Three times in my life I have had the amazing opportunity to go to Phoenix, AZ and watch spring training baseball, and through these experiences and talking with others who have gone to spring training I, along with some help from my brother-in-law, have put together a ‘plan’ on how to approach spring training. Just to let you know I am a huge Mariners fan and my brother-in-law is a huge Dodgers fan so our plans are centered around these two teams.
The best part about spring training in AZ is that all the ball parks are with in an hour of each other and some are only 10 to 15 minutes away from others so it is very easy to go watch any team you want on any given day. I personally prefer to stay on the east side of Phoenix when I go because that is where the M’s and Dodgers are as well as the White Sox, Padres, Rangers and Royals. However, one of the main things I look for when planning my trip is how many night games there are during the days I will be down there and often times those are in other parts of Phoenix. That doesn’t bother me it just means I need to plan out when to leave to get there a head of time.
Maximizing Games Attended and Autograph Opportunities
Each time I go to spring training my goal is to get in as many games and to get as many autographs as I can. After quite a few hours of talking through different strategies on how to achieve spring training nirvana I think I may be as close as anyone can be with this plan.
Tip 1- As I said above I look for night games to help determine what days to go to spring training. Most games are 1pm starts but there are normally one or two night games each day and I usually try to find a 4 or 5 day stretch that has at least one night game each day. Once I’ve chosen the days I’m going and what night games are happening I get the tickets for the night games. Day games never sell out usually but everyone tries to go to the night games so get your tickets for those early on. I just get the day game tickets once I get down to AZ.
Tip 2- Find a motel that is close to the stadium(s) you plan on going to the most for day games to save on time and gas. I recommend staying in Peoria because there are three stadiums with 6 different teams all with in of 10 miles. If you are looking for autographs Peoria is the best place to make your base camp.
Tip 3- This one is for autograph seekers. Be willing to get up and go to the practice fields as soon as they open to get autographs. Most practice fields open at 9am to the public. Not all stadiums allow access for fans to the major league practice facilities but two stadiums that do, Peoria with the Padres and M’s and Camelback with the Dodgers and WhiteSox, allow access and all four teams do a good job of signing autographs. The Dodgers and WhiteSox are by far the best teams to sign autographs at the practice fields. Last time I went to spring training I got Matt Kemp, Tommy Lasorda, Andre Eithier, Jonathan Broxton, and quite a few other Dodgers and I got almost the entire starting lineup for the WhiteSox the next morning at the practice fields. At Peoria the visiting team has to walk through the fans to get to their practice field so getting autographs is easy as well and that is how I got Justin Upton to sign 3 cards for me.
Tip 4- Choosing which games to go to during the day. If you want autographs I recommend going to Peoria’s complex because it has a specific area
for players to sign autographs that is protected from balls being hit at them. You have to be wiling to miss some of the game because guys start leaving the game around the 5th inning and because the area is protected they do stop during the game to sign autographs. The good thing is that when guys aren’t coming you are only 50 feet from the outfield grass seating area and you can watch the game while watching for more players to leave.
Tip 5- The night games are really when I sit back and enjoy a full game. I still try to get autographs before and after the games but unless the night game is at Peoria most stadiums don’t offer good spots for autographs during the game so I just sit back and enjoy 9 innings of baseball.
Tip 6- If there isn’t a night game then I recommend you have a nice dinner and have some fun. The place I love down there is Dave and Busters. Great food and tons of arcade games to play. It is the perfect place for kids and adults a like. If you ever crave In-n-Out hamburgers I have good news for you, there is one in Peoria that is only two blocks from the stadium. If you choose to eat at the stadiums that’s okay to but be aware that although most stadiums are pretty good (Camelback has great hotdogs) Peoria Stadiums specialty foods aren’t very good but the normal ball park food is fine.
Tip 7- You must find the LEMONADE GUY!!! No spring training trip is complete until you find the best Lemonade vendor in the history of sports. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NESWtSROkpI and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gyaPWQnml4&feature=related
Spring Training is about enjoying nice weather and having fun watching baseball. For me spending a few days at in Arizona watching baseball is the best baseball experience. Its fun, relaxing and its baseball.
For more spring training information and autograph info check out my second blog on AZ spring training at http://9inningknowitall.com/2012/03/05/spring-training-guide-2-stadium-info/
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