July 2006 Archives

July 31 is always a day circled on the calendar of every baseball fan. This is the so-called trade deadline when a player can be traded from one team to another without the complexity of the waiver wire. Trying to explain the intricacies of the trade deadline rakes closely with trying to explain the infield fly rule. You know why it is there you are just not sure how they ever came up with such a complex rule. Beginning a couple of weeks before the all-star break and all through July teams attempt to assess whether they are in the play-off picture or will be standing outside looking in. When that picture becomes clearer then a franchise can decide if they plan on being buyers or sellers when the trade deadline arrives. Buyers are typically those teams who make a trade to try and get their team in a position to win this year usually at the expense of young minor league talent. Sellers are those who have an abundance of talent or are looking to reduce payroll while rebuilding for the future.

This entry is dedicated to my friend Andrzej Niemyjski. Andrzej and I met four years ago and we quickly found a common interest, our love of baseball. We’ve spent countless hours talking trades, teams, and the future of baseball. It is awesome when you find someone who shares a passion for the game. I can rant and get tipped over when the Diamondbacks are not playing well or I can completely lose it when Bud Selig refuses to invoke the “best interests in baseball” clause when some owner or player does something to tarnish the game. Trina will just shake her head and walk away. But I know when I send a note to Andrzej that he’ll have similar views or at least share my outrage. That doesn’t mean we agree on everything, quite the contrary. Take for instance today’s starting pitching. All I have to do is mention a certain Houston Astros starting pitcher and I know it will make his blood pressure rise 50 points and I’ll get a 20 minute lecture about the selfishness of the players of today and how some stars put themselves above the team. I’m talking of course about Roger Clemens.

I went into spring training this year with very mixed emotions. On the one hand I was excited to see how well the new team would play together and how much better the Diamondbacks might be than they were a year ago. On the other hand, the Diamondbacks were so loaded in the minor leagues that you could not help but think ahead to what the team would be like in years to come. In these days of spiraling salary costs and constant player movement it is hard to be enthusiastic about young players since they seem to be with the organization for such a short period of time. But there are some players that you hope will become fixtures with the major league team for years to come. Other teams have had those types of players who have come up through their system. There are examples such as Mike Piazza, Derek Jeter, Tony Gwynn, and Jorge Posada to name a few. So it is about time for the same thing to happen in Arizona. With the likes of Stephen Drew, Justin Upton, Brandon Webb, and Scott Hairston on the horizon there is good reason to be eager for the future to be now. One player who I paid close attention to in spring training was Carlos Quentin.

In 1998, the Arizona Diamondbacks began their inaugural season with Felix Rodriguez as their closer. It was probably not what Buck Showalter and the front office had planned but their only other choice was Hector Carrasco and he didn’t work out. So they began their first year with Rodriguez who had a one pitch arsenal, he threw heat. His pitches were consistently clocked in the high nineties. The problem was that he was a little erratic so batters feared for their lives. That was the advantage he had. When a hitter came to the plate he knew he was either going to get a fastball for a strike or they would get a baseball imprint tattooed to a part of their body. As the year went on it was clear that Felix was probably not the answer as a closer. The Diamondbacks looked within and found none other than Gregg Olson. Olson had been a closer for most of his career and had some success. He came on during the later half of the season and led the team in saves. It looked as though the Diamondbacks had finally found the pitcher they could count on in the last one to two innings to shut down an opponent and win a game.

I take complete responsibility for the way this Diamondbacks road trip is going. I am not taking credit for the win on Monday night. All that credit goes to Connor Jackson. I am taking ownership for the near loss on Monday as well as the loss on Tuesday and the struggle that the team is experiencing in today’s game. As I wrote on July 23, I had decided not to shave as long as the Diamondbacks continued to play well just so that I did not disrupt the mojo the team was getting. Well all that changed.

July 25 may go down as a very dark day in Arizona Diamondbacks history. It will have nothing to do with the debacle of the game in Philadelphia where it seemed neither team wanted to win. It will not be the day we look back at pitcher Miguel Batista padding his league leading wild pitches. While neither of these events will stand out much past the end of the week, there was news that could have major implications to the long-term fortunes of the Diamondbacks. That news came out of Washington DC where the Washington Nationals announced that they had hired Mike Rizzo as assistant general manager.

The Arizona Diamondbacks begin a ten game road trip today visiting the Philadelphia Phillies. After a great home stand that saw them win seven out of ten and climb to within a game of first place, there are a lot of expectations for this team. They appear to be at a crossroads of trying to decide if they are buyers or sellers at next Monday’s trade deadline. If the team continues to win games and remain this close to first place, the Diamondbacks may look to trade for pitching help to get them to the play-offs this year. If on the other hand they slightly falter and fade during the series with the Phillies and the subsequent series with the Houston Astros, they may look to trade away some of their veteran players such as Shawn Green, Jeff DaVanon, and Luis Gonzalez. So these next six games could have a major impact on how the team looks when it returns on August 4 for the next home stand against the Astros.

