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Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Winsome, Lose Some

Whew! Well, it's been an interesting couple of weeks since I've been here. I think we can safely finally but not unconditionally say things are looking up a little for the DBacks as long as we realize we are still balancing on the precipice - could go either way. I've been on too many rollercoaster rides with this team to get warm and fuzzy feelings about things yet. The re-emergence of Chris Young's bat has me feeling better about things than I probably would have without it.

Jon Rauch was a huge addition to the pen. He'll be the closer next year. If the DBacks let go of Valverde last winter I don't see how it's likely they would keep Lyon. I bet there's a good chance Rauch may even end up closing before the year is out. Should Lyon continue to be shaky and the DBacks be embroiled in the thick of a Division race it's nice to know we have Big Jon Rauch (insert rolling eyes here) for backup.

Which looks like it will happen. The Dodgers made a huge move (IMO) by acquiring Casey Blake. Blake seems to be just what the doctor ordered as he arrived in LA hitting .398 with RISP. Doubtful the Dodgers are done yet. The Rockies are showing signs of another 2nd half hot streak, and the Padres seem to be waking from their slumber as well with Jake Peavy pitching a very strong game his last outing. Everyone is looking to get better. Another swoon like the first half and you can count us O-U-T even though the NL West still seems intent on sending a sub .500 team to the playoffs this year.

The Texiera/DBacks rumours keep on trucking. Will they? Won't they? I like Tex, but no way do I trade Connor Jackson for a player who won't be back after the season. However, I'd part with Chad Tracy and Micah Owings in a heartbeat. I'm not sure how much Owings' stock has dropped, but maybe sweeten the pot with a low level prospect. As much as I cringe when I watch Jackson at first base there won't be a place for him next season when Byrnes is back, and we need CoJack's bat. The outfield and first will be too crowded (Tracy, Clark).

Extension talks are on with Dan Haren. This is a good thing, but it will be interesting to see how it impacts the talks with Webb. We need to find a way to sign O-Dawg. I'm hearing he's not willing to take the hometown discount so I'm doubtful it would be done. I've heard thoughts of moving Reynolds to 2nd which leaves a big gaping hole at 3rd. Tracy is not a great third baseman. Of course neither is Mark. Joe Crede will be available or if we leave Reynolds at third then maybe we could go after someone like Mark Ellis at 2nd.

It's been awhile since the DBacks have been buyers at the trade deadline. I think the Texiera trade (or probably any others) won't happen, but it will be fun to talk about the next few days.

Friday, July 11, 2008

The Army We Have

What do you get when you put two teams together who don't know how to win? You get last night's 11 inning 7-5 D*Backs win over the Nats. That win, being hailed as the latest "turn around game" for the Snakes, puts their record at 3-3 since the LAST turn around game (the six run ninth inning comeback against Milwaukee on July 3rd).

Thank you Bob Melvin for letting a pitcher with 104 pitches start the ninth inning. A really big THANK YOU goes to our third baseman who leads the league in errors for making 3 more last night (2 in the ninth).

One of the headlines I saw following the game last night was: "It Wasn't Pretty But It Was A Win". This reminded me of another coach in another sport at another time in Phoenix.

I don't know how many times, after having nearly blown a basketball game with poor execution and less than stellar defense (usually in games they should have won easily), Westphal started a post game press conference with that very same comment. The one exception where I ever saw him exhibit any kind of public determination or feistiness was when he made the "3 in a row" prediction after losing the first 2 games of a best of 5 playoff series at home against the Lakers. The Suns made it to the NBA Finals in 1993 and came within a few seconds of forcing a game 7 against Michael Jordan's Bulls. During the rest of Westphal's tenure, though good, they were disappointing underachievers.

I realize this is what bothers me so much about Bob Melvin. I don't question his competitiveness or desire to win, but if he can't communicate that to the fans how do we know he can transfer it to the team? All in all, the team I see on the field is a mirror reflection of Melvin's laid back attitude. It manifests itself as malaise and ennui. It's infectious. As a fan I feel the same way.

Let's see some feistiness. Let's kick some dirt or pick up a base and throw it in the dugout. As fans, let's toss 25,000 bobble heads on the field in protest on July 19th and show them that we are mad as hell, and we're not going to take it anymore. It's time to do SOMETHING.

Now, here's a little insult added to injury. Some of us have claimed that the biggest move the Diamondbacks made last winter was one they didn't actually make at all: not re-signing Tony Clark. Some so-called "experts" have dismissed this idea and have chosen to focus upon the empty seats at Chase Field instead of the product that's been put on it. Who can fault the fan who chooses to put a hundred bucks in the gas tank instead of coming to the park to watch a baseball team play with all the excitement of a John McCain campaign speech? Oh, and they need to make more signs.

Myrow's arrival could signal Clark's departure via trade

Another knife through the heart. Trading within the division is difficult. What would Arizona be willing to give up to a division rival, taking for granted the division rival would give up anything to us at all? Nick Pierco mentions former D*Backs first baseman Richie Sexson who was released by the Mariners yesterday. He would be a cheap pick up since the Mariners are on the hook for his $14 million contract. That should tell you how poorly Sexson is hitting this year. Last time I checked, we weren't looking for another .218 hitter. I'd love to see Casey Blake in Sedona Red, but I'm not sure he's someone we can afford.

Someone once said, "As you know, you go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want." Well, this is the one we built, but it's not too late because we haven't lost the war. Yet.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

PTSD

ABC News wonders if catcher Chris Snyder will be able to come back from his injury at all - from a mental stand point. Read it and wince.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Micah Owings' Greatest Hits

Pathetic. Really, really pathetic. Micah Owings, in his bid to become the next Rick Ankiel, dinked as many batters as our batters dinked hits (3).

Justin Upton was scratched from the lineup sending the coaching staff scrambling to find more players to play out of position.

There just isn't much more to say.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Beat The Gnats

Wow, thank God for the Nationals. (Sorry, Michael.) The Nationals managed just six hits today, but we'll give them some credit as they were facing All-Star pitcher Brandon Webb who reportedly didn't have his best stuff. The Nats just can't get any R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

The D*Backs, on the other hand, are definitely on a roll as they recorded their second straight win by defeating the Nats 2-0 on the strength of a blistering 4 hit game. Come on, boys, let's keep those bats hot!

