July 2000 Archives

The baseball trade deadline is about the closest thing that a baseball fan has to Christmas. It is by this day that his or her team will try to make themselves better for a playoff run. I find myself up early this morning and monitoring all of the news services to see what has happened. I am hopeful that the Diamondbacks make a deal for a right fielder who can hit for power. This would eliminate any doubts that I have about whether they can hold off the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The deadline ends at 1:00 PM Arizona time and I find myself finding things to do at work in order to pass the time. I am as nervous as an expectant father. All morning, I have people coming into my office to see how I am doing and to see if I have heard about any trades that have taken place. CNNSI just reported that the Cubs have gotten Rondell White. That is followed by the Marlins picking up Henry Rodriguez. Well, there is still hope. I would like to see Jeromy Burnitz come to the Diamondbacks and I have heard a couple of rumors but nothing specific. The Cardinals picked up Will Clark. I guess the injury to Mark McGwire is more serious than they are letting on. Al Martin is sent to Seattle. I wonder which of his two wives will follow him up to Washington. The Dodgers send Todd Hollandsworth to Colorado for Tom Goodwin. Interesting trade that I cannot understand. By 1:00 PM, the trading frenzy is done and the Diamondbacks have not made a single move. For a team that has struggled all year to score runs, I cannot quite figure that out. I guess that is why I write software for a living while Joe Gargiola Jr. is the general manager for the Diamondbacks. I have to admit, I am still concerned about the Diamondbacks chances to repeat as NL West champions.

With the Diamondbacks completing this current road trip in Florida and having an early game, I find myself with a rare free evening at home. What better way to spend a Sunday evening than watching ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. So armed with a bowl of popcorn and a frosty mug of A&W Root Beer, I headed for the family room. As I turned the corner to head for my trusty recliner and the television remote control, I was met by five women in the room. What I saw next would bring terror to the eyes of most male sports fans. The girls had confiscated the room and the remote control and were not going to relinquish it. In fact, they even took my bowl of popcorn! If I were going to stay in this room, I would be watching what they were watching. There on my big screen television were the Olympic Trials for gymnastics. I desperately tried to explain how important baseball is, even if the game was an American League game and I would have to put up with the designated hitter. My arguments fell on deaf ears as the girls were more interested in whether small Oompa-Loompa's wearing leotards would "stick" their landing. If I were going to watch baseball, it would have to be upstairs. Rather than watch one more floor exercise, I sprinted up the stairs before I missed another half inning. When I got to the bedroom, I was met there by Dakota who was partially through the latest adventures of Pokemon. He too was not about to relinquish the television without a fight. Dejected, I trudged downstairs where I sat in a darkened living room staring out the windows. Across the street through the neighbor's window, I could barely make out what looked like ESPN. I wonder what the police would say if they saw me staring through the neighbor's window with binoculars? I'm guessing they would not believe me if I told them I was watching their television. I'm thinking it would be prudent to instead listen to the game over the Internet and keep my dignity intact.

Each year at Christmas, our house is filled with decorations. It is the one holiday that we go all out for. There is the 10 foot Christmas Tree, 3,000 lights in the yard and on the house, what seems like hundreds of gifts for family and friends, and of course an LGB train. The train is really the focal point as far as the kids are concerned. I originally bought the train when Trina and I first got married. It is nearly 20 years old but it is in perfect condition. Well, almost perfect condition. There were those couple of times when the throttle stuck wide open hurling the train and its little plastic engineer across the room bashing the little dudester's arm off. It is because of this that all new trains are equipped with seat belts for all passengers I believe. The train only comes out at Christmas time. At all other times of the year, it is stored in its original packaging under our bed. The kids anxiously await the first of December when the tree and the train come out. We leave the train up the entire month of December then it is put away until next year. Today, Dakota and I were up in my room watching as the Diamondbacks lost to the Florida Marlins on the poor pitching by Byung-Hyun Kim and the fielding errors by Danny Bautista. Dakota had become less than interested in the game after the Diamondbacks went behind and began exploring the bedroom. He happened to crawl under the bed and came across the train. He of course wanted to get it out and set it up to play with. I tried to explain to him that we only got the train out for Christmas. He shook his head and left the room. A few minutes later, he came back into the room with Trina in tow. He was telling his mother that it was Christmas and time to get the train out. We began to explain to him that it was not yet Christmas but he was positive that it was. It is difficult for a three-year-old child to understand the concept of time and dates. I tried desperately to help him understand when Christmas would be here. I first tried telling him the kids had to go back to school before it would be Christmas. That pacified him for only a couple of minutes. He was certain that the kids were already in school so he persisted. I then explained that the weather had to change and it would be cold when Christmas arrived. He ran down stairs and began feeling outside to determine if it had cooled down. Within a half hour, he was back insisting it was indeed colder than it was yesterday. Finally I explained that it would not be Christmas until after the World Series was over. Now that he understood. From that point, he ceased asking to put up the train. In the off chance that I am wrong and it is Christmas, I want Santa to know that I have been a good boy and I would like a left-handed right fielder who can hit for power to help the Diamondbacks down the stretch run to the playoffs. Oh yeah, and a remote control car. That would be cool.

