Good morning everyone. I am heading to Phoenix this weekend with my dad and brother to watch some Spring Training baseball games. For those of you who are not diehard sports fans, Spring Training baseball games are preseason practice games / tryouts for new players. If the new players perform well in Spring Training, they will (hopefully) get called up to the majors and play in a Major League Baseball game. On the other hand, Spring training games for the players who have already made the team is all about getting back into shape, hanging out with friends/players from other teams, and enjoying the warm weather in Arizona and Florida. Even though preseason games don’t count, I always enjoy hanging out with my dad and brother while we watch the game; eat peanuts, pretzels, cotton candy or any other junk food I can get my hands on; and talk about life/travel plans.
My dad and brother are flying into Phoenix from Orange County and I am flying in from Oakland. According to the schedule, we should all arrive around the same time and then we will head to the Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel Tempe. It is not the most luxurious hotels in the world Arizona Tempe, but it is ideally located “one block away from Tempe Diablo Stadium (spring training home of the Angels)” and offers “guests complimentary transportation to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport – we’re located just three miles away from the airport.” This hotel was a total bargain for 3 nights using SPG points.
When Spring Training tickets became available, my dad purchased game tickets for the following games:
- Saturday 1:10pm: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Angels
- Saturday 7:05pm: Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers
- Sunday 1:10pm: Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels
Since I am originally from Orange County, my family always cheered for the Dodgers and Angels. Now that I live in San Francisco, I have been to several SF Giants games, so I am looking forward to the Giants vs. Angels matchup. Since we have easy access to the airport and the Angels stadium taken care of (airport shuttle and walking), we were planning on taking Uber/Lyft to the Dodgers stadium which is on the other side of town. Is that a good strategy?
Tempe Diablo Stadium, courtesy of Wikipedia
Back to the main point of this post. Since this is my first time to Spring Training, I need some help. Do people usually go to the games 1-2 hours early and watch the plays warm up, give autographs and do batting practice? How early should we show up? Are there any special traditions I should know about? Also, we don’t have any plans on Sunday night, so if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.
Hopefully this post helps me and anyone else attending Spring Training games over the next few weeks. Have a great day everyone!
I just did a Spring Training daycation to Phoenix. It is a great opportunity to get autographs, especially from prospects that want to make the team, if you are into that sort of thing (I’m not). Please make sure you bring your own Sharpie and not try to beg one off someone. Many people crowd the front railing to get the attention of players, but they are expected to return to their seats prior to the national anthem being sung. It’s usually better to go to “away” games to get attention for autographs/greetings since most people will be cheering the “home” team. Only a few people show up super early though, most people come in 30 minutes before the game to the end of the first inning like most baseball games. You can also get signatures from players, especially prospects/call ups, after the game, as most of the stars hit the showers about the fifth or sixth inning, when the AAA pitchers and people on the bottom of the major league bullpen are rotated in.
I think Uber/Lyft is a good idea, although I was able to get to both games I was going to attend on the bus. Usage of points is a good idea since hotel rates are inflated during this month, but the point costs generally stay the same.
Thanks for the great tips, that helps a lot. My dad is planning on bringing padded chair seats. Do you think that is necessary? Since there is 3 of us, I think taking uber/lyft is more cost effective and quicker.
I don’t think it’s necessary unless you really don’t like stadium seats. I saw a few older fans with the padding but most people were OK with the regular seats.
We will take them to he first game and see if it’s necessary for the other 2. Thanks Hank :)
I wouldn’t get there really early unless you want autographs. I find the warmups boring, and I like baseball.
Uber is crazy cheap here, so is Lyft. I haven’t looked but car rentals are usually expensive this time of year. I live in Phoenix, if you have some free time and want to grab a beer and talk travel/MS lmk and I’ll hit you up on Twitter.
Hi Corey, I think getting to the game 30-45 minutes early is fine. I don’t really care about autographs, but it would be cool to stand near and maybe talk to the players. I might have some time Sunday evening, it just depends what my dad and brother want to do. Send me a Twitter DM.
I love Spring Training..it is just a completely different environment than the regular season. The players are far looser, friendlier and approachable. I am not that familiar with Diablo Stadium as I haven’t been to that complex but Camelback Ranch where the Dodgers train/play is a really nice facility. I would probably arrive an hour early for that game as there are multiple fields where players will likely be practicing fielding, batting, etc. In prior years Tommy Lasorda could be seen riding around in a golf cart around the field, etc. As Calwatch said, if you are looking for autographs make sure you bring along the appropriate tools, sharpie, what ever you want them to sign, etc. Usually they will have rosters for all the invites to camp so you know who number “87” is since many of the players are wearing unorthodox numbers.
