Cactus League 2011 Promotions!

Great news everyone!  The 2011 Cactus League opens up on Friday, February 25th with the World Champion San Francisco Giants hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks.  There are 2 games scheduled for Saturday, including a sold out Arizona Diamondbacks grand opening of the new Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. 

There are 6 games on Sunday and then all teams are in action starting Monday.

For more info on the teams in the Cactus League including schedules and stadium info, check out this great website: http://www.cactusleague.com/

Also - there are lots of great giveaways at all of the ballparks throughout the season, but here are a few special promotions worth mentioning:

On Sunday, February 27th, the Dodgers are giving away backpacks to the first 1,000 kids.  Camelback Ranch is a beautiful stadium in Glendale, very close to Westgate, where the Cardinals and Coyotes are located.  Here is more info: http://www.camelbackranchbaseball.com/

The Milwaukee Brewers play at Maryvale Stadium in central Phoenix and again this year have some fun promotional events.  On March 5th they will have a Robin Yount bobblehead, on March 21st they will have a Hank Aaron bobblehead, and on March 26th they will have an Italian Sausage bobblehead!  These are usually bobbleheads from the prior year's regular MLB season and are a great item to pick up.  They usually have them for the first 1,000 - 2,500 fans.  Call 623-245-5555 for more info.

A lot of the ballparks have events such as Kids Run the Bases days and Autograph Days.   Here are Nick and Ben running the bases after a game at the Goodyear Ballpark from last season:

Check with the stadiums for more info and stay tuned to The Scott Chronicle as well.

Arizona Dbacks FanFest 2011!



Ben & Nick


I attended the Arizona Diamondbacks annual FanFest on February 12th with my two boys, Nick and Ben.



It's a fantastic event for Dback fans as well as all baseball fans.  Being originally from the Northeast, the Red Sox certainly never did anything like this.  Dback games often have great promotions such as bobbleheads and lawn gnomes.  Teams like the Red Sox and Yankees don't give anything away, except maybe the plastic cup for the 12 dollar beers.  The FanFest is another great promotion for the team and they did an outstanding job again this year.



Augie!



The event is filled with things to do for everyone.  There is a Yard Sale where DBack merchandise from prior years is available for great prices.  We each picked up an Augie Ojeda bobblehead from the 2009 season for a buck!  We also found a couple of 1 dollar tshirts and a Chris Young growth chart for 25 cents.  Fun!



There is also an area for vendors to sell baseball and sports related merchandise.  These are your card and memorabilia collectors.  Great stuff.

There is an area with activities for the kids, from obstacle courses to pitching.

One of the treats is that the ballplayers and managers are available.  Autograph sessions occur throughout the event and the local sports radio station broadcasts all day, interviewing players, managers and executives.

Several wiffle ball fields are set up and the kids get to take a few swings with the players and feel like a real big leaguer.

It's a fun event for all and a great way to get the family excited for the upcoming baseball season!  This is our 3rd FanFest and we had a great time again this year.  This is an extra special year as the Dbacks will be hosting the 2011 MLB All-Star game!