ASU baseball announces move to Phoenix Muni

[Dback Jon]

In the 1960s and 70s, Arizona State's baseball team played several high-profile games at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Some forty years later, the Sun Devils will be calling the park home on a permanent basis.

The City of Phoenix and Arizona State made the announcement that the Sun Devils would be relocating to the ballpark for the 2015 season Tuesday morning.

"This is a walk-off grand slam for ASU and the City of Phoenix," Mayor Greg Stanton said. "I was proud to work with President Crow at the development of this idea and to continue our partnership on economic success in Phoenix and our region. Thank you for partnering with our city, and I look forward to seeing the Devils continue their brand of winning baseball in their new stadium."

Arizona State had been in talks to share the new Riverview Baseball facility in Mesa with the Chicago Cubs, but an agreement couldn't be worked out.


http://arizonasports.com/118/1629090/ASU-baseball-announces-move-to-Phoenix-Muni

 

[Dback Jon]

I didn't realize the A's were moving to HoHoKam - seems like a downgrade there.

 

[Mulli]

Cool. Will always love Muni. Watched many a Phoenix Giant/Firebird game there. Packard: meh.

 

[crisper57]

Packard was a dump. Hot seats, no shade. I hated watching ASU games there compared to other PAC 12 facilities.

I think Hohokam is getting a face lift for the A's. Might be a slight upgrade when that is done.

 

[HooverDam]

This is a great move all around. A's will get an upgraded HoHoKam, ASU gets a nicer stadium that theyll upgrade a bit and they have history there.

I hope ASU removes the bleachers down the sidelines and puts in grass berms like they have at Packard. There's no outfield grass berms at PHX Muni and the current capacity is probably too big for ASU.

Itll be interesting to see what the City of Phoenix does with all those A's practice fields. As ASU doesn't have a huge system of minor leaguers to work out, I doubt they'd need them. ASU can use the field just behind RF wall of Phx Muni and maybe those other fields can be more used by the public for rec leagues and such.

I also hope this means in the future PHX looks into partnering w/ Tempe on the Modern Streetcar line. There's already rumors Mesa wants in on that project to bring it to Riverview. Another line following Rio Salado past the Tempe Arts Center and then up Priest though Papago Park to connect to PHX Muni, the Zoo & DBG would be great.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

I'll miss Packard, but I think Phoenix Muni is a great choice.

I remember a lot of Firebird games there (with the misting systems).

 

[chickenhead]

I love this move. I have the Giants/Firebirds nostalgia as well, but also just think Muni is a very cool and under-appreciated ballpark. Totally agree about the grass berms, and like many never understood why the A's didn't try to make that happen when it's so obviously a popular selling point for casual fans at Scottsdale Stadium.

I have good memories of Packard, and having the ballpark on campus is always good, but I think Muni could become a signature location in the world of college baseball. Can't wait to see the best uniforms in the sport take the field.

 

[Gaddabout]

Muni is to small baseball parks what SDS is to football stadiums. It's just beautiful and unique there. Love it. Centrally located.

 

[Gee!]

Well all those years and good memories of watching the Firebirds there just shot straight down the drain..

 

[Dback Jon]

Well all those years and good memories of watching the Firebirds there just shot straight down the drain..

Didn't the Firebirds play at Scottsdale Stadium?

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Well all those years and good memories of watching the Firebirds there just shot straight down the drain..

You can always tell someone's age by how they refer to the old minor league team that played there.

I used to go watch the Phoenix Giants play when Legend City was still next to the stadium. Actually chased down many foul balls inside Legend City.

Younger people remember the team after its name change to the Firebirds.

 

[Mulli]

You can always tell someone's age by how they refer to the old minor league team that played there.

I used to go watch the Phoenix Giants play when Legend City was still next to the stadium. Actually chased down many foul balls inside Legend City.

Younger people remember the team after its name change to the Firebirds.

I am 41 and I remember both. .

 

[AzStevenCal]

I am 58 and barely remember what I had for breakfast but I do remember watching a few hundred Giants games there. Great times.

Steve

 

[Gee!]

