11 THINGS REPPING PHOENIX SHOP FOR THE HOLIDAYS AT THESE LOCAL PLACES
FORMER SUN DEVIL ANDRE EHTIER AMONG SPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS
DECEMBER 2021
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Ambition drives ASU groundskeeper Brian Johnson
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Repping Phoenix
Ambition drives ASU groundskeeper Brian Johnson Shop for the holidays at these local places Former Sun Devil Andre Ethier among Sports Hall of Fame class
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A REAL GREEN THUMB LONGTIME ASU GROUNDSKEEPER HANGING UP SHOVEL ZAKKARY BROG • COLLEGE TIMES
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hen Brian Johnson played baseball in high school, something was different about him. With no official groundskeeper working for the team, the players were responsible for maintaining and cleaning the field. While some worked to just get it out of the way, Johnson reveled in it. “I was the one guy who stayed longer to make sure everything looked perfect,” Johnson says of Gilbert. “It’s just always been in my blood to be a groundskeeper. I wanted to make sure when we showed up the next day for practice or for a game that the field looked nice.” With hundreds of sporting events under his belt as a professional groundskeeper, Johnson has become one of the most respected names of the craft. Thanksgiving week he announced his retirement. But that acclaim didn’t come overnight. Following that spark he felt in high school, Johnson attended
Mankato State (now known as Minnesota State) and earned a degree in recreation. During a spring break trip in 1978, he traveled to Arizona to spend time with a brother and attend MLB Spring Training. He was in awe of the Valley’s fields. “I did an internship at ASU taking care of all the athletic fields,” he says. “When that internship ended, they had a full-time position open up at the baseball stadium. So, really, ASU is the only place I’ve ever worked as a professional in my whole life.” Johnson spent 12 years working on the baseball field at Packard Stadium, before eventually moving over to Sun Devil Stadium. Now, he’s responsible for all athletic fields. With that responsibility comes an attachment to his work. When Arizona Wildcat players decided to destroy part of the midfield logo with their cleats before the 2019 Territorial Cup, Johnson took it personally. “I take it personally when our own fans rush the field after a big win,” Johnson says. “If I’m going to be upset at our own fans, I’m going to be even more so at a visiting team.
PHOTO • DAVID MINTON/STAFF
Arizona State University Athletic Grounds Facilities Manager Brian Johnson stands on the turf of Frank Kush Field at Sun Devil Stadium. He recently announced his retirement.
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PHOTO • COURTESY OF BRIAN JOHNSON
Brian Johnson adds the finishing touches to the end zone at Sun Devil Stadium.
I was going to go out there and try to prevent that. But, I got a little bit busy and didn’t really see it happen because things were going smooth during pregame warmups. “There are 90,000 square feet out there, and they decided to do their little huddle before going to the locker room right on the logo. Chunks of sod were flying, and that really did upset me. We’re planning on doing that logo again. I’m sure I’ll be out there on the field all pregame and not letting anything like that happen again.” When he was promoted to work on that field, Johnson only worked for the Sun Devils. During the Cardinals’ tenure at Sun Devil Stadium, he helped paint the field. Late in the 1995 NFL season, he came to work unaware that he was about to face the toughest task of his professional life. “George Toma, a groundskeeping legend, came down for a Cardinals game to check out the field,” Johnson recalls. “I remember that I was painting the trimmer on the Cardinal letters in the endzone. I knew who he was, but he didn’t know who I was. He just walked up to me and didn’t say a word, crossed his arms, and watched me trim each letter. He would just follow me down the whole end zone, not saying a word. I thought that I was doing a good job, but he didn’t
say anything. But when I finished, he said, ‘Hey, nice job painting, son. Can you help us for the Super Bowl?’” It was Johnson’s first foray into the NFL, and it wouldn’t be his last. He’s worked on the grounds crew for over 20 Super Bowls and a multitude of international games. Johnson isn’t resting on his laurels. Whether it’s a 20th anniversary tribute to those who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attacks or an Arizona state flag pattern spanning the entirety of the playing field, he’s ambitious. “Because they’re a special design, during the week we have to run a bunch of strings and tape measures and hand-brush everything,” Johnson says. “It is a bit of work during the week, but I really like the fact that we’re known for that. People make comments quite often about all of our field designs. It helps ASU stand out and show some creativity instead of just doing the same field week after week.” Johnson still has one dream job. “If I could paint the lines for a World Cup final or a Champions League final, that would be great,” he says. “I’m a Bayern Munich fan, so if they were to make it to another final and I could be there, paint the field for the game, watch them win it, hoist the trophy up in the air, that would be it.” CT
