July 22, 2010
With baseball’s trade deadline just 10 days away, rumors are running rampant around the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mired in last place for much of the season the Diamondbacks are seen as sellers hoping to add prospects and players that will return them back to contention in 2011.
Amid the center of the rumors is staff ace Dan Haren who took the mound for the snakes last night in their final game against the New York Mets. The way the pitching rotation is playing out Haren will have two more starts before the trade deadline.
Continue reading ‘Haren’s Final Start as a Diamondback at Chase Field?’ »
July 21, 2010
The Arizona Diamondbacks had taken the first two games of a three-game series with the New York Mets. Going into the final game they had an opportunity to sweep the Mets. I had to repeat that to myself several times in order for it to sink in.
The D-backs had not had a three-game sweep at Chase Field since August 28-30, 2009 against the Houston Astros. That fact alone would send many diehard Diamondbacks fans back to bed with a severe case of depression.
Continue reading ‘It’s a Great Day for Baseball; Let’s Play One and a Half!’ »
July 20, 2010
When we moved to Arizona in 1994, Phoenix was clearly a basketball town. The Phoenix Suns were continuously sold out and you heard stories of people spending hours on the phone the day single game tickets went on sale hoping to score tickets to a single game during the season.
When the Suns were on television it felt like the whole city stopped whatever it was doing and focused all of their attention on the basketball game. I had never lived in a city so obsessed with a sports team and soon I found myself drawn into their enthusiasm. But alas, I am not a basketball kind of guy, my love is baseball.
Continue reading ‘Reaching Out to a New Generation’ »
July 19, 2010
The 2010 Arizona Diamondbacks have been a confusing team to understand. There will be days where they look as though they had never seen a baseball before stumbling and bumbling throughout the game. The next night they come out and play like a team that was four games away from the World Series in 2007.
I guess that is what is most frustrating. If they played poorly every night you could at least point to the fact that the roster did not have the players necessary to win at this level but just as soon as you suggest that, they play a game like they did tonight against the New York Mets.
Continue reading ‘Home Cooking Suits the Diamondbacks’ »
July 18, 2010
After dropping the first two games of the series against the San Diego Padres the Diamondbacks were attempting to salvage the final game before heading back to Phoenix where they would face the New York Mets and red-hot San Francisco Giants.
After staking themselves an early lead, the Diamondbacks watched as the Padres came back to tie the game and go ahead on a triple by San Diego shortstop Everth Cabrera. A mere 90 feet from scoring an all important insurance run, Cabrera got too far off the base.
Continue reading ‘Just a Kick in the Stomach’ »
July 17, 2010
Interim manager Kirk Gibson made a few changes to the Diamondbacks line-up a day after the team was lit up 12-1 against the San Diego Padres. With left-hander Clayton Richard on the mound Gibson chose to start Rusty Ryal in left field and Chris Snyder behind the plate.
Ryal has been a pleasant surprise this year. After securing the final roster spot out of spring training he has shown versatility playing several infield and outfield positions; some more successful than others.
Continue reading ‘Errors in Judgment’ »
July 16, 2010
As a last place team it came has little surprise that the Arizona Diamondbacks would have just one representative on the National League roster for the All-Star game in Anaheim California. After all, the team had underachieved in just about every category and statistic.
While Chris Young has had a decent first half which was significantly better than the season, there could be an argument made that the Diamondbacks had a representative at the mid-summer classic only because Major League Baseball requires each team to be represented.
Continue reading ‘Same Old, Same Old’ »
July 15, 2010
When the 2010 season began, the Arizona Diamondbacks thought they had all of the pieces in place to compete in the National League Western Division. Team officials were confident that 2009 was an anomaly and they had taken steps both with the pitching staff and the offense to overcome the difficulties they faced last season and should be competitive if not for the divisional crown then at least for the wild card.
Through the first week of the season confidence was growing for this team. They began taking two of three from the San Diego Padres and won the series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The mounting losses of 2009 seemed like a distant memory.
Continue reading ‘Second Half Expectations’ »
July 14, 2010
In the 2010 Major League Baseball amateur draft, the Arizona Diamondbacks had the sixth overall pick in the first round. Leading up to the draft we heard several scenarios about draft strategy and how the Diamondbacks could utilize their picks. After a bountiful draft class in 2009 it was widely reported that Arizona would focus on more seasoned players who could make their way to the upper levels of the minor leagues quickly.
During last year’s draft the Diamondbacks went heavy on position players taking several who are making an immediate impact in the farm system albeit at the lower levels. With many of the everyday position players doing well it seemed logical that the team would focus this year on pitching.
Continue reading ‘Diamondbacks First Round Draft Pick Fails Physical’ »
