This past Saturday night, I decided to take the 120 mile drive down to Tucson Electric Park to watch the Arizona Diamondbacks Triple A club, the Tucson Sidewinders take on the Seattle Mariners AAA affiliate Tacoma Rainiers.

I decided that I needed to hit a pre-game establishment prior heading into the ballpark.  What a scavenger hunt that was!  There was not one bar within 5 miles of the stadium.  I even used my GPS in my ride!  Nothing!  I finally found a Famous Sam’s about 10 minutes away - not bad, $2.25 drafts!  I just wonder what D-Back and White Sox fans do during spring training - do you tailgate?

So with a 7pm first pitch, I decided to get to the ballpark around 6:40pm, hoping to get some good seats.  I figured it might be tough, since it was Tucson and a Saturday night, plus UofA hoops were not playing. 

Got to the ballpark and was surprisingly shocked that it was somewhat empty.  The cost to park was $3 bucks (they even called it VIP parking) and I was 50 yards from the gates!  Perfect!  BTW, parking was free in some other close areas.

I didn’t play the media card and sit in the press box, I wanted good seats.  Having worked over three years with the Giants Triple-A team the Phoenix Firebirds, I missed minor league baseball badly.  I couldn’t wait to get to my seats.

I hit the ticket office and asked for the best seats available.  I was thinking 1st or 3rd base line, past the bases, maybe outfield.  Nope, five rows behind the Sidewinders on-deck circle.  Perfect!   Best part - only $9 a ticket!  I can’t remember paying under $10 bucks for anything at a sporting event.  AND, that was the most expensive ticket in the place!

So I enter the stadium, unfortunately no promotional evening like cap night or bat night!  Bummed!  Nothing!  However, a very nice greeting from the staff ticket taker upon entering the ballpark.

So priorities first -big beer and game program.  Huge domestic beer for just $6 and game program for $2!  Gotta love minor league baseball prices.  That’s $3 parking, $9 tickets, $6 beer and $2 program=$20 bucks!  $20 bucks!  Are you kidding me!  A night on the town for just $20 bucks.  That’s cover charge and a beer in Scottsdale.

I go to my seat and realized it’s actually the third row from the backstop, not the fifth!  Killer!  And there’s two rows of no shows in front of me.

I settled in as the “Sandy” the Sidewinder mascot leads the national anthem!  The public address guy (really good btw) gives the starting lineup for the Sidewinders.  For just a brief second, I think I am at a game at Chase Field: Jeff Salazar and Robbie Hammock starting.  I look over to the bench and I see Micah Ownings and Doug Slaten, Brandon Medders, and Max Scherzer.  I can’t imagine what is going through Ownings mind -he started the season really well.

First pitch and we are on our way.  80 plus degrees and minor league baseball! 

Some observations from this Sidewinder team and game: 

• Big difference from Big League players and minor league players - the Triple-A guys look so out of shape
• No names on back of uniforms
• Salazar went 3-5, HR, 2 RBI then gets the call up due to Orlando Hudson’s injury
• Slaten, D-backs only lefty in the bullpen, looked solid in his rehab outing -allowed a two-out single and walk -threw 20 pitches, 12 for strikes
• Hammock fits in (so young looking despite being the oldest guy on the team-31 years old)
• Tim Raines Jr looks like his dad - has some wheels!
• Watch out Conor Jackson, Josh Whitesell is coming up Interstate 10 September 1st - the first baseman is on fire, hitting .426 in July and now .565 in August, but had his 16 game hitting streak snapped tonight (batting .331 entering Monday).  22 homeruns, which is just eight shy of the single-season franchise record
• Weak attendance for an incredible night (80+ degrees- what else do you do in Tucson on a Saturday night?).  Felt like a Monday or Tuesday game back in my Firebird days at Scottsdale Stadium.  You could drop a pin in centerfield and hear it behind the plate-seriously!
• Mascot is awful- not his costume but lack of getting the crowd into the game 
• Do like all the in-game contests and PA sounds - they definite cater to the kids
• Justin Upton is scheduled to start his rehab stint on Monday vs. Tacoma (oblique strain) -btw Scherzer goes Monday night
• Quick note on Ownings - he pitched Friday night - 5IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER 3BB, 3K - includes 3 hit batters’
• Manager Bill Plummer - boy he has adding a few lbs!

Overall, I really miss minor league baseball.  I love the atmosphere!  I love the kids getting baseballs from the players and bat boys.  The kids have a full reign of the place.  Everyone is so friendly and prices are just perfect!  You really feel you are getting your money’s worth.  I do feel bad for all the good folks that work for the Sidewinders.  I know how much time and effort goes into putting on a game each night.  An announced crowd of 3,939 really seemed like about 1,500.  Tucson needs to support the Sidewinders.  There is no reason that this club can’t draw 7,500 on a Saturday night, however, they did have 7,554 on Friday night.  It’s a great product, at a great price, at a great ballpark.  I understand this team is in last place, but this team is stocked with players with a lot of big league experience, especially D-backs.  10  out of the 24 players on Saturday night’s roster had appeared in the majors last season.

Finally, if you have some time, check out a game in Tucson.  It was a blast!  If not, the Arizona Fall League gets going in October!  Minor League baseball rules!

Pictures above: First picture at plate- Salazar; #7=Hammock; #11 Tim Raines Jr.

ARIZONA FOOTBALL NOTE: Published reports say Head Coach Mike Stoops, who is on the hot seat in his fifth season at Arizona has seemed to reach a peace with himself.  Training camp practice sessions are no longer “screamfests” and he is going about his business with a healthy intensity, but the atmosphere is now a professional one.  He is not trying to coach all 22 positions at once.  We’ll see!

written by Roc