I am beginning to wonder if I am leading a normal and well rounded life. The Diamondbacks are in the midst of a nine game road trip which means that I am at home for a week while the team is traveling. As such, I am able to spend a lot more time with Trina than I usually do. It is not really my fault that we don't spend more time together. On the contrary, it is Trina that has chosen not to be with me rather than the other way around. She is more than welcome to go to the game with me whenever she would like. She simply chooses to stay at home rather than go to the ball park. Although I don't understand her priorities and I question her committment to this marriage at times, so far it has worked out. At least I thought it had until tonight. I sit here at the computer after Trina became agitated and began yelling at me and I am not really sure why. I guess it is one of those mysteries that all men go through when women use that classic line, "well if you don't know what you have done, I am not going to tell you!" Replaying the evening, all I know is this. Trina had somehow found somewhere for the kids to disappear for a few hours giving us a quiet evening together. She had made a nice dinner for the two of us. It was at this point that there appeared to be some tension. I made one small suggestion that this was a perfect evening. Curt Schilling is making his Diamondbacks debut and we had the entire house to ourselves and would she like to watch the game during dinner. I thought I was being a perfect gentleman in giving her the choice of watching the game or listening to it on the radio. After dinner, Trina disappeared upstairs and after a couple of innings, she called down for me to come up to the bedroom. At the next half inning, I went up to see what she needed. The room was relatively dark and there was a hint of background music. I could see her silloette on the bed. She motioned me over to the bed and whispered in my ear, "So what's your fantasy?" My mind raced with various thoughts before I came up with the perfect answer.

Less than three days after Dakota attempted to fly off the furniture and had to have his head glued shut, he was once again on the war path and causing grief. Today, he decided to go on adventure and see what types of mischief he could cause while staying in the house. With temperatures hovering around 112 degrees, the kids don't play much outside unless they are in the pool. Trina is running around getting ready for her meeting tonight and I am glued to the television as I watch to see if the Diamondbacks can avoid being swept in St. Louis. I soon came to the realization that things were way to quiet. This could mean only one thing, Dakota was up to no good. The best analogy I can come up with is that it is very similar to what sailors must feel just before a large storm envelopes their ship. Where there was sunshine and a slight breeze, it is now cloudy and the winds are silent. Then, just when you are lulled into thinking all is well, hurricane winds lash out at the ship causing death and destruction. As I was pondering this thought, I heard Dakota scream and yell as he came flying down the stairs. He was holding his face and calling for his mother. Trina and I rushed to find out what was happening. There did not appear to be a blood trail so that was an immediate plus to the situation. As we got near Dakota, he wreeked of an odor I was unfamilar with. I could hardly stand to be next to the boy. "What is that smell!" I asked over the screaming boy. "Clove Oil" was Trina's response. It seems that Dakota had stumbled onto a small bottle of clove oil and decided the bottle looked remarkably close to Trina's perfume. Since he didn't want to stink, he put some on his face around his mouth and chin. As if that was not enough, he also decided to put a dab on his lips. Anyone who has been around a three-year-old knows that a little boy's toungue never stays in his mouth. Whether he is making faces at his sisters or tasting everything in sight, Dakota took a big lick of the lips getting clove oil in his mouth. He was now screaming and spitting as Trina and I attempted to help him get the stink and the taste off his little body. The thing about clove oil is that it not only stinks, it also deadens the nerves. It is like stinky novacaine. By the time we had assessed the situation, poor Dakota had lost feeling on the right side of his mouth. I tried to be helpful and gave him a popsicle to get the taste out of his mouth. Instead, he stuck the popsicle to the side of his cheek in an attempt to get the feeling to return to his face. I have to admit, there is not a whole lot of things in this world funnier than seeing a kid with an orange popsicle stuck to the side of his face. I would like to think that Dakota learned his lesson but I am pretty sure he didn't. I dread thinking what his next adventure is going to be.

It has become an all to familiar chord among professional athletes in today's society. The whine and cry about wanting long term stability and guaranteed contracts to safeguard against injury. They threaten to leave to another team if their demands are not met. Franchises succumb to these threats and provide the players with enormous contracts that rival some third world country's Gross National Product. The player then gets into this new contract and when the team cannot field a contender due to the fact that the majority of the club's money is being used on a handful of players, they squawk that the team is not doing enough to put a winner on the field. The disgruntled player then demands that he be traded to a contender where his talents will be appreciated. The player feels slighted if they are not given the opportunity to contend for a world championship. Don't these players think that everyone within the organization is hoping for the same end result? I am fairly confident that there are very few teams out there that are hoping the do NOT make the playoffs this year. In all cases, all members of the organization are working towards that goal. But you don't hear the bat boy or the usher or the ticket taker go to management and demand a trade if the team is not competitive. Better yet, perhaps the season ticket holders of these teams that are not competitive should go back to the ball club and demand that they be traded to a team that has a chance to make the playoffs. I can just see the lines forming in Minnesota and Montreal to demand season tickets to the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves. With the trading deadline looming on Monday at 1:00 PM Arizona time, I am sure we will hear a lot from these mercenary players who will be demanding a trade to become the next gun for hire. It should be an interesting second half of the season. I can hardly wait.

It is interesting how we as human beings adapt based upon our experiences and surroundings. Take for example Randy Johnson. As a baseball fan, I understand that he is one of the premier pitchers in the game today. I am also well aware that this season he has been completely dominating. Each outing he pitches well into the game striking out batters in the double digits, throwing fast balls that approach 100 miles per hour and throwing knee-buckling sliders that make hitters cringe when they see it coming. What we are witnessing comes along maybe once a lifetime. In an era where pitchers are roughed up every night and the league average for Earned Run Average is around 4.5, it is amazing what Randy is doing. Good pitching has become an anomaly, as rare cheap gasoline. So why is it that after a half a season of dominance that we as fans have come to expect that Randy will continue this season? How can we justify the comments of disappointment and disgust when Randy gives up a run or walks a batter. I watched the game tonight at the pizza parlor since it was on Fox AZ Sports and I do not get that channel. I watched as Randy struggled with his control walking seven batters and striking out seven. I watched as he gave up a two-run home run and left the game with runners in scoring position with the game tied. As I watched, I heard others around me begin to complain that Randy just didn't have it and that perhaps we were watching the slow death spiral of a career. I could not believe it. This is a guy that has lost 3 games all season and these people were writing him off as a fluke. I could barely force down my pepperoni pizza after hearing this. It is interesting how success breeds contempt in today's society.

