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Baseball Primer Newsblog — The Best News Links from the Baseball Newsstand Friday, June 22, 2018Taking Back the Ballparks - Arizona DiamondbacksFollowing the lead of the Rangers, the Diamondbacks owners were in negotiations over the conditions of their 20-year-old ballpark, which I like to think of as Miller Park Southwest (I’ve only been to Miller, but they strike me as pretty similar. Their retractable roof set-ups look alike from my screen, and the Bernie-only slide in Milwaukee is countered by the pool built in the desert for inebriated Phoenicians and celebrating Dodgers). That issue appears to be settled. At least for now. You can never say never, since there’s no quit in extortionist. I do have high hopes the name you guys come up with will be a good one. The Diamondbacks, while a little long, is a great baseball nickname, meeting my two main requirements (uniqueness and local relevance), and as a bonus, it’s got a baseball term tucked in. Along those lines, despite arriving on the scene much later than the rest of the major facilities, Phoenix’s Sky Harbor is the best-named airport in America, or at least the best since the tongue-tickling Idlewild became one of 11,232 things in New York to change its name to JFK in the mid-60s. Of course, the club also represents one of the true sources of destruction of the American ideal. Our problem isn’t in the ability to name things, but nickname them. Two perfectly suitable diminutives exist for Diamondbacks, either Backs or Snakes, and Diamonds would do in a pinch. Instead, we get the thoroughly artless D-Backs. If the Pittsburgh club was born near the turn of this century, instead of the last one, we’d undoubtedly be eschewing Bucs for P-Rates. Blecch. Ballpark History Built: 1998 Capacity: 48,686 Name: Chase Field 2006-present. Formerly called Bank One Ballpark (2000-05). Distinctive Features:The skinny tie of dirt that connects the pitcher’s mound to home; swimming pool beyond right field; first retractable roof stadium paired with natural grass; like everything else in Phoenix, working AC. The Diamondbacks annually rank first in the Fan Cost Index, which estimates the average price for a family of four to attend a game. That’s a nice feature.
On Oct 3, 1999, Jay Bell tripled and homered to lead the Diamondbacks to a 10-3 win over visiting San Diego, the 100th victory of the campaign for a team just one season removed from its first year of existence. Of the sport’s other 13 expansion franchises, only five (New York Mets, LA Angels, Seattle, Houston and Kansas City) have ever won 100 in any season. On May 8, 2001, Randy Johnson fanned 20 Cincinnati Reds before exiting after nine innings of the eventual 4-3, 11-inning Diamondback win. Because the game lasted more than nine, even if the Unit didn’t, the feat isn’t listed in the record book alongside Clemens, Wood and Scherzer. Luis Gonzalez’s cued a single over the head of a drawn-in Derek Jeter off future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera to cap a two-run ninth-inning rally and one of the best World Series of the last 30 years. The fourth-year Diamondbacks won their only title despite Bob Brenly’s dogged efforts to prevent that from happening. In 2006, Jake Peavy and six relievers combined to shut out Mexico in the United States’ inaugural game of the World Baseball Classic. In 2009, Opening Day starter Brandon Webb, who had placed first, second and second in voting for the three previous NL Cy Young awards, was lifted after four innings. He would never throw another pitch in the big leagues, thus retiring as the greatest Diamondbacks-only player in club history. SoSH U at work
Posted: June 22, 2018 at 08:00 AM | 44 comment(s)
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1. Lance Reddick! Lance him! Posted: June 22, 2018 at 10:17 AM (#5697738)Salt River Valley Park
Crotalus Field
Viperidae Park
Okay, that went downhill quickly.
I'm determined to get at least one grounds.
Rattlesnake Field
The cool kids are ignoring masses and using Capitol Street Grounds.
That vote was probably my biggest disappointment so far.
The longtime Phoenix AAA team played at... Phoenix Municipal Stadium and then at Scottsdale Stadium. Two stadiums that both still exist and have boring names that would be factually incorrect. No help there.
Oooh, I really like this one.
No, I think this is different. Snake pit connotes a dangerous place for the opponent to enter, i.e. "You're entering a snake pit".
