2008 Regular Season: May 2008 Archives

At the game last night I entered the stadium and begin walking towards section 112. Along the way I passed Guest Relations and stopped at the kiosk to swipe my Fry's D-Backs Rewards card and my ticket. According to the people at the D-Backs Rewards booth behind section 139 I should be receiving 5 points for every game I attend this season. I can use these points along with those received by purchasing products at Frys and I can redeem them for valuable prizes. Personally I don't think that I am getting credit for attending any games. This is more of an exercise and dexterity maneuver to see if I can walk, swipe, and retrieve a coupon. The reason I question the program is the fact that when I swipe my card the screen says "Welcome Diamondbacks Fan" rather than my name. Secondly, I went out and looked on the Frys web site at my account and it shows that I have 180 points total. Considering that I have been to 32 games this season plus shop at Frys exclusively for groceries that point total is way out of whack. The other issue I have with this program is that you are only rewarded for one person attending the game. We have 2 tickets that we use at every game yet we are only credited with 1 seat being filled since you cannot swipe 2 tickets on a Fry's D-Backs Rewards card. It's one of the hokier programs I've ever seen. I miss the old Diamondbackers program the team used to have. At least then I felt like I was rewarded for attending all of the games. The prizes offered by Frys are not bad, I would LOVE to get the autographed team ball but it is completely impossible since they have only 1 of those prizes and it is valued at 1,000 points. If I attend all 81 home games I am still lacking 595 points and it does not appear as though I can buy enough cookies, water, and crackers to accumulate that many points. So for now I will just have to be content in getting the daily coupons to save a little at the concession stands. The coupon I got last night had an extra tidbit of information that was valuable.

I feel a little like Frank Costanza from Seinfeld today. Seinfeld was one of the few non-baseball shows that I actually watched. Each Thursday I would be entertained by a show about nothing. Mind you this was several years BT* (* - Before Tivo) so you actually had to be around to watch television when it was scheduled. Oh sure there were some people that owned a VCR but the majority of them suffered from Flash-a-noona that debilitating technical phenomena where your VCR continuously flashed the time of 12:00 with no idea what time or date it really was. Wow, I really feel dated. The next thing you know I will be telling everyone how I had to walk to school 5 miles in the snow battling grizzly bears with my spiral notebook and that when I was a kid gas was a quarter and for that price a guy would come out and pump your gas, wash your windows, fill your tires with air, and give you a free drinking glass if you bought 7 gallons or more.

As the final notes of the "Diamondbacks just lost" music drifted through the stadium I began to gather up my scorebook and pack my seat cushion preparing to leave Chase Field. That old guy I sat near was right, this is depressing music. I really hate when they play that song. I can't decide if I don't like the tune or that I just don't like the fact that the Diamondbacks have just lost the game. I'm beginning to think this music is some sort of psychology experiment similar to the one Ivan Pavlov executed on dogs where he would ring a bell then feed the dogs. After an extended period of time he could ring the bell and the dog would begin salivating thinking he was going to eat. Maybe after a decade of hearing this music I have just been conditioned to be depressed whenever it is playing. I can guarantee that this is one song I won't be rushing home to find on iTunes.

I seriously hate it when I am right, even partially right. As I figured, the Diamondbacks hitters struggled against Tim Lincecum and the Diamondbacks did lose but it was closer than the 5-1 score I had predicted. I guess I should feel good that it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was still pretty bad though. It did feel good to be back at Chase Field. Even the worst game played is better at the ballpark than the best game on television.

Mercifully the Diamondbacks road trip is now over and they return tonight to Chase Field. The team has only been gone for 8 days and 7 games; it just feels like it has been longer. The inconsistent offense and lack of production has been extremely painful to watch. I'm sure everyone is hoping that a return to Chase Field for 3 games against the National League West will be just what the doctor ordered to get the team back on its winning ways. The San Francisco Giants come in for 3 games followed by the Washington Nationals for a weekend series. On paper you would think this would favor the Diamondbacks but if this past week has taught us anything it is that you just have no way of knowing which Diamondbacks team is going to show up on any given night.

Over the course of a season there are certain days when I just have a lot of things on my mind. Very few of them warrant an entire entry but they do seem to eat at me to the point that I need to write something about it. So today seemed like the perfect time for a potpourri of subjects to be covered in a single entry. Today marked the end of what seemed like the longest road trip in the universe. It's only been a week since the Diamondbacks last game at Chase Field but it just feels like a lot longer than that. This is probably due to the fact that away from the friendly confines of Chase the team plays like a bunch of clowns in the circus. I realize that Chase Field is known as a hitter's park but I still cannot get my hands around the fact that Diamondbacks batters are hitting nearly 100 points lower on the road than they are at home. This coupled with the on-again-off-again nature of the offense makes these games feel like an eternity.

