AZ Spring Training

[shemp]

I'm thinking of going to spring training in AZ this year, hitting Tucson & Mesa & maybe some other Cactus league city. First question is: Anybody who has done this have some experience to share? Second: 10/20, 20/40 Poker options?

Thank you.

[David Steele]

I went last year and it was a lot of fun. We followed
the Giants for about 5 games. You get some nice little
ball parks and get really close to the game. We got
a fabulous photo of a long Bonds blast from about 30 feet
away, no fence in the way.

There is poker there but it was not too impressive to me,
perhaps someone current can tell you what limits are going. Lots of 6-12 and just one or two 20-40 tables at Casino Az. Someone hit a 35K jackpot at my table the one time I played.

D.

[John Feeney]

Never been to spring training, though I once sneaked into Scottsdale stadium, back when it existed. (I mean it was this small wooden stadium which I wish was still there.) Anyway, AZ is a good place, both Mesa and Tucson. While in Tucson, be sure to visit the desert. It's all great, but is especially nice in that part of AZ. Do the AZ Sonora Desert Museum if nothing else.

[LetsRock]

SPRING TRAINING ABSOLUTELY ROCKS!

My wife and I went a few years ago and it was one of the best vacations we've ever done. We're Giant's fans, so twe followed them to several stadiums. We stayed in Scottsdale about 3 blocks from the Giant's park - right across the street from Don & Charlie's (a great steakhouse where the players hang out on occasion).

It's super fan friendly - small parks, the players are much more relaxed (at least the veterans) and it's baseball experience at it's finest. I'd recommend you arrange for some tickets before you get there as they do tend to sell out. We were able to get some tickets at the last moment (pretty decent ones too) for an impromptu visit to HoHoKam park (Cubbies).

MOst of the AZ teams have parks within 40 mins of each other in the Pheonix area, so it's pretty easy to visit most of the venues. There's another handful 2 hrs away in the Tempe area.

We were in AZ for 10 days. We spent 2 nights up at the Grand Canyon (if you haven't been there, it's worth the trip) so we could have a full day at the big ditch. It could be done as a day trip from Pheonix, but it would be a long day (about 4 hrs round trip).

I don't know about the poker - we were really just to busy to even think about anything else.

If you're a baseball fan, Spring Training is a must!

[JimRivett]

Years ago when the Angels used to finish Spring Training in Palm Springs, we used to go for a few days and we always had an enjoyable time. I'll always remember Tony Gwynn being surrounded by, what seemed like, 100 kids all wanting autographs and you what, every kid got one and he was smiling and happy as he was signing them.

[jrobb83]

For 10-20 upwards, you're best and usually only choice is Casino AZ at Indian Bend. It's a pretty large room (50+ tables), but when I was there the staff was pretty efficient about finding a seat for everyone. It does get very busy during the evenings and weekends, though. The room itself is very nice. It is in a tent, but you don't really notice once you're inside, and there are automatic shufflers in each table, and big screens all over the place. Everything is also fairly new, as the poker room moved from the other Casino AZ location recently.

Spring training is great. All of the parks are small enough that you have a great seat no matter where you are. The freeway system also makes it so that you can reach any park in about 30 min no matter where in the city you are. There is a new stadium in Peoria where the Royals and Padres play that is very nice, and definately check out the Giants in Scottsdale Stadium. Tempe Diablo is very nice as well, and Phoenix Memorial where the A's is currently undergoing the renovations it sorely needed. Not really a bad ballpark in the area. Plus the weather really can not be beat that time of year.

A fan looking for another great type of baseball experience should check out the Arizona Fall League. It begins just after the baseball season ends, and runs for about two months. You don't get to see the big names, but you do get to see the best and brightest prospects of the game, so you are seeing tomorrow's stars. The weather is similar to spring, a little cooler but still pretty warm, and there are zero crowds, unlike spring training. General tickets are only $5, you can choose pretty much any seat you want, and you can rub elbows with the general managers and other baseball high-ups who come down to watch the games.