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Chicago Cubs: Visiting Chase Field- home of the Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks come to town this week, looking to escape that desert heat. But Chicago Cubs fans on the road should check out Chase Field.
Note: This is part of an ongoing series dedicated to my recent travels, following the Chicago Cubs and some affiliates. If you want to catch up from the beginning, you can start here.
“Can we go in the pool?” my daughter asked as we came to right-center at Chase Field last month during a stadium tour. The temperature outside was 109 degrees. Do you know that the highest temperature ever recorded in the Chicago city limits (Midway Airport) is an unofficial 109 degrees? Even I wanted to go in the pool!
Chase Field opened its doors in 1998. It was the first stadium built in the United States with a retractable roof over a natural-grass playing surface. The retractable roof weighs 9 million pounds and is made of lightweight structural steel.
It takes about four minutes to open the roof due to the lightweight steel and pulley system technology and costs the Diamondbacks only $2 every time it is opened and closed. The Diamondbacks turn this “closing” into a focused event at the beginning of the game with a countdown and all. Once retracted, it doesn’t actually close shut but kind of overlaps and the cooling begins.
A couple ways to get cool at Chase Field
The cooling system is state of the art. It freezes water at night to save daytime operating costs. The air conditioning system cools the stadium to between 77-80 degrees depending on your seats. The higher you go the closer you are to the AC. The system is so powerful it also cools 30 buildings there in downtown Phoenix and could cool 2,500 homes.
Chase Field is also the only Major League stadium with a swimming pool. The pool is rented to patrons as a suite holding 35 guests. Some games (like Cubs games) have a bigger draw. Depending on which game it is, the pool suite costs from $5,000 to $8,000per game.
Chicago Cubs fans will love that former Cubbie Mark Grace was the first player to ever hit a home run into the pool.
Keyholes and Pets; Chase Field got ‘em
Only the Tiger’s Comerica Park and the Diamondbacks’ Chase Field feature a keyhole, or that strip of dirt from the mound to home plate.
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In old time ballparks, groundskeepers used to leave this part of the grounds alone as catchers tromping back and forth to the mound and the poor condition of the fields in general, resulted in the strips of dirt. In modern day ballparks like Chase Field, having a keyhole is about paying homage to baseball legacy.
By far, our favorite part of Chase Field was the PetSmart Patio. Now man’s two favorite things: dogs and baseball can be enjoyed together. That’s right; man’s best friend just got a ticket to the game.
This patio is a place in the stadium where fans can watch the game with their dog! The space comes with access to All-You-Can-Eat hot dogs and…wait for it…yes, a doggie bag special gift!
The heat is no bother for man’s best friend as he enjoys the outdoor and indoor (air conditioned) PetSmart Dog Park which looks like a baseball diamond. Dogs are free to run around during the game and someone will even cleanup after them should they feel the garlic fries passing through.
A young but proud organization
The stadium is most proud of hosting Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 of the 2001 World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Yankees. Arizona won all four of those contests. A special room is dedicated to the Diamondbacks heroes of said World Series and you can see the real Commissioner’s Trophy on display.
They say Chase Field wasn’t built by architects but by engineers. A long story about the construction going back to running out of money before architects could make it pretty. Instead, the engineers just made it functional. That’s why it just works right and feels good. Definitely make this stadium part your bucket list stadium tour.
Next: Darvish expected to start ramping up in second half
The Cubs make just one more trip there this season – a three-game set in Mid-September. So, if you’re looking for a midweek getaway, maybe put this on your list. It’s worth the time and money to take in a ballgame here.