2006 Off Season: December 2006 Archives

New Years Eve has always been an interesting event. I always have wondered what it was within the psyche of the human race to find it necessary to count down to an event especially when that event is the turning of a page to a calendar. Who came up with the idea that there should be a celebration when a calendar is used up and a new one begins? How did it evolve into something that included strange cardboard hats, drinks laced with large amounts of alcohol, strange little noise making devices, and the throwing of shredded colorful paper? I am not anti New Years Eve; I just have to wonder why it gets celebrated over some of the more important events? Why isn’t there an Opening Day Eve celebration?

Shortly after Thanksgiving we begin to decorate for the holidays. This has been a tradition ever since I was a young boy. My grandfather made a big deal about Christmas and his house was always the one that people stopped in front of to admire the lights and decorations. When he got to the point where he could no longer decorate, I went over each year and placed the decorations up for him. It became a service project I looked forward to each season. When he passed I inherited his outdoor decorations and I have diligently set them out each year in his memory. It is always fun to retrieve the decorations from storage and remember all of the times we spent together. It is exciting to place each strand of lights around brightening the dark winter evenings. The kids are always on their best behavior and in great moods to help since the hanging of the decorations signifies the beginning of the Christmas season. Soon though the holiday arrives and afterwards there becomes the task of taking down all of the brightly colored decorations.

Back as 2002 began I was working for Motorola. It was an awesome place to work. We were building semiconductors for Apple Computer and creating the circuits that would power the next generation of cell phones. We were a rogue bunch of engineers who were defining the information technology space for the next 3 to 5 years. The Winter Olympics were coming to Salt Lake City Utah just a few short months after the September 11 tragedy and the Arizona Diamondbacks crowning as world champions. My friend Jeff Isaacson and I had tickets to the Olympics to attend about a dozen events. I could hardly wait to see what the Olympic experience was like. Of course I was dressed in the warmest Diamondbacks apparel that I owned as we made our trek to the frozen tundra of Utah. While watching the women’s halfpipe snowboarding event I received a phone call from Trina. She said that she thought I had just been laid off from my job as a large amount of money was just deposited into our checking account. The amount did sound like a severance package so she was probably right. Given that I was now unemployed I asked if it would be ok if I stayed a little longer at the Olympic games. She agreed so I had a few extra days to play in Utah.

Word coming out of New York today is that the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Yankees are negotiating a potential trade that would send Randy Johnson back to the Diamondbacks in exchange for young pitching talent. At first glance you have to wonder whether this deal makes sense given the youth movement the Diamondbacks have been touting for the past several months. Wasn’t this the same team that told fan favorite Luis Gonzalez in no uncertain terms that he was too old to play here? Last time I looked, Randy Johnson was 4 years older than Luis Gonzalez. Furthermore, Randy was always one who walked to a different drummer and did not endear himself as the most approachable guy from a fan’s prospective. A prime example of that came the day that Randy was signed in 1999. Channel 3 reporter Gil Tyree thought it would be cool to go to Randy’s house and interview him unannounced. That was about the last time that Gil was seen anywhere near a Diamondbacks player. Personally I applauded Randy for that action since Gil was a jerk but that is best left for another time. So as these rumors swirled, I had to wonder what exactly was up with this idea.

At our house, we barely have time to clean up the aftermath of Christmas before we are back in the party mood. Trina’s birthday is two days after Christmas and I am not allowed to forget that fact. Growing up with you birthday this close to Christmas must have been murder. After all, no one is going to be interested in sending a kid to a birthday party this close to a major holiday. And gift giving kind of gets lost between buying Christmas presents for everyone then having to come up with a birthday present besides. I’m sure there have been times where Trina got pajama tops for Christmas and pajama bottoms for her birthday just to spread the gifts out across both occasions. Sure there are perks to this like you never had to go to school on your birthday but then you never had a chance for your mom to bring treats to elementary school and have the kids sing to you either so I guess it can go both ways. I’ve always been sympathetic to this dilemma and since we’ve been married I have tried to do something special for her.