August 18, 2007 defined the season for Diamondbacks rookie Micah Owings. Prior to that game Micah was on-again-off-again on the mound and there were beginning to be rumblings that perhaps Owings was better suited as a long reliever rather than a starter. That night in Turner Field Micah put on a show that may never be seen again. On the mound he allowed 3 runs on 3 hits all of them home runs in 7 innings of work. He also struck out 7 Braves batters and lowered his earned run average to 4.70. That was only part of the story though. At the plate Micah Owings went 4-5 with a double and 2 home runs driving in 6 runs and carried the team on his back to a 12-6 win. From that moment on Micah Owings was a starting pitcher and more importantly an offensive force to be reckoned with at the plate. Teams from that point had to prepare differently for games where Owings pitched. National League managers had to think like their American League counterparts looking at Micah as more of a designated hitter than a pitcher.

Chase Field is the second highest stadium in Major League Baseball. The only playing surface at a higher altitude is Coors Field which sits at a mile above sea level. The altitude coupled with the good sight lines and warm temperatures make it a great hitter's park. Despite the large expanse of outfield grass balls seem to carry well at Chase Field for more than its fair share of home runs and extra base hits. Unlike the Colorado Rockies, the Diamondbacks have not instituted the use of a humidor for storing baseballs thus giving an advantage to the hitters. Since Arizona plays 81 games a year at Chase Field some would say they have an advantage over their opponents in being able to get runners on base. This has not necessarily been the case over the course of the first decade in the desert but this year does appear to be a factor.

The last time we saw Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Doug Davis he was walking off the field after pitching 6 strong innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had allowed just 2 runs on 6 hits and had struck out 7 batters. As he made his way to the dugout the crowd of 28,973 stood and gave Double-D a standing ovation. This was not your average start by a number four starter. This was a courageous start by a player who had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer and was making his final start before going in for surgery two days later. The game almost seemed trivial compared to what Davis would be facing next. No one including Doug Davis or his doctors knew what to expect. Everyone was hopeful that the surgery would be successful and Davis would be able to fully recover and be back in the line-up some time this season.

We all knew that it was an impossibility for Brandon Webb to go the entire season undefeated but that still did not make it any less of a surprise when his first loss of the season came at the hands of the Florida Marlins when facing a young pitcher who came into the game sporting an ERA well above 4 runs. This was one of those games you just assumed that the Diamondbacks would win; especially after the Diamondbacks lost the first game of this series. Instead, the Arizona offense decided it would be a great day to take off and visit the beaches around Miami.

Two weeks from today representatives from the 30 Major League Baseball franchises will descend on Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida. No, contrary to some reports MLB is not gathering to announce that Mickey Mouse will be named the new commissioner of baseball. Goofy, I mean Bud Selig, will remain in that capacity for the foreseeable future. So what would bring all the teams together to the second happiest place on earth* during baseball season? Major League Baseball has selected The Milk House at Disney's Wide World of Sports as the location for the 2008 First-Year Player Draft. It somewhat seems appropriate for this event to be held at Disney World. Each day thousands of people enter the Disney parks wanting to believe in the magic contained within its walls. Likewise every year baseball players everywhere hope and pray that their dream will be realized and they will become professional baseball players.

One of the great American pastimes is trying to successfully predict probable pitching match-ups. Fans everywhere love to envision themselves as General Managers in training controlling the roster and purse strings of their favorite franchise. Others see themselves more as the field general skipper of the ball club determining who will be in the starting line-up and who will be riding the pine. Everyone seems to believe they could do at least as good as the current manager and depending on the current win-loss record probably a lot better than those whose job it is to lead the team. As for me, I like trying to look ahead to see who we will be playing beyond the current game and how the Diamondbacks match-up against their opponent. It's a game I play every day as I try to predict game outcome over a road trip or home stand. One of the primary considerations for these predictions is who will be pitching for each team.

Welcome to the latest entry of the continuing State of the Home Stand Address series. This entry covers the home stand beginning May 13 against the Colorado Rockies concluding May 18 with the game against the Detroit Tigers. After a brief three game road trip that saw the Diamondbacks get swept by the Chicago Cubs at a cold and blustery Wrigley Field, the Diamondbacks had a much needed day off before beginning a three game series at home. This entry will chronicle the six game set that made up this home stand with a discussion of on-field performance and the happenings around Chase Field from a fan's perspective.