After the flurry of ball busting trade activity in the NL Central, the NL West may now pick up the complimentary coffee maker/espresso machine located under the flashing blue light and head for the door. Might as well beat the traffic.

Meanwhile, as if the season weren't bizarre enough the name Bonds, Barry Bonds, is being rather fecklessly tossed about the upper echelons of the Arizona front office. FOR REAL. This kind of reminds me of a basketball team that went after some guy named Shaq. Note from Mr Kerr to Mr Byrnes: That didn't really work out all that well.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Daylight Fading - Padres 4, Diamondbacks 2

Daylight fading
Come and waste another year
All the the anger and the eloquence are bleeding into fear
Moonlight creeping around the corners of our lawn
When we see the early signs that daylights fading
We leave just before its gone*


Can you picture this team without Orlando Hudson? Close your eyes and think about it. That's next year's team you see.

*Daylight Fading by Counting Crows

July 4th - THE GAME (Time To Pray)

Nick Oza/The Arizona Republic  I have so many thoughts about yesterday's game that I'm going to start with the one that will be the quickest to write and shortest to read.

After making a brief appearance in the 9th inning Thursday, the Arizona offense took another night off as the D*Backs fell to the Padres 5-1. San Diego pitcher Cha Seung Baek started the game with a 1-4 record and an ERA over 5.00, but held the Snakes hitless through 5 2/3 innings to get the win over June pitcher of the month Dan Haren. Haren pitched another strong game going 7 and giving up 2 runs. Somebody somewhere must have said this is a game that on paper favored the Diamondbacks and jinxed us. Baek had given up 10 earned runs in his previous two starts and was winless in his last five. As usual, Arizona bats have a way of making even pitchers like Baek look like Cy Young.

The rest of the game was rather typical:

*Chad Tracy, who had doubled home the first Arizona run in the bottom of the 7th with two out was lifted for a pinch runner who failed to score. Connor Jackson was moved from left to first and promptly made a throwing error the very next inning. This led to another run given up by....

*Reliever Chad Qualls who was sent into the game in the top of the 8th and was not able to keep the runner from crossing the plate, extending the Padres lead to 3-1.

*The bullpen, in two innings, managed to give up more runs than the starter had allowed in the first seven.

The Diamondbacks are in first place ( by just 1/2 game over the Dodgers) by virtue of their dominance over division rivals this year. If teams like the Padres start looking forward to coming to Chase Field then it's going to be a very long second half of the season.

Photo by Nick Oza/The Arizona Republic

Friday, July 4, 2008

Happy Independence Day!

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Now THAT Was Fun!

The good thing about working from home is I get to watch the Diamondbacks game today. The bad thing about working from home is I get to watch the Diamondbacks game today.

With a record of 2-34 when trailing after the 8th inning this season, the D*Backs scored 6 runs in the bottom of the 9th today to beat the Brewers 6-5. I had almost forgotten what it felt like to win a game like that.

Let's hear it for Tracy! Well, thank you, but I meant Chad Tracy. Chad has been involved in both walk-off wins for the D*Backs this year, hitting a homer in the 10th on June 13th to beat the Royals and ripping a bases loaded double to bring the Snakes to within 2 in the bottom of the 9th today.

As Orlando Hudson said after the game, "Hopefully this will start something."

With the Padres coming into town tomorrow, maybe we have a chance to string a couple of wins together.

Gone But Not Forgotten

Also known as Better Late Than Never. Rest peacefully.

Start A Fire

Start with manager Bob Melvin, who looks like he has no clue how to make this team win. Bunting your BEST hitter with the game tied and 2 on and nobody out in the late innings? Putting your error prone 3rd baseman at first - a position he has never played in the majors - after pinch hitting in the 7th? Where was Robby Hammock? It looks like poor bench management and DESPERATION to me.

Continue with 3rd base coach Chip Hale. I have seen far too many base running mistakes between 2nd base and home this year to think he should be spared.

Yes, I know there were a lot of wasted chances last night, and yes, I know many of them were precipitated by poor decision making on AND off the field. Yes, I know the coaches don't play the games on the field, but this team and it's fans have come to expect games like the one last night and that's not a good thing. Did anyone seriously think we might win that game when Chad Qualls came trotting out of the bullpen?

I'm going to the game on July 4th, and not even looking forward to it. Hell, they're not even fun to watch on TV. I'll almost be relieved when we finally slip out of first place. This freefall has been too long and too painful to watch.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Ouch, %^&*ing Ouch!

Catcher Chris Snyder was placed on the DL today with a left testicular fracture. Snyder was hit in the groin by a foul ball off the bat of JJ Hardy yesterday.

Man, that even makes ME wince in pain. I didn't even know you could fracture one of those. I looked it up:

The condition is observed only in men.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Randy, we hardly knew ye. I think now I understand why Clemens never started pitching until July even with all the meds.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Tell me Something Good

Let's talk about something fun (which precludes the just completed series in Minnesota).

Josh Robbin's quest to travel across the country by automobile and see games in all 30 major league ballparks in 27 days stopped in Phoenix last week for the Thursday afternoon game against the A's. The game notes on the blog seem to have disappeared. I did notice in reading them that Josh was scheduled to be interviewed after the game by Fox Arizona, but the interview was nixed by Mark Grace, who needed a smoke break instead.

Last Thursday night, one of the most unusual nights in baseball occurred as switch hitter faced switch pitcher in a minor league game. After the batter and pitcher both changed sides 4 times, a timeout was called.

Apparently unsure of how the rules handle such an oddity, the umpires didn’t stop the cat-and-mouse game until Venditte walked toward the plate and said something while pointing at Henriquez. Umpires and both managers then huddled and the umps decided the batter and pitcher can both change sides one time per at-bat, and that the batter must declare first.

The ruling favored the pitcher, since he gets to declare last.

