the area you're better off staying somewhere else.

You might be better off staying in a nicer area, since there are few hotels within walking distance of the BOB, in any case. The BOB isn't far from the airport, so any of the airport hotels would work as well: Days Inn Phoenix Airport (3333 E. Van Buren St.), Holiday Inn Select (4300 E. Washington St.), Doubletree Guest Suites (320 N. 44th St.), Hilton Phoenix Airport (2435 S. 47th St.), Radisson Airport Hotel (3333 E. University Dr.) and Sleep Inn Airport (2621 S. 47th Place) are all located directly west of the airport and easily accessible.

Go to Baseball Travel Home | Go Home | Send Me Mail