With my next sports-related trip south of the border looking to be a very, very long time away in the future, I’m thinking back fondly on a couple of my last sports experiences during a visit to Phoenix late last fall. On account of attending a work-related conference, it gave me an opportunity for my first ever visit to the city, and the timing gave me a chance to take in a Phoenix Suns basketball game.

Just a couple of short blocks away from my downtown hotel, the Talking Stick Resort Arena, designed specifically for basketball, was cozy, with the seats all around the arena right on top of the court. While I didn’t pony up for lower level seats, I spent some time watching the pre-game warm-ups from down there.

As this was a weeknight game against a weak non-conference opponent, the Brooklyn Nets, I snagged an upper level seat for less than the cost of a beer. I wasn’t disappointed with that decision as the view from up here in the corner was pretty good.

Two teams that would be generously described as mediocre tipped off in a game that would become a track meet up and down the court for four quarters…

For me, among the four major North American sports, basketball firmly sits fourth, so I don’t have a deep appreciation for the game. But on this night, with both teams deciding against playing defence and heaving up shots from all over the court, it was a wildly entertaining game. An early first quarter Suns lead of almost 20 points was erased as quickly as it was built to provide for some early drama. As the game went on, the Suns pulled away on account of a few long stretches of brilliant shooting to send all of their fans home happy.

Electing not to spend $80 on uber rides to and from my downtown location to the hockey team’s outpost in Glendale to see a Saturday night game, I instead treated myself to an in-depth tour of the home ballpark of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Due to the unrelenting summer heat in Phoenix, Chase Field has a retractable roof, that on this November day was left partially open.

After meeting my tour group and introducing ourselves to each other, we all had a laugh as six of us were from Saskatchewan. The tour guide informed us that while he’d never had that many people from Saskatchewan together during one tour, he’s met enough of us to know all about our love of the Roughriders.

After exploring the centre field area and an exclusive bar located high up in the right field bleachers, we next visited a private suite with an incredible view of the field. This particular suite is available for single game rentals starting at $1800 for its 18 seats. Not a bad deal for this view, air conditioning, private bar service and better washrooms than the rest of the stadium.

Next up was a visit to the visitor’s locker room. Our guide pointed out the replay system. After all of the cheating controversy in baseball this past off-season, I wonder how the Astros used this to their advantage when playing the Diamondbacks.

Just off the visitor’s locker room was an indoor hitting cage where batters could loosen up a bit before coming into a game. One of the children on the tour got to take cuts at a couple of pitches before we left this area of the stadium.

We ended the tour with a visit to the dugouts and the field. This part of stadium tours is always my favourite as it gives a player’s eye view.

No matter how many stadiums I visit, the chance to step onto the field is always special.

Our tour guide was nice enough to take a picture of me on the field. He took a liking to me after all the other Saskatchewan folks said they were Jays fans, and looking at me he asked, “You too?” I said, “Hell no… I’m an Expos fan just waiting for them to come back!” That got a nod of approval from him.

This was the last view of the field before the tour came to an end. It’s a beautiful ballpark and I’d love to get back some day to see a few games here.