Being a spectator at PG Arizona summer baseball tournaments

The team and event organization should have this info. Do you know Dan Sozzi?

Bob

Our organization has limited information and the PG website has none. Sorry, I don't know Dan Sozzi.

Find the contact person at PG Tournament and request the answers to your questions or make a direct request to Rangers or Royals Clubhouse Managers in Surprise. You deserve answers to your questions and $$$$ expended.

Bob

Folsom;

check this web site for your answers.

https://www.surpriseaz.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=5133

Bob

Thanks I will check out the website.

Really looking for insights from past participants of what worked best in regards to stadium chairs or camping style chairs, if they brought or purchases umbrellas for shade, and how they stayed cool and hydrated.

Get ready to sweat!  Lol.  We've been to USA Baseball Championships 3times, Wilson Classic and a PG championship of some kind, and AZ Fall Classic.  All held at MLB facilities, so we've done summer in AZ a few times.  Although honestly I've forgotten which ones the R/R are.

Bring your own shade and a chair.  (sorry probably not the answer you wanted)  Some of the seating at these events is minimal and usually the areas directly behind home plate is reserved for scouts. You could probably get away with a stadium chair and an umbrella, but a few fields don't have any seating or it's a small bleacher area at best, so you'll have to "play nice" with other fans and their umbrellas. I prefer the foldout chairs that have a mesh inset, they're a little cooler and a freestanding umbrella  that's adjustable.   (RE area for scouts: It's not labeled, so if there are scouts at your event, DON'T sit there). Some of the fields have overhead shade but frequently it's not over the (small) stands.   A few tips: be careful about what you wear.  I tend to wear running gear simply because I have it and it breaths.  Cooling towels, both for you and your player.  Light color hiking hat that can get wet (cooled down) is nice if it's REALLY hot for you. Pedialyte is your friend, try to decrease sugar and caffeine for your guy leading up to the event.  I can't imagine doing it, for a mid day game, without a cooler. Maybe a cheap one?  Or maybe check out a Play-It-Again sports type place?  I guess we are lucky to be in SoCal so we drive over with all the gear.

Best of luck!

@LousyLefty, thank you so much for the detail, very helpful.

You mention bringing a cooler, but on the PG website it clearly says coolers are not allowed. Have you had success bringing one in? What about a backpack, are there restrictions for those too?

Hmmm. I think we’ve only done one PG, but we’ve never NOT brought the cooler.  And it wasn’t subtle, big rolling one.  So I don’t know.  The snack bars were open when we were there last week, but we were in Peoria at Mariners facility. We still buy stuff from the snack bar (a habit from supporting local LL and booster clubs)  but rolling that big cooler was worth it….dipping the Frogg Toggs in ice water and then draping over your neck? 30 seconds of heaven and you can’t buy that at the snack bar.

I can’t imagine backpacks being banned, every scout has the same all black one don’t they?  

Can’t speak to AZ specifically, but we’ve never had a problem with a backpack cooler in SoFL/GA events

Here now. Blazing hot. Little shade. 7am games. Coolers and all else allowed. Bring chairs. Concessions open.

This tournament should not be held here at this time. Greedy tournament directors. Humans were not made for 110 degree+ heat.

Never again.

@DD 2024 posted:

Here now. Blazing hot. Little shade. 7am games. Coolers and all else allowed. Bring chairs. Concessions open.

This tournament should not be held here at this time. Greedy tournament directors. Humans were not made for 110 degree+ heat.

Never again.

And yet you will likely go back.  Again and Again.  And when your son is a rising senior, you'll wipe the dripping sweat from your brow and realize it's the likely the last time you'll lose 5lbs in water weight in a two hour period and you'll be surprised that a tiny part of you is sad....

And 7am games are way better than the 1pm games.  Hit Cracker Barrel after the game and head back to the hotel for a carb coma/nap

@LousyLefty posted:

And yet you will likely go back.  Again and Again.  And when your son is a rising senior, you'll wipe the dripping sweat from your brow and realize it's the likely the last time you'll lose 5lbs in water weight in a two hour period and you'll be surprised that a tiny part of you is sad....

And 7am games are way better than the 1pm games.  Hit Cracker Barrel after the game and head back to the hotel for a carb coma/nap

the team my son plays the  fall classic with stays at the hotel next to Cracker Barrel.  I'm ready to move in!!  we don't have those where i live in norcal (there's one in Sacramento, i hear but not in the Bay Area) and MAN!! those breakfasts!!

the other hidden gem we discovered near the peoria complex was Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers. 

@LousyLefty posted:

And yet you will likely go back.  Again and Again.  And when your son is a rising senior, you'll wipe the dripping sweat from your brow and realize it's the likely the last time you'll lose 5lbs in water weight in a two hour period and you'll be surprised that a tiny part of you is sad....

And 7am games are way better than the 1pm games.  Hit Cracker Barrel after the game and head back to the hotel for a carb coma/nap

Ha!  Yeah OK I needed that. 

But the reality is that I wound up in the ER on an IV drip, diagnosed with heat exhaustion after the first double-header. And that was just from sitting under a tent. Can only imagine what my vitals would have been if son had pitched those games.

BRING YOUR OWN SHADE. (caps for emphasis - seriously it's crucial

@DD 2024 posted:

Ha!  Yeah OK I needed that. 

But the reality is that I wound up in the ER on an IV drip, diagnosed with heat exhaustion after the first double-header. And that was just from sitting under a tent. Can only imagine what my vitals would have been if son had pitched those games.

I hope you're feeling better and were able to figure out something you could change to not end up in ER again.  I'm not a huge water drinker, so I put electrolyte powder in my hydro flask to maximize what I'm drinking.  More water and clothes that breath might help?

