Diary of a Diehard

When the Arizona Diamondbacks are on the road I feel kind of like a kid who lost his best friend. I wander around a lot and don't exactly know what to do with myself. It seems so foreign to watch a game on television. I never know exactly how to act. I try sitting in my Chase Field seats with my seat cushion thinking maybe it will make me feel like I am at the game but it never seems to work out. Maybe it's because Trina keeps yelling at me every time I throw peanut shells on her floor. I keep telling her that she doesn't have to worry because there are people who come in after every game and hose things down before the gates open for the next game. She insists that a) people do not come in and clean our house and b) there are no gates to open. Oh and please quit asking to see people's tickets every time someone rings our door bell. The neighbors are starting to question what is wrong with me. So I am forced to sit on the couch and watch a game without peanuts or a stadium. How do people do that?

Welcome to the latest edition of my State of the Home Stand where I look back over the just concluded home series to provide my feedback of how things went. I try to include items on the field as well as around the stadium. If possible I try to identify anything new that may be around Chase Field and give fans some tips of things to look for during their next visit to the stadium. So without further adieu let's look back at the home stand that began April 28 and lasted through May 8. This home stand is the longest stretch of home games the Diamondbacks have all season so fans had a lot of baseball in town.

I kept looking at the calendar today to see if I had somehow done a Rip Van Winkle and overslept a day. I have no other explanation for the sheer number of afternoon games that the Diamondbacks are playing this season. For the second time in the home stand the Arizona Diamondbacks game starts in the early afternoon. This time is a real getaway day not like against the Astros when the next day was an off day for both Arizona and Houston. No, after the game today the Diamondbacks will travel to Chicago to take on the Cubs tomorrow afternoon; how appropriate. But before we get ahead of ourselves looking forward to the Cubs series, there is still the little matter of the final game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

I have been an Arizona Diamondbacks Season Ticket Holder for the majority of the Diamondbacks existence. I was there the no-hitter by Jose Jimenez in 1999 and I saw the bloop hit by Luis Gonzalez to win the 2001 World Series. I endured the 2004 season; all 111 losses. And I was there last season as the Diamondbacks won their fourth National League Western Division title returning to the post season. Over the course of 81 home games each season I have pretty much witnessed just about everything that a fan could possibly see at a baseball game. So you would think that there wouldn't be much that would surprise me. But there you would be wrong; I find myself experiencing something completely new and different at every game. Most of the time the game experience is relatively normal but the last couple of games have even left me scratching my head wondering what is going on with Major League Baseball fans.

After a rough outing against the Houston Astros, everyone was wondering how Randy Johnson would respond. Was the 6 runs in two innings an aberration or is this what they could expect from a 44 year old pitcher coming off yet another back surgery. Around the ballpark I heard countless comments of how the Big Unit was not the pitcher he once was and that he should just hang it up. I think they are underestimating how much Johnson has left in the tank or what he can contribute to the team. Personally I would much rather have a Randy Johnson at this point in his career over say an Edgar Gonzalez at this point in his career. Oh sure we may never see another 99 mile per hour fastball leave Johnson's hand but he is still capable of getting big league hitters out and making them look badly in the process.

What a heart breaking loss at yesterday's game. It was such an awesome game and completely lived up to the billing of a pitcher's duel. Dan Haren continues to prove why the Diamondbacks had targeted him as an acquisition last off-season. Likewise on the other side it was clear why it was so important for the Mets to go out and get Johan Santana. Augie Ojeda continued his dominance at the plate filling in admirably for Stephen Drew who was given the day off against the left-handed Santana. When the starters left the game it was a low scoring event with the Mets up 2-1. Although Haren had given up 2 runs he had allowed only 3 hits while striking out 7. That was definitely a quality start and no one could have expected much more. When the Diamondbacks tied the game in the seventh inning it looked for sure like this was going to be an extra inning game. But the wheels seemed to fall off in the ninth inning when a Conor Jackson error allowed the go ahead run to score and ultimately two more would cross the plate making it a 3-run loss. It was pretty hard to deal with losing like that.

I don't know about you but it feels as though this election season has been going on forever. Candidate after candidate can be seen stumping for votes. They take time visiting with the people shaking hands, kissing babies, and stating their qualifications that would get them elected. Signs are appearing all over town as people stand behind their favorite candidates hoping to get them elected. There is of course talk of corruption and buying the voters with promises of prosperity. It just seems as though these elections have gotten more bitter as time has gone by. It is no longer enough to campaign and hope people relate to your stance on the issues. No now the candidates make outrageous promises and voters want to know what is in it for them if they throw their support behind a candidate. At least I know my family's votes cannot be bought. Well I did think that until this weekend, now I am not so sure.

I think every Diamondbacks fan at Chase Field last night collectively held their breath when Orlando Hudson motioned from second base for the trainer. It brought back memories from last September when he suffered a thumb injury ending his season. As he hobbled back to the dugout I had to wonder how serious his leg injury was and what it might mean. The Diamondbacks had gotten off to such a great start thanks in no small part to the defensive skills of the O-Dog. Not to take anything away from his hitting but Hudson's defense is just amazing to watch. I was just a little curious as to who Bob Melvin would go to as a replacement for Orlando. I was slightly surprised to see Augie Ojeda's name on the line-up board. I kind of expected to see Chris Burke take over consider he had been described as the second baseman of the future during his tenure with the Houston Astros. But I guess it makes sense that you replace one dog with another. The question was, what do you lose when O-Dog is replaced by Augie Doggie?

Each month Arizona Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall holds an on-line chat where for 30 minutes he subjects himself to being peppered by Diamondbacks fans. It is an interesting opportunity where the fans are allowed to speak their mind and ask whatever they want. The questions are submitted then the Diamondbacks determine which questions will be answered. At first that was a little frustrating since many of my questions never get brought up. But after several months of this I have come to appreciate that functionality. Knowing the questions I am asking I respect the Diamondbacks not answering some of them. And if my questions are strange and unusual I cannot even imagine what some of the other fans must be asking.