It was an off day for the Arizona Diamondbacks, at least that is what the schedule said. Instead of traveling from Cincinnati to St. Louis and relaxing on their day off, the Diamondbacks are flying to Cooperstown to play an exhibition game with the Cleveland Indians as part of the Hall of Fame weekend festivities. On the night before the game, the Diamondbacks and Indians were allowed to tour the Baseball Hall of Fame on a private tour after the museum had closed. For many of the young players, this marked the first time they had been to the Hall of Fame. For others, it was a chance to see where they would be enshrined one day. It was an emotional time for many of the players and coaches as they soaked in the holy shrine of baseball. After a long deserved night of rest, both teams had a full day ahead of them. It began with a home run contest that saw Alex Cabrera launch 7 home runs at the houses around the field. It tied the record for the most home runs hit during the home run contest. The Diamondbacks then played the Indians. Both teams brought up several minor league players to showcase them in the game. Nick Bierbrodt, the Diamondbacks first ever draft pick was on hand to pitch for the Diamondbacks. It was an exciting day for players and fans alike and gave them all an insight into what it means to be in the Hall of Fame.

After raising 4 girls, it is hard to believe how different it is to raise a little boy. Everyone always said how much different the two sexes were in child rearing but I did not believe them. At every corner though, we are met with obstacles that I had not encountered with the girls. For example, both Dakota and the girls each play with dolls (much to the horror of their father I might add) but the type of play is entirely different. The girls would always dress Barbie up and have tea parties with her. Dakota on the other hand strips her naked, ties her up to the Hot Wheels track and proceeds to drive cars and trucks over her like some sort of track ramp. Trina is of course horrified at this behavior. I merely blame television and then watch intently to see which car flies the farthest off Barbie's head. This is but one example, another is how they enter and exit furniture. The girls politely sit down and get up off the chairs and couches. Dakota on the other hand believes furniture is something that you should loot and pillage leaping to and from the couch or end tables like some sort of pirate boarding party. This plan back fired on Bubba last night as he dove from one chair to another he slipped and fell to his doom, in this case, the edge of a Bank One Ballpark chair. He split his head like a melon and was covered in blood screaming by the time Trina and I got into the room. We immediately surveyed the situation, put ice on his head and loaded into the car for what seems like our monthly visit to the emergency room. I am beginning to think we should have named Dakota Norm instead. It seems everyone at the emergency room knows his name. I have to admit, he is getting better. The hospital used to freak him out, now he is just annoyed when they don't stitch him up fast enough. In this instance, Dakota was given an alternative treatment. Instead of stitches, they glued the wound back together. He thought that was pretty cool and even asked his mother if she could just hot glue him back together next time to save a trip to the doctor. Dakota was more bummed that they cut his hair around the wound than about the injury itself. He's a tough little bugger, I only hope he makes it to the age of four.

Usually I am looking forward to Saturday since it is one of the few days that I am able to turn off the alarm clock and sleep in. Today though, the Arizona Diamondbacks are playing in Cincinnati and will be on Fox Television at 10:00. I am not sure why, but my alarm clock can be set and I know I have to get up during the week to go to work and yet I struggle every morning to get out of bed. Today though, the alarm clock is turned off and I am wide awake at 7:00 AM waiting for the pre-game show to start. It is amazing how slowly time actually travels when you lay in bed watching the flashing numbers of a digital clock. I would lay there for a minute (or at least I thought it was a minute), roll over and check the clock, 7:01 AM, roll back over, wait, and begin the process all over again. All that I was able to accomplish was to roll all of the blankets around me wrapping me up like a cinnamon roll. This in turn woke Trina up laying there with no covers. She would then yank the blankets twirling me like a top onto the floor. I would then get up, and begin the process all over again. This game lasted for about 7 minutes before Trina just reached over and hit me with the clock thereby ending the game. I guess I will pass the remainder of the time watching Saturday morning television. I wonder if there are any baseball cartoons?

I am not one to collect stamps. In fact, the only stamps I ever owned that were not used to mail a letter were part of the savings bond campaign I was a part of when I was in the first grade. I typically looked at stamp collecting as a hobby best left to those who had survived the Great Depression. I mean no disrespect by that comment, it is just not a hobby I ever thought of partaking in myself. All of that changed when the United States Postal Service decided to create a series of stamps that depict the likenesses of 20 of the game's greatest players. All of the greats are there, Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Dizzy Dean, Josh Gibson, Honus Wagner, Satchel Paige, Jimmie Foxx, Tris Speaker, Lefty Grove, Rogers Hornsby, Mickey Cochrane, George Sisler, Christy Mathewson, Eddie Collins and Pie Traynor. The stamps are great. They artistically portray the personality and playing style of each player. I had to wonder though, how did select the players they did for the stamps. Curious, I asked my local mail man. I was told that the postal service looked at the lives and careers of many of Major League baseball's more colorful personalities and selected these twenty. While I was there, a young boy asked why Sammy Sosa was not included in this list. The postal worker explained that someone had to be dead at least 10 years before they could be depicted on a postage stamp. Attempting to defend the now crushed boy I asked the postal worker, "Have you seen Sammy's on base percentage? It looks like he is already dead." It was at that point that I came to the understanding exactly what "going postal" actually meant.