About seven minutes after he first stepped in, Henriquez struck out on four pitches as a righty against a right-handed Venditte and slammed his bat in frustration. Staten Island won, 7-2.

It's now in the hands of MLB who will make an official ruling.


Friday, June 20, 2008

The Baseball Project

The Baseball Project, Vol. 1 : Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails Yep Roc Records Release Date: July 8, 2008

The Baseball Project will be performing on David Letterman tonight, June 20th.

"Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails" features 13 songs about baseball written and performed by baseball fans Steve Wynn (The Dream Syndicate, Miracle 3) and Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows, Minus 5 and REM). They are joined on the disc by fellow indie artists Linda Pitmon (Miracle 3) and Peter Buck (REM) extolling the feats and defeats of players like Curt Flood, Satchel Paige, Ted Williams, and Black Jack McDowell.

I was fortunate enough to see Steve Wynn and the Miracle 3 play at the SxSW Music Festival in Austin in 2005. Steve's song "Amphetamine" is one of my all time favorites. He and Miracle 3 drummer Pitmon are married.

Listen to a stream of the Baseball Project’s “Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails” here.

1) Past Time
"So long ago, so long/Pastime, are you past your prime?/The DiMaggios, Shoeless Joe, Minnie Minoso, Yo La Tengo". Yo La Tengo is actually a tip of the hat to the inaugural 1962 Mets season where the phrase, Spanish for "I got it!", was used by centerfielder Richie Ashburn to signal to the shortstop Elio Chacon, who didn't speak much English, to back off the play to prevent a collision.

2) Ted Fucking Williams

Steve Wynn: "Well, if you’re a baseball fan of a certain age your mind was certainly blown by Jim Bouton’s “Ball Four”. And one of my favorite parts of Ball Four was the story about him taking batting practice and shouting “My name is Ted Fucking Williams and I’m the greatest hitter in baseball. Jesus H Christ himself couldn’t get me out.” You gotta love that. And he probably was the best hitter to ever play the game. I mean, just imagine if he hadn’t given up all those years to World War II and Korea. He was great. And he knew he was great. And he knew that the press and most of the fans preferred the other outfielders of his day. It must have driven him nuts."

3) Gratitude (For Curt Flood)
Reminds current players the debt they owe Curt Flood, the late St. Louis Cardinals centerfielder who changed sports history and ultimately helped make a lot of guys - like the multi-millioniare ballplayers Wynn names in song (A-Rod, Zito, Posada, Tejada, Johan, Manny, Maddox, Mussina) - really rich, by challenging baseball's reserve clause after the 1969 season. (His motivation? He didn't want to be traded to the Phillies.)

4) Broken Man
Is about Mark McGwire, but according to Wynn it is also about the hypocrisy of the steroid scandal: "Well, Scott wrote that song and he completely nailed the hypocrisy of the steroid scandal. Bud Selig (who truly IS the antichrist-don’t get me started) could have shut down the steroid scandal 3 years ago by granting amnesty to the past and laying down impossibly strict rules for the future. But he was having too much fun enjoying the increased revenue that the steroid-infused home run derbies brought to the game. And by the way, you could make a case that the Rangers of the early 90’s were a kind of petri dish for the steroid era (Palmiero! Canseco! Gonzales!). And who was their owner. George W. Bush. Please. Don’t get me started. As for Bonds, I think the Yankees should sign him immediately."

5) Satchel Paige Said
The highest paid pitcher in the Negro Leagues who became the first black pitcher in the American Leagues at the tender age of 42. Often called the toughest pitcher in baseball by the men who faced him and has been quoted as saying, "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you."

6) Fernando
Obviously this is about Fernando Valenzuela, and it's in Spanish. I don't speak Spanish.

7) Long Before My Time
Marks the amazing career of Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax, who quit at his peak in 1966.

8) Jackie's Lament
Imagines the internal tug towards retaliation that Jackie Robinson felt when he was made the victim of racial hatred as the first African-American baseball player.

9) Sometimes I Dream Of Willie Mays
Steve Wynn’s sad story of Bay Area baseball and Willie Mays. “I dream of Willie Mays/And tell him I was there./I dream of Willie Mays/And the wind dies down and the sun comes out and the fog lifts and he’s there.” Wynn tells us that he loved Mays in ‘65 at Candlestick. “Now it’s 1973/Right across the Bay/Playin’ right field for the Mets/The ball goes through his legs/I cheered the A’s to victory/But that was something I never wanted to see.”


10 )The Death Of Big Ed Delahanty
About the hard-drinking dead-ball era 19th century Phillies first baseman with a lifetime .346 batting average who died when he was swept over Niagra Falls in 1903 after a drunken fall from a train bridge.

11) Harvey Haddix
Tells the story of the beleaguered Pittsburgh pitcher who threw twelve perfect innings only to give up a hit and eventually the win in the 13th inning back in 1959. The song is worth listening to if for no other reason than to hear the duo fit the names of all seventeen perfect-gamers into rhyming refrain

12) The Yankee Flipper
The story of Black Jack McDowell, who gave 50,000 Yankees fans the finger as he left the mound for a rare early exit

13) The Closer
Discusses the life and mental makeup of the closer

Links:
Bugs & Cranks Interview: Steve Wynn of The Baseball Project
Music for people who love baseball. Or baseball for people who love music.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Paybacks Are A.....

And we should know, eh? That was a nice win last night and a lift I'm sure the players and coaches needed. I liked what Melvin did with the first half of the lineup. Obviously, a win like this is an aberration as was the loss the night before. Games like these are certainly no indication of a team without being able to measure trends. The most we can hope for, and it's what I am going to do, is that this is the first step of a 12 step recovery program.

SHOTGUN!
I saw this gentleman interviewed on Channel 3 this morning. Josh Robbins left California on June 16th for a 27-day automobile trip to visit all 30 major league baseball parks. He'll be at Chase Field today to catch the game. You can follow him on his adventure through his blog at http://www.thirty27.com/.


Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Pretty Damn Low Yet, I'd Guess

The A's just went ahead of the D*Backs 8-0. We have now been outscored 28-7 in the past 4 games, and it's only the 5th inning.

