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MLB ROAD TRIP 2001
2001.11.4 <VOL.37> Days 195-203
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*We are in Phoenix, AZ
Index
1. Phoenix Problems
2. World Series Games 1 & 2
3. World Series Games 6 & 7
4. Hockey at 90 Degrees
5.Arizona Fall League
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Phoenix Problems
It was clear that the Arizona Diamondbacks had no experience with being in the World Series, at least from the way that ticket sales were handled. Tickets for the first two games went on sale right after the Diamondbacks clinched the NL championship, but the limit was set at a ridiculously high 10 tickets per person. Scalpers were very happy at this news and recruited homeless people to stand in line to get tickets for them. These tickets sold out fairly quickly and a lot of fans were upset as they were unable to buy even a single ticket. Even normal fans that were lucky to get tickets immediately became scalpers, turning over their extra tickets at 3 or 4 times face value. One person that I spoke to had an extra ticket and said that she had paid $300 for it (face value $110). When I asked her where she bought it, she said her 'friend' sold it to her. Some pal, only marking it up $200!
But this was not the end of the problems. Two days before Game 1, MLB released more tickets for the weekend games, but these were only available by phone. At 6 p.m. the night before the game, the phones were opened up and thousands of fans (us included) immediately jammed the lines in a desperate search for the few remaining tickets. The phone system wasn't prepared for such an onslaught and promptly started breaking in down. Even the 911 emergency system was affected as some calls were not getting through. Oops!
After all that, we were unable to get tickets for either game, and decided to save our money for game 6 and/or 7. Tickets were supposed to go on sale if those games became necessary, which meant that if New York won twice while at home, the tickets would go up for grabs. But for some unknown reason, the Diamondbacks changed this plan and decided to sell the tickets on Tuesday, before game 3 was even played. An announcement was made on Monday, but we were on our way to Las Vegas and didn't find out until Tuesday evening, by which time tickets were sold out. As it turned out, the D'Backs may have known that their team wasn't going to do so well in NY, but it was incredibly frustrating to have them change their plans so suddenly. Later, I found out that some Phoenix fans waited in line for as long as 8 hours and went away without tickets, which tempered my frustration considerably.
On Friday, we drove back to Phoenix from Vegas and found out that yet more tickets were about to go on sale. We rushed to the ballpark, but yet again, we were too late. We were in line and had moved close to the ticket windows, so much so that we began to hope, but alas, the announcement was made that both games were sold out. Well, we had tried our best, but we had been shut out. With no other recourse, we finally resorted to using scalpers, and we got decent seats for game 6, but at a price.
Overall, the Diamondbacks need to work on their ticket distribution plans - they sold tickets four times and constantly changed the rules. I know that many fans in Phoenix were very frustrated with what happened, but I guess that's what you get when a young franchise achieves success so quickly.
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World Series Games 1 & 2
As mentioned, we didn't get tickets for either of the first 2 games, but we did do some shopping. Scalping is legal in Arizona, as long as you are across the street from the ballpark. A shaded area by a parking garage was set up as "Scalp Central" and buyers and sellers mingled. It was interesting to watch people who don't normally scalp tickets suddenly try to become tough-talking negotiators. People were offering junk tickets (top rows of the upper deck very far away) for 5 times face value and getting laughed at. You could tell the difference between the pros and the amateurs by their attitude - the pros were always willing to talk and negotiate, the amateurs quoted a price and stuck to it. I guess even they eventually sold their tickets, but they must have spent a long time waiting.
One of the good things that the Diamondbacks did was set up a big screen near the ballpark, where the fans who were unable to get a ticket were allowed to sit outside and watch the game. Vendors were scattered around and the food prices were cheap, so we watched part of game 1 (a 9-1 blowout) and all of game 2 (4-0 Randy Johnson shutout) there. It was a good atmosphere as the D'backs played well both nights and left Phoenix with a 2-0 lead and a lot of happy fans. It is good that Phoenix is nice and warm; it would be tough to enjoy this sort of atmosphere in a colder climate.
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World Series Games 6 & 7
After the first two games, we drove to Vegas where we watched those 3 incredible games on TV. When Derek Jeter won game 4, we knew we would be going back to Phoenix for the final weekend of the season. As we mentioned, we were unable to get tickets through normal methods so we finally got them for game 6 from a scalper. They were pretty good seats, behind home plate in the upper deck, and we watched Randy Johnson battle Andy Pettitte. I will spare you the gory details, but the Diamondbacks set several World Series records as they romped 15-2. Normally such a game would be dull, but the fans were so pumped that it was incredible. The 8-run third inning will no doubt be one of the best memories of the trip, as the D-backs smacked out hit after hit off Pettitte and reliever Jay Witasick. White pom-poms were handed out and the fans waved them incessantly, creating a mesmerizing effect. Yankee fans were present, but many of them left early, including the couple in front of us who left after the 3rd inning with their team down 12 runs.