There are two days that I try to avoid shopping. The first is the day after Thanksgiving since that is typically the day that everyone on the planet goes to the stores making it impossible to find what you are looking for or if you do find it you are likely in line to pay for at least three hours. The second day I try to avoid is the day after Christmas since this is the day where everyone is returning all the items they bought the day after Thanksgiving because they don’t work, are the wrong size, or you just have no idea what the person was thinking when they bought you this item. For that reason I typically try to preplan my Christmas gift purchasing to make sure that what I am buying is the right size, color, style, thing so that it doesn’t need to be returned. Usually that means that I buy from the team shop since no one would ever return an item from the team shop.

Ah Christmas morning, nothing brings back memories quite like that. After a night that never seems to end, daylight finally starts to break and the first rays of sunlight pierce through the stillness bringing anticipation and hope everywhere. It is those first moments when sleep is the farthest thing from your mind and you lay there in the warm and toasty bed listening to the quiet and wondering what joyful bounty Santa Claus has left under the Christmas tree. You are also intently listening for a sound from anyone else in the family since you don’t want to seem overly eager and you are just hoping that your brother or sister is likewise in bed waiting for someone else to make the first sound thereby signaling that it is time to get up and begin the gift unwrapping festivities. In what could be described as cruel and unusual punishment in many countries, Trina has decreed that no one is getting up before 8:30 AM and that alarm clocks have been banished for a 48 hour period of time. She of course used me as the scapegoat stating that I needed to rest by doctor’s orders. She obviously underestimated how many kids were in the house and who would be most excited for Christmas morning.

Christmas Eve is a wondrous day filled with lots of family tradition around our house. It is a time when we gather together to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and enjoy each other’s company. It typically involves several activities that have been repeated throughout our years as a family. Some of the traditions seem relatively normal and sane such as watching a movie together as a family after dinner and having the children lay out their Christmas stockings for Santa to fill before retiring to bed. Then there are other traditions which none of us remember how they started but are nonetheless a part of our holiday celebration. This includes the dinner menu that is served consisting of a steak fondue followed later in the evening with a chocolate fondue (the kids favorite). There is also the tradition of setting out cookies and milk for Santa which is fairly normal and throwing raw oatmeal on the grass to feed the reindeer which seems very odd and random. All of these things together make up the day before Christmas. What we had not planned and what I hope doesn’t become traditional was how I spent the day.

As the Arizona Diamondbacks began their 2006 season, they introduced a new fan loyalty program called MVP Rewards. I’ve talked about this program several times over the course of the season. The basic premise was that each game you attended you were awarded points. Each dollar you spent at the team shop or at selected concession stands you were awarded points. Finally, when you purchased from preferred vendors both around town and online you were awarded points. You could continue to accumulate points and redeem them for prizes from their online prize center. The prizes consisted of Diamondbacks merchandise, autographed memorabilia, or Diamondbacks experiences. The points never expire and you can continue to collect points until you had enough to get the prize you were most interested in. Over the course of the season and through this off-season I had accumulated nearly 9,000 points. I had my eye on the Steal a Base experience where you could go out between innings during a game and take second base. I thought it would be cool to have a game used base hanging on my wall next to my other Diamondbacks memorabilia. The program was not without its problems, I have had to contact the MVP Rewards program office several times to have points added to my account that had not shown up. I still am not sure that all the points from all the games are properly accounted for on my statement. But overall, it has been fun seeing my point total moving forward towards my goal. That all changed today though.

Today marks the Winter Solstice or first day of winter. This is the day when the Northern Hemisphere is farthest away from the sun making it the shortest day of the year and longest night. From this date until the Summer Solstice, the amount of daylight will continually get longer by a few minutes each day. As a kid growing up in Idaho, this date was meaningful as we could expect any snow that would fall from this point forward would probably stick around until March. In Arizona, it is not as important an event since we don’t get snow in the Phoenix area, at least not normally. I did hear one of the local sportscasters proclaim that it would be a cold day when the Arizona Cardinals went to the Super Bowl so I am guessing we might get snow that day.

