Spring Training Help

[ManCrushOnNomar]

Hi all. My girlfriend and I are planning on flying to Mesa for a few days to catch some Spring Training. I know several of you have gone and I was hoping to get some pointers as far as what hotels are close to the action, fairly priced, and not rat-infested (or worse), what car rental companies offer the best deals, and where to be at what times to make the most out of the trip since both of us are going into this blindly.

 

All information is much appreciated!

[ManCrushOnNomar]

Anybody? Tickets go on sale Friday and I'd like to have an idea what I'm doing before making the commitment.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I'd go to http://www.visitmesa.com and book a package that will include your hotel and allow you to purchase tickets through the hotel. I did this in 2004 and got tickets in the third row right above thirdbase without the hassell of having to try to get through online.

[EricG]

package deal might be good for last minute.

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/spring_training/y2006/schedule.jsp?c_id=chc

 

I plan on going to the March 18th game here in Tucson. I usually rent from National because they offer a nice discount from my employer. Hotels near ASU are nice because there are bars nearby. There is free parking near Hohokam if you are willing to walk a bit. stay away from any hotel near the airport.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

http://www.daysinnmesa.com/

 

That was the hotel I stayed in. It's about a 10 minute drive to Hohokam. It was a decent hotel.

[abuck1220]

i've stayed in a phoenix hotel during my four (?) trips there. getting a hotel in mesa isn't really all that important because the cubs obviously don't play all their games there. i've found the hotel in phoenix to be a good middle spot for traveling to games in the area. and since i go w/ my dad and brother, we're not really concerned about the night life scene.

 

don't shy away from going to non-hohokam games...the games in scottsdale, phoenix, peoria, maryvale, etc are all pretty close. surprise is kinda far from the mesa/phoenix area (maybe 45 mins), and tucson is at least two hours away (though i went to a cubs/rockies game there last year and really liked the park -- best food in the league -- and i didn't mind the drive). and, as i've said before, hohokam is the worst cactus league park. parking, food, crowds, all suck there. there's not even really a close 2nd worst park. and it's the toughest park to get good seats for.

 

fitch is a great place to hang if you're at all interested in the minor leaguers. it's free to park/get in there, and you can watch the teams practice in the mornings with games in the afternoon (sometimes as many as four going on at once). the players walk through the spectator area as they get on the field and as they leave, so you can talk to them, get autographs, take pictures, etc very easily. none of the minor leaguers have ever been the slightest bit rude to me (or anyone else that i've seen). they all have names on their jerseys too, so you can tell who's who. it's kind of a long walk from fitch to hohokam, by the way.

 

if you (or anybody else) has any more questions, feel free to pm me.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I really enjoyed the park in Maryvale. The Angels' park was nice as well.

[BigbadB]

tucson is at least two hours away (though i went to a cubs/rockies game there last year and really liked the park -- best food in the league -- and i didn't mind the drive)

 

2 hours? Did you take the freeway? Tuscon and Phoenix are only 111 miles apart.

[EricG]

tucson is at least two hours away (though i went to a cubs/rockies game there last year and really liked the park -- best food in the league -- and i didn't mind the drive)

 

2 hours? Did you take the freeway? Tuscon and Phoenix are only 111 miles apart.

The speed limit is 75 mph for most of the way and traffic is moving faster than that. I'd say it's about 120 miles from TEP to HoHoKam. The RV's that old people are driving slow the traffic down a bit on I-10.

[abuck1220]

eh, roughly two hours. i do remember being surprised at how quickly the drive went, so it may have been less. however, it was rush hour by the time we got to the interstate, so that slowed us down a little. we'll be going to two games in tucson this year. i've never been to a game at the d-backs facility before...i think that's the only cactus league park i haven't been to.

[ManCrushOnNomar]

Thanks for all the info! I plan on making definite plans tomorrow, so if any of you are around expect PMs.

[The Voice of Reason]

eh, roughly two hours. i do remember being surprised at how quickly the drive went, so it may have been less. however, it was rush hour by the time we got to the interstate, so that slowed us down a little. we'll be going to two games in tucson this year. i've never been to a game at the d-backs facility before...i think that's the only cactus league park i haven't been to.

 

Which park is better, the Angels or Mariners?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Do the minor leaguers work out at Fitch every day of the week, including the weekend?

[abuck1220]

eh, roughly two hours. i do remember being surprised at how quickly the drive went, so it may have been less. however, it was rush hour by the time we got to the interstate, so that slowed us down a little. we'll be going to two games in tucson this year. i've never been to a game at the d-backs facility before...i think that's the only cactus league park i haven't been to.

 

Which park is better, the Angels or Mariners?

