Frisco RoughRiders – May 20

August 10, 2016

The final days of a baseball road trip can be a little challenging — sometimes, I simply don’t want the trip to end. Other times, I’m exhausted and admittedly ready to get home and resume a normal schedule that includes sleeping and eating vegetables. Fortunately, that wouldn’t be the case on days nine and 10 of my Texas trip — I was thrilled to visit Frisco and see the RoughRiders for a pair of games.

Frisco is located just north of Dallas, and is about a five-hour drive from Midland, where I’d spent May 18 and 19 seeing the RockHounds in action. Although the RoughRiders were playing an evening game, I was anxious to make the drive east through Texas and get to my hotel for an early check-in. It’s an understatement to say that I was excited to experience my hotel, the Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention Center. That’s because — in addition to looking very impressive online — it is located directly beyond the outfield of Frisco’s Dr Pepper Ballpark, meaning I’d once again be fortunate to visit a hotel with a field-facing room.

I pulled into the hotel’s parking lot just after 3 p.m., hurriedly unloaded my backpack and suitcase and checked in quickly. I remember being amused at myself as I walked with a profound sense of purpose through the hotel lobby to the elevator, and then from the elevator to my room, as I was pumped to see what the view was like.

Well, it certainly exceeded my expectations!

I dropped my luggage in the living room area, made a beeline down the hall and through the bedroom, went out onto the balcony and saw this:

Wow!

What a great looking ballpark, eh? I instantly loved the unique structure of the park — instead of the standard look that I’ve often seen around the minors, this park was visually engaging because of the smaller structures around the concourse, instead of one larger building. Like other parks, Dr Pepper Ballpark has a number of concession stands around the concourse and suites above, but I think it’s neat how it’s not all one continuous structure. The little walkways between the buildings, I’d soon find out, make getting around this ballpark really easy and fun.

The only thing that troubled me about the glorious sight in front of my eyes was the way the trees were overgrown and partially covered the Dr Pepper Ballpark sign. I realize this is a first-world problem, but I think it’d be nicer if the sign were fully visible to people in the hotel.

As you might have seen in the above photo, the batting cage was set up and the players were hitting, but I didn’t want to get to the park just yet, as I’d skipped lunch and was starving. I made a quick run across the street (heading in the opposite direction from the ballpark) to the Stonebriar Centre mall to grab a quick lunch from the food court. As you might suspect, I brought the food back to enjoy eating it with the great view from my balcony.

After eating, I snapped this panorama from my balcony …

… and then noticed the baseball field-shaped details in the balcony railings, which I thought were cool:

I love when hotels think of small details like that.

Once I finished eating, I checked out a generous gift basket that the people at Visit Frisco had left me. They were instrumental in setting up my visit, and surprised me with a bunch of goodies, including a RoughRiders cap and towel and some other sports gear from the local area’s teams — a Dallas Cowboys pin and a Dallas FC scarf, as well as some other awesome treats.

Next, it was time to pack up my camera and GoPro and head out to the ballpark. Just as I love the view from ballpark-facing hotels, I love the short walk when you stay so close to the park: No sitting in traffic, no paying for parking — just a pleasant walk that lasts only a few minutes. As I left the hotel, I turned back and shot this photo; my room was on the right side of the left bank of balconies, fifth from the top:

From where I stood on the sidewalk just outside the hotel’s doors, here’s what the view looked like ahead of me:

Awesome!

Within a minute or so, I was standing outside the fence beyond the outfield and soaking up the view and atmosphere:

Next, I made my way along a side street to the main gates of Dr Pepper Ballpark, where I snapped this photo:

Again, you’ll see that this park has a unique look, with a series of individual building sections (and turrets, of course) that make the home of the RoughRiders unlike any other MiLB park I’ve seen.

