Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Padres Spring Training in Peoria - tips!

Seeing the Padres during Spring Training in Arizona is a much different experience than going to games at Petco Park in San Diego. The vibe is low-key, players are more accessible, and optimism for the coming season is as high as the desert sun. I hope this article helps you make the most of your visit to the Peoria Sports Complex.

Tip #1 - pregame activities

Go to the back fields! The team's practice fields (also known as "the back fields") are where you can see the players and coaches up close, soak in the sights and sounds of baseball, and perhaps come away with a player's autograph. Don't forget to bring a Sharpie along with whatever ball, cap, or other item that you want signed.

The back fields are especially great for families. Bring your glove and toss a ball around with your kid!

Visiting the back fields requires going to the Peoria Sports Complex in the morning (for day games) or early afternoon (for night games). Parking and admission are free.

Please be aware that the Padres share their Spring Training facility with the Seattle Mariners. To see the Padres players practice in the back fields, you'll need to be sure that you go to the Padres side of the complex (enter "W Padres Way" in your GPS).

Below is a map that will get you to the right location:

Please note: the fields may also be labeled "F1," F2," etc.

Before heading into the practice fields area, pick up a roster and schedule at the Padres' clubhouse office (see map above). This will tell you what is happening at each of the fields. The roster gives you the players' jersey numbers which comes in handy because so many major and minor leaguers are invited to camp.

There are signs pointing you to the fields and a metal detector/security point to pass through.

After entering the area, you'll see most fans veering to the right towards the fields near the clubhouse. There will be guard rails in place to allow the players a route to the various fields. Players from the major league squad start coming out of the clubhouse between 10:00-10:30am (for a day game), but you'll see many minor league players heading to the various fields throughout the day.

After the big league squad has made their way to the fields (usually "P1" and "P2"; see map above), the security staff will open the guard rails so that fans can fill the bleachers and watch them practice.

The players don't usually sign autographs until coming off of the fields and heading back to the clubhouse after their practice session.

Here's a link to my video about navigating the back fields:

WBC warning: Please be aware that several of the Padres' most popular players will be heading to their World Baseball Classic (WBC) teams on approximately March 1. This means that Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Mason Miller, Wandy Peralta, and Alek Jacob will not be in Peoria from March 1 until approximately March 18 (this could change, if their teams are eliminated from the tournament earlier).

Tips for the game

The Peoria Sports Complex has a capacity of about 12,500 whereas Petco Park can accommodate more than three times that number of fans. You will experience the game in a new and different way. For me, the most obvious difference is in terms of how close fans are to the action. The sensory elements of the game are more prominent in Spring Training. You'll be much closer to the athletes and the plays they make. Also, the sounds of baseball won't be drowned out by the crowd or stadium. When Jackson Merrill barrels one up, you'll hear it - no matter where you're sitting. When Manny Machado scoops a ball near the line, you'll marvel at his athleticism as he somehow slings the ball over to first for the out.

The Padres' dugout is on the first base side. The players enter and exit the field down the right field side. If you or your kids hope to get autographs, there are two common areas to do so: 1) along the dugout and right field sideline before and after the game; and 2) "Autograph Alley" which is an area the stadium has set up at the location where players enter and exit the field (a roped-off kids section is included). Here's a map:

For logistical information about the stadium, check out the complex's FAQ section on its website. You'll find their latest information about tickets, parking, food/bag policies, shaded seats, pets, the team store, ticket booth hours, and more:

FAQs: Peoria Sports Complex

You'll also be pleased to know that seeing a game in Peoria is much easier than seeing one at Petco Park. Parking is free, and you usually don't need tickets in advance except for weekend games.

The bag policy is clearly laid out on their website:

Bag policy: Peoria Sports Complex

For day games, you may want to consider shaded seats: Sections 305-308 (Club), 309-319 (Upper Box), 200-215, 217, 219 (only rows HH and above).

A great website for seeing what the view of the field will look like from your seat is here:

"A view from my seat" website:

FAQs

Will my kid be able to get Fernando Tatis's autograph?

Probably not but anything is possible. There are players who are very generous with their time and who enjoy interacting with fans and those who rarely do so. It's best not to have high expectations regarding the star players because although most try their best to make time for fans, the likelihood of being in the right place at the right time is usually a matter of luck. However, your children will have ample opportunity to get autographs from minor league and international players if you take them to the back fields.

What's the bag policy for the back fields?

The bag policy is more relaxed in the back fields of Peoria than at Petco Park. So pack your water, lunch, baseball gear, and whatever you need to be comfortable for a few hours at the fields. You can even bring your dog!

Is there a snack bar in the back fields?

Yes! The concession stand is nothing elaborate but has the basics. However, you should bring your own water because this item is very expensive at the snack bar.

Restrooms (back fields)?

Yes! The restrooms are centrally located behind the snack bar.

Can I leave my car there if I'm going to the game that day?

Yes, it's the same parking lot that's used for the main stadium.

What else is nearby?

"The Park at 83" is a complex of restaurants adjacent to the parking lot and stadium. You'll find a lively selection of bars, restaurants, and green space (including lawn games) just steps away from the practice fields and stadium. For fast food nearby, there's Chipotle (16680 N. 83rd), In-N-Out (8285 W. Bell), and Chik-fil-A (16657 N. 83rd).