It is questionable whether the Diamondbacks will pull the trigger on any trades between now and the trading deadline on July 31. It is not that the Diamondbacks are not willing to make a trade. The issue is whether the Diamondbacks can afford to make a deal. With attendance down again this year, Arizona expects to lose more money than they did last season. This makes it extremely difficult to add more payroll when revenues are declining. Given the current financial situation, the only move the Diamondbacks may make would be to transfer equal payroll or perhaps unload some of their higher price players. Regardless of this situation, there are still a couple of trade rumors that continue to make the rounds.

When the 2000 regular season schedule came out I could hardly believe my eyes. The Diamondbacks would be playing an afternoon game in the middle of the week? The wheels quickly went into motion. I could already feel myself starting to get sick on July 20. There was no way I would be able to go to work that day. I mean, who can be expected to work on an afternoon when there is a baseball game? With the attendance of the games during this home stand hovering at around 37,000 people, I wondered how the Diamondbacks would draw especially since Mark McGwire would not be playing in the game? When I arrived at the ballpark, I was shocked to see the place nearly packed. The attendance was well above the series average with more than 42,000 people at Bank One Ballpark. Those who were playing hookie from work were not disappointed. The game was a classic pitcher's duel which is a rarity these days. Randy Johnson took the mound and pitched beautifully. Mallorie and I thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon at the ballpark. It always seems like the hot dogs taste better, the drinks are colder, and the grass is greener when you play during the day. This was the type of day that separates the real baseball fans from those who just pretend to follow the game. Whether it be the guy with the giant K signs that runs to the top of the lower deck each time Randy strikes out a batter, or the husband and wife that sit near the field yelling at the umpire after each call. These fans represent the core of baseball in Arizona. Granted, there were a fair share of people dressed in suits who were attempting the wave, but they were outnumbered at least for a day by the fans who spend their hard earned money each season to get the best possible tickets available to watch the action on the field. I can think of nothing better than an afternoon at the ballpark.

The effects of the Lucky Hat have been well documented in past entries of my diary. To recap, Tiffany received a bright orange hat last season while we were visiting with Todd Stottlemyre. He autographed the hat and every time Tiffany wore the hat, the Diamondbacks won the game. Early this season, Dog Dot Com chewed up the hat and then lost all of her teeth. This was the same time that the Diamondbacks began playing .500 baseball. We have frantically been searching for another orange hat in hopes of replacing what was lost. Finally this week, I came across an orange Diamondbacks hat. It is not the same as the one that was chewed, but we were hopeful it could replace the lucky hat with the same result. Tiffany had already talked with Todd Stottlemyre and explained the situation. If this hat worked, we would have him autograph it and do our part to help the team. As a test, I wore the orange hat today to the game. We were playing the St. Louis Cardinals and had just finished losing two of three to the Seattle Mariners. With Armando Reynoso pitching against Garret Stephenson, we would need some luck. As much as I attempt to disbelieve the thought of a lucky hat, I have to admit that the coincidence overwhelming. I sat there in my seat feeling somewhat silly wearing a bright orange hat to the Diamondbacks game. As the team went about its business on the field, they began playing better than I had seen them play this entire home stand. With the score 4-3 and Reynoso giving way to our less than stellar bullpen, I have to admit I was worried. Tiffany on the other hand had complete confidence that the team would prevail. Matt Mantei came out to pitch the ninth and looked better than he had all season. Mantei earned a save and Reynoso earned a win. The orange hat? It has earned the distinction of Lucky Hat II.

The concept of luck is funny. Most people don't want to admit they believe in it but once things start turning against you, you begin to question whether a little luck would go your way to get you out of your current situation. Baseball players are especially susceptible to luck. When you're playing well, you tell everyone you don't believe in it. But when bad things continue to happen to you, you resort to many different rituals to try and change your luck. Omar Daal must be at the end of his rope as he tries to salvage his season and possibly his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks. In Omar's case, you have to wonder whether his streak of bad luck is somehow rubbing off on the team. With Omar in the starting line-up, the starting pitchers (with the exception of Randy Johnson) suddenly began to experience bad luck. There is the streak where the starters gave up run after run making the bullpen bail them out to preserve the win. Todd Stottlemyre developed an elbow injury that will have him sidelined until September, and Brian Anderson's streak of the team winning when he starts came to an abrupt end. Daal continued to pitch poorly and found himself demoted from the starting rotation to the bullpen. When this happened, the bullpen suddenly found itself unable to maintain a lead. The relief pitchers who had been a strength to the team now cannot get anyone out. What was once a strength is now a weakness. When you look at what has changed, only one thing comes to mind, Omar Daal. I am not saying that Daal is jinxed, but if I were him, I would be trying to find a way to change his mojo just to be on the safe side.

Each year, the Arizona Diamondbacks seem to come up with some type of human interest story about one of the players that shows this organization is indeed made up of solid citizens first and ball players second. In the inaugural season, it was Travis Lee, the all-american boy next door who came soaring through the minor leagues to become the cornerstone of the franchise. Last year, it was Erubiel Durazo, a native from Mexico who no one seemed to know anything about except that he hit over .400 at every level of the minor leagues and made an impact at the Major League level in helping the Diamondbacks win the divisional title. This season we have another "feel good" story from the Diamondbacks. Geraldo Guzman, a young man from the Dominican Republic who was cut from the Montreal Expos eight years ago when he developed elbow problems. Guzman then took up carpentry and cabinet making to make ends meet and support his family. His dreams of playing baseball were set aside so that he could earn money so that his family would eat. In the back of his mind, he still wanted to play professional baseball but felt he may never realize his dream. After being away from the game for seven years, Geraldo began playing again in a semi-pro league where he was spotted by Junior Noboa of the Diamondbacks. Noboa was so impressed that he signed Guzman to a minor league contract. Geraldo began the season in El Paso of the Texas League as a closer. He blew away AA hitters and soon found himself promoted to Tucson. There, he became a starting pitcher and dominated Pacific Coast League hitters. When the Diamondbacks found themselves in need of starting pitching, Guzman came up and won his Major League debut 2-1 at hitter friendly Enron Field in Houston. Tonight, Guzman made his Bank One Ballpark debut and threw 8 strong innings to earn his second win in as many starts. Throughout it all though, he is a humble man who knows he has been given a second chance to realize his dreams. Geraldo is living in the moment and savoring all that is around him. Who knows, maybe those cabinet making skills will once again come in handy when he is asked to make a trophy case to hold a World Series trophy for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

