Diary of a Diehard

It’s funny, one of the things I most look forward to at the Diamondbacks FanFest is one of the things I most abhor outside of Chase Field; a garage sale. Each year during the FanFest festivities the Diamondbacks Foundation sets up a booth where they sell things from previous years that the team is trying to get rid of.

The items range from leftover giveaway items to signs from Chase Field to autographed baseballs and anything in between. In 2007 after the Arizona Diamondbacks changed their colors from Purple and Teal to Sedona Red, Sonoran Sand, and Black the team put china and dishes with the team’s logo in the garage sale. That was a huge thing for me as it allowed me to replace all of our fine china with plates featuring the Diamondbacks classic logo. Thanksgiving dinner has never been the same since.

Continue reading ‘The Ultimate Garage Sale Score’ »

Despite the predictions of Punxsutawney Phil, the Seer of Seers, the Prognosticator of all Prognosticators, that lovable weather predicting groundhog; spring is coming. The temperatures are beginning to move upward, the sun is shining, and the roof to Chase Field is open. But perhaps the most telling sign that spring is just around the corner is that it is time for the Arizona Diamondbacks FanFest.

Done are the blasphemous rituals where motorcycles, four-wheelers, and monster trucks roam the sacred grounds of the home of the Diamondbacks. The dirt that covered the infield and outfield has been removed unveiling the once green turf that reminds every baseball fan of summer. The dormant grass has taken a beating and soon will be replaced with fresh new sod but before that happens Diamondbacks fans have an opportunity to run and stand where some of their baseball heroes have stood.

Continue reading ‘Diamondbacks FanFest’ »

Over the past year the Arizona Diamondbacks have been lauded as a model organization. From their fan-centered focus and game day operations to them being listed as one of the best places to work; people have begun to notice the Diamondbacks and not just on the field.

One of perhaps the less heralded areas where this franchise does not get the credit it so richly deserves is in community outreach. After the team was awarded on March 9, 1995 the Diamondbacks developed a group to help give back to the community. The Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation charities have helped many groups and individuals throughout the years and in 2012 they have stepped up their game.

Continue reading ‘Diamondbacks Announce First Grand Slam Award Recipient’ »

When the calendar rolls over to February it not only represents the final countdown to Spring Training but it also means the beginning of Salary Arbitration. For those who are not familiar with the concept of Salary Arbitration as it pertains to baseball, I wrote a brief overview a while back. The details outlined are from the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement but the concept is the same.

While I understand the need for salary arbitration and I see the value especially for those with limited major league service time I still cringe whenever I read about a team going to an arbitration meeting with a player.

Continue reading ‘Diamondbacks Sign Craig Breslow’ »

On Saturday February 11 the Arizona Diamondbacks will host their annual FanFest at Chase Field. This open house features several activities for the whole family. From going down onto the actual Chase Field playing surface to wiffleball games featuring your favorite Arizona Diamondbacks players to backstage tours of places such as the Diamondbacks clubhouse the FanFest has something for everyone.

Subway is again a primary sponsor of the event as they have been for the past several years. Leading up to the event the team and sponsor have several tie ins to get the fans excited for this fun event. Today is the first of these events and features three members of the Diamondbacks starting rotation.

Continue reading ‘Diamondbacks Become Sandwich Artists?’ »

When Major League Baseball awarded a franchise to Arizona on March 9, 1995 it set the ball in motion (no pun intended) that would have lasting effects on the city of Phoenix and the downtown area. In a rundown part of town that was largely filled with unsavory characters one man had a vision; to build a start of the art stadium for baseball and create a vibrant place for residents and visitors to go.

That visionary was former Arizona Diamondbacks and Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo who worked his magic with state officials to find a baseball stadium that featured a then revolutionary retractable roof and a swimming pool beyond the outfield wall. It would be a place where when the Arizona weather cooperated could act as a traditional outdoor stadium but in the sweltering summer months it could be cooled by air conditioning while still allowing the playing surface to be natural grass.

Continue reading ‘Diamondbacks Win DREAMR Award’ »

I recently chronicled the departure of former Diamondbacks that have now found their way with new teams. While writing that piece I became just a little nostalgic reminiscing about the players who have come and gone during the history of the Arizona Diamondbacks. It used to be a novelty to see players on other teams who had played for the local team. That’s what happens when you are an expansion team.

There is no history, nothing to relate to. The team was not there and suddenly it was. Discussions about the “dead ball” era or comparing great players from the past to the present were relatively meaningless since there really were no players from a bygone era.

Continue reading ‘Baseball and the Passage of Time’ »

Let me begin this by saying that I am absolutely, positively not a football fan. I probably couldn’t name more than three players from each team that is playing today. To me football is a television filler to give the networks something to air during the baseball off-season. So if you think by reading ahead that you are going to uncover some hidden gem of football knowledge that will allow you to pick the winner of today’s game or make you sound smarter at your favorite Super Bowl party you should probably stop reading now.

Like many American sports fans I have been eagerly looking forward to Super Bowl Sunday but for an entirely different reason. To me it signifies the end to a brutally long season that started during the baseball pennant race and will finally be finished today. The reason I am so looking forward to Super Bowl is not for the game but for the game to be finished.

Continue reading ‘Now On Deck – Baseball’ »

With Spring Training just over two weeks away teams are frantically making final adjustments to their roster. Players who have been free agents are now starting to be concerned if teams have not been calling with contract offers.

This is usually the time when teams can find those one or two players that may help their club without having to spend a tremendous amount of money. Most of the transactions coming across the wire generally include the phrase “signed to a minor league contract”.

Continue reading ‘Former Diamondbacks Finding Homes’ »