Spring Training 2021: What you need to know
Despite Covid, visiting Phoenix for White Sox baseball was a real treat. Tickets are scarce and there are restrictions but hearing the crack of the bat for the first time in a long time was great.
How to get tickets?
White Sox share their desert home with the Dodgers and neither ticket was overpriced from the box office but unfortunately games sold out because of the limited capacity. Tickets are also sold in pods of 2, 4, or 6 also driving up costs. Other parks like Salt River Fields, home of the Diamondbacks and Rockies, and Peoria Sports Complex, home of the Mariners and the Padres, sold their tickets at an inflated rate for this season so the secondary market is pretty cost-prohibitive. Also, keep in mind that some parks including Salt River charge for parking too. If money is no object and you are looking for tickets, weekday games will save you a bit and so will choosing a park with lower box office costs like Camelback or Surprise. You can find tickets on Ticketmaster and Gametime for resale up to about an hour before the game.
Where should I stay and how do I get to the park?
The Cactus League parks circle Phoenix and so staying close to the park you are visiting makes sense. If visiting Camelback Park, try the Glendale Entertainment District. With a bunch of hotel options and the mall-like entertainment district walkable, you can get away with not renting a car and taking rideshare. A couple of the hotels also offer a shuttle to and from the games at Camelback. Most of the other parks also offer lodging in close proximity and with plenty of nightlife. This year I stayed downtown and I wouldn’t give it too many advantages besides being more centrally located. But in a place where you can get pretty much anywhere in a half hour it not to big a deal. I thought the advantage would be better restaurants but it was only a bit better than the suburban counterparts and it felt a bit sad during the day on the weekends. Ultimately the main question this year became to rent a car or not. If you want to enjoy some adult beverages it makes sense to Uber but plan ahead. Rideshare cars are few and far between (maybe because of the pandemic) and costs are elevated. Some Dodgers fans I talked to waited an hour and a half for their Uber from Peoria and it was very very expensive. I am sure my experiences were influenced by COVID and we will see how things change for 2022.
How was the park experience?
Many of the restrictions implemented at Camelback Ranch will be similar to those that will be at many major league parks. All concessions were credit card only and no bags or purses were allowed. I carried a large wallet on a loop that was big enough to carry my phone, card, ID, and travel sunscreen. Concessions were plentiful and as always Camelback didn’t disappoint. There were plenty of merch vendors with a cool spring training line.
There are no autographs this year but plenty of balls were tossed over the net to the kids and players came by the net for waves.
Overall it was a great experience to catch some rays and watch some baseball.
