Chase Field

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Chase Field
The BOB
Location	401 East Jefferson Street Phoenix, Arizona 85001
Coordinates	33°26′42.57″N, 112°4′0.11″W
Broke ground	November 16, 1995
Opened	March 31, 1998
Owner	Maricopa County, Arizona
Surface	Kentucky Blue Grass
Construction cost	$354 million
Architect	Ellerbe Becket
Former names
Bank One Ballpark (1998-2005)
Tenants
Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-present) Insight Bowl (2000-2005)
Capacity
49,033 (1998)
Dimensions
Left Field - 330 ft / 101 m Left-Center - 374 ft / 114 m Left-Center (deep) - 413 ft / 126 m Center Field - 407 ft / 124 m Right-Center (deep) - 413 ft / 126 m Right-Center - 374 ft / 114 m Right Field - 334 ft / 102 m

Chase Field, also known as The BOB (after its original name, Bank One Ballpark), is a stadium located in Phoenix, Arizona across the street from the US Airways Center, which is used by many local teams including the NBA's Phoenix Suns. Chase Field's main concern is with baseball, being home of the National League's Arizona Diamondbacks. Starting in 2006, Chase Field also became home to the annual Challenge at Chase, a baseball game between in-state and Pac-10 rivals Arizona State University and the University of Arizona.

[edit] History

Construction on the park began in 1996, and was finished just before the Diamondbacks' first season began, in 1998. It was only the second MLB stadium at the time to have a retractable roof (after Toronto's SkyDome; others are now in Houston, Milwaukee, and Seattle). It was also the first ballpark to feature natural grass in a retractable roof stadium. Chase Field also has a swimming pool, located in right center field, which is rented to patrons, who wish to take a dip during a game. The ballpark also features a dirt strip between home plate and the pitcher's mound, one of only two current ballparks to do so (Comerica Park in Detroit is the other).

It hosted Games 1, 2, 6, and 7 of the 2001 World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Yankees. The Diamondbacks, who won all four games at The BOB, won the world championship that year in dramatic fashion. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning of game seven, D-Backs outfielder Luis Gonzalez sent a bloop single over the head of Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter to score the game winning run from third base. The Diamondbacks overcame Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera, arguably one of the greatest postseason closers of all time, to claim the state of Arizona's first major league professional championship.

George W. Bush used the stadium for a post-debate supporters rally in October 2004, during the Presidential Election.

Chase Field was originally named Bank One Ballpark after Bank One of Chicago, giving rise to its nickname ("The BOB"). After Bank One merged with New York-based Chase, the name change was announced on September 23, 2005.

In March 2006, Chase Field played host to three first-round games of the World Baseball Classic.

[edit] Other Events

Bank One Ballpark (as it was then known) configured for football during the 2003 Insight Bowl.

The stadium was once the home of the Insight Bowl, a college football bowl game from 2001-2005. In 2006, the bowl game moved to Sun Devil Stadium, to replace the Fiesta Bowl, which moved to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. The football configuration was notable because of the lack of nets behind the goalposts and the dugout behind the south end zone. The final Insight Bowl played at Chase was between the home town, Arizona State Sun Devils and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Arizona State won the game in a shoot-out, 45-40 before a near capacity crowd.

The stadium also hosts occasional Yugio duels and international soccer games. For football and soccer, the field is set up with the end lines perpendicular to the third base line, and temporary bleachers added in on the east side.

Chase Field has also staged nine women's college basketball games. The second game, which was played on December 18, 2006, was shortened by rain with four minutes, 18 seconds remaining with Arizona State leading Texas Tech, 61-45. Venue officials closed the roof in an effort to finish the game, but officials deemed the court unsafe. In 2000, ASU had played Tennessee at the same facility.[1]

[edit] External links

• Ballpark Digest visit to Chase Field
• Chase Field section of Diamondbacks' website
• Chase Field Page at S&E News

Coordinates: 33°26′42.57″N, 112°4′0.11″W