Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
448
8
SPECTATOR SPORTS
Phoenix is nuts for pro sports and is one of the few cities in the country with teams for
all four of the major sports (baseball, basketball, football, and hockey). Add to this base-
ball's spring training, professional women's basketball, golf and tennis tournaments, the
annual Fiesta Bowl college football classic, and ASU football, basketball, and baseball,
and you have enough action to keep even the most rabid sports fans happy. The all-
around best month to visit is March, when you could feasibly catch baseball's spring
training, the Suns, the Coyotes, and ASU basketball and baseball, as well as the Safeway
International LPGA Tournament.
Call
Ticketmaster
(
&
866/448-7849;
www.ticketmaster.com) for tickets to most of
the events below. For sold-out events, try
Tickets Unlimited
(
&
800/289-8497
or
602/840-2340; www.ticketsunlimitedinc.com) or
Ticket Exchange
(
&
800/800-9811;
ticketexchangeusa.com).
BASEBALL
The
Arizona Diamondbacks
(
&
888/777-4664
or 602/514-8400; www.
diamondbacks.com) have a devoted fan base and regularly pack downtown Phoenix's
impressive Chase Field. The ballpark's retractable roof allows for comfortable play during
the blistering summers and makes this one of only a few enclosed baseball stadiums with
natural grass. Tickets to ballgames are available through the Chase Field ticket office and
cost between $5 and $240. The best seats are in sections J and Q. If you'd like to get a
behind-the-scenes look at Chase Field, you can take a guided tour. Tours cost $6 for
adults, $4 for seniors and children ages 7 to 12, and $2 for children ages 4 to 6.
For decades, baseball's spring-training season has been immensely popular, especially
with fans from northern teams, and don't think that the Cactus League's preseason exhi-
bition games are any less popular just because the Diamondbacks play all summer.
Spring-training games
may rank second only to golf in popularity with winter visitors
to the Valley. Thirteen major-league baseball teams have spring-training camps around
the Valley in the month of March, and exhibition games are scheduled at nine different
stadiums. Most tickets cost between $6 and $40. Get a schedule from a visitor center,
check the
Arizona Republic
while you're in town, or check the website of the Cactus
League (www.cactusleague.com). Games often sell out, especially on weekends, so be sure
to order tickets in advance.
Teams training in the Valley include the
Chicago Cubs,
HoHoKam Park, 1235 N.
Center St., Mesa (
&
800/905-3315 or 480/964-4467; www.chicagocubs.com); the
Chicago White Sox,
Camelback Ranch, 10710 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix (
&
623/
877-8585; www.chicagowhitesox.com); the
Cincinnati Reds,
Goodyear Ballpark, 1933
S. Ballpark Way, Goodyear (
&
623/882-7525; www.cincinnatireds.com); the
Cleveland
Indians,
Goodyear Ballpark, 1933 S. Ballpark Way, Goodyear (
&
623/882-7525; www.
clevelandindians.com); the
Kansas City Royals,
Surprise Stadium, 15960 N. Bullard
Ave., Surprise (
&
623/222-2222 or 480/784-4444; www.kcroyals.com); the
Los Ange-
les Angels of Anaheim,
Tempe Diablo Stadium, 2200 W. Alameda Dr. (48th St. and
Broadway Rd.), Tempe (
&
480/350-5205 or 480/784-4444 for tickets; www.angelsbaseball.
com); the
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Camelback Ranch, 10710 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix
(
&
623/877-8585; www.losangelesdodgers.com); the
Milwaukee Brewers,
Maryvale
Baseball Park, 3600 N. 51st Ave., Phoenix (
&
800/933-7890 or 623/245-5500; www.
milwaukeebrewers.com); the
Oakland Athletics,
Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 5999 E.
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