And just in case the game HAD been worth watching I have to say this has been the most annoying baseball broadcast I have ever watched in my life. Fox Sports apparently decided the game tonight would take a backseat to some BS "behind the scenes" infomercial. So far we have seen the radio booth, the video booth, the scoreboard control room and the PA announcer at work. Pardon them while they cut away quickly to show the second pitch. Sorry, you missed the first one. What's next? A play by play in the clubhouse laundry room of how they wash the jock straps? Granted, watching the spin cycle might be much more interesting than what's going on the field tonight, but couldn't this have been done on Diamondbacks Live or something? What a stupid idea and proof that this organization is totally clueless - on the field and off.

How Low Can You Go?

DRIVIN' WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED
Okay, I'm calm. I know it's not even the All Star break. I know there is more than half a season of baseball left to play. But after going 1-2 in a home series against a team that came in with a record 16 games below .500 and being outscored in those 3 games 20-8...well, WTF? That was preceded by fairly lackluster performances against Milwaukee and Pittsburgh and a "I think we've turned the corner" series against the Mets (who just fired their manager today). It certainly won't get any easier this week with games against Oakland, Minnesota and Boston.

When do we hit bottom? When do we stop "scuffling"? When do we stop taking the proverbial one step forward, two steps back? When does this young, streaky team start delivering a string of good solid baseball games featuring a complete package of steady defense, timely hitting, and rock solid pitching from start to finish? Is that too much to freaking ask? How much comfort am I supposed to take in the fact that we cling to the division lead because every other team is playing even lousier ball than we are? How far will that get us against Philly or Chicago in a playoff series?


IT DON'T MEAN A THING (IF YOU AIN'T GOT THAT SWING)
Where is the spark? I'm hoping it's on the DL and will step up to re-ignite this team when it returns with hopefully a good pair of legs because this team and its fans are in danger of being weighed down by the anchor of apathy currently knotted around their necks. When Eric Byrnes comes off the DL Justin Upton should go down to Tucson to get his swing back. While they're at it, maybe they can get the kid an eye test. Is he seeing the ball at all? Because it looks to me like he's just guessing up there at most every pitch.

And then there is this: There is some concern that pitching ace Brandon Webb may be suffering from a "dead arm". That news alone should send every D*Backs fan to the corner drugstore for their Xanax refill.

No, it's too early to panic, but if current trends continue it may soon be too late. This team has not been playing like a championship team for the past several weeks. At some point there will be a critical juncture at which it will be determined if this team's true identity belongs to the Diamondbacks of April (19-8) or the Diamondbacks of May (11-17). Circumstances will require them to step up and prove what they are made of and no one will be able to accuse circumstances of being band wagoners, not filling the stands or not making enough signs.

I'M JUST GETTING STARTED
Please, I know the D*Backs strive to be different with their 6:40 weeknight start times but can we just ditch the 5:10 Saturday home starts? PLEASE??? This is Ari-freaking-zona. Even with the air conditioning the ballpark is noticeably less comfortable. What purpose does it serve other than to get the fans to trek downtown during the hottest part of the day and quench their thirst with $8 beers and $6 sodas? Oh, and while you're at it, might as well eat dinner, too, so grab yourself one of those $7 hamburgers. Seriously, what a blatant piece of marketing crap.

Do they really think we're that stupid? (Someone is gonna answer that, and I think I know what he's going to say.)

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Gonzo Backs McCain


This comes as no surprise. A story by the Miami Herald about what S. Florida athletes think about politics features former D*Backs left fielder Luis Gonzalez who says he will be backing Arizona senator John McCain for President.


Gonzo appeared at rallies with Bush and McCain in Arizona and is politically active overall, but he keeps his views out of the clubhouse unless somebody asks. ''It's a fine line we walk with politics,'' he said. ``As a ballplayer, as soon as you endorse somebody, there's someone there to ridicule you for stepping out. I think that's why guys are more tentative and careful than maybe they used to be.''

``But I'm definitely backing McCain, because I know him personally and he's a man with strong beliefs and values. He's been through the war. Been a POW. He's been in the background for so long, and it's time for him to step to the forefront.''

Gonzalez, who has campaigned for McCain previously, was appointed to the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation in 2003.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Larsen's Perfect Game

Oh my goodness. If I were anywhere near New York City on July 10th I would be SO there.

There will be a screening of the original TV broadcast of Don Larsen's Perfect game at BB King's Blues Club and Grill in NYC on July 10th.

Complete TV broadcasts of baseball games prior to use of video tape in the late 1960s are very rare because the networks didn’t save the films. Many have seen the highlight reel of Larsen striking out Dale Mitchell for the final out and Berra jumping into Larsen’s arms, but only one known copy of the game exists today. While the film has been preserved for over five decades it has been shown on very few occasions.

This will be the first time this historic game will be shown in New York City since the game was played.

http://www.reelsportsfan.com/larsenPerfectGame.aspx

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Chris Snyder Is Da Bomb!

Let's hear it for a late inning win! (crowd roars). Arizona was 0-5 this season in games in which they were tied after the 7th inning until catcher Chris Snyder's 9th inning home run against the Pirates yesterday. Brandon Lyon came in and pitched a scoreless 9th for his 14th save. I can dig it!

Thoughts: What about letting Conor Jackson (third baseman turned outfielder turned first baseman) play some outfield and have Chad Tracy play first while Eric Brynes is on the DL? And/or maybe bringing up Trot Nixon to see if he can help provide a little offense and some veteran leadership on the bench?

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Beautiful Disaster

Every year when our group of ticket holders gather to split up the season tickets the same games are the last to go: the interleague games (unless they are the Yankees or Red Sox) and the two pre-season games at Chase the end of March that the season tickets holders always get stuck with.

Speaking for my own little group of fans, interleague play is not something we get terribly excited about. I'm fairly certain in cities where natural rivalries exist (New York, Chicago and Los Angeles) or places where state pride is on the line (Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Missouri) there is heightened interest. Major League Baseball schedules interleague play on weekends and during the months of May and June when baseball attendance is alway higher to begin with. In addition, major league clubs lure fans into seats during interleague play with free stuff. Every game during the Detroit series, as well as all three upcoming games against the Royals, have been scheduled as promotional or giveaway nights.