Road games: how do I find out about the other Cactus League stadiums?

Here's a terrific website that includes logistics information as well as tips for getting autographs and photos at each of the Cactus League stadiums:

Spring Training Connection website

Finally:

Don't forget to bring water, sun screen, and (most importantly) GOOD VIBES!

🌵😎⚾

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Ted Williams' childhood home - an update!

Link to my YouTube video about Ted Williams' childhood home & sandlot

Let's start by answering the most common question about the boyhood home of Ted Williams at 4121 Utah Street in San Diego. No, it was not made into a museum. Real estate prices in San Diego are insanely expensive, and the cost of such an endeavor would be quite an obstacle in today's market. The Padres organization (under prior ownership) once considered taking on the project, but the endeavor never came to fruition.

photo of Ted Williams' childhood home

The house had fallen into serious
disrepair when Waypoint Partners LLC bought
the property in 2022.

The renovated property and plaque mounted
on a boulder to honor Ted Williams.

And then there's the fact that Ted was never too keen on that house or the childhood memories associated with it. The Boston Red Sox signed Ted when he was just 20 years old. He left San Diego to pursue a big league baseball career and never (or rarely) looked back.

There are very few photographs in circulation of Ted as a child. Here's one of him at the age of six:

His mother, Micaela “May” Venzor, joined the Salvation Army as a young teenager and was sent to Honolulu. While there, she met Samuel Stewart Williams, an Army soldier from New York who was finishing up his tour. They married and moved to San Diego in 1913. Ted was born in 1918, and his brother Danny came along in 1920.

Ted, mother May, brother Danny

May Venzor was of Mexican heritage, and her family came from the state of Chihuahua. Ted remained silent about his Latino lineage until the publication of his autobiography My Turn at Bat in 1976: “If I had my mother’s name, there is no doubt that I would have run into problems in those days, the prejudices people had in Southern California,” Ted wrote.

Ted was also embarrassed about his mother's Salvation Army activities. She was a top fundraiser for the organization in San Diego and preached on street corners from dawn to dusk. Ted was teased and bullied about this by his classmates. Still, he took care of his mother and other relatives throughout his lifetime after his success in baseball.

As for Ted's father Samuel, he was gone from the home by the time Ted turned 11. His modest photography studio in downtown San Diego seemed to occupy much of his time (along with a drinking habit), and all of Ted's biographers report that Samuel never played ball or engaged in other activities with his boys.

Fortunately, Ted had other father figures in his youth. An uncle on his mother's side, Saul Venzor, was a former semipro baseball player. On visits to Saul's home, Ted would beg Saul to go outside with him and play baseball. Saul was a "tough love" kind of guy and never took it easy on Ted. At a family reunion in their later years (after Ted's success in Boston), Saul jokingly chided Ted about "finally learning to hit a curve ball."

Ted's aunts & uncles on his mother's side
lived in the Santa Barbara area

Rod Luscomb, the playground director at the park where Ted played sandlot ball, was also very influential in his life. Luscomb, who Ted said was "my first real hero," was a former college player and the first person Ted thanked in his Cooperstown induction speech.

The fathers of Ted's buddies in the neighborhood also played a role in influencing his early life. In particular, Les Cassie was a friend's father who took Ted under his wing and taught him how to fish on the shores of Coronado Island. Cassie also accompanied Ted on the bus ride from San Diego to Sarasota, Florida, for his first Spring Training after signing with the Red Sox.

Ted attended Hoover High in San Diego and batted .430 over the three years he played for the team. In 1935, he signed with San Diego's newly-formed team in the Pacific Coast League for $150 per month. He was an immediate star, and a Red Sox scout bought out his contract in 1937 for $25,000.

In 1936, Ted played 42 games for
the PCL Padres

During and after his career in MLB, Ted returned to his home town now and then for various honors and reunions.

Ted with his mother
in 1942

A rare visit back to his childhood home
in the early 1940s

San Diego developers Jarrett Pugh and Brian Rucker of Waypoint Partners LLC bought the property known as "The Ted Williams house" in 2022 for $850,000. They spent two years renovating the original home. They are the property’s sixth owners. As contractors were working on the house, they noticed various people along the sidewalk and across the street stopping to watch and ask questions. This solidified the developers' decision to honor the history of the site. During construction, they allowed some onlookers to take home artifacts. One baseball fan from Boston was thrilled beyond measure when Rucker gave him a doorknob from the rubble.

The plaque that is now mounted on a boulder in the front yard to honor Ted was funded by Waypoint.

In the course of demolishing the house, some of the materials were saved and there are plans to repurpose the wood into bats and other artifacts that could be auctioned for youth baseball charities. (The San Diego Union-Tribune, 7/17/24)

Ted's neighborhood sandlot field still stands and hosts Little League games. It's locked up most of the time to protect it from trespassers.

Ted visited this field one last time in 1999 with San Diego journalist Jane Mitchell for her One on One Legend series. Ted became emotional at the field, but his wistfulness quickly turned to excitement as he remembered the first home run he ever hit. https://youtu.be/_yJVh01_530?si=JVp1eWnwHBiC99EB

"There used to be a short fence in center, and I hit my first
sandlot home run over that fence. It was a Sunday
game ... boy ... it was .. wow, a home run!"