Originally written December 3, 2011

Going into my trip out to Phoenix, it would turn out that the schedule made it so that I would be visiting Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, twice.  At first, I was a little disappointed that the conflicting schedules between my time out in Arizona with with Arizona Fall League's schedule meant that I would be seeing one park twice, with one park not at all.  But after my initial visit to Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, I had absolutely no qualms at all going back the following night.

If I had one complaint at all about Salt River Fields, it would probably be that I never got to enjoy the luxury of watching a game there, during the day time.  Both trips out to Salt River were for night games, meaning the cool chill of fall was always prevalent, and for the most part, the day was over afterward.  Regardless, such are a small gripe for what was easily top-2 of the AFL ballparks.

Salt River Fields at Talking Stick serves as the Spring Training headquarters for both the Arizona Diamondbacks as well as their NL West adversaries, Colorado Rockies. Perhaps it's the backing of two franchises to one property, but without question, Salt River Fields is easily the most luxurious ballpark in the AFL, where they serve as home to the Salt River Rafters, a team comprising of prospects from the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the host Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Words really can't do the place justice; Salt River is a beautiful venue on pretty much all accounts.  The complex sits on a wide secluded plot of Pima Indian land, and at night, it's easy to see a baseball complex right off the highway.  Arriving at the ballpark itself, there's plenty of parking, and the considerate convenience for the less capable of assisted shuttles.  The ticket booths are large, glass and sophisticated looking, and the layout of the complex itself is wide, spacious and airy.

Upon entering the ballpark, it's a beautiful marvel that could probably easily serve as a Triple-A level venue.  There are lots of seats, plenty of cover, a second deck of seating and even luxury boxes.  In the outfield is a wide expanse of creative architecture framing a well-manicured bern section for kids and families to spread out blankets and fight over home run balls if they were to come in that direction.  And beyond those outfield grasses, on opposite ends of the outfield, are two prevalent buildings with obvious colors and logo markings, designating the Spring Training offices and facilities for both the Diamondbacks and Rockies.  The field itself is a thing of beauty, and it's clearly evident that there is a great deal of care that goes into the maintenance of the playing field before, during and after every game. 

Twice watching games at Salt River Fields was a genuine treat and a privilege.  Easily, it's the nicest of all the AFL parks; something could be said about that it's also the newest of the AFL parks, but really, it should be the kind of bar setting that other parks should consider to improve upon.

On a sort of unrelated topic, it was at Salt River Fields where I was able to meet someone I always told myself I would speak to if I ever met her – Cindy “The Flag Lady,” (feat. intro pic) who is a fixture at Chase Field during Diamondbacks home games, is also a staunch supporter of Baby Diamondbacks and had been showing up to Salt River Fields to support the Dback prospects of tomorrow.  For years of seeing her on television occasionally when the Braves played in Arizona, I have admired her unconditional love for her team, and willingness to be there no matter how good or bad the seasons may have been.  Seeing her at Salt River Fields was a pleasant surprise, and it was only a matter of time before I ended up in her section, and was able to share several innings of fascinating and wonderful conversation.  Cindy is a fantastic human being, and in an era of baseball where advanced statistics and analysis are slowly dehumanizing the game, it's refreshing to find someone who still sees primarily the human element of the game and unconditionally supports her team no matter what.  With an endless well of stories about her own travels, experiences, the Diamondbacks, as well as players from other teams, two evenings' worth of games was hardly enough to fully enjoy and appreciate Cindy's company, and I look forward to future trips to the AFL and eventually, Chase Field to get the opportunity again to hang out with Cindy.

Notable Performances: The Arizona Fall League is known for being somewhat of a hitter's league, due to the fact that top-tier pitchers often do not show up, and the thin desert air cultivates for soaring hit flyballs.  But Arizona Diamondbacks prospect, David Nick, decided to take such reputation to heart in the two nights I spent at Salt River.  For all intents and purposes, in the first game that I record for this site's purpose, Nick went a perfect 4-for-4, hitting a double, and more importantly a two-run home run that turned out to be the difference in the game.  For the record, the next night, Nick did not record an out until his fourth at-bat, making it a stretch of seven consecutive at-bats where he did not make an out.

Game Result: It was an exciting game which saw several bullpen implosions and meltdowns from both teams; being on Veteran's Day, the MLB Network was nationally televising the game, leading to the speculation that some players felt a twinge of pressure knowing that anyone who wanted to see them, they could.  But in the end, it would be the home team Salt River Rafters who prevailed over the visiting Mesa Solar Sox, by a score of 7-6.

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