On numerous occasions, I have documented the special relationship that my daughter Tiffany has with Diamondbacks pitcher Matt Mantei. One of her most prized possessions is a Stick by Stan bat that was autographed by Matt for Tiffany's tenth birthday. She has that bat proudly displayed in her room and has to make sure everyone who enters sees her bat. Before the all-star break, Mantei celebrated his birthday during a road trip to Oakland. Tiffany made a note of the date and decided that she should give him a card or a gift. Plans were quickly made to make a birthday card for her special friend. She gathered her art supplies and began to create a card for her favorite player. A lot of love and care went into this card as she worked several days to make it just right. She also found a miniature Arizona Diamondbacks baseball bat and autographed it to give to Matt. Once all of these items were ready, she wrapped and took them to the game with us today. During batting practice, she stood along the wall and waited as Matt completed his workout. At that time, she called him over and presented him with this small present and card. Her eyes lit up as he accepted her gift. I am not sure he will ever understand the love and friendship she has for him. It is not a hero-worship type of relationship but rather a friendship that spans generations. A friendship based upon a game that they both love. This is the meaning of baseball.

From his initial signing in 1996, Travis Lee has been touted as the cornerstone of the franchise. The weight of the future was levied upon his shoulders by the local media and team officials. From the beginning, he would be the first baseman of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Travis played one year in the minor leagues moving from class A High Desert to triple A Tucson. At each step, the fans were led to believe that he would be the baseball savior. Some of this of course stems from the fact that the Diamondbacks gave this young player $10 million to sign with the Diamondbacks. Fans began to reason that anyone worth that much money must be some sort of baseball god. In his rookie season in 1998, Travis started out putting up numbers that everyone would come to expect. He is the holder of many of the Arizona Diamondbacks records of franchise firsts. Travis has the first hit, the first RBI, the first home run, the first stolen base. During the first three months of the season, Travis could do no wrong. His legend and his fans grew immensely. Then the unthinkable happened. Travis got hurt, pitchers began to make adjustments, and he experienced adversity. This problem continued in 1999 and soon Travis found that his playing time was being limited for perhaps the first time in his career. This coupled with the meteoric rise of Erubiel Durazo left Travis's star tainted. This year, Travis was asked to move from his comfortable position of first base to the outfield. There he played very well but continued to struggle at the plate. At home games, he began hearing a mixture of boos with the cheers. Fans began getting very critical of Travis. How could anyone who got $10 million play so poorly? Forget that he is playing for the league minimum, has since the first season. All anyone remembers is that he received $10 million to sign. The final straw came today when Travis was sent to the minors. It is probably the best thing that could happen to him. He can go down and gain some confidence. Perhaps that is all he is lacking. The chance to go down and light the Tucson skies with home runs and RBI. I still believe in Travis and think he will be the type of player that comes around only once a generation. I just hope when he gets all of his tools together that he is still a Diamondback.

With tonight's game, I have now attended 217 consecutive games at Bank One Ballpark dating back to 1998. That equates to 5 Spring Training games (Chicago White Sox (2), Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox (2)), 2 Divisional Play-off games (New York Mets), and 210 regular season games. Over the course of this time, I have learned a little about this stadium. I have also become good friends with many of the people who work at the ballpark. I am on first name basis with several of the ushers, guest services, ticket takers, and concessionaires. The people who work at Bank One Ballpark are some of the best people I have ever been acquainted with. Even with all of these knowledgeable people around and quite visible, I am still mistaken for one of the ballpark personnel. I find myself being asked questions about the various aspects of the stadium at least once per series. Whether it be from someone visiting and sitting next to me during the game or someone walking around the park with a few questions, I am quizzed about some aspect of Bank One Ballpark. I am always eager to share the few tidbits I have found during my exploration of the stadium. Even after 217 visits, I still find something new each time I come to the game. Since I have such a hard time dealing with the off-season and being away from the ballpark, I have even considered applying for a job at Bank One Ballpark during the winter as a tour guide. It would allow me to spend more time at the park and give me access to most of the public areas to check out where I would like to sit for the upcoming season. I'm sure Trina wouldn't mind if I spend a little extra time at Bank One Ballpark.

