Diary of a Diehard

Usually I am looking forward to Saturday since it is one of the few days that I am able to turn off the alarm clock and sleep in. Today though, the Arizona Diamondbacks are playing in Cincinnati and will be on Fox Television at 10:00. I am not sure why, but my alarm clock can be set and I know I have to get up during the week to go to work and yet I struggle every morning to get out of bed. Today though, the alarm clock is turned off and I am wide awake at 7:00 AM waiting for the pre-game show to start. It is amazing how slowly time actually travels when you lay in bed watching the flashing numbers of a digital clock. I would lay there for a minute (or at least I thought it was a minute), roll over and check the clock, 7:01 AM, roll back over, wait, and begin the process all over again. All that I was able to accomplish was to roll all of the blankets around me wrapping me up like a cinnamon roll. This in turn woke Trina up laying there with no covers. She would then yank the blankets twirling me like a top onto the floor. I would then get up, and begin the process all over again. This game lasted for about 7 minutes before Trina just reached over and hit me with the clock thereby ending the game. I guess I will pass the remainder of the time watching Saturday morning television. I wonder if there are any baseball cartoons?

I am not one to collect stamps. In fact, the only stamps I ever owned that were not used to mail a letter were part of the savings bond campaign I was a part of when I was in the first grade. I typically looked at stamp collecting as a hobby best left to those who had survived the Great Depression. I mean no disrespect by that comment, it is just not a hobby I ever thought of partaking in myself. All of that changed when the United States Postal Service decided to create a series of stamps that depict the likenesses of 20 of the game’s greatest players. All of the greats are there, Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Dizzy Dean, Josh Gibson, Honus Wagner, Satchel Paige, Jimmie Foxx, Tris Speaker, Lefty Grove, Rogers Hornsby, Mickey Cochrane, George Sisler, Christy Mathewson, Eddie Collins and Pie Traynor. The stamps are great. They artistically portray the personality and playing style of each player. I had to wonder though, how did select the players they did for the stamps. Curious, I asked my local mail man. I was told that the postal service looked at the lives and careers of many of Major League baseball’s more colorful personalities and selected these twenty. While I was there, a young boy asked why Sammy Sosa was not included in this list. The postal worker explained that someone had to be dead at least 10 years before they could be depicted on a postage stamp. Attempting to defend the now crushed boy I asked the postal worker, “Have you seen Sammy’s on base percentage? It looks like he is already dead.” It was at that point that I came to the understanding exactly what “going postal” actually meant.

It is questionable whether the Diamondbacks will pull the trigger on any trades between now and the trading deadline on July 31. It is not that the Diamondbacks are not willing to make a trade. The issue is whether the Diamondbacks can afford to make a deal. With attendance down again this year, Arizona expects to lose more money than they did last season. This makes it extremely difficult to add more payroll when revenues are declining. Given the current financial situation, the only move the Diamondbacks may make would be to transfer equal payroll or perhaps unload some of their higher price players. Regardless of this situation, there are still a couple of trade rumors that continue to make the rounds.

Continue reading ‘More Trade Rumors’ »

When the 2000 regular season schedule came out I could hardly believe my eyes. The Diamondbacks would be playing an afternoon game in the middle of the week? The wheels quickly went into motion. I could already feel myself starting to get sick on July 20. There was no way I would be able to go to work that day. I mean, who can be expected to work on an afternoon when there is a baseball game? With the attendance of the games during this home stand hovering at around 37,000 people, I wondered how the Diamondbacks would draw especially since Mark McGwire would not be playing in the game? When I arrived at the ballpark, I was shocked to see the place nearly packed. The attendance was well above the series average with more than 42,000 people at Bank One Ballpark. Those who were playing hookie from work were not disappointed. The game was a classic pitcher’s duel which is a rarity these days. Randy Johnson took the mound and pitched beautifully. Mallorie and I thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon at the ballpark. It always seems like the hot dogs taste better, the drinks are colder, and the grass is greener when you play during the day. This was the type of day that separates the real baseball fans from those who just pretend to follow the game. Whether it be the guy with the giant K signs that runs to the top of the lower deck each time Randy strikes out a batter, or the husband and wife that sit near the field yelling at the umpire after each call. These fans represent the core of baseball in Arizona. Granted, there were a fair share of people dressed in suits who were attempting the wave, but they were outnumbered at least for a day by the fans who spend their hard earned money each season to get the best possible tickets available to watch the action on the field. I can think of nothing better than an afternoon at the ballpark.

