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| - So I get to the US Airways Center, which is two blocks away from Chase Field. The idea was to find the cheapest parking available while still maintaining a close distance to the park. I went down Washington St. and parked in the structure for the Collier Center shopping mall. Eight bucks. Not bad. As a comparison for how good the price is, parking in relatively the same place at PETCO Park costs $20! It was all of a two block walk to the stadium because going up to street level put me right in front of the US Airways Center. I entered the right gate area, too. Just lucked on while walking on Jefferson St.
So Section 140 was the Bleacher section, which, I gotta say, is much better than the Bleacher section at PETCO Park in my hometown of San Diego. The bench seating could've been a little softer, but the view towards the plate was much better than PETCO Park, where it seems like home plate is miles away. Instead of an uncomfortable single chair, you could stretch out on the benches, which I did during the game because the seats next to me and to my left were never occupied by anyone. I walked along the sections and concourse on the first tier only. No sense in having to go to the second tier or the upper decks if I didn't have to. Honestly? Being inside Chase Field (which the climate-controlled cool environment was a savior against the heat outside) reminded me of my visit to Houston's Minute Maid Park in 2007. The field is structured in much the same manner and there are quirks about the centerfield batter's eye. In Houston, it was Tal's Hill. Here, it's just a giant JumboTron screen. I didn't get the hangar feeling from being inside, but rather a more boxy feeling. Would've been interesting to see the place with the roof open. Um, the pool's an interesting feature of the park. Being the lifeguard there must be the cushiest job in the park.
I guess there isn't much to report after that. I mean, I walked the concourse then returned to my seat to watch some of the warmups in the bullpen. Edwin Jackson was just coming off his ridiculous 149-pitch no-hitter against Tampa Bay and got lots of love from the fans about it. The Dodgers? Not so much. Is it just me, or do Dodgers fans tend to flock to where I'm usually sitting? The last time I went to a game against the Dodgers, it was the middle of May, and Dodgers fans invaded section 120, where Derrick and I were sitting. I mean, in this case, it seemed like the Bleacher section was half Dodgers fans and half D-Backs fans. One guy was even decked out in a Manny Ramirez jersey adorned with Laker colors. Eventually, the dude got kicked out by security. Dodgers fans... They're an unruly bunch. And I think it starts young, too. There were a couple of Dodgers fans sitting behind me who looked like they weren't more than five years old. One of them kept spitting on me when he was shouting for the Dodgers and another kept kicking the bench out of boredom. The father figure with them just stared straight ahead into space for much of the time. Dude! Rein in your frakking kids! Just makes me hate Dodgers fans even more. It was so bothersome that I had to move a row down during the fifth inning.
The Diamondbacks need to inject more youth into their fanbase, though. Most of the fans I sat with were senior citizens. The Diamondbacks are interesting throughout the game. Much different from the Padres during their home games. I think the JumboTron scoreboard in center gives way too much information, but I guess it's better than having too little information. At least they don't play a lot of filler music between innings like at PETCO. They had a "Muscle Cam," which I thought was interesting, a "Legends" foot race where men dressed as oversized versions of Diamondback legends Mark Grace, Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez, and Matt Williams engaged in a race along the first base line, and Baxter, an oversized rodent for a mascot riding in on a motorcycle. Honestly, we got that beat with the Swingin' Friar mascot. I did like the original idea of coming in at the home plate entrance and being able to make signs to show during the game. I wish all MLB teams did something like that. Fans weren't much into the game, despite being up by as much as six runs at one point. Oh! Hot dog and soda for $8.75? Not bad. Beer from the floating vendors in a small cup for $7.50?! Bad. Restaurant choices around the park aren't bad. Interesting to note that there were a couple of guys selling Jolly Rancher smoothies in our section. That looked odd.
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