Diary of a Diehard

With every passing game the 2009 Arizona Diamondbacks season is beginning to look more and more like the dreaded 2004 season where the team lost 111 games. It began with a long list of injuries followed by a freefall in the standings which led to a firing of a manager then a complete dismantling of the roster. This was the year of the “Baby Backs” when the Diamondbacks threw up the white flag and began calling up young players from their farm system to give them playing time and to fill the roster spots vacated when players went on the disabled list. The clubhouse was in disarray as well with a dichotomy of personalities between the veterans and the rookies. The younger players felt empowered to run the team however they felt since it was clear that the veterans were having little success. The veterans were frustrated with their performance and with the lack of respect that the younger players were showing. After that season many of the young players that were brought up that year were traded away or sent back to the minor leagues with very few of them ever having an impact at the major league level. Likewise many of the veterans left the team frustrated with the way they were treated and the lack of direction they felt this organization had. There were many valuable lessons learned during that disastrous season and I think everyone hoped that would never happen again.

Continue reading ‘Another New Era Begins?’ »

Leading up to the firing of Arizona Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin, there was a lot of talk about player performance and responsibility. It didn’t seem to matter which way you turned, there was someone talking about what should be done about the Diamondbacks and their disappointing season. There were some who believed the manager was no longer able to motivate the players and a change in the coaching staff was necessary. There were others who felt that the players themselves did not take responsibility for their performance and that they should be released, traded, or demoted. No matter where you turned though some baseball fan had a suggestion. When the team finally addressed the situation they did so in the easiest manner. It is much simpler to remove the manager than to try and turn over the ballplayers. Besides there is always that chance that once they leave Arizona the player would somehow figure it out and excel in their new environment. The Diamondbacks and their fans have seen this countless times from players like: Dan Uggla, Orlando Hudson, Adam Dunn, Carlos Quentin, and even tonight with Micah Owings. But even after the change of manager and coaches the troubles have continued for the Diamondbacks.

Continue reading ‘Where Is the Accountability?’ »

Change is never easy for anyone. As a society we tend to gravitate towards where we are comfortable. When something occurs that wrestles us away from this comfort zone it feels as though are entire world is spinning out of control. For fans of the Arizona Diamondbacks, this season has felt like not only is the world is recklessly spinning but the entire universe is hurdling maniacally towards some vast black hole that will suck everything in and destroy it. Okay maybe that is a bit excessive but considering the events that have transpired during the 2009 season there doesn’t appear to be a lot of things going right.

Continue reading ‘Mr. Boo Bird on My Shoulder’ »

There are times that I just don’t understand women. Take today for example. It is Mother’s Day and there is also an Arizona Diamondbacks game. Why then is it that my wife seems less than thrilled by the careful planning and thoughtfulness I had done to make this day special. I mean I had gone to the team shop last night and purchased her some of the nicest Diamondbacks apparel that I could find there. I found Sedona Red wrapping paper at the store that I stopped at after the game. I had even bought her an Arizona Diamondbacks post card that said “Wish You Were Here” with a picture of Chase Field. (They didn’t have Mother’s Day cards at the team shop; an issue I plan to bring up at a future date with the team shop manager). The Diamondbacks were even planning a giveaway of a tote bag for the first 5,000 mothers who came through the gates. Why then was my wife now balking at the thoughts of spending her “special day” at the ballpark? Granted, I believe any day at Chase Field constitutes a “special day” but I don’t think that should dilute the fact that the best Mother’s Day gift would be 3 hours of happy time in Section 112 Row 8 Seats 7-8.

Continue reading ‘Just For Mom?’ »

The Arizona Diamondbacks returned home from their first extended road trip and began a series against the Washington Nationals tonight. That of course was not the big news. No the big news was that Arizona had fired manager Bob Melvin; a result of the team’s poor start this season. Prior to tonight’s game the Diamondbacks held a press conference where they introduced their new manager; former Diamondbacks Director of Player Personnel – AJ Hinch. I’m going to postpone writing about my thoughts on this unconventional move until I can be a little more rational (something that passionate Diamondbacks fans are not accustomed to being with the team 12-17). As we left to go to Chase Field tonight I admit I was not in the best of moods. Not only were the Diamondbacks still struggling but now they lost one of the better coaches in baseball.