Before each Diamondbacks home game, they announce that there are several promotions going on during the season. Whenever an Arizona Diamondback player hits a grand slam during a game, everyone in attendance receives a coupon for a Grand Slam breakfast at Denny’s. If the Arizona Diamondbacks pitching staff records ten or more strikeouts during the game everyone in attendance will receive a coupon for a free Thirst Buster 44 ounce drink from Circle K. And if the Diamondbacks score eight or more runs during the game, everyone in attendance will receive a coupon for a free Chalupa at Taco Bell. So even for those fans that don’t care much for baseball, they have a vested interest in how the team plays. There are scoreboards throughout the stadium keeping track of the runs and above the right field bleachers is the Circle K Strikeout Meter that shows number of strikeouts in the current game along with a season total. Before every game, my kids make their predictions of whether the Diamondbacks will win or lose and if it will be a Thirst Buster or Chalupa night.

Week-ends used to be about sleeping in and taking life easy but as I’ve gotten older it seems like I get up earlier and earlier. So while most people were probably resting comfortably and dreaming of a peaceful existence where the Designated Hitter had been abolished and all stadiums had natural grass, retractable roofs, and a comfortable temperature of 72 degrees; I was up and getting ready for church. I figured with the Diamondbacks only a half a game out of first place the team needed all the help they could get and so I would go and make sure that God had his Diamondbacks jersey and hat on for today’s game.

Trina and I have been fortunate to have great kids. All of them have been a joy to have around (we’re paid to say that by the way). While they have all been blessed with many talents (athletic and otherwise), they have each been allowed to become their own person. We’ve not pushed any of them in a specific direction. Most of the kids have followed in their parents footsteps choosing athletics as a form of self expression. All of them, except one.

Trina and I started dating when we were sophomores in high school. We met appropriately on the track where we were both running the 400 meter relay. She ran the turn on the third leg while I was the anchor for the men’s team. I soon found out she was an all around athlete who was ranked in the state in the long jump and high jump as well as a basketball and volleyball player. She would receive a scholarship to play college basketball. Besides running the relay, I was a sprinter and ran the hurdles. When I wasn’t on the track I was playing baseball having been in an organized league since I was four years old. I would go on to play after high school in an independent league. I tell you this to give you a background in genetics.

Over the course of nine seasons I’ve seen my share of bizarre things occur at the ballpark. There was the time when Jay Bell hit the grand slam in 1999 that won a woman a million dollars from Shamrock Farms (by the way they are no longer a sponsor but I am not sure the two events are related). Then there was the triple play against the St. Louis Cardinals (by the way it was Mark McGwire that started the play by hitting a fly ball to Steve Finley in centerfield. The play was recorded as 8-2-6 if you’re keeping score). And there was even the ball that Matt Williams caught at ground level that went around the horn ending with Matt touching third base to record a third out (I am not even going to go into the scoring for that particular play). Not all the weirdness has been during the game. There has been a fair share of strangeness during pre-game ceremonies.

“Jeff, you need to do something about the boy.” Trina’s body language and the tone of her voice made it readily apparent that things at home did not go quite as smoothly as anyone expected today. With four daughters and a son, it makes it much easier to figure out who is in trouble when she utters that phrase. Since Dakota and I are the only boys in the house I quickly calculated all of the things on my “honey do” list to decide whether she was talking about me or Dakota. “Is Dakota in trouble?” I asked. I figured I had a 50-50 chance of it being me and that it would be best to not try and be subtle. If I was the one in trouble I might as well take it head on and get it over with.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have been recognized as having a deep farm system and it is beginning to pay dividends. When Russ Ortiz began to falter, the Diamondbacks needed someone to step into the starting rotation. They reached down and brought up Enrique Gonzalez. Gonzalez has proven to be a good addition to the pitching staff but the Diamondbacks got more than another serviceable arm, they got themselves an offensive force to be reckoned with.

The Arizona Diamondbacks held the fifteenth overall pick in the 2004 amateur draft. Their plan was to pick a college pitcher as is their usual draft strategy. What they found was a gift. Stephen Drew who was regarded as the best overall position player in the draft had plummeted and was available when the Diamondbacks selection came up. Drew’s slide had nothing to do with his baseball skills. Instead, it was fear. Fear of sign ability. Drew had hired Scott Boras as his agent and rumors the week before the draft had frightened many clubs that if they used their pick on Drew they were in for a prolonged negotiation that would cost them some serious money.

In today’s society it is easy to get caught up in the political correctness that invades our everyday lives. We have come to a point where you are fearful to say or do anything without fearing that you might offend someone. So when you look at the schedule and see that it is Native American Day at the ballpark, you just have to wonder what kind of trouble there may be.