The effects of the Lucky Hat have been well documented in past entries of my diary. To recap, Tiffany received a bright orange hat last season while we were visiting with Todd Stottlemyre. He autographed the hat and every time Tiffany wore the hat, the Diamondbacks won the game. Early this season, Dog Dot Com chewed up the hat and then lost all of her teeth. This was the same time that the Diamondbacks began playing .500 baseball. We have frantically been searching for another orange hat in hopes of replacing what was lost. Finally this week, I came across an orange Diamondbacks hat. It is not the same as the one that was chewed, but we were hopeful it could replace the lucky hat with the same result. Tiffany had already talked with Todd Stottlemyre and explained the situation. If this hat worked, we would have him autograph it and do our part to help the team. As a test, I wore the orange hat today to the game. We were playing the St. Louis Cardinals and had just finished losing two of three to the Seattle Mariners. With Armando Reynoso pitching against Garret Stephenson, we would need some luck. As much as I attempt to disbelieve the thought of a lucky hat, I have to admit that the coincidence overwhelming. I sat there in my seat feeling somewhat silly wearing a bright orange hat to the Diamondbacks game. As the team went about its business on the field, they began playing better than I had seen them play this entire home stand. With the score 4-3 and Reynoso giving way to our less than stellar bullpen, I have to admit I was worried. Tiffany on the other hand had complete confidence that the team would prevail. Matt Mantei came out to pitch the ninth and looked better than he had all season. Mantei earned a save and Reynoso earned a win. The orange hat? It has earned the distinction of Lucky Hat II.

The concept of luck is funny. Most people don’t want to admit they believe in it but once things start turning against you, you begin to question whether a little luck would go your way to get you out of your current situation. Baseball players are especially susceptible to luck. When you’re playing well, you tell everyone you don’t believe in it. But when bad things continue to happen to you, you resort to many different rituals to try and change your luck. Omar Daal must be at the end of his rope as he tries to salvage his season and possibly his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks. In Omar’s case, you have to wonder whether his streak of bad luck is somehow rubbing off on the team. With Omar in the starting line-up, the starting pitchers (with the exception of Randy Johnson) suddenly began to experience bad luck. There is the streak where the starters gave up run after run making the bullpen bail them out to preserve the win. Todd Stottlemyre developed an elbow injury that will have him sidelined until September, and Brian Anderson’s streak of the team winning when he starts came to an abrupt end. Daal continued to pitch poorly and found himself demoted from the starting rotation to the bullpen. When this happened, the bullpen suddenly found itself unable to maintain a lead. The relief pitchers who had been a strength to the team now cannot get anyone out. What was once a strength is now a weakness. When you look at what has changed, only one thing comes to mind, Omar Daal. I am not saying that Daal is jinxed, but if I were him, I would be trying to find a way to change his mojo just to be on the safe side.

