Chase Field in Phoenix

And there is a ballpark in Arizona where Major Leaguers play during the regular season!  

The exterior of the "BOB," as it was affectionately known for eight seasons, is very modern, and its distinctive silhouette (it's especially distinctive when the roof is open) can be seen for miles and miles.   The building is so large that the US Air Arena, its neighbor which is home to the NBA and formerly the NHL, could fit inside the Diamondbacks' stadium eight times.

There are a lot of good aspects of this facility, but there are also some drawbacks.  For instance, when the roof (which is not translucent at all) is closed, you feel more like you're in a gymnasium than a baseball facility.  And when that roof is closed for day games (yes, I understand the need to keep the blistering sun out and the air conditioning in), there are blinding streaks of sunshine that peak through the high windows at the rear of the upper deck, which can be annoying. 

But a lot of the features of this place are positive.  The natural-grass field is a real plus, and the retractable roof is state-of-the-art, as it is both quiet and fast.  By comparison, this roof takes one-fifth as long to open or close as the SkyDome in Toronto.  And they make a big production out of it while they are actually in the process of opening the roof, which is usually about half an hour before night games.  The photo (below right) shows the roof as it as about to close.  There are also huge panels on both sides of the scoreboard which are artsy on the outside (see the lefthand photo) but have ads on the inside.  Those panels are also in the process of being opened in the photo on the right.

 
Return to The best of the parks opened in the '90s

Return to The Parks of Arizona page