Goodyear Ballpark set to open

[jmcclain19]

Thought I'd post this from the Phoenix paper about the future spring training home of the Reds opening up in just a few short weeks.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/s...lpark0206.html

10 reasons to catch an Indians game
Elias C. Arnold - Feb. 5, 2009 07:14 AM
The Arizona Republic
The soon-to-open Goodyear Ballpark is designed to "to enhance the fan experience to make it second to none."

That's how stadium manager Nathan Torres describes the $108 million spring-training complex near Estrella Parkway and Yuma Road.

Soon, fans will be able to judge for themselves.
The Cleveland Indians play their inaugural game against the San Francisco Giants on Feb. 25.

Here are 10 reasons you should catch one of the 18 spring-training games the Indians play here this year:

1. A family-fun zone with baseball-themed activities and a miniature baseball diamond for kids.

2. Field-level seating for people with disabilities.

3. Luxury suites that adjust based on the size of the group, plus a terrace and a pavilion for large crowds.

4. Bowl seating throughout the ballpark. The stadium's capacity is 10,000 visitors.

5. Natural-looking and raw materials such as block, concrete, wood and galvanized metal. Also, palm trees that frame the entrances off Estrella Parkway. The trees once stood in the median but were relocated to accommodate turn lanes.

6. The largest Jumbotron screen in the Cactus League.

7. Themed food like Ohio-style hot dogs as well as specialties from Southwest Valley eateries such as Raul and Theresa's Mexican Restaurant in Avondale. There will be about 30 points of purchase to keep lines as short as possible.

8. An oversized baseball-themed sculpture atop a reflecting pool. The statue looks like Constantin Brancusi's Bird in Space and stands 60 feet, 6 inches tall. That's the distance between home plate and the pitcher's mound.

9. Proximity to Phoenix Goodyear Airport, a convenience for Indians' players and executives. The airport is practically next door.

10. $5 parking.

[vic715]

It looks nice but the City is having second thoughts about bringing the Reds aboard.Thats a lot of money to shell out in this day of financial woes.

[Unassisted]

That sculpture is bizarre. We should have a contest to share opinions on what we each feel it symbolizes about the Reds.

[JaxRed]

It looks nice but the City is having second thoughts about bringing the Reds aboard.Thats a lot of money to shell out in this day of financial woes.

Really? Link?

[Johnny Footstool]

That sculpture looks like a shard of a larger, better sculpture.

[jmcclain19]

It looks nice but the City is having second thoughts about bringing the Reds aboard.Thats a lot of money to shell out in this day of financial woes.

Yeah I haven't heard one peep of this being an issue. They've already broken ground on the Reds area of the ballpark and are busy building that up as they put the finishing touches on the main stadium and the Indians areas as we speak.

Where did you hear or read this?

[jmcclain19]

FYI - here is more on the baseball themed sculpture in front of the ballpark

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...pture0121.html

New sculpture focal point of Goodyear ballpark

by Elias C. Arnold - Jan. 19, 2009 01:15 PM
The Arizona Republic
Goodyear's new spring-training ballpark got a dramatic artistic touch Friday with the installation of a baseball-themed sculpture more than 60 feet tall.

Using a crane, artist Donald Lipski installed his white, wing-shaped sculpture with red baseball stitches on the ballpark's plaza, southeast of Estrella Parkway and Yuma Road. It will serve as a focal point and meeting place for fans visiting the ballpark.

"Magnificent," City Councilwoman Georgia Lord said of the 6,000-pound piece, made in Sparta, Wisc.

It shows Goodyear is "moving to new heights," Lord added. "It's going to be a piece of work people are going to talk about. It's not ho-hum."

The fiberglass and steel sculpture is meant to bear stark contrast with Goodyear's flatness while drawing on "Bird in Space," a 1923 work by sculptor Constantin Brancusi.

San Antonio artist James Hendricks, who is designing benches for Goodyear's Western Avenue improvement project, stopped by Friday to watch the installation. He was in town for meetings about his own project.

Hendricks said he could see how Lipski had drawn on Brancusi's work while "playing" with the baseball theme. Reinterpreting others' work is common in the art world, Hendricks noted.

"I actually think it's very impressive," he said.

Goodyear will pay Lipski $450,000 for the 60-foot, 6-inch sculpture, built to match the distance on a baseball diamond between home plate and the pitcher's mound. The artwork satisfies a city guideline calling for capital improvement projects to include art.

A dedication ceremony for the sculpture is planned for Feb. 21, ahead of the ballpark's opening day. The Cleveland Indians will play their first game Feb. 25 against the San Francisco Giants.

Goodyear and the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority are funding the $108 million spring-training complex, which has a 10,000-seat stadium and training quarters for the Indians and the Cincinnati Reds.

Like the Indians, the Reds are leaving Florida's Grapefruit League to join the Cactus League, starting in 2010.

[Blitz Dorsey]

The Phoenix area is so much nicer than anywhere in Florida. Well, I haven't been everywhere in Florida obviously, but I've been to various places in Florida a lot and Phoenix is so much better. It's not even close. Everything is cleaner and nicer. Much better scenery. Both places get way too hot in the summer, but Phoenix doesn't have the humidity of Fla. For spring training weather, it's pretty much a wash -- both PHX and FLA are nice. There will be a hell of a lot less traffic in Goodyear than Sarasota. The bad part is there is no beach. If you like watersports, deep sea fishing, anything like that, you won't like Phoenix and you'll miss Sarasota. But overall, I like this move for the Reds. Just wish we had our own place and weren't sharing it with the Indians. I know we have a separate facility with separate locker rooms and everything, but we're sharing the same stadium and many other things. Oh well, looking at the entire picture, I like it. I don't usually travel for spring training. But if I did, I would much prefer a trip to Arizona than Florida. Phoenix is seriously one of the best cities in the US on a very short list.

[durl]

That sculpture looks like a shard of a larger, better sculpture.

That gets my vote for Post Of The Week.

[red-in-la]

I sure hope somebody thinks of serving Gold Star Chili at the new ballpark.....I would make the drive just for that.

[johngalt]

I sure hope somebody thinks of serving Gold Star Chili at the new ballpark.....I would make the drive just for that.

I'm sure Skyline would have a little something to say about that.

[remdog]

I'd be happy with either one!

Rem

[Ga_Red]

In Goodyear one can see about 40 games (20 per home
team, per ST season) in the Goodyear park w/o driving.
Several days( at least 8) have a day game iand one at night, plus the possibility of an occasional "B" game on
other days, as well.
This is an incredible number of Major League games in a
concentrated period of time, all ine one park, within walking distance of lodging/food/etc.
Not possible in Sarasota.

Goodyear seats $25; Sarasots $15.

One big drawback in the Goodyear park so far...
Only seats not in the sun are in the very pricey club section. :-((((

[remdog]

Only seats not in the sun are in the very pricey club section. :-((((

A lot of people like to work on their tan that time of year.

Rem

[WebScorpion]

I sure hope somebody thinks of serving Gold Star Chili at the new ballpark.....I would make the drive just for that.

Do they have Cincy chili in Sarasota's park?