I've often wondered, if you asked an Arizona Diamondbacks what their most memorable moment would be from the first 10 years of the franchise's existence; what would they answer? I am willing to bet that the majority would list the final play of the 2001 World Series when Luis Gonzalez hit a bloop single over a drawn in Derek Jeter to score Jay Bell winning the first world championship. Others may mention March 31, 1998 when Andy Benes threw the first pitch to Jorge Fabregas as Rockies second baseman Mike Lansing took the pitch as a ball. For Gylene Hoyle I would guess she would respond with the events of July 11, 1999 when Jay Bell made her a millionaire. I've pondered this question quite a lot and have come to the conclusion that to me the most memorable point in Diamondbacks occurred on this date back in 2004.

I have been looking forward to this game since April 19. It's no secret that I am a huge bobble head fan. On my desk I have every bobble head the Diamondbacks have ever given away at a game. This of course drives Trina absolutely crazy as she it takes days to dust the top of my desk now. After a while she suggested that since I insisted to keeps these dust magnets on the top of my desk I would be responsible for dusting. I explained that I was cool with a little dust since baseball was by nature a game filled with dirt and dust. Trina refused to acknowledge that comment and instead insisted that I must dust each of these figures. She handed me a dust rag and went about cleaning the remainder of the house. I looked at all the bobble heads and at the dust cloth in my hand and knew for a fact this was not going to happen. I went to my computer supply closet and pulled out a couple cans of compressed air. I began blowing dirt off each bobble head and within a minute the entire living room had a low level dust cloud hovering over it. Before long my bobble heads were dust free. I was pretty proud of myself but Trina was less than impressed since the rest of the living room that she had just cleaned was now covered in a layer of redistributed dirt.

Let me preface this with the acknowledgment that I take full responsibilities for what I am about to describe. I completely deserved this as it was me yesterday who doubted the greatness that is Brandon Webb. I was jaded into believing that the Colorado Rockies would actually show up to play last night when they put their hottest pitcher on the mound. It was me who questioned the character of the Diamondbacks team and who thought that they did not possess some super power over the National League West. Maybe I read too many articles that claimed the Diamondbacks were not as good as their record. Maybe the three game sweep by the Chicago Cubs somehow channeled thoughts back to 2004 when things looked great in April before the great Richie Sexon experiment derailed an entire season. Or maybe I got purple in my eye and was temporarily blinded. Whatever the reason was, I doubted the Diamondbacks and actually suggested that perhaps last night Brandon Webb would lose a game and therefore I deserved last night.

Today marks the end of another Rock-tober. With a win last night the Diamondbacks ensured that another series win against a National League Western Division opponent. Micah Owings looked good on the mound although he didn't necessarily start out that way. I have to admit I was pretty nervous when he threw 23 pitches in the first inning followed by 20 pitches in the second and 20 more in the third. Sitting at 63 pitches after 3 innings there was little reason to believe Micah would be in the game long enough to figure into the decision. I am not sure how much of that was attributed to Micah being wild and how much could be results of an inconsistent strike zone by home plate umpire Adrian Johnson. I'm sure the pitchers and catchers were frustrated and I know the fans were. The strike zone worked to the Diamondbacks favor when a third called strike was instead called a ball on Orlando Hudson who laced the next pitch into the gap for a double scoring two runs. Micah adjusted and the pitch count fell dramatically from the fourth through the sixth inning. Even so, at the end of the sixth he had tossed 100 pitches and definitely looked spent. I figured he would not have faced another batter if he had not gotten Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta to fly out to Eric Byrnes to end the inning. As it was, things worked out and Micah left the game holding a 4-0 lead. The Diamondbacks bullpen bent but didn't break allowing 3 runs in 3 innings work. Brandon Lyon came in for the ninth and retired the first two hitters then promptly allowed the tying run to reach third base before getting Brad Hawpe to fly out to Mark Reynolds to end the game and preserve the win. Through the first two games of this series the Diamondbacks have once again taken it to the Rockies and now lead the series this year 7-1. It now all hinges on today's game.

You would have thought that yesterday would have been nearly perfect. Not only did the Diamondbacks win 8-4 ensuring that Diamondbacks fans in attendance would not starve at least for one day thanks to a Taco Bell chalupa but the game also ended a 3-game losing streak and gave Randy Johnson career victory 287 tying him with Bert Blyleven for 26th place all time. But something just was not right. My stomach was definitely not feeling well rolling over like the Rockies offense. I of course chalked this up to the fact that I tried something different at the concession stands rather than my normal Chase Field dining routine. I didn't think it was the food though, this was something much deeper.

