Article and all photos by Joe Mock, BaseballParks.com
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BASEBALLPARKS.COM attends the 2011 mid-season classic at Chase Field
Due to a combination of factors (the economy’s woes, star players bailing out, the high price of tickets), the demand for seats at 2011’s All Star Game festivities seemed to be less than in past years. Consequently, when the Diamondbacks announced that they were making thousands of seats available to the general public just six weeks ahead of the game, I jumped on the opportunity and grabbed a couple of tickets on the D-backs’ site for face value — plus the utterly criminal service charges tacked on by TicketMaster, of course.
But then I decided to get greedy, and bought another pair of tickets with the intent of selling them for a profit. One of my stupider ideas. Ever. I had to lower my price and lower my price and lower my price … and finally sold them online the day before the game for about 75% of what I paid for them. My advice: leave the ticket re-selling to the professionals who know what they’re doing.
But even with hundreds of tickets remaining unsold on the secondary market as the game arrived, that didn’t put a damper on the enthusiasm of the fans. They roared their approval — and disapproval — of the batters in the Home Run Derby. They flocked to the FanFest activities at the nearby Convention Center. They stood in the brutal mid-day sun to witness the “red carpet” parade of the players. And they loved the pageantry of the All Star Game itself.
So come along with us as we show you what these festivities looked like!
Bigger and bigger every year
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It seems that the annual FanFest grows each year. This indoor event is usually held in the convention center in the All Star Game city for several days leading up to the big game, and that was indeed the case in Phoenix. Thankfully, the ballpark and the convention center were only two blocks apart.
And what did fans encounter once inside the cavernous facility? Lots. For the collector, there were numerous vendors with baseball cards, pins, autographed bats and photos and more. Autograph seekers could wait in line to obtain signatures from many past stars. There was even an expanded “combine” area where kids could try hitting, fielding and running the bases … and there was even an area where youngsters could perfect their technique for sliding into a base.
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And there were several live broadcasts going on. One found Peter Gammons being interviewed on MLB Radio (above left).
Celebrities weren’t only behind the microphones. For example, I spotted baseball fan and actor James Denton (famous for his character on Desperate Housewives) in the souvenir shop (above center).
There was even an area dedicated to couples uniting in holy matrimony (above right), as a series of weddings took place on a make-shift ball field in the middle of the FanFest madness.
Bombs away
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Over at Chase Field, Adrian Gonzalez got the Home Run Derby started with a bang (above left). On the right is Prince Fielder smacking one into the right-field seats. Robinson Cano won the event, besting Gonzalez in the final round.
Red carpet, red-hot pavement
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A “red carpet” parade has proven popular in All Star Game host cities in the past, none moreso than the parade up Broadway when the ASG was played at Yankee Stadium in 2009. When the concept was brought to Phoenix, MLB had the good sense to limit its route to less than half a mile. The reason? Did you know that it gets warm in July in Arizona? There was very little shade to be found by the parade attendees, and let me tell you that the pavement in downtown Phoenix was extremely hot! The bottoms of my feet were killing me just from walking on the blistering sidewalks.
And it was hot for the players, being driven slowly by the crowds down a red-carpet-covered street. The right-hand shot above shows reliever Brian Wilson, whose facial hair has garnered more attention than any bearded athlete in history.
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American League manager Ron Washington, who famously once said “That’s how baseball go,” got to ride in a convertible, while the players rode in the backs of pickups. On the right side above, pitcher C.J. Wilson shrugged at a fan who had yelled out to him.
On the outside
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I’ve never seen the exterior of Chase Field look better. One of the many welcomed additions is a shaded walkway to the gates. The ceiling fans above this walkway are powered by solar panels on the tops of the canopies.
Lots of pre-game action in left field
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The left-field bleachers were jammed during batting practice, as fans had their gloves up hoping for a souvenir. On the right-hand side above, the set for ESPN’s Baseball Tonight crew was also in the LF stands. The on-air talent shown here is Karl Ravech, John Kruk, Barry Larkin and Bobby Valentine.
Pre-game pageantry
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The pre-game ceremonies contained several moving moments. After the players were introduced, there was a ceremony (above left) to honor the family members of those killed and wounded in Tucson when a crazed gunmen attempted to assassinate Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Then Joe Garagiola, Sr., now 85 years old, tossed out the ceremonial first pitch (center). This was followed by a rousing National Anthem by local girl Jordin Sparks of American Idol fame (right).
In-game fireworks
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The first pitch of the game, delivered by Roy Halladay to Curtis Granderson, is shown on the left. The big blow of the game was Prince Fielder’s three-run blast in the 4th inning. In the center shot above, Fielder is chugging around third base after hitting the ball out to one of the deepest spots in the park. On the right, Jose Bautista is tagged out at home by Brian McCann.
Interesting sights
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Following the top of the 6th inning, fans were encouraged to “stand up to cancer” by holding a sign that displayed the name of a loved one who suffered from cancer (above left). The D-backs Legends Race was also a between-innings favorite, as larger-than-life mannequins raced each other. And the bearded wonder, Brian Wilson, came on for the save, ensuring a 5-1 National League victory. That made most of the 47,994 in attendance pretty happy.
Nighttime in the desert
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Desert evenings can be beautiful, with the colors in the sky and the subsiding temperatures making it bearable to be outdoors. And it made a nice setting for the exterior of Chase Field, which did an excellent job hosting the 2011 All Star Game.
Give us your thoughts (below) on these photos or on the All Star Game itself.