Here’s the area as a panorama:

After taking the above photo, I entered through the main gate, went through reception area and out to what I expected to be the concourse — and, boy, was I surprised. Here was the scene that awaited me:

Yes, there’s a huge kids’ play area ahead and a bar/eatery on the right side, but check out the gravel walkway! And the trees! It felt like I was in cottage country or at a campground. Now, make no mistake — there is a traditional concrete concourse at Dr Pepper Ballpark, but behind the buildings that line the concourse, you’re treated to this campground/neighborhood feel, and it’s outstanding.

Although I was anxious to get exploring what I could already tell was going to be one of my favorite ballparks, I wanted to watch batting practice for a bit first. I made a beeline for the grass berm in left field, where this was my view:

 

The San Antonio players were hitting bombs left and right. Look at all the balls that were sitting on the grass in a perfect line just to the left of me, obviously having hit the facing of the deck and then rolled back down the hill:

I left them where they sat because the gates weren’t yet open and, instead, moved a little closer to center field to take this panorama:

After standing on the berm for about 10 minutes and enjoying the action, I moved a little farther away to a spot behind the video board, where I took this shot partly to just show a different view of the scene during BP, but also to show the plants that grew at the base of the video board — once again giving Dr Pepper Ballpark a comfortable, natural feel:

And, while I was in the area, I snapped this shot of me, squinting into the bright sun:

Although it was tempting to just enjoy my spot on the berm and watch more BP, I was itching to finally explore more of the park — so that’s what I did next. My main priority was to first check out some of the unique sights around the ballpark, like the area I’d seen immediately upon entering earlier. Behind the third base concourse — there’s another gravel area with plenty of trees, plants and concession stands selling diverse food products like funnel cakes, custom-built hamburgers, street tacos and more:

And the structure you see in the background is the batting cage area, so you can watch players taking some pregame cuts while you wait for your food. How perfect is this setup?

I found this area to be extremely serene before the gates opened; even though there was music playing, the smell of stadium food wafting through the air and staff members hustling around, being in this spot seemed to transport me back to going to the cottage as a kid, enjoying the crunch of the gravel beneath my feet and the trees and bushes around me. And, funny enough, I still had this experience even once the gates opened and the area was flooded with fans. A little more exploring revealed this wasn’t the only tranquil spot in Dr Pepper Ballpark — head behind the first base concourse, and you’ll enjoy this sight:

Being away from home, traveling every day or two and often being in crowded environments can feel a little hectic, so it was comforting to be able to take a walk through the quieter areas of Dr Pepper Ballpark whenever the feeling suited, and I certainly encourage you to try it, too.

After enjoying the aforementioned tranquility, I headed out to the main concourse, where I snapped this photo …

… and stood to watch batting practice for a few minutes. Having been to 62 major and minor league ballparks, I’ve seen a lot of great views from behind home plate, and this one is right up there. Don’t you agree?

Next, I took a walk down the first base line, enjoying the sun and the sounds of batting practice. As I descended to field level, a baseball caught my eye:

As you can see, the ball was jammed under one of the doors leading out to the field. My “no baseballs before gates open” rule kept me from grabbing it, but I vowed to return after the gates had opened up, to see if it was still there.

Once I put the ball out of my mind, I stood in the front row and enjoyed a little more BP with this view:

From this vantage spot, I couldn’t resist taking another photo of my awesome hotel:

It wouldn’t be long until BP wrapped up, so I paid another visit to the outfield grass berm to enjoy the last group or two of hitters:

 

Next, with nothing to watch on the field and plenty of time before first pitch, I continued exploring the park. Heading back to the tranquil food area on the third base side, I now saw some food trucks parked inside the park’s gates, including this one:

What a cool feature! Food trucks arrive on game day, park inside the ballpark and then leave at the game’s conclusion. I’ve often seen food trucks outside ballparks — especially in the majors — but I can’t recall seeing one inside a park; just another creative thing that the RoughRiders do very well.