Before the season started I looked over the schedule and this was the stretch I was most worried about. Over the course of two weeks the Diamondbacks would face the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Chicago Cubs, the Colorado Rockies, and the Detroit Tigers. That is 17 games against teams who had been predicted to be strong play-off contenders when the season started. That is also a stretch of 17 games with only 1 off day early in the season. Who could have guessed that the Tigers and Mets would have struggled starting the year (you wouldn't have guessed the Mets were struggling the way they played at Chase Field this month)? And who could have imagined how badly the Colorado Rockies would look after 5 weeks of the season? So after a brief three-game road trip to Chicago where the Diamondbacks were swept, what would be better than hosting the Colorado Rockies for three at Chase Field?

Usually I balk at the thoughts of having a day without Diamondbacks baseball during the regular season. It is not that I don't think the players deserve a day off; it is just that it is extremely painful not to have a Diamondbacks game to watch. I feel as though a piece of me is missing and I end up wandering around aimlessly as if I have nothing to do. Oh sure I could be updating Now Hitting and I could even use this time to rearrange the entries on Diary of a Diehard but it's just not the same as going to a game. I guess the pain of a long off-season is just too difficult to be reminded of this early in the season. Today though was slightly different. I didn't mind so much that the Diamondbacks had the day off.

It's Mother's Day! This realization struck me dead in the face along with the backside of Trina's hand when I didn't have an appropriate gift wrapped and sitting on the table when she got up. First off, I don't know how many times I have to keep telling her; she is not my mother. Second, I didn't forget it was Mother's Day. I merely chose not to expose her to the unnecessary commercialization of such a revered holiday. I don't know how many times we have had a similar discussion about Christmas and how the true meaning is lost. I figured she would appreciate me taking her side when it came to Mother's Day. Um, yeah I guess I figured wrong. I therefore had very little time to react if I was going to somehow escape unscathed from this dilemma. Luckily for me Dakota was sick today so someone needed to stay home with him. By luckily I don't mean "great news my kid is sick!" It's more like "great news, a kid throwing up in the bathroom just bought me an hour to figure out what I am going to do about a Mother's Day gift!" I had 60 minutes to come up with something and from the looks of Trina's reaction it better be good.

When the Arizona Diamondbacks are on the road I feel kind of like a kid who lost his best friend. I wander around a lot and don't exactly know what to do with myself. It seems so foreign to watch a game on television. I never know exactly how to act. I try sitting in my Chase Field seats with my seat cushion thinking maybe it will make me feel like I am at the game but it never seems to work out. Maybe it's because Trina keeps yelling at me every time I throw peanut shells on her floor. I keep telling her that she doesn't have to worry because there are people who come in after every game and hose things down before the gates open for the next game. She insists that a) people do not come in and clean our house and b) there are no gates to open. Oh and please quit asking to see people's tickets every time someone rings our door bell. The neighbors are starting to question what is wrong with me. So I am forced to sit on the couch and watch a game without peanuts or a stadium. How do people do that?

Welcome to the latest edition of my State of the Home Stand where I look back over the just concluded home series to provide my feedback of how things went. I try to include items on the field as well as around the stadium. If possible I try to identify anything new that may be around Chase Field and give fans some tips of things to look for during their next visit to the stadium. So without further adieu let's look back at the home stand that began April 28 and lasted through May 8. This home stand is the longest stretch of home games the Diamondbacks have all season so fans had a lot of baseball in town.

I kept looking at the calendar today to see if I had somehow done a Rip Van Winkle and overslept a day. I have no other explanation for the sheer number of afternoon games that the Diamondbacks are playing this season. For the second time in the home stand the Arizona Diamondbacks game starts in the early afternoon. This time is a real getaway day not like against the Astros when the next day was an off day for both Arizona and Houston. No, after the game today the Diamondbacks will travel to Chicago to take on the Cubs tomorrow afternoon; how appropriate. But before we get ahead of ourselves looking forward to the Cubs series, there is still the little matter of the final game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

I have been an Arizona Diamondbacks Season Ticket Holder for the majority of the Diamondbacks existence. I was there the no-hitter by Jose Jimenez in 1999 and I saw the bloop hit by Luis Gonzalez to win the 2001 World Series. I endured the 2004 season; all 111 losses. And I was there last season as the Diamondbacks won their fourth National League Western Division title returning to the post season. Over the course of 81 home games each season I have pretty much witnessed just about everything that a fan could possibly see at a baseball game. So you would think that there wouldn't be much that would surprise me. But there you would be wrong; I find myself experiencing something completely new and different at every game. Most of the time the game experience is relatively normal but the last couple of games have even left me scratching my head wondering what is going on with Major League Baseball fans.

