Originally written December 3, 2011

Surprise Stadium was a must-go for me, simply for the fact that the Saguaros were the team that housed Atlanta Braves prospects.  Additionally, Mesa HoHoKam Stadium was also a must-go for me, because honestly, who could not take the time out to go visit a place called “HoHoKam?”

I have no idea why the name fascinates me so much, but for whatever those reasons may be, it was a priority to visit HoHoKam, even if it meant cutting another ballpark short.  On the last day in which I was in Arizona, afternoon games started at both Scottsdale and HoHoKam at 1:00 p.m. MST.  An executive decision was made that we would start in Scottsdale, and watch the first three innings of baseball there, but then we would immediately vacate the premise, and head directly down to Mesa, so we could watch the remainder of the game at HoHoKam.

So after the third inning ended in Scottsdale, it was off to the races, and I made it down to Mesa in short time.  Fortunately for me, whatever was going on within the confines of HoHoKam were slow and deliberate, and when I entered the park, the game was still in the bottom of the fourth inning.  I was expecting to maybe catch the final three innings, but instead, I got to see four and a half.

In terms of ranking, my top three are pretty evident with Surprise, Salt River and Scottsdale in that order.  Mesa HoHoKam was no less good of an experience as the other parks were, but the truth of the matter is that it’s got some aesthetic hangups that I rate them lower upon.  But it doesn’t change the fact that I still had a great experience at HoHoKam.

It started off so perfectly, because of the fact that I was allowed to enter completely for free.  A maintenance worker had a side gate open as I was walking through the parking lot, and conceded that since the game had already started, and that I was obviously there for AFL baseball, he simply let me in. A wonderful gesture, and another reason why I think AFL baseball was the greatest baseball experience in the world.

Upon entering the ballpark, I’d have to say that the layout of the complex was a little odd to me; HoHoKam is one of the larger ballparks in the league, which isn’t much of a surprise considering it’s the Spring Training home to arguably the most popular National League team of them all in the Chicago Cubs.  I guess what I’m trying to say is that the inner walkway of the complex aren’t symmetrical, and only seem to have accessibility from one half of the ballpark, with the other end being a giant concrete wall.

When walking into the seating area, the entire venue radiates a college ballpark kind of feel.  Seating is wide and expansive, and out of all the AFL parks, HoHoKam appeared to be the only one that had an entire second level with restrooms and concessions available.  There was a vast number of seating, and they had an entire section of bleachers in addition.

However, everything about the HoHoKam itself kind of gave off a dated, cheap, or unkempt feel to it.  The layout of the park was tired, and not necessarily in the classy way a classic car can be retained.  The aesthetics of the entire place were kind of bland, and the field itself looked poorly kept, with obvious divots in the turf, and oddly discolored patches of grass.

But aesthetics aside, the experience was still good.  It was a comfortable day in which to have watched some baseball, and the lack of a crowd made it relaxing and easy to move about wherever I wanted to.  It was at this game that I actually managed to snag two foul balls, which I’ve never done before in all of the baseball games I’ve been to in my life.  Typically, I like to save the best for last, but as far as AFL parks were concerned, I was swimming in the dark.  No matter, it’s not like I had to pay to get into HoHoKam, and I still got to visit a place called HoHoKam.  The experience was excellent, and no matter what, when my travels bring me out to Arizona again, I’d have qualms with visiting HoHoKam again.

Notable Performances: I saw him two nights prior in Salt River, where he sprayed hits all over the field in an impressive display of hitting prowess, driving in two runs in the process.  I saw him again on this particular day, and Peoria’s Scooter Gennett, of the Milwaukee Brewers was easily one of the more impressive players I saw throughout the entire time I was out there.  On this particular day, he collected two more hits; both of them doubles, and collected two RBI in the process.  After I came back from Arizona, I was astonished to see that he was pretty much one of the best hitters of the entire league, but seeing his ability to find and actually hit to the gaps was very impressive, and I’m pleased to say I’ve seen him before he will ultimately succeed in making it to the show.

Game Result: I was only there for the final five innings of the game, but at least I was able to see a conclusion.  The Peoria Javelinas beat the hosting Mesa Solar Sox, 4-2.

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