I would definitely bring sunscreen or a hat or something to cover sensitive skin. Although it never gets really “hot” during March, the sun can be brutal. So keep that in mind when out and about,,,it is called the Valley of the Sun for a reason.
I think Uber is find for transportation, Phoenix/Tempe has a light rail connecting the two areas as well. If you get a chance, walking around the State Capital is always nice if you are into that as well as the botanic garden there is also very nice.
When I went with my Dad a few years ago, we headed to the Four Peak Brewing company right there in the heart of Tempe for dinner and drinks. I try to hit up one of their locations each time I am out there. Their food selections are really good as well as the cold malt pops!
Hopefully that helps a little. Have a great time, especially being able to share it with family. They are some of the best long weekends I have had with my Dad.
Jer
Thank you Jer. I think Camelback is one of the newer stadiums, correct? It would be fun to get there early and walk around the different fields. I like your brewery suggestion too and so would my brother and dad. I will definitely wear a hat and put on a few layers of sunscreen, but I will inevitably get sunburned.
Grant, yes Camelback is one of the newer facilities. It is a joint facility between the Dodgers and the White Sox. Another newer facility that is really interesting for a plane spotter is the facility in Goodyear that is shared between the Indians and Reds. Across the way from the stadium is Goodyear Airfield which in the past was also a graveyard for a few European airlines. I want to say 2012 when I was there, KLM had parked dozens of their aircraft there for storage. It was a great time for me, baseball and planes, couldn’t ask for more!!
Be safe and have a great time.
Jer
Thanks Jer, I will try to check out the Indians/Reds stadium in Goodyear, AZ. Thanks for all the great advice. Have a great weekend :)
I’ve been every year for the last 5. The practice fields open at 9, 9:30 or 10, depending on the team. We like practice more than the games. At some of the complexes, you are walking amongst the players. Some of the facilities are really nice so I’d say to see as many as you can. That will require a rental car, but they are fairly cheap. I have a 12 year old son and he usually comes home with 10-20 balls and autographs. It’s a lot of fun!
That’s awesome. Other than the 2 stadiums I’m visiting (Tempe Diablo Stadium and Camelback Ranch) what other stadiums do you recommend checking out?
Most of the facilities are really nice and unique. Camelback is tops. Mesa for the Cubs is nice. Glendale for the Reds and Indians is nice. My team is the Rangers, so I love surprise for the Rangers and royals. The Rangers are one of the most fan friendly and accessible teams. You can almost always get a yu darvish, prince fielder or Adrian beltre autograph. Basically the only ones I don’t like are the a’s and giants complexes.
LOL, it’s quite a stretch to call Sheraton Tempe “a block” from Diablo. It’s gonna be a good LONG walk, probably at least 30 mins each way, unless there is some shortcut through the cemetary and Marriott Buttes Resort that I don’t know about. I was at Sheraton Tempe last Friday and the Club Lounge (I assume you are SPG Plat or else have the SPG Business Amex for Lounge Access) was a zoo/disaster on Sat morning (and there wasn’t even an Angels game on Sat). All the food was running out, lounge attendants were running around ragged trying to refill everything, etc. You sure can’t beat the pre-devaluation price though of 3k SPG pts per weekend night smack dab in the middle of peak Spring Training season though. FWIW, if I were you I’d rent a car for the weekend. Dodgers/Camelback is far from Diablo, and there isn’t much within walking distance from Sheraton Tempe in terms of nightlife/restaurants. Although I guess you can Uber to Mill Ave about 2-3 miles away as there’s all sorts of stuff there. As far as baseball, I prefer getting there early and just lazing around watching them practice. I enjoy getting there an hour early. But if you are going to 3 games in 27 hours, you will get sick of baseball probably. Lucky for you the weather is supposed to be fantastic during your trip. A bit warm at 91 for the high tomorrow, but then 70s on Sat/Sun.
BTW, I might be going to one or both of those Angels games too this weekend. One other thing I just thought of. It’s very possible that Sheraton Tempe will take you to Diablo in their shuttle. That would be much more bearable than walking. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a shuttle or two running continuously between the hotel and Diablo the hour before and after the game as many of the ppl in the hotel last weekend were there for Spring Training it seemed.
No SPG biz CC for me and I’m just SPG Gold. I did receive an email to upgrade my room to the club floor for $20/night, but I passed on the offer. A hotel shuttle to the stadium would be great.
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