If you recall, earlier in the week I wrote about viewing Scottsdale Stadium from the outside. Monday afternoon, my first day in Scottsdale, I visited the stadium only to find out that the Giants were not playing and the stadium was closed to visitors. After work on Wednesday, March 13th (Phoenix ABF Terminal), I took a look at games and scores in and around my hotel in Scottsdale and noticed that the Giants were playing at home and were only in the 5th inning. The Reds had put up a number of crooked numbers and the game (started at 1pm) was stretching into its 3rd hour of play. So, without breaking any speeding laws, I hustled back to my hotel, parked, and hustled on foot up to Scottsdale Stadium. When I reached the gate, the attendant stopped me. “Hey you can’t go in there with that,” as he pointed to my water bottle. “Oh, sorry.” I found a garbage can. “Okay, go ahead, the last two innings are still going on. It’s free.” Well, alright!!!
I spotted the score and realized why the game was still going on. The Reds were up by about ten runs but the Giants were coming back. I found a spot behind home plate and began to take notice of the inside of the stadium. With only 2 innings to experience it, I had to be strategic. No casual walk around, no easy going tour like the night before in Mesa. I had to be more business like if I was going to get all the views of all the angles of the park. Or, I could just chill and watch the game. Or, perhaps – a combination of both.
Wednesday was another stunner Spring day in Phoenix/Arizona. Blue skies, 70 degree temperatures, some clouds in the sky but nothing ominous, just fantastic conditions for baseball. Most of the fans had remained to see if the Giants could/would come back. And the Giants did mount a small comeback in the time I was there. A few errors and some spotty pitching helped for sure. So, after the 7th, I made my way out to the outfield perimeter of the stadium. There was a big tree in right center/center field fan section that stuck out like a sore thumb. Maybe… a cool tribute to the backyard baseball fields of America, where trees are considered fair territory.
One thing I noticed in many of the ballparks that I visited in Arizona was the local pride in hosting Spring Training teams. Custom murals or signs that said thank you for coming to Mesa or Scottsdale or Arizona in general. Many of the stadiums featured some kind of welcome sign or mural like this one…
As I made my way around the ball park, the end of the game got closer. So, I found a spot behind the Reds dugout and watched the last inning play out. Great seats, free to anyone who was at the stadium, so I sat and watched.
I just about sat down and the game was over. A quick bottom of the 9th inning by the Reds reliever and that was it. I made it to a Giants Spring Training game, got in for free with others in the 7th inning time zone, got to see the ballpark from the inside as opposed to Monday’s perimeter viewing, and got to see some great game action between two NL rivals – The Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants. It was an awesome Giants experience, starting on Monday, and culminating with the live game action on Wednesday. And to be within walking distance of the stadium, just awesome.
The Rhiter 
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