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11 LOCAL PLACES TO HOLIDAY SHOP ANNIKA TOMLIN COLLEGE TIMES
11. BUNKY BOUTIQUE This rustic-chic shop specializes in lightweight cotton clothes for men, women and infants featuring a creative Phoenix flare. Bunky Boutique also offers an assortment of gifts, from housewares and grooming products to paper goods, jewelry and games — not to mention it houses an exclusive Arizona Love collection. 1001 N. Central Avenue, Suite 125, Phoenix, bunkyboutique.com
10. MERKIN VINEYARDS & CADUCEUS CELLARS This Jerome-based winery founded by Tool’s Maynard James Keenan creates high-elevation wines out of predominantly Italian and Spanish varieties. Just in time for the holidays, it is offering two special bundles. The Bottles of Bubbles ($125) includes one Merkin Vineyards Chupacabra Bubbles bottle, one Caduceus Cellars Trial Series, Pet Nat, one Merkin Vineyards Olives, one neoprene bag, one branded wine key, one Caduceus Cellars ornament and one Merkin Vineyards ornament. The other bundle, Queen B Can Kit ($99), includes one can each of Puscifer Queen B sparkling hard cider, sparkling mead, sparkling Malvasia and sparkling red, a Puscifer Queen B cooler bag, two branded travel mugs, two can lids and one ornament. 158 Main Street, Jerome, caduceus. org; 7133 E. Stetson Drive, Suite 4, Scottsdale, merkinvineyards.org
9. PINK HOUSE BOUTIQUE
Located in the heart of Downtown Glendale, this boutique features an array of trendy, retro pinup and bohemian clothing and accessories. This is an ideal place to look for an item that might seem out of the norm in other retail locations but is a highlighted piece within this store. Everything from Ouija Board cotton face masks to a “Star Wars” tin lunch box can be found at Pink House Boutique. 7009 N. 58th Avenue, Glendale, pinkhouseboutique.com
8. ARENA MERCHANDISING Arena Merchandising offers oneof-a-kind custom apparel with ondemand printing for consumers and artists. Whether it’s products from Arena’s artist collections or custom designs, the local merchandising business can provide a great fashionable gift. New this year, Arena is selling a catalog of vintage concert tour poster prints as blankets. Choose from David Bowie and Black Sabbath to Def Leppard and the Cure. arena.store
7. MUSE Outside of the effortless everyday style clothing available at Muse, the shop includes an assortment of home décor and self-care products ready to gift. Pick out a zodiac book that matches a friend or family member’s astrological sign or gift an intricate decoupage oyster jewelry dish. Each item gives off an urban boho vibe. 100 E. Camelback Road, Suite 108, Phoenix, shopatmuse.com
Frances
6. DEAR PEACH BOUTIQUE This family-owned boutique caters to women of all shapes and sizes, not to mention gifts and toys for even the youngest member of the family. Dear Peach sells a plethora of items like baby toys, specialty candy, tote bags and stickers. Hair accessories, jewelry and shoes are on display, too. 19805 N. 51st Avenue, Glendale, dearpeach.com
5. CHANGING HANDS BOOKSTORE Open since 1974, Changing Hands Bookstore sells new and used books, creative gifts and toys, and offers more than 300 author events each year. Shop items like kitchen accessories, greeting cards, chimes, bells, and games for any age. Changing Hands will also curate a book bundle. Choose a genre the receiver might like and a price range between $50 and $500, along with other questions to help narrow down the items to go into the bundle. 6428 S. McClintock Drive, Tempe, 480.730.0205; 300 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix, 602.247.0067, changinghands.com
4. SIP & SHOP LOCAL COLLECTION This local shop in Gilbert features more than 50 small businesses with items from baby to furniture, home décor, clothing and macarons. While shopping, grab a glass of wine or beer. Want to give a gift of activities? Look no further, because Sip & Shop offers an array of classes throughout the year. December’s class is making effective spa-quality sugar scrubs. 2180 E. Williams Field Road, Suite 110, Gilbert, sipandshoparizona.com Cave + Post
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3. FRANCES For more than 15 years, Frances
has been the one-stop shop for creative gifts. Popular local vendors include Baggu, Gigi Pip and Keep Nature Wild. There’s no need to wrap gifts either, as Frances takes care of it for customers. The awardwinning indie craft series Crafteria visits Frances the Saturdays in December before Christmas, offering crafts, clothes, art, food and other pop-up-style vendors. 10 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix, shopfrancesboutique.com
2. LIFE & LADLE Life & Ladle recently released its first line of signature candles. The small-batch, artisan and handpoured candles were created to help customers express who they are within their home. The 4-ounce candles come in Cranberry Woods, Grandpa’s Favorite Cigar, Just Me Maliyh, Walk in the Woods and Yodah-LADLE-hee-hoo, each priced at $15. lifeandladle.com/candles
