March 10, 2010
One of the great things about sharing a birthday with the Arizona Diamondbacks is the fact that I am guaranteed seeing a baseball game that day. With Cactus League action now fully underway across Florida and Arizona there is no shortage of baseball.
My family and I typically plan to attend a game on my birthday each year. Beginning in early January we began looking over the spring schedules as they are released to find a game for March 9th. As a dedicated Diamondbacks fan my first priority is always to see whether the team is playing in Phoenix or Tucson.
Continue reading ‘My Observations on the Goodyear Spring Training Facility’ »
March 9, 2010
There seems to be certain days that stick out in your mind and you can remember the exact place you were at and what you were doing. Many of these days are associated with historic events such as the bombings of 9/11, or when man first walked on the moon.
March 9, 1995 is one of those days for me. I can recall even the minutest detail of that day as if it happened yesterday. It started out like most any other Arizona day. The sun was shining and nary a cloud in the sky.
Continue reading ‘Happy Birthday Diamondbacks’ »
March 8, 2010
During the Arizona Diamondbacks FanFest at Chase Field last month team officials discussed how they had begun conversations with the representatives of several of their core young players. Specifically they named third baseman Mark Reynolds, catcher Miguel Montero, and outfielder Justin Upton.
Of the three it was assumed Reynolds would be the first to sign with Upton being perhaps the hardest to sign to a long term contract due to his perceived value. It was therefore somewhat of a surprise when Upton was the first to agree to a long-term contract.
Continue reading ‘Does the Justin Upton Signing Adversely Impact Mark Reynolds Negotiations?’ »
March 7, 2010
While driving home I was listening to MLB Home Plate, channel 175 on XM radio. They had on as a guest the illustrious Bill James, the father of statistical analysis that is all the rage among teams these days.
One of the first questions the interviewer asked James was whether teams looked at or cared about a player’s Spring Training statistics or if they were as meaningless as they looked.
Continue reading ‘Diamondbacks Spring Results Make Fans Nervous’ »
March 6, 2010
The latest sign of spring finally arriving occurred this morning when the Arizona Diamondbacks began selling single game tickets for the 2010 season. Up until this point the only way to get tickets to 2010 regular season games was to buy some type of ticket package.
Beginning today fans are now able to select game-by-game tickets for the upcoming season. This includes not just the 81 regular season games but also the final two Spring Training games against the Chicago Cubs.
Continue reading ‘Diamondbacks Single Game Tickets on Sale/Promotional Schedule Announced’ »
March 5, 2010
When then Bank One Ballpark was being designed and built one of the features that was most intriguing was the retractable roof. Having a roof that could open and close in just under five minutes has a lot of advantages.
With summer temperatures reaching and sometimes exceeding 118 degrees during the summer, baseball would be unbearable in Arizona for much of the baseball season. At these times the roof is closed and the stadium is air conditioned to ensure fans’ comfort.
Continue reading ‘Rolling with the Grass at Chase Field’ »
March 4, 2010
After all of the excitement of the Hot Stove season and the never ending debates as to what moves the Arizona Diamondbacks should have made, it is now time to see what a difference a year has made.
The long dark days of the off-season are now behind us. Pitchers and catchers have reported and begun their throwing sessions. Position players have arrived and begun dusting off the bats to take a few swings.
Continue reading ‘Cactus League Spring Training – Let the Games Begin’ »
March 3, 2010
Major League Baseball is an interesting animal. On the one hand it is entrenched in its history and trying to move it forward into a new century is like pushing a rope. This of course has positive and negative implications.
On the one hand, it is that historical perspective that brings continuity to the game that spans generations. It makes it possible for children, parents, and grandparents to all speak the same language of baseball comparing players and games from very different eras.
Continue reading ‘Technology and Major League Baseball’ »
March 2, 2010
On August 30, 2008 the Arizona Diamondbacks played host to the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was a Saturday evening game at Chase Field and according to the promotional schedule that game was Eric Byrnes hat night and a celebration of Hispanic Heritage at the ballpark.
My kids were excited at the prospect of getting an Eric Byrnes hat. Some of you may be wondering what exactly an Eric Byrnes hat is. Basically it is a black Arizona Diamondbacks hat with a Sedona Red “A” on the front similar to the hats the team wears for Saturday home games.
Continue reading ‘La Felicidad es un Los D-Backs Suéter’ »