Which brings me to the point I'm finally getting at: I have tickets to the June 14 Royals game. I could have gotten tickets to the Tigers game which was unknowingly followed by a Trace Adkins concert. That would have been bad in this rock music lover's opinion. Such as it is, the Baseball Gods smiled on me because I recently found out that local band Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers will be following up the game. I have been a quasi-Roger Clyne fan since the days his first band, The Refreshments, got their start out of Tempe. Their current style of Southwest Americano tunes sometimes catches my ear, but I have yet to see them perform live.

Here is Roger and the band singing one of my favorite songs, "Beautiful Disaster", which I think describes the D*Backs season so far much better than "The D-Backs Swing".

So who will disappoint me more? The D*Backs or The Peacemakers?


Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Seeking: Anybody. Anytime. Please Apply Within.

Positions available:
3rd Base
Relief Pitcher
Clutch Hitter

Friday, May 30, 2008

Snatching Defeat From The Jaws of Victory

It could have been Randy Johnson's night. He tied Roger Clemens for 2nd on the all time strikeout list (4,672). He could have had his first back to back double digit strikeout games since 2004. He left after seven innings just one strike out short of both with a 3-2 lead and win number 289 within reach, but once again the the bullpen's inability to record the required number of remaining outs without allowing a run and poor defense let him down.

Will the D-Backs ever again field a true first baseman? How is it that the corner position has become such a trash can for us defensively where good (or supposedly good) hitters go to botch ground balls?

By the way, I was looking over the All Star Ballot yesterday. This just doesn't seem right. You can vote for a DH from the American League but not from the National League. I understand that there is no DH position in the NL so obviously that's why there isn't one on the ballot. Can you write in someone as a DH for the NL? The ballot doesn't make it clear.


UPDATE: File this under "We Could Have Used Them Last Night"

The trade market might be materializing a little earlier than normal this year and the Giants are actively shopping several players, according to sources.

But not the names you'd expect.

The Giants have informed other clubs that relievers Tyler Walker, Jack Taschner and Vinnie Chulk are available in fair-value deals. The club also is soliciting offers for Erick Threets and Brad Hennessey, who is starting for Triple-A Fresno.

Closer Brian Wilson is not among the players the Giants are keen on moving.

The sudden motivation to deal relief pitching is twofold: several contenders are in bullpen crisis mode, and the Giants believe they have several younger relievers who are emerging or on the cusp of doing so.

several contenders are in bullpen crisis mode

I wonder if we're on that list?

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

We Suck Right Now

Period.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Far From Purrfect But Close Enough

Three pressing questions still seem to be nagging me after the weekend series against the Detroit Tigers in which the Snakes took 2 out of 3 from the Cats.

What's going on with Orlando Hudson?

The mental mistakes he's made so far this season seem to be out of character for him: Not running out bunts, being called out for stepping out of the batter's box and not realizing when the infield fly rule is in effect have been some of the mental lapses that have plagued him. So far this season he has 6 errors. That is second on the team behind Mark reynolds who has 8. He has never had more than 13 errors in a season (in 2006, his first in the NL with the Diamondbacks). Last year he had 10 for the entire year. Add to that the unsolicited tongue lashing he gave fans on TV for booing Eric Byrnes, and I have to wonder if there isn't something going on that we don't know about. Is he bothered by the hamstring injury more than he's letting on? Is the talk that he probably won't be back with the D-Backs next year getting under his skin? I wouldn't hold either one against him, but something just doesn't seem right with O-Dawg so far this year.

What's going on at second?

Or maybe I should ask, "What's going on at third?" In the first game, Stephen Drew stopped at second base on a hit through the first base hole which should have easily gotten him to third. He held out his hands and looked at third base coach Chip Hale as if asking what he was supposed to do. Mark Grace soundly criticized Drew (over and over) for not turning around to look at the ball.

During the third game, Justin Upton was on first when Conor Jackson sent a bullet down the right field line. This looked like a ball the speedy Upton could score on easily, but he stopped at 2nd base as well. The announcers then criticized the youngster for turning around to watch the flight of the ball instead of keeping his head down and rounding second. He did end up on third as Jackson cruised into second with a double.

Am I out of line for wondering what the third base coach was doing through all this? Doesn't he have some responsibility to help runners know what to do when a ball is hit behind them? Especially younger players?

Why aren't we running more?

This team has speed. Lots of speed yet we have only 20 stolen bases and are led in that category by - Mark Reynolds with 5? Chris Young has 3. The speedy Upton has none. Even Conor Jackson has 3. Speed kills. Let's use it.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

The Upton Brothers on TWIB

Brothers B.J. and Justin Upton, as well as Arizona outfielder Chris Young and Mets third baseman David Wright, were just featured in a segment on "This Week In Baseball".


Baseball Batty Over Maple

On April 15th, Pirates hitting coach Don Long was struck in the face by pieces of a broken bat. He was sitting in the dugout at Dodger stadium when Nate McLouth stroked a double off Estaban Loaiza, his bat shattering in the process. The bat sliced through the muscle in his cheek, catching nerves in its wake. A piece broke off and lodged under his skin. A doctor needed to remove the stray wood before he could sew 10 stitches. The left side of his face is temporaily paralyzed. Doctors predict the nerves in Long’s face will regenerate and he’ll be able to smile again.

Earlier this week Reds shortstop Jeff Keppinger, who was hitting .324, broke his bat and fouled a ball off his kneecap fracturing his patella. He will be out 4-6 weeks.

Eric Byrnes, once angry after a bad at-bat, slammed his maple bat into the ground and saw its shrapnel hit catcher Miguel Olivo in the head.

