State of the Home Stand Address - August 20-26

This was an important home stand for the Diamondbacks. It marked a stretch where the Diamondbacks would face several teams with winning records and would have play-off implications. The three games with the Brewers again saw fairly lackluster attendance considering that the Arizona Diamondbacks are the hottest team in baseball since the all-star break. Attendance averaged 28,801 for the series which means Chase Field was approximately 59 percent full. Those numbers were boosted by a crowd of 31,720 on Wednesday when Brandon Webb attempted to continue his scoreless innings streak. That is not a lot of people considering the historical significance of the record Webb was pursuing. Still the Diamondbacks are not complaining as they are slightly ahead of season projections for attendance. The weekend series with the Cubs drew substantially better which is normally the case when the Cubs come to town. The average for these three games was 40,592 nearly 9,000 more than saw the Brewers series. The bad part was that those extra 9,000 people per game were all dressed in Cubs merchandise and cheered loudly for the loveable losers.
There were several new things at Chase Field that were unveiled during this home stand. The team announced that for the remainder of the season they would be donating a portion of the ticket price to the United Way. This is a great gesture on their part and hopefully people will respond knowing that part of the money they have spent getting into the game has gone to charity.
Along the bottom of the overhang of the upper deck the Diamondbacks have installed signs depicting each of the Gila River Casinos within the state. There were signs before but they have been replaced with ones that are backlit to stand out more. During the Brewers series there was one single sign but by the end of the home stand they had been installed all along the deck railing. The signs are Sedona Red and white so they are not overpowering and they do fit into the overall color scheme.
The team has also introduced a new marketing strategy that they are tying into their broadcasts where they are asking fans to come to the game and show their team spirit by making signs. Throughout the game these signs are displayed on the JumboTron or on the television boardcast. For those fans who were unable to make signs at home the Diamondbacks have created a sign-making area where fans are provided with poster board and markers to create their message. The sign-making is overseen by the Rally Back crew to make sure the messages remain tasteful. This is a great idea but the team has chosen to use large Sharpie markers that smell horrible. You can barely walk through the concourse without passing out from the fumes of the markers. I'm really hoping that they can find some less fragrant markers to use before fans start dropping like flies from the smell.
In addition to the sign making the Diamondbacks have also set up a video station where fans are allowed to give a brief video comment to the team showing their team spirit. Those fans who show the most spirit will be shown on the JumboTron during the game. So far the winners have also received T-shirts and been given an opportunity to be in the booth with Bobby Freeman during the 7th Inning Stretch. The winners so far seem to be those who can yell the loudest into the camera rather than who is the most dedicated. Perhaps they should focus more on creativity and less on who is the most obnoxious. We want dedicated fans like St. Louis not psychotic fans like Boston or Chicago.
If my family is any indication, the most important thing that happened to Chase Field during this home stand was the reopening of Futures Field. Futures Field is a waffle ball field located on the upper deck next to the roof control room. It is a place where kids can go and learn to hit the ball. It is operated by the Diamondbacks training staff and has been a favorite of the kids. It is open every game from first pitch through the seventh inning. During the last home stand it closed with a notice that it would reopen as a more permanent facility in the future. We didn't realize that the future was so close. The new Futures Field looks like a replica of Chase Field complete with opening panels and pictures of the crowd in the bleachers. It is amazing and the kids love it. The Diamondbacks also created a batting cage for the larger children behind Futures Field and three playground equipment toys adjacent to the area giving families several options for kids when they get tired of watching the ball game. Dakota has given the new area rave reviews even though he is too big for some of the smaller areas. His one suggestion for improvement would be to install a monitor near the queue line for the batting cages so that those standing in line and those working the batting cage can see the game.
Overall there were many new things in and around Chase Field that are sure to enhance the fan's experience. The Diamondbacks are doing their part to make this a fun place to watch a game and have a family event. Now it is up to the fans to come and take advantage of these experiences and see why being at a game is much more fun than watching one on television.