Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona

Game 152 was good for the home team, and not so good for the Giants who appearred to have mailed it in. 3 pitchers through four innings! Yikes. To be honest I wasn't all that thrilled to be going to game with the Rox's adversaries. But it is baseball and well that is well worth the price of admission. This is my 12th ballpark. I have been to Turner Field, Camden Yards, Yankee Stadium, Fenway, Metrodome, Coors Field, Safeco, and Dodger Stadium (Also been to the Fulton County Stadium, Mile High, and Cleveland's Municipal). The ballpark is kind of quirky. It sorta of feels like a converted football stadium. The building is a big rectangular box with the roof sliding together with the crease meeting at the home plate to center field line. Thus the interior is a mirror image of one another (although it is 350 down one line and 355 down the other). Because of this you feel a bit awkward as everything is same. At least with Seattle's Safeco the roof slides over but the ballfield is situated off the centerline so there is no symmetry. Other unusual things...the home team dugout was on the right side (3rd Base side) of the plate (?) Is this unusual? Coors, Fenway, and Camden all have the home team on the first base side. There was a monitoring well in the middle of the concourse in left center (hey I'm an environmental engineer!). The game was played with roof open and there was a lovely moon with Antares. I sat out by the pool in right center. 44,000 people showed up for a Tuesday night game! And there was alot of energy...Coors Field just doesn't have this type of atmosphere. I was bit surprised as I thought Arizona was kind of like California baseball...laid back...but there was an excitement for this team. They are in a pennant chase (the Roxs are too, sort of) but this town loves the D-backs whereas Denver had an affair with the Roxs in the early 90s but then Denver is and always will be a Bronco town. Too bad because baseball in town that is excited about baseball makes the game a real joy to be at. If the Roxs don't make it, I'm pulling for the D-backs.