He told Colangelo he had one more item. Although nearly all of these parks were open-air, it was taken for granted that a domed stadium was a must for a major-league team to be a viable venture in the Phoenix area. The Diamondbacks will play at Bank One Ballpark, where a swimming pool in the right-field bleacher area gives new meaning to having a dip. Rawles, reached this month by phone, said his chief concern was making sure the county was compensated for the seats torn out to make way for the pool. When it opened, the pool at Chase Field was the first of its kind at any MLB stadium. Here’s how the idea for building a swimming pool in a Major League Baseball ballpark came about. “I was way low on my revenue projections,” he said. Construction itself went smoothly, Ghiz said. Thongs were outlawed. Ghiz said that when the Suns new arena was being built, Colangelo toured it with him. “Most cities look for that iconic thing from their city,” he said. One of them was a Maricopa County supervisor, Tom Rawles, who oversaw the stadium district and had some questions. Rawles was quoted as saying the idea was "stupid. Despite a price tag that starts at $4,750, the pool suite sells out for every game, including the upcoming wild-card playoff game. It’s entertainment; it’s not baseball. “It was a must-see attraction,” he said.
“It was an absolute blast,” he said. Brubaker said he did recall Colangelo showing off the model at one point to a reporter, though he wasn't certain it was Ryan. The flagpole, incidentally, has since been removed. The pool was a quick sell. At the time, Brubaker was Colangelo’s son-in-law and pitched it to him again in a more private setting. The Diamondbacks were not happy. With Colangelo on board, Brubaker said, he knew the pool would become a reality. Veeck also hoped women wearing bikinis would use it. Ghiz said he planned out the pool carefully so fans could actually see the game. That October, Brubaker was quoted in a Republic story saying a pool in right field was being "seriously considered" by Colangelo. All three men also hailed from Chicago. “Did you just see what happened?”. For example, Houston's Minute Maid Park, which opened in 2000, featured two novelties: a raised hill and flagpole in center field, and a large locomotive carrying a car full of oranges that chugged in celebration when the Astros hit a home run. At the time, Brubaker recalled, the Suns were a popular draw, but a tough ticket to get.
The line was intended as a joke, Brubaker said, not a serious proposal to Colangelo. 18 reasons to be a proud Arizona Diamondbacks fan. The smells of America's pastime. Popcorn. Veeck installed a rudimentary showerhead in Comiskey Park that would be operated by a pull chain.
Two years later, the Los Angeles Dodgers, their division rival, jumped into the pool to celebrate its division pennant. It has also moved beyond novelty and has became part of Diamondbacks lore. Chlorine. This is an idea that is sure to attract yuppies who don't even like baseball, but it doesn't seem to matter. When this year’s team clinched a post-season berth, team members jumped into the pool, adding to a tradition started by the 2011 team. Brubaker said as he talked about actually building a pool in the ballpark, Colangelo was “looking at me like I have 12 eyes.”, Colangelo, according to Brubaker, then asked: “Are we killing seats for this?”. Dozer, who described himself as the "bean counter" of the group, said he did some quick revenue projections. Dozer, reached by phone this month, said he remembered he was the one who first floated the pool idea. Three guys from Chicago were looking at a model of Phoenix’s proposed ballpark when one of them made an off-hand reference to a novelty shower that used to sit in center field in the White Sox stadium. This time, Brubaker said, he had run the numbers and was armed with potential revenue figures. The Diamondbacks had already sold 44,000 season tickets, Brubaker said, potentially setting them up for the same problem. “If we’re killing seats, we’re taking a pass. Even after nearly 20 years and a full renovation, the suite, now called the Ram Trucks Pool, has continued to be an attraction, Rawitch said.
Brubaker said the owner of a pool-chemical company saw that story and asked to sponsor the planned pool. One of those return visitors is Shane Doan, who recently retired from the Arizona Coyotes, Rawitch said. He said he doesn't think it added to anyone’s enjoyment of the game, one he relishes for all its nuance. … Ryan wrote a column in the Globe mentioning the pool. ", "We thought we were building a baseball park," he said in an April 1996 story. “I think we kind of turned the page on the whole Dodger episode.”.
All these years later, Rawles is still against the pool. He was against the quarter-cent-per-dollar sales tax that funded the ballpark and thought a swimming pool was simply another waste. Building the real pool was comparatively as easy. Phoenix is by far the hottest major city in North America; the average high temperature during baseball's regular season is 99.1 °F (37.3 °C), and game-time temperatures well above 100 °F (38 °C) are very common during the summer. In January, Colangelo excitedly showed off a model of the ballpark to Bob Ryan, columnist for the Boston Globe, and mentioned where a pool would be. Until the model was produced.
