3 Days in The Valley of the Sun

This past weekend I spent 3 days in the Greater Phoenix area. I made a few stops. Here is a recap:

The first stop was to the San Francisco Giants Spring Training Complex in Scottsdale, AZ. The complex is broken into two areas. The first area is off Camelback Dr. and is the home to the minor league camp each spring as well as extended spring training, summer play, and fall instructionals. Josh Warstler, A former intern at Victory Field in 2001 oversees this complex and Scottsdale Stadium for the Giants. Scottsdale Stadium is the home to the major league club in the spring as well as the home to Arizona Fall League baseball. Here are a few photos:

The Complex on Camelback Dr........

Scottsdale Stadium:

Notice the shot of the batting cages under the concourse if RF. This not only protects the players for rain in the spring, but also the heat in the summer. The temps on the day of these photos - 117 degrees!

The next stop was Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. This is the newest complex in AZ and hosts the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks. As you can see, this is a sprawling complex. I included 2 photos of interest.

First, the batting cages on the back/minor league fields.....

Next, a shot of the landscape. Notice, no turf areas in the landscape in AZ.......

Finally, a game at Chase Field. A retractable roof stadium is a must in Phoenix. Not only was it hot, there were also dust storms each night that correspond to monsoon season in the valley. Outside temp at game time - 107 degrees, inside - 80 degrees!

Here are some photos....... First a shot of the exterior, next from RF showing the Bullseye bermuda grass, then the famous pool, a shot a neat kids area, and finally a shot from behind homeplate........

I thought the stadium was nice, nothing special, short of the roof (think Milwaukee) but very clean. The fans are true west cost and the atmosphere was very muted. This now makes 14 out of 30 stadiums I have visited, I would rank it in the middle of the pack.

To learn more about Scottsdale Stadium, click HERE.
To learn more about Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, click HERE.
To learn more about Chase Field, click HERE.

Go to j-dturf.com to learn more about J&D Turf.

Play on!
--Jamie