This is not a negative commentary on the Diamondbacks. It's like teams playing "Welcome to the Jungle" and trying to get their fans to be load.
Camelback Grounds
Or
Gila River Park
Saguaro Fields
Sonoran's Edge
I'm with Lance here. One Fish Tank was fine.
It's still more a nickname than a name.
True.
But the potential names are pretty uninspiring.
Why is this a negative? This whole project is based on the notion that names like "Chase Field" are more corporate advertisements than proper ballpark names. Plus, Arizona is a newer franchise. They should be less beholden to traditional ballpark names. They should embrace the opportunity to be more casual. The White Sox naming their ballpark the "Sock Drawer" is stupid. The Padres naming their park the "Monastery" is wacky and delightful.
Given the history of the area, "The Mission" would be more apropos.
Given the voting that's already taken place, we'd tend to agree.
That sounds a lot like, "they're an expansion team, not a real franchise."
I think, in general, nicknames are what you use in place of the real name. Not the real name.
You expect me to remember stuff from last August? :-)
It's so anti-cool, it's cool!
Yes, those ballparks like Wrigley Field and Busch Stadium don't have proper names.
There is no good name here because Phoenix is so delightfully dystopian and there's no good local business to name it after.
That being said, I'd call it "The Boneyard" named after the aircraft storage facilities that are all over Arizona.
They should call it "Paradise Palms Field". Sure, it's meaningless, but it coheres with the generic we're-going-to-keep-fooling-ourselves-into-believing-that-a-giant-sprawling-metropolis-in-the-middle-of-the-desert-is-a-good-idea naming convention that pervades the Phoenix metro area.
Yes, those ballparks like Wrigley Field and Busch Stadium don't have proper names.
The major difference being the people who owned those corporations owned the team. The Wrigleys and the Buschs had long associations with the franchises.
-Southwest Park
-Don't You Wish You Were In Tucson Field
-The Vast Wasteland
Finally, given the association of the Diamondbacks to the Garagiola family, it would seem appropriate to name the stadium in honor of Curt Gowdy, Tony Kubek, Vin Scully, Jack Buck, Harry Caray, or a list of others in the sports-broadcasting field, for reasons that are public knowledge.
No, it's not a serious suggestion.
(Still seething about 2001)
Wouldn't Phoenix Municipal Stadium be enough to demonstrate that?
Reach was only because I liked the sound of it. Sonoran Grounds, Sonoran Park etc.
Name it after the desert it inhabits.
I consulted a friend, and based on BOB, he suggested the "Twin Peaks"-inspired Rosen Field. It's too jokey for me to advocate, but also too clever not to share.
The Copper Kingdom: Named after the substance that built the state and also an early Arizona team, the Copper Kings. Think of the gleaming architectural possibilities.
Bonds Ballpark: Named after the greatest player to come out of (and nearly be thrown out of) Arizona State University. The initials and the heritage could lead to an increase in walk rate for the team.
Tillman Field: People in Arizona love Pat Tillman. I know a ten-year-old with the first name "Tillman."
Warren Ballpark: Bisbee, Arizona, just miles from the Mexico border, is home to the oldest multi-use sports facility in the country, having been used for baseball and football since 1909.
Coccidioidomycosis Field: When I was growing up in Phoenix, our TV cartoons were continually interrupted by PSAs warning about the dangers of Valley Fever, caused by inhalation of a fungus that grows in arid soil. I can still hear the voiceover: "Distant, dry, and dusty . . ."
Midway through the paint job.
I feel like anything Saguaro-related could use an addition of "Blossom."
Would simply naming it after one of the mines be out of the question? Copper Queen Park? The Lavender Pit?
Saguaro Grounds is also nice. This would be a good time to get ourselves a "Grounds."
Reach was only because I liked the sound of it. Sonoran Grounds, Sonoran Park etc.
Name it after the desert it inhabits.
How is that pronounced?
Saguaro Fields
Same question.
suh-WAHR-oh or suh-GWAHR-oh, depending on how much Spanish flare you muster.
But there are some pretty good suggestions here. 'Sonoran Grounds' is pretty good, so is 'Pheonix Municipal Stadium'.
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