There are days when I wonder whether my marriage is ever going to survive. Then there are days like today when I realize I am one of the luckiest men on the planet. I woke up this morning with the realization that I am off work now until the end of the year. No more getting up early and rushing out the door to the office before dawn or coming home after dark. Instead I have a whole week of being home with my family to look forward to. That doesn’t mean I plan on being lazy and not doing anything. Quite the contrary, I have a list a mile long of things I want or need to do before going back to work. Somewhere near the top of that list is to go Christmas shopping for Trina’s gift. It is near the top of my list because I am reminded by her and the kids how important it is to make sure that I have a gift for her wrapped under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. Trina is much more subtle than the kids when she hints that a gift would be nice. The kids tend to be more direct in letting me know that there is nothing more frightening than the wrath of mom and that I would be best served by not tempting fate. So when Trina offered to assist with the shopping I thought perhaps it would be in my best interest to get it done.

As a season ticket holder for the Arizona Diamondbacks there is a hidden benefit that is often overlooked but one that I truly appreciate. Each year during the holiday season, the team will send out a greeting card wishing the fans a safe and joyous season. It is the only card that I get excited to receive. It is somehow comforting to know that the team remembers you during this wonderful and festive season. I eagerly run to the mailbox each day hoping to see the envelope with the Diamondbacks return address waiting to be opened and enjoyed. Today I rushed down to check the mail meeting the mailman at the box. His look of fear and terror is getting to be all to familiar and he immediately gets defensive whenever I see him filling the mailbox.

For nearly an entire year I have lived with the disappointment of knowing that I missed the first fantasy camp that the Arizona Diamondbacks ever held. While a few lucky fans went to Tucson to live life like a big league ball player, I was at home filling my system full of pain medication preparing for a third shoulder surgery. I vowed that I would one day be healthy enough so that when the opportunity arose again to attend a Diamondbacks fantasy camp I would be there. I cannot think of anything more rewarding than suiting up with fellow fans and having major league baseball coaches and players provide instruction in how the game should be played. This is something that every young boy dreams about and I wanted to live that dream.

“Jeff, we need to talk.” When those words come out of Trina’s mouth, nothing good is going to follow. “When I said I needed a Christmas list, I didn’t expect you to send me the link to the online store for the Arizona Diamondbacks.” Ok, I didn’t realize that there was a wrong answer when someone asks you want you want for Christmas. I thought that meant to tell them what thinks would bring the most joy into your life. And since in my case that is baseball, I thought that I was perfectly within the parameters of the question to answer with one link. Trina believes herself to be a more practical person and therefore I should have answered with things that I needed rather than wanted. I assured her that I really did need 4 Diamondbacks jerseys and at least 2 Diamondbacks hats with the new color scheme. This was not a desire, this was definitely a need. I can’t be expected to support my team wearing last century’s color scheme. I may have trouble remembering whether the fashion world believes you should or should not wear white after Labor Day but I am positive that we are expected to be wearing Sedona Red on April 1 when the Diamondbacks meet the Colorado Rockies in Denver. This led to a recurring discussion we always have about whether my life should revolve around baseball or whether baseball should revolve around my life. In the end it would mean that I would have to adjust my list to include non-Diamondbacks items too. Quite honestly I could not think of any so Trina offered to take me out shopping to refresh my memory.

After my shopping debacle yesterday, I wanted nothing to do with going to a store today. Instead I planned a nice quiet day at home. This is a tough time of year for me. Baseball season in this country is pretty much over. The Major League Baseball regular season ended 78 days ago and the World Series ended 51 days ago. Even the Arizona Fall League has been over for 29 days leaving me pretty much in baseball darkness. I tried calling DirecTV and complaining that as a subscriber to their Home Plate package I was frustrated and disappointed in the fact that they were not televising the Venezuela or Puerto Rico winter league games. What I found strange was that the customer support person on the other end stated I was the first person ever to suggest that they include winter baseball in the sports package. She then went off on a tangent suggesting that a sports fan such as me would probably benefit from the NFL Season Ticket. I had to set her straight, I don’t do football.

While technically this is not the last weekend before Christmas, it does represent the last big shopping extravaganza for me. While I don’t mind going shopping with Trina, it is not one of my favorite activities. Let me clarify the above statement, I don’t mind going shopping with Trina as long as it does not include fabric stores. There is nothing more painful than having to endure even 5 minutes of looking at fabric with accompanying thread, zippers, and notions. I would rather have season tickets to the Kansas City Royals or sit behind two fans from New York than have to deal with a fabric store. There is just so much pain that a guy can endure. I figured that today I would have very little choice in the matter as my presence was required if for no other reason than to carry bags to the car or nod my head in approval for whatever item Trina happened to be trying on or contemplating buying. For Trina, this was more like babysitting since she controlled where we were shopping she could ensure that not all of her Christmas gifts would come from the Chase Field team shop.