After a rough outing against the Houston Astros, everyone was wondering how Randy Johnson would respond. Was the 6 runs in two innings an aberration or is this what they could expect from a 44 year old pitcher coming off yet another back surgery. Around the ballpark I heard countless comments of how the Big Unit was not the pitcher he once was and that he should just hang it up. I think they are underestimating how much Johnson has left in the tank or what he can contribute to the team. Personally I would much rather have a Randy Johnson at this point in his career over say an Edgar Gonzalez at this point in his career. Oh sure we may never see another 99 mile per hour fastball leave Johnson's hand but he is still capable of getting big league hitters out and making them look badly in the process.

What a heart breaking loss at yesterday's game. It was such an awesome game and completely lived up to the billing of a pitcher's duel. Dan Haren continues to prove why the Diamondbacks had targeted him as an acquisition last off-season. Likewise on the other side it was clear why it was so important for the Mets to go out and get Johan Santana. Augie Ojeda continued his dominance at the plate filling in admirably for Stephen Drew who was given the day off against the left-handed Santana. When the starters left the game it was a low scoring event with the Mets up 2-1. Although Haren had given up 2 runs he had allowed only 3 hits while striking out 7. That was definitely a quality start and no one could have expected much more. When the Diamondbacks tied the game in the seventh inning it looked for sure like this was going to be an extra inning game. But the wheels seemed to fall off in the ninth inning when a Conor Jackson error allowed the go ahead run to score and ultimately two more would cross the plate making it a 3-run loss. It was pretty hard to deal with losing like that.

I don't know about you but it feels as though this election season has been going on forever. Candidate after candidate can be seen stumping for votes. They take time visiting with the people shaking hands, kissing babies, and stating their qualifications that would get them elected. Signs are appearing all over town as people stand behind their favorite candidates hoping to get them elected. There is of course talk of corruption and buying the voters with promises of prosperity. It just seems as though these elections have gotten more bitter as time has gone by. It is no longer enough to campaign and hope people relate to your stance on the issues. No now the candidates make outrageous promises and voters want to know what is in it for them if they throw their support behind a candidate. At least I know my family's votes cannot be bought. Well I did think that until this weekend, now I am not so sure.

I think every Diamondbacks fan at Chase Field last night collectively held their breath when Orlando Hudson motioned from second base for the trainer. It brought back memories from last September when he suffered a thumb injury ending his season. As he hobbled back to the dugout I had to wonder how serious his leg injury was and what it might mean. The Diamondbacks had gotten off to such a great start thanks in no small part to the defensive skills of the O-Dog. Not to take anything away from his hitting but Hudson's defense is just amazing to watch. I was just a little curious as to who Bob Melvin would go to as a replacement for Orlando. I was slightly surprised to see Augie Ojeda's name on the line-up board. I kind of expected to see Chris Burke take over consider he had been described as the second baseman of the future during his tenure with the Houston Astros. But I guess it makes sense that you replace one dog with another. The question was, what do you lose when O-Dog is replaced by Augie Doggie?

Each month Arizona Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall holds an on-line chat where for 30 minutes he subjects himself to being peppered by Diamondbacks fans. It is an interesting opportunity where the fans are allowed to speak their mind and ask whatever they want. The questions are submitted then the Diamondbacks determine which questions will be answered. At first that was a little frustrating since many of my questions never get brought up. But after several months of this I have come to appreciate that functionality. Knowing the questions I am asking I respect the Diamondbacks not answering some of them. And if my questions are strange and unusual I cannot even imagine what some of the other fans must be asking.

I have long been a proponent of attending a Diamondbacks baseball game in person. It is just so different from watching it on television or listening on the radio. Don't get me wrong, I think the Diamondbacks announcers do an outstanding job. I'm especially a fan of Greg Schulte and have listened to many a broadcast both while at the ballpark as well as when the Diamondbacks are out of town. Still, you just can't beat being at the park in person. Oh sure it's not always perfect; there are times when Rally Sally escapes from her cage and moves around the upper deck into my sight line or in a moment of temporary insanity one of the cameramen will show her on the new dbTV high definition screen. This is usually met with screams from the fans followed by parents covering the eyes of their children to protect the youngsters' retinas from being scarred for life Other than that potential health risk, I believe the experience at Chase Field far outweighs the other broadcast options for baseball fans. The best thing about going to a game in person is that you just don't know what to expect. Yesterday was a prime example of this axiom.