The view from the swimming pool is, um, interesting. “Did you hear that?” he said.
“That train that is in Houston is a direct result of our putting the pool here,” Rawitch said. MORE:18 reasons to be a proud Arizona Diamondbacks fan.
The dip also served to cleanse the waters of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had the temerity to dive in after winning the division pennant in 2013. But the roof was set to be the noteworthy element of the park. The pool continued to hold its novelty through the years. Only the swimming pool in right-center, as silly as it is, gives a hint. The Diamondbacks will play at Bank One Ballpark, where a swimming pool in the right-field bleacher area gives new meaning to having a dip. And that was before selling the naming rights, something Brubaker said he already started thinking about pitching. Josh Rawitch, the club’s vice president for marketing, recalled visiting the Diamondbacks' stadium before working for the team. He then thought about his mother-in-law seeing them.
Rawles recalled a “relatively unpleasant” conversation with Colangelo about the revenue issue. Most famous was his disco demolition night where, between the games of a doubleheader, a disc jockey exploded a mound of disco records. It's about to become baseball's latest scent. … They were really unhappy the Dodgers had done this.”. There's nothing like going to a ballpark and taking a nice deep breath. Instead, they handled it the same way they did after the Diamondbacks entered the pool with uniforms already wet with sweat, beer and champagne: They shocked it with chemicals. With only 35 people in the suite at any one game, that represents a fraction of a percentage of the overall attendance. But the pool did have its critics. Jerry Colangelo, the chief executive of the team; Rich Dozer, the team president; and Scott Brubaker, the vice president for marketing, were looking at the model in the team's temporary headquarters, a downtown high-rise. It was going to have a retractable roof that would let in enough sunlight for grass to grow, while allowing fans to be comfortable during the city’s summer weather. Now the idea had to be pitched to Colangelo, for real. In recent years, the pool has become part of team lore, a unique venue for the team to celebrate. And not only because a man just got into the hot tub while still wearing his Bruno Maglis. Ghiz said he suggested that Colangelo build a pool underneath the floor, big enough for competitive swim meets. Hot dogs. It is why, a club official says, there is a large model train in Houston and a zip line in Atlanta. What he did vividly recall was that Colangelo used a laser pointer to indicate where the pool would be. RELATED:D-Backs' suit over Chase Field costs county $450,000 in legal fees so far. The model was shown to the media — or at least The Arizona Republic took a photo of it — in July 1995. It continues to sell out every season, with some people coming back for at least one game each year. A yank would send cold water gushing down on the person below. The resulting on-field chaos led to the White Sox forfeiting the second game. But the Diamondbacks still consider theirs unique in creating a suite-like venue that allows fans to actually experience the game. “Our fans took offense to it. Both Dozer and Brubaker had worked as executives with Colangelo with the Phoenix Suns, the professional basketball team Colangelo also owned. He said his main opposition to the pool was as a steward of taxpayer dollars. ... At such a moment, it is easy to remember that Jerry Colangelo entered the NBA in 1966 as the "director of promotions" for the Chicago Bulls. Brats.
It also spawned imitations, of sort. It's not unusual for baseball teams to go into the tank, and now some spectators in Phoenix will follow in a more pleasurable fashion. Both Brubaker and Dozer said they first went to the pool on an off-day, both taking their children for a birthday party. News stories from the time indicate that Colangelo needed some time to be convinced. Part of the reason for its novelty is its exclusivity.
“People don’t go to the pool to watch the game,” he said. © 2020 www.azcentral.com. Buzz Ghiz ran Paddock Pools at the time. Now, the Diamondbacks are aquatic acquaintances with the Miami Marlins, who feature both a pool … The swimming pool became an object of derision from baseball traditionalists and broadcasters. So it was a measure of relief when this year’s team celebrated its post-season berth with a dip in the pool. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. “I needed to call an audible,” he said. Brubaker said he elbowed Dozer, who was next to him. Knowing that, Brubaker made a Chicago joke while looking at the model.
Also a hot tub. The architecture team took a small knife to the model and added the pool. But, in 2011, the Diamondbacks jumped into the pool to celebrate their clinching of the National League West pennant. The remaining dates were sold at suite prices quickly. It would be known as the Sun Pools Party Pavilion, and with the naming rights sold, there was no turning back. After the swimming pool, he said, "there would probably be riding stables next.".
The shower was less famous but would end up having a more lasting impact. Rawitch said he was able to take a dip during an afternoon game when the person who booked it backed out.