Armed with a video camera and three 35mm still cameras, we packed the family up and headed for a most excellent adventure at Bank One Ballpark. There we would receive tickets to tonight's game against the Texas Rangers. More importantly to the kids, they would get an opportunity to meet D. Baxter, the Arizona Diamondbacks mascot. This was all part of the prize package Trina had won as part of the "guess the mascot" contest. The children could hardly wait to get to the ballpark. Come to think of it, neither could I. Of course my excitement had little or nothing to do with the mascot. I was just glad to be back at the ballpark and sitting in my seats to watch a game. As always, we were at the game early so that we could watch batting practice. The kids all lined up against the wall in left field and hoped to catch a ball. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous having to manage all five kids and protect them from an errant fly ball. We came out without a problem and were even able to get three balls while watching the Diamondbacks warm up. Before the game began, Trina and I divvied up the kids for seating arrangements. As we were deciding who would sit with whom, I had a sense of deja vu. This was the exact exercise I went through on the playground as a kid when we picked teams for baseball. And as always, I ended up with the last pick and chose the girl. Fortunately, my kids are better baseball players or fans than then girls we were stuck with on the playground. Trina sat on the first base side in section 112 row 10 while I was in section 133 row 16. We were almost exactly across from each other and spent half the game passing hand signals back and forth. I have determined we have much more complex signals than Brian Butterfield, the Diamondbacks third base coach. In the third inning, Baxter came down and hung with the kids and Trina. They were able to get several pictures and had a wonderful time. Dakota managed to stay awake the whole game and told me over and over about his visit with Baxter all the way home. Ok, maybe this mascot thing won't be so bad. Just don't make me do the wave.

I typically refer to today as Black Wednesday. It is the longest day of the year, as near as I can tell. The All-Star game is over and the second half of the season does not start until tomorrow. This means that there is no Major League baseball anywhere in the country. I am left to try and fill my day while eagerly awaiting the start of the season tomorrow. At first I tried to watch a movie to kill some time. I went through Bull Durham, Major League, Rookie of the Year, Sandlot, and Field of Dreams. Although they did kill a lot of time (and a lot of potato chips), I still was not satisified. I then tried to find a game on ESPN Classic. Even a re-run of an old game was at least baseball. Unfortunately, there were no games on tonight. I was left watching two guys with massive chain-saws speed cutting some piece of wood while 200 screaming fans in plaid flannal shirts cheered from the side. I did catch the last inning of the Double-A all-star game. At this point, even minor league baseball would fill a hole in my life. Trina of course had plans for me for this last off-day before the second half began. Try as I might, I could not ignore her demands. I reluctantly turned off the television and made my way to the bathroom to fix the leaky faucet. I really hate plumbing. I'll bet Matt Williams doesn't have to fix his faucet on his day off.

If there were ever a temptation to become a gambler and bet on baseball, today would be the day. Well, either a gambler or a convenience store patron, I am not sure which. It is 7-11 and the All-Star game is tonight. Usually, I look forward to watching the game and seeing the stars of baseball play in a contest that is more of an event than a game. This year though, I am less than thrilled with the All-Star game. First off, I was very disappointed that Bobby Cox of the Atlanta Braves dissed the Arizona Diamondbacks by selecting only one player to the National League team. Granted, I believed that Randy Johnson is deserving of this honor but I also felt that Steve Finley and Byung-Hyun Kim should also represent the Diamondbacks at the mid-summer classic. Kim has been lights out the way he has pitched this year and to ignore his accomplishments was a travesty. With all of the injuries that the Diamondbacks have had, Fins has carried this team on his shoulders and should be recognized for his valuable contribution. I am a little less ticked off now that Finley has been added to the roster after Ken Griffey Junior bailed. I am disappointed at the number of stars that have backed out of the game. Given that attendance has been down this year across most of baseball, I would have thought that wild horses couldn't keep the players away but I was wrong. Granted, some of the players genuinely are injured and cannot participate but some are VERY questionable. I wonder how hurt Griffey is that he can participate in the Home Run Derby but he is to hurt to play the outfield for one inning or at least pinch hit late in the game? Looks pretty strange to me. On the other hand, you have to admire someone like Randy Johnson who will start the game after pitching 120 pitches on Sunday. This guy recognizes that this game is for the fans and is going out to perform his best for the crowds in Atlanta. Good luck Randy and Steve. We're pulling for you here in Phoenix.

Although I enjoy the All-Star game and all of the cursory activities associated with it, the fact remains that there is only one game over the course of three days. Sure, I understand that the players need a break and that we should let the All-Star game shine in its own limelight. But I am still frustrated that I don't have anything to watch at the ballpark. I find myself resorting to scouring the Internet to find a minor league baseball game to listen to. I even tuned my satellite dish to the Japanese channel in hopes of finding a Japanese league baseball game to watch. Unfortunately, all I found was a 24-hour Sumo marathon. I'm afraid I am now emotionally scarred for life after watching overweight men with towel wedgies bounce each other from a small ring surrounded by cheering fans eating raw fish. To try and remove these mental images from my subconscious, I decided to go out and pick up a couple of DVD movies. Maybe Bull Durham and Field of Dreams can get my mind back on track. On the bright side, there are only 3 days, 4 hours and 49 minutes until the All-star break is over and the Diamondbacks start the second half of the season.

Here I sit, reflecting on the first half of the season. It is hard to believe that the All-Star break is now upon us. It seems like yesterday that I was on my way down to Bank One Ballpark to watch opening day. Now, the World Series is closer than Opening Day. As the day ended, the Arizona Diamondbacks are in first place 3.5 games ahead of the San Francisco Giants, 4.5 games ahead of the Colorado Rockies, 6 games in front of the Los Angeles Dodgers and 12.5 games ahead of the San Diego Padres. Given the fact that Matt Williams has played in only 25 games this season and has only 93 at bats and Erubiel Durazo has missed 41 games, it is amazing that the Diamondbacks are anywhere near first place. It is a testament to the character of this club to battle adversity and continue their quest to repeat as National League West champions. To be quite honest, I did not anticipate they would be in first at this junction of the season. I would have been happy if they were in third place 5 games back. I am still uneasy about the Diamondbacks chances and feel they need to make a deal for some starting pitching to overcome the loss of Todd Stottlemyre until September. Granted, Geraldo Guzman's first Major League start was encouraging, I am uncertain whether the Diamondbacks can afford to rely on the rookie's arm going into a play-off run. Congratulations Diamondbacks, I'll keep my fingers crossed that you will be able to overcome these injuries in the second half of the season.