Since I was in the area, I watched a bit of action in the batting cages, and then decided to take a climb up to the press box area to check out the view. The myriad levels, walkways and bridges connecting the various buildings made this short walk unique — and also provided some cool vantage points. Here’s a view looking down from one of the pedestrian bridge/walkways a few levels up …

… and here’s another view that shows the unique layout of this ballpark:

As expected, the press box offered a sensational view of the park:

I stood at one of the press box windows and took everything in, allowing my eyes to slowly pan from left to right, and then it hit me — the baseball that was hiding under the gate! I’d been so enjoying all the sights that I’d forgotten to check for the ball after the gates had opened. By now, the gates had been open about 20 minutes, and while there were lots of fans in the park, most of them were congregating around the concourse and concession stands. This meant that there was an outside chance of the ball still being there, so I hustled down to the concourse, made my way toward the right field corner and … voila!

Above five minutes after grabbing the ball, I was leaning against the railing and enjoying the view, when a young family (parents and a boy about five) approached and asked me to take their photo. They descended a couple steps in front of me and I snapped a few shots with their iPhone. As I went to give the phone back, I pulled the ball out of my pocket and handed it to the kid, whose jaw dropped enough that the ball might’ve fit in his mouth. As much as I love collecting balls for myself, it’s sure a thrill to give them away, too.

Speaking of thrills, my next stop at Dr Pepper Ballpark was to see one of the most unique sights I’ve ever seen at any park, MLB or MiLB. In case you haven’t heard, the RoughRiders have installed a lazy river beyond the right field fence! It wasn’t complete when I visited, unfortunately — I guess I’ll just have to make a point of visiting again to check it out — but I was able to take a look at it and snap some photos.

In the following shot, you’ll see how the lazy river rises above the outfield fence; it’s behind the stone wall, which also serves as the backdrop for a waterfall:

And here’s a shot from behind the foul pole, which gives you an idea of the layout and depth of the lazy river:

Lazy rivers are my absolute favorite attraction at water parks. You can keep your slides and wave pools; give me a lazy river and I’ll happily float around for hours. Can you imagine how cool it would be to watch a minor league game from this vantage point? Hmm, I really need to return to Frisco, don’t I?

With still a bit of time before first pitch, I took a walk through the outstanding team shop, Riders Outpost:

The store was enormous and was one of the best I’ve seen in the minor leagues. I couldn’t resist buying this Under Armour long-sleeved shirt:

After restraining myself to avoid buying more, I went down to field level on the third base side, where I shot this picture of the main building behind home plate:

As seems to be the theme at Dr Pepper Ballpark, this building is different than virtually everything else I’ve seen during my travels. On the concourse level, there’s a large open area where fans congregate during games. The second level is the JC Penney Club, an upscale eatery that I had the fortune of experiencing on the second day of my visit — and you’ll want to make sure that you read that blog post. The third level is made of suites and way up on the fourth level is the press box. Also, how awesome does this building look?

While at field level, I noticed the netting over the dugouts. Now, I get the important reason for it, but I don’t think I’m alone in saying that it somehow makes the game seem farther away, as well as all but negates your chance of having a ball tossed to you at the end of an inning. This netting is slowly getting more common at MiLB parks, but I noticed something cool above the dugout — there’s a small opening next to the railing:

I don’t know the specific reason for the inclusion of this opening, but if it was to give fans a chance to get pregame autographs from players, I give a big-time kudos to the RoughRiders for creating a fan-friendly element to the netting.

Speaking of autographs, I checked out the park’s autograph area down the third base side next. A player signs before the games, and pitcher Victor Payano (who pitched when I was in Midland) was signing for some kids:

This is another thing that’s awesome about the minor leagues. When a MLBer signs in a designated area before a big league game, it’s pandemonium. In the minors, countless fans were passing by the autograph area without making a fuss. Some were exchanging greetings with Payano, others were shaking his hand and others were completely oblivious. As a fan, the idea of running up and grabbing an autograph and a photo without having to dedicate an hour to the process is truly welcome.