While yesterday did count as the first home game after the All-Star break, it didn’t seem like it since I only got to enjoy one inning. Today I was not about to get short changed. I made a note that we were going to be at the ballpark early to soak up some ambiance. Tonight Trina was going with me which she doesn’t do that often. It’s not that she doesn’t like baseball; it is just that she seems to think that the kids should at least have access to one parent during a home stand. I’m not sure I fully understand that philosophy. I mean I have one of the kids with me at all times so they do have access. And they know they are more than welcome to call my cell phone whenever they need anything.

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seems to go right? You know, you wake up in the morning thinking how great the day is going to be and then you climb out of bed and step on a thumbtack and spend the rest of the day cleaning blood out of the carpet as you hope around making up new words that you never want your kids to repeat. Well, today was kind of like that for me.

I happened to be wandering the web looking for information about the Diamondbacks and whether they would be buyers or sellers as the trade deadline loomed when I came across a story out of Sioux City. The story was about their minor league baseball team, the Sioux City Canaries (now there is a name that will strike fear in an opponent). Their lead-off hitter for Wednesday’s game was Jim Eriotes. This was Jim’s first game with the Canaries and was quite a media event. It seems Jim’s claim to fame is that he is now the oldest person to be in a professional baseball game. Jim is 83 years old which makes him just slightly older than Julio Franco.

Desperate times require desperate measures and make no mistake; this is as desperate a time as I can ever remember. Over the course of the past ten years the National League's record in the All-Star game is a pathetic 0-9-1. This is beyond sad, this is near suicidal state. Since the commissioner instituted that insane rule that the winner of the midsummer classic would have home field advantage in the World Series, the National League has gone winless. It has become obvious that the players themselves cannot solve this crisis. It’s time we brought in some help.

The Major League Baseball All-Star game is a dichotomy within the world of sports. On the surface it is a celebration of sorts, a milestone that marks the half way point of a marathon of 162 games. It is an opportunity for the fans to recognize their favorite players. Notice that I said recognize their favorite and not recognize the most deserving. Let's not be delusional, the majority of fans voting do so based on name recognition not on merit. How else can you explain Mike Piazza being voted as the starting catcher for the National League? When was the last time a reserve catcher was named the starter of anything?

Two years ago after the debacle of a 51-111 record, the Diamondbacks decided they needed to go a different direction with their coaching staff. Al Pedrique filled in as best he could after Bob Brenly was fired on July 2. Pedrique managed to win 22 games while losing 61 for the rest of the season. Once the last game was finished on the 2004 campaign the Diamondbacks management expressed their desire to find a different manager.

With the final out the players shook hands then began to gather their things. Everyone would have the next 4 days off with the exception of Brandon Webb who must take a plane to Pittsburgh as the representative of the Arizona Diamondbacks at the All-Star game.

The time of darkness continues as the Diamondbacks are still away. After painfully watching the three-game meltdown in Los Angeles, the team is now in Colorado for the final three games leading up to the all-star game. Colorado is tied for first place in the National League West so my confidence in the Diamondbacks doing anything is slim to none.

Fourteen days seems like an eternity. It was two weeks ago yesterday that the Diamondbacks left town. It has been two weeks since I was last at Chase Field and I am beginning to get homesick. While I have never served time, I can only guess that this is what it feels like to be incarcerated.

There are times in your life where you just somehow make a connection with someone or something. This has been the case with me and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The franchise was awarded on my birthday March 9, 1995 and I have been a fan ever since. I've spent a lot of time following the Diamondbacks and Bank One Ballpark was like my second home.

The series with the Los Angeles Dodgers was brutal. After sweeping the Dodgers in May in a two-game series, the Diamondbacks come to LA and get swept in three games. It wasn't just losing these games, it was the way they were lost. The first two games were lopsided routs and the final game though the score made it look a lot closer than it was.

Baseball, it's the American Pastime. Nothing says down-home goodness and middle America quite like a baseball game. It's place as an American icon is etched in granite. So as the country celebrates Independence Day and the birth of our country, what would be better than firing up the grill and turning on ESPN to watch a game?

The Diamondbacks have played one series against the National League West since May 17 and that was a 3 game series at home June 13-15 against the San Francisco Giants. Now they start a stretch where they play 13 of their next 16 games within their division.

Ok, the last time I checked the Oakland Athletics were a good team. In fact I could have sworn that they were leading the American League Western Division. So if that's true, why are the Diamondbacks winning this series?

I feel as though I have been caught in some sort of time vortex banished to another dimension where nothing works and I have to endure the same game outcome day after day after day. There is no other valid explanation for what happened in June. Even as an expansion team in 1998, it was not this ugly.