It is ten days until Christmas meaning there are nine more shopping days remaining. For most men that is eight more days than we really need but you never admit that to your wife. Instead you try and convince them that you are shopping nightly scouring the stores for the perfect gift that comes from the heart. That’s the case not just with gifts but also with cards. Trina will go to the Hallmark store several times and spend hours reading through the messages of the cards to find the perfect one to send for an occasion. Me on the other hand, I will go to the grocery store and remember that I probably should have a card before I get home with a gift. I’ll go to the card section carefully making sure that I am in the right area for the event (never give your wife a get well soon card for her birthday, it would be bad) and then I will select a card based on which one is leaning closer to me from the rack. Most times I get lucky and the card has some sort of meaningful message inside. I probably should feel guilty about this lack of interest in cards but I don’t. As the kids have grown, they have helped pull me out of many gift giving predicaments. They somehow have learned that mom doesn’t get nearly as excited as dad if the gift comes neatly wrapped in a Diamondbacks Team Shop gift bag. Mom won’t appreciate the hard work dad goes to finding the perfect jersey in her size. So the kids basically “accessorize” my gifts by making sure they have a more appropriate gift to go along with mine. At first it bothered me that my gifts were under appreciated but after realizing how much smoother my life had become I’ve accepted the help.

This week I have been traveling in San Francisco. For the most part I have been stuck in meetings all day meaning I have seen very little of the city. I seem to be going to San Francisco more frequently but my trips never seem to come at a time where the Diamondbacks are playing the Giants. I desperately want to see a game at Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T Park so this lack of planning has been very frustrating to me. I also seem to always be in San Francisco whenever there is fog. I have not determined whether it is always foggy in the bay area or just during times when I am here. It doesn’t seem to matter what time of year it is, it is always foggy. Being from Arizona, I am not accustomed to packing where temperatures are below 50 or where there is rain. For days before my trip I am running around the house looking for jackets, sweatshirts, or anything to keep me warm and dry. Luckily I have Diamondbacks sweatshirts, hats, and jackets so even during inclement weather I can still support the team. This is important as I am always acting as baseball evangelist for the Diamondbacks. It’s amazing the conversations that start up when you are wearing team apparel, especially when traveling to a National League Western Division town.

There are times when I really wished I would have gone into psychology as a major in college. The inner workings of the mind are something that has always fascinated me. Trina and I have this discussion a lot. After being married as long as we have, Trina believes she has become somewhat of an expert on abnormal behavior and thought processing. It seems like ever day she is analyzing something I have said or done. Normally after her analysis she states, “well that is definitely not normal” but I am not exactly sure what that means. It is not just my non-conventional behavior that she finds odd; she also uses that phrase whenever we start to talk about dreams too.

With all of the grief that I cause for Trina, there are times that she does get even. Trina and I have a very interesting relationship. I keep her laughing and always keep her on her toes. She attempts to teach me that sometimes you have to be an adult and that as strange as it seems, there are things besides baseball that are important. I have to admit, I think I am more successful with my efforts than she is at hers. Sure I realize the adult thing but I’m still not sure I am buying into the whole “there are things more important than baseball”. We’ll keep working on each other because that is what people do when they love each other. That really has nothing to do with today’s entry but I did want to set the record straight. A lot of people may think that we have a contentious relationship but quite the opposite is the case. I think I was put here to help Trina gain sainthood (at least that is what her friends tell her).

Christmas decorations and festivities are in full swing at our house. The tree is now up and although I did finally have to relent and remove the Diamondbacks hat from the top of the Christmas tree, it was still beginning to look an awful lot like Christmas. Each year we begin by decorating the interior of the house followed by the Christmas tree. We then move to the outside adding lights within reason to the house and landscape. The final touch is the placement of the nativity set. The nativity set was hand made by Trina and has extreme sentimental value. It is also one of the most beautiful sets I have seen. The nativity has a special place atop the oak book case in our living room. Once it is set up, we gather the children around and tell the story of the nativity and the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a family tradition that has become very important to us. You would think that something that beautiful and meaningful would be off limits to my warped sense of reality but you would be wrong in that assessment.