From the first week in April until the end of October, I typically have no life outside of baseball, at least that is what everyone keeps telling me. I explain to everyone that I keep tabs on world events and what is happening in the community through the news updates that appear on the JumboTron at the game. This usually works out quite well. For example, during the last home stand, I learned that the latest version of the Harry Potter books would be released today. In fact, there are several bookstores that will be holding a book release party at 12:03 AM. Personally, I cannot imagine standing in line at 12:03 AM for anything other than play-off tickets or maybe the all-star game. Mallorie though is a big Harry Potter fan and wanted the book. Like most normal and sane parents, I waited until later in the day before I went out looking for the book. Of course, like all the other normal and sane parents, I found out that the book was sold out everywhere. I did get a really cool rain check though so it wasn't to bad. I have never read any of the Potter books so I didn't even know what the story line was about. Mallorie tried to enlighten me. I now understand that Harry is some kind of wizard and has magical powers. Based on the Diamondbacks bullpen blowing their second save in two days, perhaps I can get Harry to put some kind of spell on the opposition hitters so that we can actually get some of these guys out. I'm thinking the first step would be to have a Harry Potter day at BOB. We could ask kids 15 and younger to dress as their favorite character and then we could hold on-field magic shows. Finally, right before game time, we could have someone throw out the first hex. This has a lot of potential.

With the Diamondbacks out of town, I am relegated to watching the game on television and reading the newspaper and Internet for any team information or excitement. Today though there was more excitement than I had anticipated. Trina and I each had doctor's appointments in Scottsdale. When we returned home, the kids met us at the door with a message that the Arizona Diamondbacks had called. Several things passed through my mind. I wondered if they had seen the Chia heads and if so, was I in trouble. Or was this call a result of me creating the little Nekked Buck? The possibilities were endless. I reached out to take the note from Tiffany and was told, "They want to talk to mom." Talk to mom?!? A phone call from the Arizona Diamondbacks and they didn't even want to talk to me? They may has well have kicked my dog and took away my birthday. I was incredibly hurt. Trina didn't think it was such a big deal and would get around to calling them back in her own sweet time. I couldn't have that, I bugged her worse than a child before Christmas. Finally, to shut me up, she decided to make the call. She spoke with Steve Gilbert and I could tell it was definitely a one sided conversation with Trina doing the listening. The anticipation and fear was more than I could stand. As soon as she hung up the phone I gave her the third degree. In her most matter-of-fact voice, she stated "It seems I have won the identify the mascot contest. We will be meeting D. Baxter the Bobcat and having our picture taken." I am not sure who was more excited, me or Dakota. We each did our best "happy jig" around the living room. It looks like the whole family will be attending the game next Thursday. This is going to be great.

For the past three games, the Arizona Diamondbacks have been playing at Enron Field in Houston Texas. Based on the number of runs scored there this year, the field is now being called Ten Run Field. I have been looking forward to this series. For one, the Astros stink this year and the Diamondbacks could use this series to tune up their bats before a tough interleague series in Oakland this weekend. Secondly, I was interested in seeing this field up close to see how it compared to some of the other fields the Diamondbacks have played on. I was encouraged to see that two of the three games of the series were scheduled to be shown on ESPN. I settled down on my Bank One Ballpark chair with my Diamondbacks jersey on and tuned the television to ESPN. As the game started, my screen went black and a message announced that this game had been blacked out in my area. What?!? How could they do this? I called my satellite provider and was told that because the game was being shown locally on FoxAZ, it could not be shown on ESPN. I tried to explain to them that I could not receive FoxAZ at which time they attempted to sell me a new satellite dish. Disgusted, I hung up and went to the radio to listen to the game. The next night, I again readied myself hoping beyond hope that I could see this game. Surely they would not black out the game of the week? Well, I was wrong. Just as the first pitch was to be thrown, the screen went black and I was forced to listen on the radio. I called the Arizona Diamondbacks to let them know my feelings about having an entire series unavailable on regular television. They listened quietly and then offered the consolations. If it made me feel any better, all the games in Oakland would be shown on channel 3. Great, like I want to watch an American League game. Somebody has their priorities way out of whack here. Looks like I am going to have to straighten out my behavior around the house and try to help out more if I am going to get on Santa's good boy list and get a new dish for Christmas. "Oh Trina, can I help you with dinner tonight?"

There are some guys in baseball that you just have to admire and root for. Luis Gonzalez is one of those guys. Gonzo is one of those players who knows how luck he is to be playing Major League Baseball. He knows that his time is the spotlight is short and that he should appreciate every moment he has there. He is also aware that the fans are the most important part of baseball. If it were not for the fans spending their hard earned money, he would not be playing professional baseball or doing what he loves. This is one of the reasons that Luis has endured himself to the fans of the Diamondbacks. That's why when he was in the midst of his 30 game hitting streak that the fans were behind him cheering his every at bat. It is also the reason that thousands of fans in Arizona and around the country took it upon themselves to stage a write-in campaign for him to make the all-star team after he was left off the ballot. So tonight, when he came up in the ninth inning after already hitting a double, a single, and a triple that we all cheered him on hoping he would hit a home run. Gonzo never wanting to disappoint the fans drove a ball deep to right field for a solo home run and a place in the Arizona Diamondbacks history book as the first player in franchise history to hit for the cycle. My hat goes off to him and I congratulate him for a job well done. I am also grateful for the way that he carries himself and how he treats the fans, especially the children who look up to him as a role model for a solid citizen. So rarely do you see a man devoted to his work and to his family that is willing to give so much back to the community. Way to go Gonzo!