And it's not just the players and coaches on the field that are in danger of the sharp projectiles that have been flying out of the hands of major league hitters at an alarming rate. According to Duane Espy, who was hitting coach for San Diego from 2000-2002:

"When I coached in San Diego, I saw a maple bat explode with a big chunk of it flying over a dugout and sticking in a fan's arm," Espy said. "When ash bats break, they might break in half, but they don't explode into shards. Maple bats become javelins. They always end up with a severe point. It's very rare for an ash bat to break like that."
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has decided to nip the breaking bat problem "in the the bud" and wants to talk to the players' union and the Rules Committee about the number of broken maple bats and why they are breaking. Maybe he should just read this article by Brain Vander Beek of the Modesto Bee.

According to Vander Beek, the increasing number can be explained by the fact that the popularity of maple bats among major league players has grown over the past 6 years. Last year, the use of maple bats surpassed ash for the first time. This year 60 percent of all MLB players are swinging maple.

Why are the maple bats so popular?
  • In 2001, Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs using a maple bat. Bonds' record breaking season brought attention to the fact that he was using unique maple baseball bats made by Sam Bat of Ottawa, ON.
  • Maple bats are cheaper than ash making it an economic factor at the minor league level. Maple bats go for about $40 each while ash bats cost about $60.
  • Maple bats are more durable and last longer. They provide a harder hitting surface than ash and don't visibly wear down.
The durability of the maple bats apparently answers the question of why the bats are so much more dangerous than broken ash.
Ash bats crack. Maple bats explode. Maple bats crack on the inside where the wear is hidden until the bat gives up its structural integrity on impact, often in a violent manner.
In 2006, MLB brought up the issue of maple bats during the collective-bargaining negotiations, but the players' union rejected an outright ban or imposing any restrictions that would lessen the likelihood of breakage. They have so far rejected the idea of putting nets in front of seats closest to the field.

An outright ban of the maple bats now seems unlikely. Chuck Schupp, the director of professional sales at Hillerich & Bradsby, the parent company for Louisville Slugger, said they would need at least 18 months to fill the orders of ash bats for all their clients.

The thickening of the bat handle seems the likeliest compromise. A scientific study showed that as the size of the handle increases, the potential for broken bats decreases. However, players might object to thicker handles because they add weight, and every 10th of an ounce counts.

The question for Baseball is this: Will they do something before it's too late or will there be another Mike Coolbaugh incident first?

(Additional story by Jeff Passan.)

Friday, May 16, 2008

No Place Like Home

The boys in Sedona Red and I agree. Home is where the heart is as they break out the broom and sweep off the porch. I really think Brandon Webb could possibly throw a no-hitter this year, but the chances of a perfect game are slim given the defense fielded behind him.

There's an interesting point to be made by Jerry Brown over at the east Valley Tribune:

I'm enjoying watching the D-Backs play, but there is one thing that should keep Arizona's spikes on the ground: After Thursday's win, they were 11 games over .500 for the season, and Brandon Webb was 9-0. So when he doesn't pitch, they're the Dodgers.
Interleague play starts this weekend. Have I mentioned how much I hate Interleague play? Apparently, I am in the minority when it comes to this. Here's what some of Arizona's personnel think about it.

Hey, I'd probably love it if we got to play the Yankees and Red Sox all the time. I do have a friend in Boston that is stoked about the D-Backs playing in Fenway later this year. Imagine that! But this weekend the Tigers are coming to town. I have absolutely no interest in the Tigers even when they are winning. Detroit's offense is explosive on paper but they have yet to translate that to the field of play where it counts. It should be another good chance to see how the D-Backs measure up against teams outside the NL West though because you really, really need to be able to beat teams in other divisions to win a championship.

And if you want to know how bad things are in Denver (snicker), check out Ken Rosenthal's column. He thinks that the Rockies have very little chance of signing Matt Holliday to an extension and that he could be prime trade bait. Holliday is signed through 2009 and will make $13 million next year. He is reportedly seeking a long term deal of more than 4 years.

Who might be in the market for Holliday? Rosenthal thinks that Cleveland, St Louis, the Yankees (duh), Oakland, Detroit, Toronto, Seattle and the Mets could be suitors.

Rosenthal also thinks that Garrett Atkins and closer Brian Fuentes could be on the block.

Like I said earlier - I'd rather be me than you.

Monday, April 28, 2008

The Game of Life

It's some world we live in where you can be keeping watch for the first 100 degree day on a Thursday and then sitting half a country away in the middle of a 35 degree night on a Monday. One day watching baseball and the next day trying to help a sick relative deal with major surgery and jerks who leave a nasty voice mail message at work because they think you're on vacation. That's when you realize that baseball, which seems to be such a big part of the life you left behind, is really just a "game". But it's one I miss now more than I can say.

Go Dbacks.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Giant Killer

Let's hear it for Brandon Webb who once again took matters into his own hands and slayed the mighty San Francisco Goliaths with his, uh, club. Can you say Micah WHO?

I'll be away for awhile (as in Cub territory-ugh) helping a relative recuperate following back surgery but will continue to live my baseball fantasies vicariously through the various Diamondback blogs on the Internet Tubes.

Also, my condolences go out to former Diamondbacks President Rich Dozer and his family on the loss of their 9 year old daughter, Laura. My thoughts and prayers are with them in this sad and difficult time.

Farewell, for now.

Monday, April 21, 2008

No Chalupas For You!

I went to the game yesterday which by now I am sure most of you know the Padres won. I've been to two games so far. I'm 1-1 and have been to 2 of the 3 games in which the Diamondbacks scored fewer than 8 runs which means no free chalupas for me. I have tickets to 9 more games this season so if you're a chalupa fan and want to know which games to avoid let me know. :-)

However, I did win the hot dog race again. I'm thinking of setting up a line on the Condiment Race.

Mustard 3:2
Ketchup 1:5
Relish 2:1

Friday, April 18, 2008

Rox Beat Padres in 22 Innings.

I gave up and went to bed last night during the 12th inning of the Rockies/Padres game. The Rockies finally got a good start out of Jeff Francis but couldn't back him up with any offense. Jake Peavy had a normal rock solid outing, but the Padres left 24 men on base. The Rockies left 30.

I recall one of the Padres announcers mentioning the longest game in Padres history, an 18 inning game they lost to the Pirates on a bases loaded walk, saying he would eat his hat if last night's game went that far. I regret I wasn't awake to see that happen.

