Diary of a Diehard

For as long as the Diamondbacks have played at Bank One Ballpark/Chase Field, there have been Team Shops to sell the team’s merchandise. In the early years there were Team Shops not only at the stadium but also around valley malls.

This of course made it easy for fans to pick up team merchandise at a location close to where they live. My wife of course hated the idea since it meant more outlets for me to visit and bring home “yet another piece of Diamondbacks gear”.

Continue reading ‘Diamondbacks Introduce Merchandising Partner’ »

At this point in Spring Training the players have settled into their routine. Starting pitchers are stretching themselves out to five to seven innings building arm strength as they make their final push to Opening Day.

This is usually the time when position players try to quickly get their work in and hopefully overcome any bad habits and most importantly avoid injury. The last thing a player or the team wants is to lose someone to injury just over a week before the end of Spring Training.

Continue reading ‘Justin Upton Injures Ankle in Diamondbacks Loss’ »

I was recently approached by Tom Reese from HotStove.com who asked if I would be interested in a series he was doing. Each week he would ask one question to bloggers who cover a team. We would respond with a four or five sentence response. Tom would consolidate all of the answers and post them to his site.

It is an interesting concept and one I have had a lot of fun with over the past few weeks. The questions are usually thought provoking and make you stop to think. This week’s question was a prime example.

Continue reading ‘The Biggest Worry For the 2010 Diamondbacks’ »

Living in the Northern Hemisphere of the planet I tend to take several things for granted. The northern star Polaris, the big dipper, the fact that summer occurs from June through September, and of course the Tropic of Cancer.

I have no idea what the Tropic of Cancer is besides just a line on a globe but I know that nobody from the Southern Hemisphere can claim it as theirs so it must be important. As a card-carrying member of the Northern Hemisphere, I am obligated to say that the shortest day of the year occurs on the Winter Solstice while the longest day of the year occurs on the Summer Solstice.

Continue reading ‘The Longest Day of the Year’ »

There are few things that will tip my wife over more quickly than me telling her I am in desperate need of some new piece of Arizona Diamondbacks merchandise. Usually this results in yet another lengthy lecture where she tells me that I already own every piece of Diamondbacks merchandise ever made.

This of course is an exaggeration. I know of at least four items that I don’t have and that’s even before I go out to the Arizona Diamondbacks web store or visit the Chase Field Team Shop. I’ve told her a million times that she shouldn’t exaggerate.

Continue reading ‘Hats and Other Head Games’ »

Probably the most overused question during Spring Training with the Arizona Diamondbacks is, “How is Brandon Webb?” When staff ace Webb went down against the Colorado Rockies on Opening Day so did the hopes and dreams of Diamondbacks fans.

Throughout the 2009 season we were told Webb would be back shortly. Just a little rest and strength training is all he needed. This of course led to a glimmer of hope that was dashed with the news that Webb would need shoulder surgery.

Continue reading ‘The Continued Saga of Brandon Webb’ »

It’s funny, I look back at the last 13 seasons of being an Arizona Diamondbacks fan and I realized my children have literally grown up at Bank One Ballpark/Chase Field. At Opening Day in 1998 I was in the stands with my wife and my son who was less than a year old.

Now in 2010 my son is 12 years old and Chase Field is like a second home. He knows most of the ushers on a first name basis and lives in the kids’ zone on the upper deck. He has a knack of being in the right place at the right time appearing on dbTV with game hosts Mike and Vanessa.

Continue reading ‘Sometimes Being a Fan is a Problem’ »

There are certain times of year that are absolutely torture for a mailman. There is of course catalog season where they have to stuff an abundance of printed catalogs into each mail recipient’s mailbox and let’s not forget the holiday season with all the cards, letters, and gifts that are sent around the country.

In our neighborhood there is also a third time of year that strikes fear into the heart of the mail man; the delivery of Arizona Diamondbacks Season Tickets.

Continue reading ‘They’re Here, My Season Tickets Are Here!’ »

Spring Training has been underway for nearly a month. Pitchers and catchers are working hard to build up arm strength and hitters are putting in extra practice in the batting cages honing their timing.

From a front office perspective Season Ticket renewal has been completed. The FanFest has been held at Chase Field and by all accounts was another success. The promotional schedule has been released and the ticket office is now selling individual game tickets.

Continue reading ‘The Waiting and the Worrying Begins’ »