Get yourself one of these if you think you'll be back...

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RY...ger-PMF01K/312025245

@knownothingdad posted:

Get yourself one of these if you think you'll be back...

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RY...ger-PMF01K/312025245

These are an absolute game changer if you have the setup to haul them.  Pro tip, drop a bag of ice into the water bucket for cold mist. We will be out there the last week of July and will have the mister fan and shade canopy in the wagon.

Yeah, thanks everyone. I'm just fine. Took a couple days to reset but I made it out OK. Not sure I'll be attending next year though.

Found that natural shade is much cooler than pop-ups, especially if there's grass under the tree. That was my game-changer.

But I'll check out the mister. Seems like something fun and useful to have. Cheers.

for clothing, I've been wearing fishing shirts and cooling bucket hats (dip them in water and wear it). the long sleeve fishing shirts are dri-fit material so they arent hotter to wear than short sleeves but the long sleeves keep the sun off of your arms and are a lot more comfortable. you can also soak them and get the evaporative cooing effect for a while (because they dry so quickly)  plus, they're easy to wash in the sink and dry out overnight.

I just purchased an umbrella from http://uv-blocker.com.  Still waiting on its arrival, but some of the other team parents swear by them.

For those traveling by plane, how do you bring all the heat/sun/chairs "gear" with you?

Can one bring the fan linked above on an airplane?

@IKETBD posted:

I just purchased an umbrella from http://uv-blocker.com.  Still waiting on its arrival, but some of the other team parents swear by them.

For those traveling by plane, how do you bring all the heat/sun/chairs "gear" with you?

Can one bring the fan linked above on an airplane?

We bought a catchers bag with wheels. It's usually 2/3rds full when I leave home, 100% full when I get back.

@FolsomBallDad how was your trip?  I find myself once again back in the blistering heat and thought of you.  

I am here now, had a double header today.  We drove so I had a 12x12 canopy and a 5 gallon bucket of ice water with a misting fan blowing all 5 hours.  It was quite comfortable, even for my elderly parents who showed up from Texas un announced. More comfortable than Atlanta and Hoover were earlier in the month.

@22and25 posted:

I am here now, had a double header today.  We drove so I had a 12x12 canopy and a 5 gallon bucket of ice water with a misting fan blowing all 5 hours.  It was quite comfortable, even for my elderly parents who showed up from Texas un announced. More comfortable than Atlanta and Hoover were earlier in the month.

It wasn't all that bad, surprising that it's cooler in July than June.  I think we played you.  Good team, better than the scores would say, couple of boys need their mouths washed out with soap.  Sorry, it's a pet peeve.

We had a great time. Bought camping chair and umbrellas from Surprise Walmart with the intent of leaving them there. But we ended up bringing them host. Some of our team families drove or had family in Surprise, so we had large shades tents. We also had the bucket of ice with the fan, that was key.

My favorite was bringing an older hat and placing ice cubes in the hat and hat on the head. Kept me cool. Thunderstorms and rain canceled our final game, so we came home early.

it was 100+ each day we were there, but being from Sacramento, we were somewhat used to it.

@LousyLefty posted:

It wasn't all that bad, surprising that it's cooler in July than June.  I think we played you.  Good team, better than the scores would say, couple of boys need their mouths washed out with soap.  Sorry, it's a pet peeve.

Not sure if you played us, we were decimated this tournament and the kids we had didn’t play up to their usual standards. We competed in multiple national events and won one of them but we were not that team this week.  It was ugly…..

As for the washing of mouths, you heard hot frustrated 17 year old ball players say some bad words? {clutches pearls} well I never 😇

Just an FYI, scouts/coaches heard and there were comments made…and they were asking eachother which one thought yelling the F-word at an umpire was a good idea.  Some coaches don’t care, some do.

My best recollection of Phoenix was watching the 11pm weather report …

There will be a cooling trend tomorrow. Highs are expected to only reach 108. It was 115 the first couple of days. But it’s a dry heat (sarcasm).

@LousyLefty posted:

Just an FYI, scouts/coaches heard and there were comments made…and they were asking eachother which one thought yelling the F-word at an umpire was a good idea.  Some coaches don’t care, some do.

I am not sure if you were playing our team or not.  I have been with this team for the entire summer, every single game, and never witnessed the behavior you describe, including this weekend.  I was sitting among multiple people and several MLB scouts for all three games we have played this week and none of us heard that and there was no discussion of any such thing happening on our side. Our coach would not tolerate that either.  If it did happen from our team I am sure it was addressed.  

I’m sure it was a different team then.

I am super happy to confirm via PM that my kid’s team did not play LousyLefty’s team😀

My apologies to @22and25 and their program for the wrongful allegation!

we are here also, and while hot it's not unbearable.  Was way worse 2 years ago in September at the Wilson tournament.  That being said, we made bracket 2-0-2.  Son was 4/6 w/ 4 runs scored (ie he pitch ran 6 times and scored 4 runs).  Recovered from ACL last October, now elbow starts aching, so shut down for rest for a couple of months (praying for healing, and not surgery).  Good luck and stay cool.........as I look out my window, clouds are rolling in currently from the east.

We had a 12:30 game today which is usually pretty harsh, with cloud cover it wasn’t terrible. Team finished second seed and gets a first round bye, which is def an advantage with the heat.  Lefty has an ear infection so we came home, he pitched twice and is done anyway.  May send him back to cheer on his team with a PO that is heading back out if they are still in it after tomorrow’a game.
Good luck @russinfortworth -until the semis

Got a little emotional today as we drove out of town, if Lefty commits before AZ FAll Classic, this was our last trip out there. I’m really going to miss the 5hour car drives, if only for the long conversations when they have nowhere else to go.