You can always tell someone's age by how they refer to the old minor league team that played there.

I used to go watch the Phoenix Giants play when Legend City was still next to the stadium. Actually chased down many foul balls inside Legend City.

Younger people remember the team after its name change to the Firebirds.

I remember them as the Giants too.. Even have a Matt Williams Phoenix Giants card.. I just refuse to call them that..

Plus I liked the Firebirds name and logo better..

 

[Gee!]

tell me this ain't cool..

 

[HooverDam]

tell me this ain't cool..

Wish the Dbacks would've just gone with this like the Padres and Angels did. Arizona Diamondbacks is so long and clunky. Plus I prefer when the pro teams go by the City name and college teams have the State name. Another nice touch that people don't always notice is Firebirds colors are the colors of the Az state flag.

 

[Gaddabout]

You can always tell someone's age by how they refer to the old minor league team that played there.

I used to go watch the Phoenix Giants play when Legend City was still next to the stadium. Actually chased down many foul balls inside Legend City.

Brian knocked me down as we were both trying to chase down Dennis Littlejohn's foul ball in 1981.

 

[Azlen]

I remember climbing over the fence when I was a kid and watching Giant's games with the girl who ran the scoreboard. I think she was bored back there and liked the company. She even let us hang the numbers sometimes.

 

[HooverDam]

I remember climbing over the fence when I was a kid and watching Giant's games with the girl who ran the scoreboard. I think she was bored back there and liked the company. She even let us hang the numbers sometimes.

Oh man this sounds like the basis for a 80s coming of age movie. Especially if she was pretty and a little older and one of you ended up getting to kiss her.

 

[Mulli]

Brian knocked me down as we were both trying to chase down Dennis Littlejohn's foul ball in 1981.

Guy Sularz!

 

[Azlen]

Oh man this sounds like the basis for a 80s coming of age movie. Especially if she was pretty and a little older and one of you ended up getting to kiss her.

I would have needed to be a few years older and she would have needed to be a few years younger to get that movie made. I was more interested in how she could tell how the umpire called a ball or a strike than I was in kissing her at the time.

 

[Gaddabout]

Guy Sularz!

He lives in Phoenix still. Sells insurance or something.

 

[Mainstreet]

I watched many a great ASU baseball game at Phoenix Muni. I loved to find a seat behind the third baseball dugout and watch those great teams coached by Bobby Winkles do their magic. Also I was able to talk to players that were to become stars like Reggie Jackson.

ASU and UofA played some great series there. I will always remember the longest home run I have ever seen him by catcher Ron Hassey of the UofA. I was used to watching baseballs hit near the base or lower part of a large batters eye which I think was about 426 feet from the plate. The batters eye was high. Well, Ron Hasey tagged a ball so hard which I waited for the ball to bounce off midway up the batters eye (which would have been a huge accomplishment)... but no, the ball cleared the batters eye with no trouble in a line drive headed into outer space. I still can't believe how hard he hit that ball. That memory always lingers and I'm an ASU fan.

 

[devilalum]

I watched many a great ASU baseball game at Phoenix Muni. I loved to find a seat behind the third baseball dugout and watch those great teams coached by Bobby Winkles do their magic. Also I was able to talk to players that were to become stars like Reggie Jackson.

ASU and UofA played some great series there. I will always remember the longest home run I have ever seen him by catcher Ron Hassey of the UofA. I was used to watching baseballs hit near the base or lower part of a large batters eye which I think was about 426 feet from the plate. The batters eye was high. Well, Ron Hasey tagged a ball so hard which I waited for the ball to bounce off midway up the batters eye (which would have been a huge accomplishment)... but no, the ball cleared the batters eye with no trouble in a line drive headed into outer space. I still can't believe how hard he hit that ball. That memory always lingers and I'm an ASU fan.

I saw Dave Kingman hit one over that batter's eye with a wooden bat.

 

[Mainstreet]

I saw Dave Kingman hit one over that batter's eye with a wooden bat.

That was an accomplishment.

Those were the days of wooden bats in the 60's. The batters eye in Phoenix Muni was intimidating. I don't even remember Reggie Jackson coming close.