The Leadoff

Game 5 of the World Series is set for tonight in Phoenix and the heat is on with the Arizona Diamondbacks on the brink of elimination. The Texas Rangers look to keep their perfect road game magic going and win their first ever World Series while the snakes try to stay alive. As the Valley of the Sun prepares for Game 5 at Chase Field, formerly Bank One Ballpark or the Bob as it was often referred to, I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite things about Chase Field.

Up first is Rey Gloria’s Tamales! Down the third base line, near the foul pole you will find most delicious tamales you have ever had and the story about how it came to life is even better. While I worked at Chase Field in the mid-2000s one of the ballpark workers would make tamales every Christmas and gift them to various stadium co-works as well as some people in the front office. Word got out to Diamondbacks President Derrick Hall, and he was so impressed with the tamales and generosity of Rey that he surprised Rey and his wife with their very own Tamale concession stand at Chase Field. To this day it is one of my most favorite stories. Derrick Hall is truly a first-class human, and those tamales are second to none. If you ever find yourself at Chase Field, be sure to stop by Rey Gloria’s Tamales. You will not be disappointed. Seriously, how cute is Rey? Sounds like he is still a Security officer at Chase Field! Go ahead, zoom in on my tamale shot in the middle from the best game I’ve ever attended at Chase Field. More on that one day 😉

The infamous pool in right center has really been a fun feature at Chase Field over the years. It is perfect for a Phoenix stadium as it is the hottest major city in North America by a long shot with the average high temperature of 99.1 during baseball’s regular season! The Chase Field pool has become quite the celebratory location. The Diamondbacks have enjoyed various dips this season. Most remember it being a point of contention when the visiting Dodgers jumped in after beating the D-backs in 2013 and clinching the NL West title much to the Diamondbacks dismay. The average price for the pool suite ranges from $4,750 – $7,000 for 35 guests. I wonder what it has been going for this week during the World Series. Fun fact, Mark Grace was the first player to hit a home run into the pool.

Chase Field’s retractable roof and overall size of the stadium is quite grand and impressive. The Diamondbacks played their first regular season game in 1998 and the prevailing thought at that time was “the bigger the better” (i.e. Coors Field) and that is it, seating close to 50,000. The roof is made up of more than nine million pounds of steel and takes 4 1/2 minutes to open or close. When I worked at Chase Field MLB allowed the Diamondbacks to open the roof mid game. If I recall correctly, it was always the middle of the 4^th inning. However, now they have to decide prior to the game as they have been experiencing some issues with the cables and obviously don’t want to put anyone in danger. It will be interesting to see what they do to improve Chase Field in the near future. I read about the possibility of the Diamondbacks moving to another location because the repair costs are extremely high. I think that would be a shame because it is in a great spot right downtown right next to the Phoenix Suns stadium, Footprint Cetner (random name).

Lastly, to round out my personal Chase Field favorites is / was TGI Friday’s in the upper left field. I mean, potato skins – say no more. It was such a great place to take in a game or batting practice. If you felt like splurging a little more, you could get a table in an extended terrace that hangs out further over right. Arizona’s popular Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers is now there as its replacement, which honestly sounds great too. I cannot wait to get out to another game at Chase Field someday.

I hope the Arizona Diamondbacks can extend the series and give their fans some more excitement tonight. It will be tough to beat the mighty skipper, Bruce Bochy and his Rangers though. Cheers to hopefully more baseball this weekend!