The Dbacks will be facing the Padres for the first time this season, and though they might be tired, they are always dangerous. Arizona will benefit from not facing another ace, but Brandon Webb won't pitch this series either. Greg Maddux (who has a history of struggling against Arizona) and Chris Young have switched slots in the rotation. Maddux will go for his 350th career win against Dan Haren Friday night. Young will pitch Saturday if the soreness in his elbow improves. All signs point to advantage Arizona which usually means a team can get too comfortable and see its own energy level drop if its not careful.

The Padres are running a "smack talk" promo video for the series against the DBacks in San Diego April 25-27. The commercial shows players like Peavy and Chris Young talking about "taking back the West", and saying things like "the only way you can win the West is by beating it" (duh) and "this is our house". Let's hope the Snakes can show them the same kind of courtesy this upcoming weekend.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

1-2-3 Roar

It was nice to see Brandon Lyon have a 1-2-3 ninth inning yesterday. The Giants are just...really bad, I'm afraid. With Barry Zito starting the season 0-4 there isn't much for Giants fans to enjoy right now - other than John Bowker. Now they head to St Louis to take on the NL Central division leaders who lost to the Brewers 5-3 today in 10 innings. The Cards took 2 out of 3 from the Giants last weekend.

A note to Byrnsie: Please shave. That mustache is straight out of "Boogie Nights", and I really, really don't like rooting against you at the plate. :-)

Here's a short compilation video I made at a game last last year. It was 9/04 against the Padres in the midst of a pennant race with 26, 063 in attendance. I lost the hot dog race. The DBacks won 9-1. The short clip ends with something we won't see this year: a Tony Clark home run off Padres starter Chris Young. Last year, Clark hit .444 with 4 homers in 9 at bats against Young.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

That's More Like It

The Diamondbacks returned to their winning ways today by defeating the San Francisco Giants 8-2. The recipe for today's win (taken directly from the John McCain web site) which includes steady starting pitching, good defense and a major league leading 6.4 runs per game has helped propel the Snakes to a 10-4 start.

I'm still not entirely comfortable with Brandon Lyon in the closer role. He came into the 9th with a big lead today, and even though he didn't give up a run the bases were loaded when the final out was registered. My thoughts are that it's too soon still to yank him as the closer, but my hope is that Melvin is watching closely and has the big cat on a rather short leash.

Nick Piecoro reports that there have been a lot of complaints about the mound at AT&T Park.

Apparently there have been a lot of complaints about the mound here at AT&T Park. (See, what did I tell you?) They say it’s too high and then slopes down pretty drastically toward the plate.

Johnson was having some trouble with it last night, and catcher Robby Hammock was telling the relievers that they should throw a couple of warm-up pitches at maximum effort just to get a feel for it.

Johnson didn’t really get into how much it affected him other than to say that it was definitely different from the mound in the bullpen. But considering he couldn’t throw a strike with his fastball the first nine times he threw the pitch, it very well could have been a factor.

While watching the Cardinals/Brewers game tonight I heard the St Louis broadcasters make similar comments so there must be some substance to that. Not that Nick would make something like that up or anything. :-)

*Elsewhere today, former DBacks closer Jose Valverde, trying for his 100th career save, allowed four runs and two homers in the 9th inning as the Astros fell to the Philles 4-3. Valverde is 2-1 with 1 save and an 11.37 ERA so far this season.

*Carlos Quentin hit a 3 run homer in the White Sox 4-1 victory over Oakland.

Here are a couple of updates on earlier CDTLB Reports:

Erik Bedard has been placed on the DL with inflammation in his left hip. The move is retroactive to April 9th, and the Mariners are not sure when he will pitch again.

Bedard set an Orioles record with 221 strikeouts last season despite missing the final month of the season with a strained side muscle. He said he doesn't know when he can get back on a mound for a bullpen session, let alone a game.

"I think rest is the only thing that helps it right now," he said.

Bedard isn't sure if his hip is destined to bother him all season.

"I have no idea," he said. "My next start, we'll see. If it still hurts after that, then maybe it will be a long-term thing."

Also, I received a response from FSN AZ regarding the April 14th DBacks game which was not broadcast in HD even though all home games are advertised as scheduled to be shown in Hi-Def. I don't really know what it means, but here's the reply anyway:

In regards to Sunday’s D-backs game not being available in High Definition on DirecTV, we were just informed by DirecTV today that since they do not have designated bandwidth for FSN Arizona HD telecasts, the games need to be manually scheduled -- and unfortunately they missed Sunday’s game. They assured us they have additional staff that they are training to help verify HD content to prevent this from happening again in the future.

That's it for now. The Dbacks play the Giants again at noon forty-five tomorrow with Webb (3-0) facing off against Zito (0-3).

Let's take two.

(And, no, it's not you. I have no idea why the type in this post keeps getting smaller.)

Monday, April 14, 2008

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Last year, right before football started, we set up hi-def TV. Man, is it gorgeous. I've become very spoiled by it. Imagine my excitement to hear that all DBacks home games on FSN were going to be shown in HD. However, the technology still seems to be too new for everyone to understand. The first two HD home games were unwatchable. The first game had transmission problems. During the second game, the audio trailed the video by about 3 seconds for the entire game, including commercials. I have found these problems to be not uncommon when watching HD broadcasts on satellite, but more often than not the picture is crystal clear.

Yesterday when I sat down and flipped on the game, I was surprised to find that it was NOT broadcast in HD so I decided to check the FSN web site.