Is there anything more patriotic than baseball on the fourth of July? Nothing quite defines a country quite like its national pastime. Looking back over the course of the history of this country, it seems baseball in intertwined with the history and progression of the United States. Even the game itself shows the American ingenuity of taking an existing product and modifying it to become bigger and better than before. Many accounts talk about the history of baseball and its genealogy. Born as the game of rounders, baseball was changed and adapted to meet the needs of the country. Of course we would all love to believe in the romantic tale of Abner Doubleday and how he brought players together in rural New York to play this game of baseball. It seems to fit that men would gather after a day of working the land to hit a few balls around the diamond while families and fans would stand at the sidelines to cheer on their local heroes. Much of that excitement and interest in the game of baseball is still around today. On a day where we celebrate our independence from big government and foreign oppression, many of us will spend it with our families as we watch the grand old game passing memories of the ballpark on to our spouses and children creating a timeless bond with baseball. Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs was right, it is a great day for baseball and we should play two.

A lot has been made of that Survivor show that is playing on CBS. Everyone is glued to their television each Wednesday night as they try to determine who will be kicked off a deserted island in Borneo. Personally, I have not seen the show. I have watched the JumboTron during every game and it has not been on. My theory is that if it is newsworthy, they will show it on the JumboTron. As I listen to the premise of the show, I am less than impressed. There are two teams of 16 people who are stuck on this island to survive. Each week, the two teams have some type of challenge, the team that loses must vote off one of the team members. I'm thinking to myself, how hard can this really be? You are in the tropics and have food and water at your disposal. If they want a real challenge, try attending a 14 game home stand at Bank One Ballpark over the course of 15 days. Add to that the requirements to balance a job and a family and you have the making of a real survivor show. This past home series consisted of a three game set with San Diego followed by a day off then three against the Colorado Rockies. This was immediately followed by four games with the Houston Astros and finally four with the Cincinnati Reds. Mixed with the games were 8 gymnastics lessons, 10 swimming lessons, 3 trips to the library, 4 visiting team specials, Disco night, 5 promotional nights, 17 autographs, an autograph party, 1 child's birthday with a party, 7 cheese steak sandwiches, 5 visiting team specials, 6 Italian sausages with sauerkraut, 150 Diamondbacker Frequent Fang program points, and 14 entries into the designated driver of the game. This coupled with a wife that has tired of baseball and cannot understand why the season has to be 162 games. So the next time somebody starts admiring these yahoos who are spending a couple of weeks on a tropical island they should be taken out and smacked around with a Louisville Slugger.

It is always interesting to see the fans that attend a given homestand. For the most part, I will give those in attendance good marks for maintaining a loyal following of the home time. There are however a few exceptions to this rule. Whenever St. Louis, Chicago or Cincinnati come to town, there is an inordinate amount of visiting team jerseys in the stands. I admire those diehard fans who travel here to see a game when their team comes to Bank One Ballpark. In fact, I have gotten into some very interesting conversations with these fans on how their team is doing, what the match-ups are like between their team and the Diamondbacks, or about baseball in general. What I find quite frustrating though is the fair weather fan who knows little or nothing about baseball but insists on following a given player rather than a team. This homestand is a prime example of this behavior. Last season, you could count the Reds fans on one hand during a series in Arizona. Now, there are literally hundreds of people sporting brand new Reds jerseys with the number 30 on the back. The are loud and boisterous whenever Ken Griffey Junior is up to bat but are completely quiet whenever anyone else makes a play for Cincinnati. When attempting to carry on an intelligent conversation with these people, it is apparent they have little or no idea about the Reds outside of they are impressed that Griffey would take less than market value in order to play for the Reds. They are also thrilled that a father and son have been reunited in the dugout. It is strange listening to these people as I try to understand how they could possibly believe they are baseball fans. It could be worse though, this could be a five game series rather than four.

It is indeed a sad day in baseball for fans everywhere. For the Arizona Diamondbacks, today marks game number 80. This means that the season is now half over. I can't believe it. It seems like only yesterday I was counting the days until spring training started and now I only have 37 more home games and 45 more road games until the season is over. This is nearly to much to comprehend. There must be something I can do to help prolong the season further. I first thought I could just roll back the clocks in the house to give me the impression that there was more baseball than there really was. That idea didn't work as it only made me late for everything today. I nearly missed the gates opening at Bank One Ballpark today because I thought the game was starting later than it was. I then tried talking with the ticket agents at Bank One Ballpark to determine what the feasibility would be of adding a few more games at the end of the season just so we would have something to do from the third of October until February 17. That suggestion was met with a lot of blank stares and people shaking their heads. Then I thought that if we had a few rain outs at Bank One Ballpark, there would be make up dates that may prolong the season. I realized that would probably not be possible since we have a retractable roof that would close before the field would get wet enough to call the game. I'm afraid there isn't a lot I can do other than try to enjoy what baseball I have left and pray that the Diamondbacks will make the play-offs so that I will at least get a few more games tacked onto the end of the season.

Given the multitude of injuries the Diamondbacks have endured this season, you have to give the team credit for working through their adversity. Matt Williams continues his rehabilitation on his right quadriceps muscle while Durazo is back on the disabled list with soreness of his surgically repaired wrist. Todd Stottlemyre's elbow is in much worse shape than first noted leaving a large hole in the starting rotation. Given these injuries and the tight race in the National League West, the Diamondbacks look to pull off a deal before the July 31 trading deadline. There have been two interesting deals talked about in the press lately.