We love you, Scottsdale — Sincerely, San Francisco
How SF Giants fans turned Spring Training into a circus. And why that’s OK.
This past weekend marked the beginning of the 2017 Cactus League in Maricopa County, Arizona. There are sports fans for whom the winter months provide only moderate respite in terms of entertainment and to them, the significance of this date is tantamount to New Year’s Day. I have long considered myself a proud member of this camp; however, the arrival of this particular baseball season has been met with a notable amount of solemnity in my household. 2017 marks the first time in eight consecutive springs that we will not be traveling to Scottsdale.
Last Saturday, as we drove to our first little league practice — another spring rite worthy of its own story — my son and I tracked the radio broadcast of the Giants’ second pre-season match, this against the World Champion Chicago Cubs. We’ve shared hotel buffet breakfasts with many a Chicagoan over the years — their Arizona training facility lies only a stone’s throw from Scottsdale Stadium — and the fact that we were missing this choice match-up weighed heavily on both our minds. I responded to his inevitable inquiry in the same refrain I’ve been utilizing since he began asking late last year: I simply couldn’t afford the trip this time around.
Since their first modern-era World Series win in 2010, the Giants’ training camp has enjoyed more than several years of peak attendance, such that sellout crowds are the norm even mid-week. Advanced ticket sales, previously unheard of in spring, combined with the Stubhub marketplace have lifted even the price of lawn seats to levels typically held for the regular season.* Many area motels allow bookings a year in advance, with peak period rates approaching $300 a night. One might expect the likes of AirBnB to mitigate this issue of supply and demand, but based on my experience, the competition on that front is even more fierce. Airline tickets are jacked, rental car rates are sky high, and restaurant waiting lists are simply ludicrous — in the past few years, the entire Spring Training experience in Scottsdale has become decidedly…well, San Franciscan.
At this point, one might expect me to launch into a tirade against alleged “bandwagon” fans and the mounting waves of millennial tech bros with their endless wads of cash — I won’t. I resent no part of the experience as it exists now. After all, aside from those fortunate enough to be born into fandom, we were all most likely bandwagon riders at some point. I hopped on during the 1989 Battle of the Bay — for others, it may have been 2002, or 2010, or 2012, or 2014. If the ante for winning three championships in six years is having to share the experience with a few million of your best friends, then deal me in. As for the price of entry, Scottsdale certainly deserves the economic boost for having been such incredible hosts all these years — provided they’re okay with the crowds, which I expect is a mixed bag.
The truth is, Spring Training remains a magical experience for baseball fans, new and old, and one I wholeheartedly recommend despite the considerable effort it now takes to get there. It requires a readiness to adapt, as well as the assumption of a degree of advanced planning wholly unnecessary in years past. I offer these few points of consideration for those willing to step up to the plate:
Think outside the box (AKA Scottsdale)
Though near and dear to our hearts, Scottsdale Stadium is, to put it lightly, tired. Its last major renovation occurred in 2006, and the majority of its 12,000 person capacity is still relegated to aluminum bleachers and the outfield lawns. Nearly all the seats are exposed to the famous Arizona sun and the promenades are cramped and isolated from the field itself. To be fair, the stadium’s design provides the austere and casual charm so many of us seek during our spring venture, yet by comparison, Salt River Field — home to the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks — provides modern grandstands, a promenade within view of the field, and nary a bad seat in the house. In years past, a relative lack of reasonable transportation options and the seemingly constant Phoenix-area rush hour made leaving the relative safety of Scottsdale something of a chore. However, 2016 saw the earnest arrival of Uber and Lyft, and some of the more attentive stadiums made headway by providing convenient drop-off and pick-up locations near their front gates. Last year, we actually opted for a schedule that included three away games split between Salt River (AKA Talking Stick), Surprise, and Camelback Ranch. All were much easier to get to than we’ve seen in past years and provided an opportunity to rub elbows with die-hards of a different variety. That said, Scottsdale Stadium is home for a reason…
This is where the players show up for work.
Most would argue that the real fun in Spring Training lies within the proximity one can gain to their heroes both on and off the field. Scottsdale is particularly conducive to this since the players’ lot is located directly in front. Fully grown men can cast aside decorum and revel in the juvenile excitement of watching these superstars roll up in their ridiculously pimp rides and stroll across the parking lot toward the locker room entrance. Outside the established game schedule, players tend to come and go as they please, so the experience is largely one of trial and error. Early risers can be rewarded, especially on days in which the team will be traveling across town for a mid-day game. The social atmosphere around the stadium on these mornings is far more relaxed — one can only assume the roving packs of tech bros are still nursing hangovers — and it can be quite easy under these circumstances to position oneself along the parking lot barricade and await the players’ arrival. A word of advice to autograph seekers: the Giants tend to pay almost exclusive attention to children under the age of ten, so it’s best to let the youngsters have their day. Better yet, come armed with a few extra baseballs and sharpie markers to dole out to the kids whose parents haven’t quite learned the ropes.
A confident and polite youngster can make out quite well — to date, my son’s most prized possession is a signed ball that dates back to 2011. Not even three years old, he managed to collect over a dozen signatures with minimal adult assistance, including those of a couple fresh-faced minor league invitees that both happened to be named Brandon. The incredible effect these interactions can have on a kid can only be understood first-hand and is one of the many unique facets of baseball culture that combine to make our pastime so special.
Show the A’s some love…
Or the Angels. Or the Royals. Or any of the other thirteen major league teams that make their spring home in Arizona — and aren’t called the Dodgers. These clubs each celebrate spring in their own idiosyncratic ways. Some teams don’t enjoy the luxury of having a passionate fan base within such close geographic proximity — the Brewers, for instance, are actually known for having lightly attended games and an atmosphere that offers a glimpse of how Spring Training was in a bygone era. There are still ballparks to which you can expect to arrive on game day and purchase a ticket at the gate for less than the cost of a beer and a hot dog. Here you can expect to rub elbows with some amazing fans — pilgrims that hail from far and frigid corners of the country and make this trek every single year come hell or high water. Giants fans can expect to make some new friends, catch a healthy dose of good-natured ribbing, and come away with a renewed sense of appreciation for just how great and easy we have it. For even more perspective on that topic, I highly recommend John Markowski’s comprehensive primer on his New York Mets and the other Spring Training experience — Florida’s fabled Grapefruit League.
Whether new to the party or a grizzled veteran, San Franciscans must accept the new reality that our team resides in an era of prosperity; and therefore popularity — and there’s no going back. Much like life in our fair city itself, our fan base is proud, energetic, and they don’t keep secrets. The word is out, and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This is the type of fan support that draws top player prospects and ensures relevance and longevity. We may have drawn the ire of some of the less favored cities, but we have their envy as well. Nowhere is this more evident than in Scottsdale, where we literally take over the town for two months in Spring. So stay classy San Francisco — tip your waiters well, and give a hearty welcome to all those Cubs fans who are sure to arrive in force this year. Something tells me we’re going to be sharing breakfast with a lot more of them in the years to come. Go Giants!
*Shortly before publishing this story, I heard on KNBR that bleacher seats at Scottsdale Stadium were going for more than $70 — face value! If true, the world has indeed gone crazy.
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