There is a wonderful home base for sports in the heart of baseball’s Cactus League play that leads off every time with two strikes against it. But this place never strikes out.

If that sounds puzzling, it is. The Blue Moose in Scottsdale may be the best sports bar in the Valley of the Sun. It is an airy place with nice patio, roomy interior, great food and very friendly staff. Tons of TV’s for sports viewing are conveniently situated, and a few bar games like Golden Tee are available to the right of the main bar. It is a perfect oasis from the hot Phoenix sun, if you can find the place.

While located in the virtual geographic center of Scottsdale (until the city annexes another 20 square miles) and next to the Scottsdale Center for the Arts, the complex where the bar sits is a concrete labyrinth. The Blue Goose is impossible to find through these 21 acres of park unless you are looking for it. Strike one.

City officials call the plaza Scottsdale Mall. But tourists (and many locals) think that when you refer to Scottsdale Mall, you’re talking about the huge Scottsdale Fashion Square with Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom and Macy’s and PF Chang’s and the like. No Blue Moose there. Strike two.

But once you find the Blue Moose, it is a home run. The typical sports bar fare is atypical: it is very well prepared and thought out. Daily specials are typically a unique turn on a sandwich and very satisfying. The salads are great. If the maze-like walk to find the bar has you longing for a piece of cheese, let me suggest that it go on one of the Blue Moose’s stout burgers. And after your search reaches pay dirt, you will want to quench your thirst with a beer from the excellent tap and bottle selections.

In my dozens of visits to the Phoenix–Scottsdale area, I have fallen for the typography, the variety of places to go, the golf, the sports venues, and of course the weather. But I have found the people a bit standoffish in an L.A. wannabe way. That is not true at the Blue Moose. The people that run and work at the place are without question some of the nicest people I have met in the bar business. Maybe they treat you that way because they are so happy to see you. – D.M.