 

i've only been to peoria (mariners park) once (the game where alf slipped and hurt his groin), but i've been to tempe (angels park) a couple times. in my opinion, the angels park is better. the angels take BP on a practice field right outside the stadium. people stand out beyond the fence and catch homeruns. then they walk to the stadium right by the parking lot. before they won the WS they didn't have any boundaries set up and you could run right up and tackle chone figgins on his way to the field if you wanted to. but the year after they won the WS they had the little path roped off...you could still get close to the players and get autographs/take pictures, but the crowds were definitely bigger. the inside of the park is cool too. there's a big mountain looking thing out beyond LF.

[abuck1220]

Do the minor leaguers work out at Fitch every day of the week, including the weekend?

 

they were out there on a sunday last year. i've never been there when they weren't out there, but that's not a guarantee that they're out there every day. they practice in the morning...i usually get there around 9:30, but they probably start stretching by 9. they walk off around 11-11:30 and eat lunch in a little fenced off area. spectators can't go in that area, but you can definitely talk to them/take pictures/get autographs as they walk from the field to the fenced area. games start at around 1. they usually send half the guys (split up by levels) to an away site, while the rest stick around and play at fitch. though i have been at fitch when there were four games going on (meaning that whoever the cubs were playing probably had an empty minor league facility that day), so i suppose it's possible that all the levels could be on the road.

[The Voice of Reason]

eh, roughly two hours. i do remember being surprised at how quickly the drive went, so it may have been less. however, it was rush hour by the time we got to the interstate, so that slowed us down a little. we'll be going to two games in tucson this year. i've never been to a game at the d-backs facility before...i think that's the only cactus league park i haven't been to.

 

Which park is better, the Angels or Mariners?

 

i've only been to peoria (mariners park) once (the game where alf slipped and hurt his groin), but i've been to tempe (angels park) a couple times. in my opinion, the angels park is better. the angels take BP on a practice field right outside the stadium. people stand out beyond the fence and catch homeruns. then they walk to the stadium right by the parking lot. before they won the WS they didn't have any boundaries set up and you could run right up and tackle chone figgins on his way to the field if you wanted to. but the year after they won the WS they had the little path roped off...you could still get close to the players and get autographs/take pictures, but the crowds were definitely bigger. the inside of the park is cool too. there's a big mountain looking thing out beyond LF.

 

Thanks man. When the Cubs play there, would they take BP right outside the stadium as well?

[abuck1220]

no.

 

they either take it inside the stadium or at hohokam in the morning.

[EricG]

I like going to HoHoKam for at least one game so I can get some regular season schedules. I have been to Tucson Electric Park for Minor League games. The company I work for has a skybox for the Sidewinders. They also have dollar beer night every Thursday home game.

[IowaCubsFan]

Looking at heading down to Arizona March 23rd. I'd like to get into town before the 1:05 game with Seattle that day, but as chancy as airlines are I don't know if I should commit to buying beforehand.

 

How available are tickets the day of the game at HoHoKam?

 

How available are tickets for other teams in the Mesa area?

[abuck1220]

there will be people along the road selling tickets, but i don't know how reliable those tickets are or how good they are. i'm pretty sure that most games sell out, so i don't know what kind of luck you'd have walking up to the ticket window 30 minutes before the game.

 

tickets at other stadiums are easier to get...especially if the cubs aren't involved. we had our feet on the 1st base dugout for a brewers-rangers game one year and we bought our tickets two hours before the game started. that likely won't happen if the cubs are involved, however.

[abuck1220]

geez...virtual waiting room for a ST split squad game? come on!

[cheapseats]

How long were you in the virtual waiting room?

 

I was lucky enough to buy for five games without spending much time in the VWR.

[abuck1220]

How long were you in the virtual waiting room?

 

I was lucky enough to buy for five games without spending much time in the VWR.

 

i ended up getting decent seats for both games. i got right in for the first game i was trying for, but i probably had to try for 20 minutes or so on the second one.

[Laura]

geez...virtual waiting room for a ST split squad game? come on!

 

It's been ridiculous like that for the past couple of years.

 

They send out ticket order forms in mid-December. I haven't ordered by mail, but people who have say that it's better than dealing with phone/net orders if you have your schedule set.

[abuck1220]

geez...virtual waiting room for a ST split squad game? come on!

 

It's been ridiculous like that for the past couple of years.

 

They send out ticket order forms in mid-December. I haven't ordered by mail, but people who have say that it's better than dealing with phone/net orders if you have your schedule set.

 

yeah, i get that stuff too. i'm just paranoid that i'll end up getting worse seats...in reality i'd probably get better ones.