After the game, we walked back to our hotel amidst honking cars and wondered if we would be able to get tickets to game 7. On Sunday morning, Aya said that she would prefer to watch the game outside on the big TV, so I walked back to Scalp Central looking for 1 ticket - there were plenty of seats available and after wandering around a bit, I got a decent seat at a decent price. I was pretty excited as I realized that I could witness what might be one of the classic games in baseball history. Roger Clemens vs. Curt Schilling for all the marbles. I couldn't believe that I would be watching this game live.
And as things turned out, the game was more than anyone could have expected! I hope that all of you were able to watch it, and again I will avoid a play-by-play breakdown, but for me, it was the best game I have ever seen and clearly the highlight of the trip. Before the game even started, a stealth bomber flew over the stadium, stunning the crowd. Unbelievable!
Then when New York tied the game in the 7th, rain started falling (huh? I thought we were in Phoenix). But the rain stopped and the D'Backs got their act together, just in time. When Tony Womack doubled down the line to tie the game in the 9th, the crowd went nuts. But then when Luis Gonzalez won the game and the Series with a flare just over Derek Jeter, it was bedlam. Fans were somewhere between shocked and ecstatic (Rivera failed?!), but they knew that the World Championship was theirs! Outside the park, champagne was pouring and new friendships were made as fans celebrated the first pro championship in Arizona history. For me the excitement lied in witnessing the end of the Yankee dynasty and seeing one of the greatest games ever - this was the first time I had been in the city that had won the World Series and I didn't want it to end.
After the game, we partied with the Phoenix faithful - the crowd was celebrating, but not out of control. I really want to let you all know that Arizona fans are fantastic - they were classy all the way - they even cheered Byung-Hyun Kim although he had blown two games in New York. A big congratulations to the Arizona Diamondbacks and their fans - it was a great season and you all deserve it! We are very happy to have witnessed your contribution to baseball history.
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Hockey at 90 Degrees
Although this was the MLB Road Trip, there are other sports to be watched. Before game 1 of the World Series, we went next door to the America West Arena - the Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche were in town to battle the Phoenix Coyotes. It is very surreal to walk from 90 degree heat into an NHL rink, which is of course rather chilly. It is like flying from Phoenix to Ottawa in 30 seconds. You may think you will never need a sweater in Phoenix, but you would be wrong. Of course, we didn't have sweaters and spent the next couple of hours shivering. The game itself was entertaining as Phoenix won 1-0 on a 3rd period goal and there was even a penalty shot that Colorado missed. A good experience for Aya who saw her first regular season NHL game.
This game also provided the strangest and perhaps scariest sight on the trip. We were in our seats a few minutes before the game was to start and a gentleman came down the row toward us. In order to get to his seats, he had to get by two people, but without waiting for them to stand up, he tried to climb over their legs. This was not the right thing to do and he lost his balance, falling into the next row and then the next row, and then the next row, and on and on and on...he fell down 6 rows, spilling coffee over other spectators in the process. He landed in the second row of the upper deck, which was probably fortunate because if he had gone two rows further, he would have gone over the railing into the lower bowl. His wife was shocked but the man seemed relatively OK as he sat in a seat eating a pretzel while awaiting medical attention. The arena's medical staff was quick to the scene and they took the guy away in a wheelchair, probably to a hospital. We hope he was OK, but provide this story as a reminder that you should always wait for people to get up before going to your seat.
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Arizona Fall League
Most of you probably think the professional baseball season is over, now that the World Series has finished. But this is not true - there is still more ball to be seen on our trip, courtesy of the Arizona Fall League. This developmental league consists of 6 teams all based in the Phoenix area. Each team consists of the best prospects from 5 major league teams - for example, the Scottsdale Scorpions boast players from the Toronto, Montreal, Arizona, Cleveland, and Kansas City. These players are considered to be the best prospects by their major league teams and the league gives them the opportunity to play against the best prospects from other teams. The season starts at the beginning of October and runs for 6 weeks.
The games here are the best you can see in minor league ball - for $5 you can sit anywhere, and there are so few fans (one game we saw had an attendance of 142) that you can truly sit anywhere. There is no between-inning entertainment, just baseball. You can bring it any food you want, and the stadiums that are used are the spring training homes of several major league teams, so they are quality ballparks. During the game, you can hear the players and the umpires and they can hear you. The players are accessible and friendly, and the fans are true baseball fans. I wish we could stay here for two more weeks to watch more games - I highly recommend that anyone coming to Phoenix in October or November make plans to check out a game - details on the teams and the stadiums are available at the MLB website, www.mlb.com.
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The World Series is over but we will hang out here in Phoenix to check out more of the Arizona Fall League and some basketball as the Memphis (formerly Vancouver) Grizzlies visit the Suns. Then it's over to Anaheim for some Mighty Duck hockey and finally back to Seattle, where we will end the driving portion of the trip on November 12th. Aya flies back to Japan on the 15th and that will officially end the MLB Road Trip *2001*. We will send one more considerably shorter update before then, which will summarize our trip. Until then, have fun!
Talk to you later,
Sean and Aya
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