Like countless other families we send out Christmas cards each year. Trina makes each of us autograph every card so that the recipient knows all of the family had a hand in this tradition. Trina makes sure that the cards each contain a recent family picture. I guess this is to remind everyone who these weird people are that send cards every year that have 6 autographs in it. The picture is always a source of contention in our house. I always argue that our family picture should be in front of Chase Field with a sign that says, “Safe at Home for the Holidays”. Since we spend about as much time there as we do at our Chandler residence I thought that seemed appropriate. Each year Trina puts her foot down arguing that unless we change our names to the Diamondbacks family that is not going to happen. This usually leads to another discussion about what would happen if we DID change our names to the Diamondbacks family. The end result is always the same. Trina mutters under her breath and goes to the medicine cabinet for the bottle of aspirin.

Every year I vow that I will cut back on the amount of Christmas decorations that we have, especially when it comes to outside lights. And every year I find myself at Home Depot buying more lights and decorations. This year I justified it by saying that I was actually being rewarded with Diamondbacks MVP Rewards points for decorating my house. Looking on line I am not seeing any of the purchases show up so I am beginning to think that is not an accurate statement. Nonetheless, if I can tie Christmas decorating to getting points towards going to Diamondbacks fantasy camp I am going to do it. Trina is not exactly thrilled since she is more practical than I am, she has actually calculated out what it would take for me to accumulate enough points to go to Fantasy Camp.

When new Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall took over for Rich Dozer, he implemented a program where he would speak to the fans on a monthly basis to allow them to ask questions to the Diamondbacks management team. Last month he brought newly hired announcer Daron Sutton and provided fans with an opportunity to get to know the new play-by-play voice of the team. This month Mr. Hall broadcast from the winter meetings in Orlando Florida.

Oh what a difference a year and a new collective bargaining agreement make. Last year during the winter meetings, the Diamondbacks stood by and watched Dan Uggla be plucked from their farm system. We then had to endure an entire season where he played daily as the starting second baseman for the Florida Marlins making the all-star game as a rookie. Were it not for the fact that the Diamondbacks had themselves acquired a gold glove caliber second baseman that was amazing us on a daily basis, the Uggla incident (which is how it will forever be known) would have been unbearable. Today was the final day of the winter meetings which meant it was Rule 5 day again. For clubs such as the Diamondbacks who have a lot of talent in their minor league system, this day is always stressful as you just may lose a bright star to another team.

One of the interesting stories at the Winter Meetings has been that of former Diamondback player Luis Gonzalez. The long-time face of the Diamondbacks is an unrestricted free agent after the Diamondbacks declined to offer him arbitration. Gonzo had wanted to remain a Diamondback but during a meeting in September the team stressed that he did not fit within their plans to be younger and more athletic. After an emotional farewell by the fans at the last game of the season, everyone expected Gonzalez to slowly fade into the sunset. That though does not seem to be the script that is being played out. Instead, Luis continues to garner headlines and air time in the valley as the team tries to ready itself for the post Gonzo era. The rumor mill had as many as 9 teams interested in signing Gonzalez but as of today it was down to three finalists. The St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, and the Los Angeles Dodgers had been identified as suitors for the 39-year-old outfielder. The question was, which one would he sign with.

Day 2 of the Winter Meetings could best be classified as “all quiet on the eastern front” as far as the Diamondbacks are concerned. Looking for quotes and deals from the Diamondbacks is like trying to get a mime to talk. There just isn’t much to say. With a payroll pretty set and the prices of free agents accelerating faster than the space shuttle (I had to get at least one Florida reference in the opening paragraph) no one expected the Diamondbacks to be the communications hub of the meetings. What the fans did expect though was some sort of player movement. Leading up to the meetings all we heard about was how the Diamondbacks were trying to get better through trades and that their minor league system was loaded to the point that other teams were standing in line to get some of the talented prospects in the farm system. So far no deals have been announced by the team.