86 D-BACKS GAMES IN HIGH DEFINITION THIS SEASON:

FSN Arizona will televise a record 86 D-backs games in High Definition during the 2008 season. The 86 HD telecasts represents the largest number of D-backs games ever offered in High Definition in a season by any outlet and it is a 405 percent increase over the amount of D-backs telecasts FSN Arizona produced in HD last season. Every single home game that is scheduled to be televised by FSN Arizona will be done so in High Definition (72 total), as well as 14 road games, including eight against National League West rivals Colorado, Los Angeles and San Francisco. FSN Arizona also took the steps to ensure that the most important games are in High Definition, highlighted by the fact that 11 of the D-backs final 14 televised games of the regular season can be seen in HD. (Italics mine)
The site goes on further to list the home games available in HD this month.
THIS MONTH'S HD SCHEDULE:

Here are the upcoming D-backs games that will be available in High Definition:
* April 11 - Rockies (6:40 pm)
* April 18 - Padres (6:40 pm)
* April 19 - Padres (5:10 pm)
* April 20 - Padres (1:10 pm)
* April 21 - Giants (6:40 pm)
* April 28 - Astros (6:40 pm)
* April 29 - Astros (6:40 pm)
* April 30 - Astros (12:40 pm)
I don't see April 14th's game on that list. Am I missing something here?


BASH BROTHERS


BJ and Justin Upton are both off to great starts. BJ, 23, is currently hitting .302 with an OBP of .423 and slugging percentage of .442 and 11 RBI with Tampa Bay. Younger brother Justin, 20, has a .400 average, and OBP of .442 and a slugging percentage of .756, 5 homers and 11 RBI.


TRAGICALLY HIP

Remember how badly I wanted Erik Bedard in the off season? Bedard was scratched from his start Sunday because of inflammation in his left hip. Bedard also sat out April 6 at Baltimore with the same injury, but returned to the rotation Tuesday to earn his first win of the season at Tampa Bay. Now this comes from Lookout Landing:

It's not good.

The Mariners are being coy about it, but the situation looks to be worse than they're letting on, and the fear is that if Bedard gets an MRI and a proper diagnosis, they'll have to shut him down for a significant amount of time. And if they don't do that and decide to play it day by day, it's an injury that could nag him all season.

Thankfully, instead of Bedard's bad bum, we've got Danny being Danny.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

DBacks Free on MLB.tv Monday Night

Via Nick Piecoro:

It’s a little ridiculous that the Diamondbacks game tomorrow night isn’t going to be on television here in Phoenix, but at least the organization was able to do something to let at least some people see Randy Johnson’s first start of the season.

The club called MLB Advanced Media and got clearance to air the game online on MLB.tv for free. So that’s pretty neat. It gives them a good chance to promote the game on their web site to try to lure new subscribers, while also appeasing at least wired Diamondbacks fans.

But what’s the deal with this game not being on TV in the first place? It’s a road night game. I guess FSN Arizona was already committed to the Suns, so is this just a drawback of having one exclusive television home?

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Sweep L.A.

Yesterday (Wednesday) since hubby was off work I played hooky and went to the final game of the DBacks/Dodgers series. It was a beautiful afternoon to watch a ballgame. It seemed more like an April day in Southern California than in Arizona.

Micah Owings pitched well, but he was getting hit pretty hard early. The Dbacks stranded too many baserunners again which will be troublesome if they continue to fall back into those old habits, but a win is a win and a sweep makes the win even better, and it was good to see Brandon Lyon pick up the save and Byrnsie come up with some clutch hits.

Here is Eric Byrnes' picture on the new scoreboard (which is really awesome).

chicks dig the long ballAnd here is the new pre-game opening. I have to admit that I haven't really cared for any of these since the very first one that featured the music of U2.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

I'd Rather Be Me Than You

I'll admit to being nervous about this series before it started, but after sweeping the Colorado Rockies' "Championship Weekend" I can say: At this moment, I'd rather be a Diamondbacks fan than a Rockies fan.

I'd rather have our offense. Rather have our defense. Rather have our starting pitching, our bullpen and, yes, even rather have our shortstop. I'd rather have our record, our manager, our ballpark and our weather; and I'd rather have fans who may get a little intense at times but at least know that if you're going to boo then you boo the players who have hurt your chances with their bat instead of those who have hurt your feelings with their words.

And I know we had our nosed rubbed in it all weekend (trophy on Friday, banner on Saturday, rings on Sunday) and that Colorado was thinking we were wishing we were them, but I'd rather have our six year old World Series Championship banner than their brand spanking new 2nd place one because this is a new season when your accomplishments of last year fade with the first pitch and everyone starts asking "But what have you done for me lately?"



Yeah. I'd rather have our history than theirs; but more importantly, I'd rather have our present.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Red Rain Fallin' Down - Reds 3, Dbacks 2

Talk about your proverbial 1 step forward and 2 steps back. That's how it feels sitting here staring at a 1-2 record after posting an Opening Day win. The best thing that could have happened today would have been if the weather system bearing down on the area had opened up before the 5th inning because it had the looks of being a very long day for the Snakes.

I didn't get to watch the game too closely, but I tried to grab a few peeks while working, and it doesn't appear I missed much. The day belonged to Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto who made his big league debut and stymied Diamondbacks hitters, taking a perfect game into the 6th inning before giving up a solo home run to Justin Upton and allowing only one baserunner while striking out 10 and walking none in 7 innings.

Doug Davis had a shaky start giving up three runs (two earned), four hits and six walks in 3.2 innings, but in the end it was close enough to pull out despite the lack of offense. Chris Young donned the Golden Sombrero by striking out with two on and two out in the top of the eighth inning and put an end to any rally hopes. Looks like he's only human after all. :-)

Newly acquired closer Francisco Cordero took the mound in the top of the ninth. Would he return the favor that Brandon Lyon gave the Reds yesterday and blow the save? All together now on the count of three (as in three up and three down). ONE, TWO, THREE - NO.

The game included one of the weirdest doubles I've ever seen when Jeff Keppinger hit a ball up the middle that bounced off reliever Brandon Medders' back foot on his follow through and past a diving Mark Reynolds into left field. That was but another sign that most of the good fortune was with the Reds today.

Phewy. There just isn't much to say when your team can only muster one hit though there is some consolation knowing that the rival Colorado Rockies dropped 2 out of 3 to the Cardinals to start the season. Also of note: Trevor Hoffman blew a save opportunity last night after surrendering four runs to the Astros in the ninth inning, and the Padres went on to lose 9-6.

Final Thoughts: Go back to START. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.