Continue reading ‘Why I Love the Arizona Diamondbacks’ »

With each loss this season the tenure of Arizona Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin seemed more and more tenuous. For the past few weeks, the rumors of Melvin being on the hot seat circulated. It became a favorite pastime of many to guess when the ax would fall and Melvin would be fired. We are of course talking about the same Bob Melvin who is the winningest manager in Arizona Diamondbacks history. The same man that took over the team in 2005 and increased their success 25 games over the previous season. This was same manager who was named National League Manager of the year in 2007 for leading his young team to the National League Championship Series. It seems incredible that someone can go from the top of his profession to being fired within 2 years while using the same style and having the same components for the most part. But that is precisely what we are talking about. After the ridiculous loss to the San Diego Padres yesterday the Arizona front office decided a change was necessary to try and salvage what is beginning to look like a lost season. Team president Derrick Hall went on KTAR radio yesterday morning and discussed the frustration the front office was feeling from a team that was underachieving and how there may be several changes that will be made to try and overcome the problems plaguing the team. While not getting into specifics there seems to be no area of the team that will be safe from the evaluation and changes.

Continue reading ‘Hinch-ing Up the Wagon?’ »

After the Diamondbacks made the play-offs in 2007 reaching the National League Championship Series ahead of anyone’s schedule; the expectations for the core of young players rose to the point of the ridiculous. There was talk of years of domination in the division and numerous trips to the play-offs. When the 2008 season started Arizona once again opened up white hot in the month of April and by the end of the month they had established themselves as an elite team in the National League. Over the remainder of the season from May through September the team went into a slow tailspin that culminated in a season ending with the Diamondbacks finishing 3.5 games out of first place. The offense went from extremely hot to extremely cold in what seemed like a matter of days. Just when you began to give up hope the team would rally and put together a ridiculous game that would give you faith and you would catch yourself uttering the words, “this is just the catalyst they need to jump start their season.” The worse the team was playing the more you wanted to believe that statement. Almost always the team would revert back to a consistent lack of offense and the struggles continued.

Continue reading ‘And So It Ends’ »

High expectations have followed Justin Upton ever since the Arizona Diamondbacks made him the first overall pick of the 2005 First Year Amateur Draft. His rise through the Arizona minor league system could best be described as meteoric going from Single-A to Double-A to the Major Leagues becoming the youngest player ever to start a game for the Diamondbacks. His quick arrival at the major league level forced some decisions that perhaps the Diamondbacks were not ready for or miscalculated. For all intents and purposes if Upton had gone on a traditional path to the major leagues he would probably be in Triple-A Reno to start this season with hopes of a late season call-up. This would have given the Diamondbacks some time to decide what to do with their outfield and might have kept Carlos Quentin in a D-Backs uniform instead of being sent to Chicago to clear a path in the outfield. Instead Upton began the 2009 season as he did the 2008 season as the starting right fielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Continue reading ‘It’s Justin Time’ »

May 31, 2000 the St. Louis Cardinals were at what was then Bank One Ballpark. The Cardinals and Diamondbacks were playing a four game series and on this Wednesday night it would be the third game of the series. St. Louis had won the first two games of the series and the Diamondbacks were looking to try and recover. There were some similarities between the 2009 Diamondbacks and the 2000 team. The first two games of the series Arizona had scored a total of 1 run while allowing 9 runs to St. Louis. This was a team that at times really struggled offensively. The expectations were very high for the 2000 Diamondbacks. They had won a franchise high 99 games the previous season and gone to the play-offs in only their second season. The team had been struggling and there was already talk that if the team did not turn things around that their manager Buck Showalter would be fired. The players were shouldering the blame but that didn’t seem to matter much if the team was not winning. It didn’t help that the Diamondbacks were playing the hard hitting St. Louis Cardinals led by Mark McGwire.

Continue reading ‘Three Times the Pain’ »