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| - Despite its odd location and not having all the bells and whistles that some of the newer parks have, Maryvale is one of my favorite Cactus League ballparks. It offers a friendly, quaint Midwestern feel at reasonable prices. 4.5 stars.
PARKING:
The stadium is sort of in the middle of nowhere. If you think this is the ghetto then you've never been to the LA Coliseum or the Forum in Inglewood, but it's clearly not the best neighborhood. Nonetheless, I wouldn't feel unsafe walking around here and there's plenty of onsite parking (some in an actual lot with lots on a grass field).
TRAINING:
The Brewers minor league training facility is completely open to the public and you can watch practice games and drills side by side with the players and coaches. You may see some major leaguers here too even though the main major league training area is closed off and located behind the right field part of the stadium.
Some of the major leaguers may walk between the minor league facilities and the ballpark, stopping to sign autographs along the way. There's also a batting cage outside the main stadium, near the right field corner where you may be able to catch some of the big leaguers get ready and possibly get an autograph.
STADIUM:
The exterior of Maryvale Baseball Park doesn't offer much to look at, but the interior of the stadium is great. The seating bowl is sunken into the ground so you don't have to climb any steps and you can see the field from the concourse. The blue seating and white paint create a clean, crisp feeling and is a nice change of pace from the dark green seats used in most ballparks.
There's not much in the way of Brewers paraphernalia or memorabilia lining the concourse or on the walls, but there is a small Brewers store near the right field corner that sells pretty much everything you could want including stuffed animal racing sausages.
EXPERIENCE:
Everyone - from workers to fans - is friendly and happy to be at the ballpark. The sausage race and the singing of "Roll Out the Barrel" really offers a glimpse of the Miller Park experience . Unless the Brewers are playing a team with a big following like the Cubs or Giants, the crowds are pretty modest. This works out well as it keeps the narrow concourse from becoming too crowded.
If you are looking for autographs once you are in the park, you can try to get them down on the field but you can also wait in the right field corner. Both home and away players have to go down stairs in right field in order to enter the field down the right field line. There is a fence there were fans will line up and wait to see if players will stop to sign. While a lot of the big name players may not sign, if your kid is happy just to get anyone's autograph there's a good chance at least someone will stop and sign.
SEATING:
There are a fair amount of seats in the shade (upper rows behind the plate/first base line) and a huge lawn area for those wanting to save a couple bucks and enjoy the sun. The lawn is steep enough that if someone sits in front of you, you'll still be able to enjoy the game. At the very top of the lawn there are some seats under trees that are shaded but you will be further from the action, concessions, restrooms, etc.
FOOD & DRINK:
Maryvale provides a nice taste of the Midwest with brats (hot dogs, chorizo, Polish, and Italian) and sauerkraut to eat and Leinenkugel's on tap. There are lots of concession stands and the lines move pretty quickly, but they do crowd into the concourse area making for some tight squeezes.
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