1. CAVE + POST TRADING CO. This two-part shop includes the “Post,” a boutique with a curated collection of quality menswear lines and accessories as well as handpicked thrifted rare finds. Out back, a courtyard area leads to an artisan workshop or makerspace, the “Cave,” which has been outfitted to accommodate a variety of skilled trades. Cave + Post carries popular brands like Freenote, Howler Brothers and Texas Standard, not to mention a slew of accessory lines including Shinola watches and sunglasses from AO Eyewear. The Post also sells personal care products, a collection of guitars, houseware and vintage jewelry. 1040 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, caveandpost.com CT
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REPPING PHOENIX
FORMER SUN DEVIL ANDRE ETHIER AMONG SPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI • COLLEGE TIMES
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ndre Ethier stood on the Seventh Street bridge in Phoenix watching the construction of Bank One Ballpark in the 1990s. His dream was to play in it someday. He did — but as a Dodger. Growing up in Phoenix and playing for one of the top teams in the league was a Catch-22 for Ethier. “It’s a tough thing to be a native son of Phoenix but have all your professional success for the hated team of Phoenix,” says Ethier, a former Sun Devil ballplayer. “It’s a Catch-22, you could say the least.” He adds with a laugh, stressing, “I’m proud every damn day of my adult life to be an LA Dodger and represent LA, because I have everything I have, obviously, because of my upbringing and the great city of LA and the great fan base of the Dodgers.
“I will never deny that. I will always acknowledge what I have because of where I played.” Ethier was recently inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame along with Paul Westphal, former Phoenix Suns player and coach; Ann Meyers Drysdale, Phoenix Mercury and the Suns; Joe Caldwell, former ASU basketball star; John Bridger, former Thunderbirds executive director; and Roland Hemond, former D-backs executive. Ethier grew up on 19th Avenue and Osborn Road and attended St. Mary’s Catholic High School. The school is 2.5 miles from what is now Chase Field. Besides being a star player on the Dodgers, Ethier was a standout athlete for Chandler-Gilbert Community College and ASU baseball. “I was introduced to ASU sports very young by my parents,” he says. “My dad was an avid ASU baseball
PHOTO • COURTESY OF JON SOOHOO
Andre Ethier played for the ASU Sun Devils between 2000 and 2003.
PHOTO • COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Andre Ethier played for the LA Dodgers from 2006 to 2017 prior to his retirement.
fan. We went to the games at Packard stadium on the weekends. I didn’t have a dream to play for any major league team. I just wanted to make it to ASU. That was a dream of mine.” He knew if he was successful at ASU, there was a good chance of moving on past there. “The moment it happened, it was a pinch-yourself moment,” he says about joining the Sun Devils. “When I put on that Sun Devil uniform, there was nothing like it.” While at ASU he was a teammate and good friends with future MLB stars Dustin Pedroia and Ian Kinsler. On June 5, 2001, he was drafted by the Oakland A’s in the 37th round of the amateur draft but did not sign. Two years later, on June 3, 2003, he was drafted by the Oakland A’s again in the second round and signed on July 1, 2003. On December 13, 2005, he was traded by the Oakland A’s to the Dodgers for Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez. “I was traded to the Dodgers, the rivals of this team (the D-backs), and I have my professional career flourish and become successful,” he said. “So many of my friends and family have a deep-rooted sports hatred for the Dodgers.” On September 19, 2013, the Dodgers notoriously celebrated their NL West crown in the Chase Field pool. He is frank about the Dodgers’ actions. “The funny part is, is that where the D-backs go in and swim
themselves?” he says rhetorically. “Are they using it themselves? Any fan can rent it out and use it.” The championship is just one of many accolades the Dodgers — and Ethier himself — have collected. He’s proud, however, of the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame induction. “I’m not saying this bragging-wise, but you win so many accolades and awards over the course of baseball playing,” he says. “There are, what, 500 players who get to play Major League baseball on a roster. You’re at the pinnacle of your sport, so you win awards and accolades. “Being removed now a couple years and to be given another one that goes back to my roots and upbringing and acknowledges where I came from and how I got there is incredible. “I took pride every day representing Arizona. Clarendon Little League on 15th Avenue and Osborn, that’s where I got my Little League start. I ate snow cones with my buddies in the neighborhood after games.” He’s still proud of his hometown. The Ethier family are big Phoenix Suns fans and season ticket holders. “That’s a milestone moment for me in my life — being a kid from Phoenix who comes from a humble area, humble background, begging his parents to take him to Suns games, and now being able to be a guy in my late-30s, early 40s having season tickets to the Suns. It’s a cool, full-circle moment.” CT
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