Diary of a Diehard

Now that I had finally gotten my Arizona Diamondbacks Season Ticket renewal package fixed, you would think I would have been relaxed but no the exact opposite was true. My stomach was twisted in knots and my blood pressure resembled Mark Reynolds strikeout total.

Today was the second deadline for season ticket renewal payment but it was also the deadline for turning in Seat Relocation forms. Seat relocation is a huge event in our house. My kids think of it as a giant game of musical chairs.

Continue reading ‘Seat Relocation – The Saga Begins’ »

The Arizona Diamondbacks announced the beginning of Season Ticket renewals the first part of August. The deadline for existing season ticket holders to renew their season ticket packages was August 30. As an incentive to get account holders to renew early the Diamondbacks offered a “30 Prizes in 30 Days” promotion where a renewed season ticket holder was drawn each day for a fabulous prize.

The prizes were pretty substantial including a trip to the 2010 All-Star game, taking batting practice with Mark Reynolds, fielding practice with Chris Young, or Staycations to local resorts. There was really something for everyone.

Continue reading ‘The Stress of Season Ticket Renewal’ »

As Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Juan Gutierrez struck out Padres pinch hitter Oscar Salazar, the Diamondbacks congratulated each other for winning the final home game at Chase Field for the 2009 season.

The Diamondbacks finish out the regular season with six games on the road. Beginning on Tuesday Arizona opens up a three-game series with the San Francisco Giants and then finish the season visiting the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Continue reading ‘State of the Home Stand Address – September 18-27’ »

When I was about to get married my father sat me down and gave me two pieces of advice that if I would listen would make my marriage a little better and perhaps keep me out of my wife’s dog house. His first pearl of wisdom was, “Never go to bed angry; even if you have to stay up all night fighting.” At first I wondered whether or not my dad knew what he was talking about but after 28 years of marriage I think he was probably right on this one. As I have gotten older it has been harder to stay up late so I have to now make sure the fights end earlier so I can get to bed.

My father’s second word of advice to me was, “Never forget your anniversary”. There is nothing that will bring the wrath of a woman quite as fast as a husband forgetting an anniversary. My dad tells stories of seeing the dent in his father’s head where grandma whacked him with a frying pan the year he forgot their anniversary. I am allergic to cast iron especially when it is applied to my head so I was going to make sure that I always followed this second tip.

Continue reading ‘Happy Anniversary Dear’ »

Fandemonium has been a tradition at Chase Field ever since the Diamondbacks inaugural season. The final weekend home games at Chase Field are designated as Fandemonium. During these games the Arizona Diamondbacks pay tribute to their fans by giving away prizes throughout the game.

Between innings they also have video tributes displayed on dbTV that show highlights of the season and give the players, coaches, and baseball staff an opportunity to say thank-you to their loyal fans.

Continue reading ‘It’s Fandamonium!’ »

When the Arizona Diamondbacks announced their promotional schedule, I was very intrigued by the final bobble head game scheduled for September 26 against the San Diego Padres. The description for that stadium giveaway was “Fan Vote Bobble Head”. As the season began more details were given as to what this really meant.

The fans were invited to go to the Arizona Diamondbacks web site and vote for one of five choices that they would like to see rendered as a bobble head. I chronicled our family’s vote as we registered and cast our votes for who we wanted to see as the final bobble head. At least one-fifth of our family was extremely excited when Augie Ojeda was chosen as the winner.

Continue reading ‘Augie, Augie, Augie, Oi, Oi, Oi’ »

Tuesday’s game against the San Francisco Giants was a hallmark game for Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Mark Reynolds. Looking at the box score you may not fully understand the significance of the season Reynolds has had. That night he went 1-5 with a double against Giants starter Matt Cain. That double in the bottom of the second inning allowed Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero to score.

As Montero crossed the plate it marked the 100th run batted in for Reynolds, a career high for him. That run coupled with the 43 home runs and 93 runs he has scored are all team and career highs for the young third baseman. Add to that total a team leading 24 stolen bases and Reynolds has clearly become an important part of the Arizona Diamondbacks offense.

Continue reading ‘Reynolds Rap’ »

Night games during the week typically begin with first pitch occurring at 6:40 PM Arizona time. Through the years this starting time has been continually tweaked to find a time that works for the team and the fans. During the early years the games would start at 7:05 PM. This meant that the game would normally end around 10:30 PM and we would get home close to 11.

While that time works for adults, it makes for a late night for families with school age children. The 6:40 PM start time means that we can usually make it home by ten so the kids aren’t up too late and hence are not as tired the next day for school.

Continue reading ‘Staying Relevant’ »

Perhaps the most frustrating part of the 2009 Arizona Diamondbacks has been the inconsistency displayed by the team. There will be games when the players are all on the same page and look like the team that went to the National League Championship Series in 2007. On other nights the players look like they have never seen a baseball let alone played in a major league game. With this inconsistency comes a roller coaster ride of wins and losses.

It is not just the losing that is frustrating; it is how the Diamondbacks lose the games. Take for example the first game against the San Francisco Giants during this series. The Diamondbacks had numerous opportunities to drive in runs and take that game from a scuffling San Francisco club. Instead Arizona committed three errors including a throwing error in the eighth inning that allowed the Giants to score the ultimate winning run.

Continue reading ‘Please Keep Your Hands Inside the Car at All Times’ »