There are two things that are a passion in my life. The first is baseball which should not come as much of a surprise to anyone who ventures to Diary of a Diehard. The second would be Disney and in particular Walt Disney World. Since 2000 I have gone to the Disney park in Florida nearly a dozen times. During that time I have been to Disneyland twice. That would at first seem somewhat odd given that we are only a 5 hour drive from Disneyland but an 8 hour flight (with time changes) to Orlando. The reason is quite simple, Walt Disney World offers so much more to do and the experiences are so diverse that I find myself gravitate towards Florida. When we go to Walt Disney World we typically stay at the Swan or Dolphin hotels. These are walking distance to both Disney MGM Studios and my favorite park Epcot. It also helps that I have a dear friend who manages the Swan and Dolphin who takes very good care of me and my family whenever we go. Whenever I go to Walt Disney World I am always dressed in my Diamondbacks jersey, hat or polo shirt. This becomes quite a conversation starter when in line for the rides as people ask if we are from Arizona or if I happen to work for the Diamondbacks. I explain that my role is mostly that of fan evangelist whose sole purpose is to get others excited about baseball and in particular the Arizona Diamondbacks. For the past 9 years my hobbies of baseball and Disney have been intertwined feeding off each other. These two are also a source of contention. Take this year for example. It was my 25th Wedding Anniversary and my family scheduled a trip to Walt Disney World to celebrate this momentous occasion. Unfortunately they did not check the schedule and our trip landed on a home stand with the Los Angeles Angels. There were several heated arguments when I suggested that perhaps we cut our trip short to be back for the games. It was not a pretty sight.

Shortly after my third shoulder surgery at the end of January 2006, Trina had an idea that the house needed a little help. We’ve lived in this house now for 12 years and it still had the stark white walls from the day we moved in. So while I was full of pain pills recovering from yet another labrum surgery on my pitching arm, she scheduled us to refinance the house and included enough money to repaint and refurnish the house. Usually I would have balked at the idea but given my drug induced state I just went along for the ride. In the end she got exactly what she wanted but not without some compromises. First she promised I would be able to continue to get season tickets to the Diamondbacks and second I got final say in decorating the family room. This just goes to show that even in a fog of pain pills I was capable of negotiating at least some baseball into the equation. So much for the warning labels on the pain pills that said I should not make important decisions or operate heavy machinery. My confidence was so high I was thinking maybe I should go rent a bulldozer just to prove I could drive it. Flashing ahead eleven months I am wondering whether Trina is rethinking the deal she struck.

No matter how hard I try I cannot will the calendar to slow down let alone stop. Oh sure I am eagerly counting down the next 120 days 8 hours and 6 minutes until Opening Day at Coors Field but in the mean time I have to deal with the fact that the holiday season is upon us and I have 4 kids that are hounding me every day to decorate the house, put up the Christmas Tree, go shopping, and whatever else goes along with this time of year. This year is especially depressing as most of my Christmas decorations were themed in purple and turquoise. This is reason number 36 of why I am not happy with the change to Sedona Red. I had resolved not to let my frustrations with the team’s color change damper my holiday spirits so I’ll just let it go, for now.

Arbitration is an interesting concept when it applies to baseball. It is one of those somewhat misunderstood aspects of the collective bargaining agreement. Theoretically the purpose of arbitration is two-fold. First it provides a safeguard to minor league players who are drafted by a major league baseball team. Teams retain the rights of a player for 6 years after drafting them. During this time the player is sent to the minor league system where they develop skills that will hopefully allow them to flourish at the major league level. Because of the sometimes long lag from draft day to major league debut, a team needs some sort of guarantee that their investment in raw talent will not go unrewarded. Arbitration allows for this by allowing the team to maintain ownership of their talented players at a relatively known salary rate to provide fiscal clarity for young prospects. The arbitration process has a second and equally valuable aspect. It allows players to see their value increase based performance. This safeguards the player from having his market value stagnate when he comes to the major league level. Arbitration ensures that the player receives fair market value for his services during the time at which a team owns his rights. These were the reasons why arbitration was added to the collective bargaining agreement. There was another hidden benefit to the team that has become an interesting subplot to the off-season.