Each year, the Arizona Diamondbacks seem to come up with some type of human interest story about one of the players that shows this organization is indeed made up of solid citizens first and ball players second. In the inaugural season, it was Travis Lee, the all-american boy next door who came soaring through the minor leagues to become the cornerstone of the franchise. Last year, it was Erubiel Durazo, a native from Mexico who no one seemed to know anything about except that he hit over .400 at every level of the minor leagues and made an impact at the Major League level in helping the Diamondbacks win the divisional title. This season we have another “feel good” story from the Diamondbacks. Geraldo Guzman, a young man from the Dominican Republic who was cut from the Montreal Expos eight years ago when he developed elbow problems. Guzman then took up carpentry and cabinet making to make ends meet and support his family. His dreams of playing baseball were set aside so that he could earn money so that his family would eat. In the back of his mind, he still wanted to play professional baseball but felt he may never realize his dream. After being away from the game for seven years, Geraldo began playing again in a semi-pro league where he was spotted by Junior Noboa of the Diamondbacks. Noboa was so impressed that he signed Guzman to a minor league contract. Geraldo began the season in El Paso of the Texas League as a closer. He blew away AA hitters and soon found himself promoted to Tucson. There, he became a starting pitcher and dominated Pacific Coast League hitters. When the Diamondbacks found themselves in need of starting pitching, Guzman came up and won his Major League debut 2-1 at hitter friendly Enron Field in Houston. Tonight, Guzman made his Bank One Ballpark debut and threw 8 strong innings to earn his second win in as many starts. Throughout it all though, he is a humble man who knows he has been given a second chance to realize his dreams. Geraldo is living in the moment and savoring all that is around him. Who knows, maybe those cabinet making skills will once again come in handy when he is asked to make a trophy case to hold a World Series trophy for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

On numerous occasions, I have documented the special relationship that my daughter Tiffany has with Diamondbacks pitcher Matt Mantei. One of her most prized possessions is a Stick by Stan bat that was autographed by Matt for Tiffany’s tenth birthday. She has that bat proudly displayed in her room and has to make sure everyone who enters sees her bat. Before the all-star break, Mantei celebrated his birthday during a road trip to Oakland. Tiffany made a note of the date and decided that she should give him a card or a gift. Plans were quickly made to make a birthday card for her special friend. She gathered her art supplies and began to create a card for her favorite player. A lot of love and care went into this card as she worked several days to make it just right. She also found a miniature Arizona Diamondbacks baseball bat and autographed it to give to Matt. Once all of these items were ready, she wrapped and took them to the game with us today. During batting practice, she stood along the wall and waited as Matt completed his workout. At that time, she called him over and presented him with this small present and card. Her eyes lit up as he accepted her gift. I am not sure he will ever understand the love and friendship she has for him. It is not a hero-worship type of relationship but rather a friendship that spans generations. A friendship based upon a game that they both love. This is the meaning of baseball.

From his initial signing in 1996, Travis Lee has been touted as the cornerstone of the franchise. The weight of the future was levied upon his shoulders by the local media and team officials. From the beginning, he would be the first baseman of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Travis played one year in the minor leagues moving from class A High Desert to triple A Tucson. At each step, the fans were led to believe that he would be the baseball savior. Some of this of course stems from the fact that the Diamondbacks gave this young player $10 million to sign with the Diamondbacks. Fans began to reason that anyone worth that much money must be some sort of baseball god. In his rookie season in 1998, Travis started out putting up numbers that everyone would come to expect. He is the holder of many of the Arizona Diamondbacks records of franchise firsts. Travis has the first hit, the first RBI, the first home run, the first stolen base. During the first three months of the season, Travis could do no wrong. His legend and his fans grew immensely. Then the unthinkable happened. Travis got hurt, pitchers began to make adjustments, and he experienced adversity. This problem continued in 1999 and soon Travis found that his playing time was being limited for perhaps the first time in his career. This coupled with the meteoric rise of Erubiel Durazo left Travis’s star tainted. This year, Travis was asked to move from his comfortable position of first base to the outfield. There he played very well but continued to struggle at the plate. At home games, he began hearing a mixture of boos with the cheers. Fans began getting very critical of Travis. How could anyone who got $10 million play so poorly? Forget that he is playing for the league minimum, has since the first season. All anyone remembers is that he received $10 million to sign. The final straw came today when Travis was sent to the minors. It is probably the best thing that could happen to him. He can go down and gain some confidence. Perhaps that is all he is lacking. The chance to go down and light the Tucson skies with home runs and RBI. I still believe in Travis and think he will be the type of player that comes around only once a generation. I just hope when he gets all of his tools together that he is still a Diamondback.