Diary of a Diehard

One of the more interesting activities during all-star festivities is the Futures Game. This is a contest that features the future stars we should expect to see in the major leagues. These are the best of the best that are currently in the minor leagues. For many of these kids it is the first time they are playing on the grand scale as professionals. They may have been starts on their high school or college teams but this is definitely different. The Futures Game is held at the same field as the Major League all-star game meaning that this year it will be at Yankee Stadium. This will be the only time most of these players will ever see the insides of the “House that Ruth Built” as the stadium will no longer be used after this season. That has very special meaning and has brought the excitement to an even greater level for the participants.

Continue reading ‘Back to the Futures’ »

In his last start Randy Johnson looked like his vintage self from 2001. He dominated the San Diego Padres en route to his 289th career victory. In that start he was working the location of his pitches with pinpoint accuracy. His slider had a lot of bite and he was changing speeds on his fastball making it extremely difficult for hitters to adjust. This was substantially different than his previous several starts and I think baseball fans everywhere were wondering whether that game was a fluke or if it were a premonition of things to come. Tonight marked Randy’s next start and I was keenly interested in seeing which Randy Johnson was going to show up.

Continue reading ‘Atlas Johnson’ »

“Over the course of the first half of the season the Arizona Diamondbacks have been relatively injury free.” Even before the final words of that sentence left my mouth I knew I should never have said that. There are a few things that as a baseball player or fan you never mention. You don’t talk about a no-hitter while it is going on; you never comment on how quickly a game is progressing; and you definitely don’t talk about injuries. There is nothing that will jinx a team quicker than ignoring those three premises. So when I happened to mention the lack of injuries the Diamondbacks had gotten in the first part of the season I should have expected what would happen next.

Continue reading ‘D*B*a*c*k*s M*A*S*H’ »

This game looked like another one of those contests that will have you reaching for the Rogaine. After last night where the Diamondbacks were able to amass only 3 hits, tonight’s game seemed to be following suit. Over the first 7 innings the Diamondbacks were only able to accumulate 6 hits. What was a little better than last night was at least those hits resulted in 2 runs giving the Diamondbacks a 2-0 lead. With Dan Haren on the mound that should be enough for a Diamondbacks victory. Well like so many times before the Diamondbacks have found new and interesting ways to prove me wrong.

Continue reading ‘What the?’ »

The last time I checked the Washington Nationals were at the bottom of the Major League Baseball food chain. They were the owners of the worst record in baseball and were at or near the bottom of most of the major statistical categories that are tracked. If that is the case, can someone please explain to me how is it that the Arizona Diamondbacks who are currently in first place in the National League West can accumulate only 3 hits against this team and lose by the score of 5-0?

Continue reading ‘A National Crisis’ »

I have really hesitated to broach this subject but I decided that I just could not let it go without a few comments. A week ago during the second game of the Milwaukee series the Diamondbacks lost two important pieces to their line-up. The first was Eric Byrnes who during an attempted steal of third base re-injured his hamstring and news today was that Byrnes is likely lost for the season. Doctors have recommended surgery which will have a recovery time of 4-6 months. If Byrnes chooses not to have surgery his rehabilitation time is still listed in months rather than weeks. If that were the only injury the Diamondbacks suffered that night it would have been a huge blow but the Diamondbacks also lost starting catcher Chris Snyder when he took a foul tip during an at-bat.

Continue reading ‘How Painful Is This?’ »

At the conclusion of yesterday’s game the Arizona Diamondbacks left Chase Field and began their last scheduled road trip to the east coast for the 2008 regular season. They will be visiting the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies. The road trip will end with the beginning of the all-star break followed by the first home stand of the second half when the Los Angeles Dodgers come to town. This means that the current home stand has been completed which means it is time for another rendition of the “State of the Home Stand Address” where I try to recap what was the most recent home stand at Chase Field. Just as a reminder, the viewpoints and opinions expressed within this post are my own and in no way are indicative of how others might view the team or Chase Field. This entry covers the four game series against the Milwaukee Brewers and the three game series against the San Diego Padres.

Continue reading ‘State of the Home Stand Address – June 30 – July 6’ »

For many families, ours included, August marks the end of summer. Before long school bells will ring beckoning children to return to their education. This event of course is met with both elation and disdain depending on whether you are a parent or a child. So before the kids returned to the halls of higher learning it is time for that age old tradition of the family vacation.

Continue reading ‘Summer Vacation’ »

As a kid growing up I played a lot of organized baseball. That may be the understatement of the year as I was constantly on one team or another playing ball. Like most places we had a tryout where all the kids would go through various drills of hitting, throwing, and fielding. On the sidelines would be all of the coaches from the league. They each had a clipboard where they marked and evaluated each kid’s skills. Once the tryout was over the coaches would congregate and assess their team’s needs. From there they would hold a draft and select players. Not everyone who tried out made the team. That was just a given. If you were fortunate enough to make the team you received a phone call from the coach and given instructions of when practice would be and what you needed to bring.

Continue reading ‘Hey Now You’re an All-Star’ »