The “Second” Adventure of 2022: Eli(zondo) and Adric in Phoenix

The following is not a Guide entry, because I am still sifting through my notes on how one should best fully experience Chase Field in Phoenix. That said, Eric suggested that we could always use more content regarding my experience on the road. #JuniorCircuit.

Introduction

I had quite a bit of fun when traveling over this Memorial Day weekend for my “second” adventure of the year—

[Dramatization may not have happened.]

I never thought I would be one to embrace memes but here we are. I suffer from a couple of forms of arthritis that I treat (successfully) with medication. Generally, I am able to function relatively normally without too much pain or discomfort. However, when my condition is terrible, I’m basically bedridden. So I made the call to cancel going to Philadelphia and Washington D.C. I lost out on a couple of deposits and had to sell my tickets for a loss, but it was the right decision.

After the debacle last year in Miami (where I dodged a tropical storm and juggled moving to go to a single game), I realized that sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. A few folks have asked about my process for planning these trips and that information is worth sharing at a later date.

The weather cooperated on this trip, as it was warm but not unbearable. Thankfully, I was treated to two entertaining games from parts of the ballpark that I had not visited before this trip.

May 28, 2022

Michael Elizondo / TrueBlueLA

Consequently enough, the move of the start time of this game from 6 p.m. to 4 p.m. truly messed with my plans. Originally, I had planned to take a tour of Chase Field, as I have a standing rule for if I have the opportunity to take a tour of a location, I will do so. As the game was moved for a national audience, the latest start time for any tour here was moved to the literal time of my flight in San Francisco.

Accordingly, I had just enough time to get to my hotel, change, and take a hotel shuttle to the ballpark. I then had to get to my seat on less than full strength as my legs were bothering me to the point of being uncomfortable.

What stood out most to me during this game, apart from live-tweeting, was the continuing maturation of Tony “I’m not a cat” Gonsolin.

Last year’s Gonsolin kept nibbling in the strike zone and kept walking people to the point of being ineffective. As I have previously discussed, Tony Gonsolin is probably my favorite Dodger, and if the current comment system was not terrible I would link to that story. As such, it was neat seeing the turnaround from last year’s performance.

In any event, it was a good entertaining game that could have gone either way.

May 29, 2022

Michael Elizondo / TrueBlueLA

I do not normally arrive late to the ballpark, but as previously discussed I was not at 100 percent. I finally made it to my seat at the end of the first inning, and the game accommodated me as nothing really happened. Sitting near the Dodgers bullpen at Chase Field was not as an interesting experience as sitting by them in St. Louis or San Francisco, as they literally were ten feet away from you at all times. But sometimes fate gives you an opportunity to see something neat:

I could supplement the official recap, but there are two things I would like to share from this game from my vantage point. There was a moment in the later innings when Mookie Betts tossed a ball into the right field bleachers where the ball ricocheted into the seats directly in front of the wall, which looks like a fun place to sit. In a moment where the Diamondbacks were appealing a decision on the field, Mookie Betts took a moment to banter with the folks who ended up with the ball he tossed. I thought it was a really nice moment.

Michael Elizondo / TrueBlueLA

While the Dodgers won, thanks to some timely hitting and Craig Kimbrel not falling off the tightrope (yet), this game was also quite entertaining, albeit difficult to watch due to how far away I was. However, it’s not like I didn’t get decent views of some of the action.

The main takeaway is who I didn’t see: Justin Matthew Turner. As I previously discussed, I saw Justin Turner in all 31 games I went to last season. I did some checking and going back to September 2018, every Dodger game I went to, 37 in total, Justin Turner played (the last game I went to in San Francisco - Game 161, both games in 2019 (San Francisco - including “Go get it out of the Bay”), and all three games so far, before this one.

And on that particular Sunday, Justin Turner did not play. And it was weird. And in case you were wondering, had I gone to Philadelphia and D.C., the streak would have snapped in D.C. as Turner did not play in the rout that was Game 1 of that series.

Okay, I think this post served its purpose as a palate cleanser, so I’ll cut it short here. The next report will come in less than a week when I report back to you from (checks weather report) cloudy and rainy Chicago at Guaranteed Rate Field and Wrigley Field (one must always visit the confines if only for a tour if one is in town).

Great. I’ll bring layers. See you then.