As first pitch approached, I took a few minutes to watch the pregame show on the video board. I was especially interested because it was hosted by two of the team’s three broadcasters, Nathan Barnett and Steve Goldberg:

This was significant because I was scheduled to join the live broadcast to talk about my Texas trip, blog and website a day later. I’ve been interviewed on the air in several different cities, and it never fails to be a huge thrill … and something that’s a initially a bit nerve-wracking, too. So, seeing and listening to the guys in advance of joining them on the broadcast helped me to relax a little.

I browsed the park until first pitch, and then grabbed a spot along the railing to watch the early innings, enjoying this view:

By the end of the first inning, the seating bowl below me had filled up significantly, which was a sign of things to come. Both RoughRiders games I attended were packed with fans:

About this time, I got the chance to meet up with Jason Dambach, the executive VP and general manager of the team. (And the president of the State College Spikes, too!) He’d tweeted at me before the game and we’d agreed to meet up, and it was great to get a chance to tell him about my travels and hear some details about the ballpark, too. One of the best things about visiting so many ballparks is the opportunity to chat with friendly baseball people, and Jason certainly fits that description to a T. I’m looking forward to crossing paths with him again somewhere down the line.

My next stop was the berm in left-center, which had filled up, too:

I watched a little bit of the action from the berm, and then headed over to the Frisco bullpen down the first base line. In general, most bullpens in the minors are set up in a way that gives fans outstanding access, whether it’s to get an autograph before the game, ask for a ball or, as I enjoy, just standing next to the bullpen and taking in everything. The Frisco dugout is actually situated between different seating sections. This means that you can stand next to the bullpen on three of the four sides, which provides an awesome vantage point for watching pitchers get warmed up. See what I mean?

It was nearly time to eat — I’d been walking around a lot because I knew I’d need a big appetite for the meal I’d soon be tackling. First, though, I wanted to take a few more photos to show just how beautiful this ballpark is. Here’s a panorama from the first base side …

… and here’s a shot from behind home plate that I really like because I think it captures the beauty of this ballpark:

Time to eat!

Before my trip, I’d researched all of the notable concession stand items at each of the five Texas ballparks I’d be visiting, and Frisco offered the one I was most excited about — the Mac & Cheese BBQ Sandwich. Behold:

This memorable sandwich comes on a mac and cheese bun; allow me to explain. Take a hunk of mac and cheese, form it into a patty, cover it in bread crumbs and deep fry it — and you’ve got one half of a “bun.” Sound excessive? Sure does! You get a choice of meat, and I got smoked brisket. That meant that each bite had a nice crunch, the gooey deliciousness of the mac and cheese as the breading broke open and, of course, the tender smokiness of the brisket. It all made for a sandwich that was outstanding and truly original.

As you might have guessed, it’s not optimal to do much walking after eating this sandwich, but I managed to waddle my way back to the standing room area behind home plate, where I enjoyed this awesome view:

Here’s the same view as a panorama; it’s too good not to show this way, too:

Then, midway through the ninth inning, I slipped out of the park and walked back to my hotel. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ll know that I don’t like to leave games early, but that I’ll do so if there’s a worthwhile reason, as I did when I visited El Paso. Well, I had a good reason on this night — I wanted to sit on my balcony for the Friday night fireworks show that would begin soon after the final out, rather than watch it from inside the park. (The team has fireworks after Friday night games throughout the season and Sunday night games (during the summer) and one thing that is really neat is that fans can sit on the field to watch.

I made it back to my hotel just as the game was wrapping up, so I enjoyed a view minutes of this view …

… and then used my GoPro to film the show. I wasn’t the only hotel guest enjoying the fireworks; there were a ton of people sitting on their balconies to take in the show. Here’s how it looked:

Written by Malcolm - TheBallparkGuide Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with ballpark food, baseball road trips, Dr Pepper Ballpark, fireworks, Frisco RoughRiders, Texas League, The Ballpark Guide