Diary of a Diehard

The summer solstice (when described from a Northern Hemisphere perspective) describes the date and time when the Earth’s axis tilts the most towards the Sun and marks the farthest north that the Sun’s arc will make. In less technical terms this equinox marks the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere which is also the longest day of the year. That doesn’t mean there are more hours in the day, just more daylight hours. In another Major League Baseball scheduling quirk, the Arizona Diamondbacks have an off day today so as far as I am concerned it is definitely the longest day of the year since I don’t have a game to attend tonight. Trina continually reminds me that just because the Diamondbacks do not have to work does not mean that I get the day off too. That seems kind of messed up. I was pretty sure that I had explained this to her 10 years ago when the Diamondbacks first began play.

Continue reading ‘First Day of Summer’ »

At the conclusion of last night’s game I stopped before getting into my car to glance at the night sky. I fully expected some sort of astrological phenomena to appear in the heavens. At the very least I thought I would see all of the planets had aligned and that the moon had turned Sedona Red. There was no other explanation for what I had witnessed. Outside forces beyond the skills of mortal man must have influenced the outcome of tonight’s contest between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. How else would it be possible for the Diamondbacks to stake their opponent to a 6 run lead twice then come back to win the game in extra innings? This of course happens just hours after I lament that I cannot comprehend how the Diamondbacks had never beaten their expansion brethren in 7 previous meetings. While everyone still remaining at the end of the game (which approximately was the same number of people who attend a spring training game) were absolutely giddy at the long ball heroics of Tony Clark in the ninth inning and Chris Young in the tenth inning; I was more impressed with the accomplishment of Doug Davis. No I am not talking about his ability to last only 4 innings while giving up 7 runs on 9 hits including 2 home runs. While that was impressive from a Tampa Bay perspective, it is something that most Diamondbacks fans would prefer to forget. No I am talking about his one plate appearance in the second inning when he hit a full-count pitch up the middle out of reach of the fielders for his first hit since July 4, 2006. That’s the kind of history that comes around maybe once a lifetime so you better savor the feeling. After that much excitement you just had to wonder how the series finale could possibly compete.

Continue reading ‘Happy Campers’ »

I consider myself fairly intelligent. I am capable of tying my own shoes. I can walk and chew gum nearly simultaneously. I was educated in the scientific method. I even worked for a brief time as a rocket scientist at a nuclear plant (and no the reactor operators are nothing like Homer Simpson). Given this background I always attempt to look at a problem and break it down to logical steps to understand the issue and to hopefully find a resolution that will restore balance to the universe. Scientists are really into balance. I think deep down they all wanted to be circus performers but then who wouldn’t? Where else can you test the boundaries of spatial geometry by placing an infinite number of clowns into a small car? As usual, I digress. The problem that I find myself currently contemplating is the inconceivable notion that the Diamondbacks cannot beat their expansion mates the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Continue reading ‘The Devil Ray Made Me Do It’ »

Twenty-six years ago today I married the woman of my dreams. We had dated throughout high school and into our college years. She was not only the woman I loved but also my best friend. We could share anything and had many of the same interests and hobbies. Sure there were differences like I could never understand what she saw in shopping for material or how she got so excited when she developed a new scrapbooking layout and I am not quite sure whether she fully understood my passion for baseball. But those differences made us appreciate each other all the more. Last year was a milestone year of sorts as it marked a quarter of a century that we had been married. Funny, it seems like a lot longer than that but I would never dare say that out loud where Trina could hear that. To commemorate the accomplishment of surviving 25 years Trina and the kids planned a trip to Orlando Florida for an extended stay at Walt Disney World. Normally I am excited about the fact that I would be staying at a nice resort without a care in the world and have free reign to the second happiest place on earth (they claim to be the Happiest Place on Earth but they obviously have never been to Chase Field). This trip though left me in a conundrum. The trip was planned before the 2006 Diamondbacks schedule had been released and it overlapped a home stand by 2 days. I had a serious dilemma on my hands. Do I go with my wife and celebrate 25 years together or do I stay here and go to a couple of Interleague games against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim? Sure it may seem like a no-brainer but how was I going to explain to my wife why I wanted to stay here?

Continue reading ‘The Perfect Anniversary’ »

Earlier this week Trina had asked me what I wanted for Father’s Day. She and the kids were having a difficult time coming up with ideas and were therefore asking if I could make a list. Trina alluded to the fact that I am difficult to buy for. How in the world could she ever say that? I am about the easiest guy to buy for. All it really takes is going into my closet and reviewing my selection of Sedona Red merchandise then going to the Team Shop and comparing what they have on the racks against what I have in my closet. Any gaps between these two locations would equal gift ideas. A similar exercise could be done for any other merchandise that the team shop sells. If she wanted to shop online all she really needed to know was first look at diamondbacks.com under the shop heading and if she could not find what she was looking for go to Google and search for “Diamondbacks merchandise” and let the surfing begin. These answers did not seem to meet her needs and she insisted on me making a list.

Continue reading ‘Father’s Day’ »

Ever since it was announced that there would be an Arizona Diamondbacks license plate I have been eager to order one to show my support for the team. When our annual renewal period for our right-wing, gas-guzzling, environmentally-irresponsible Chevrolet Suburban came due the Diamondbacks plates were still not available. Within 2 weeks after that the state of Arizona announced their availability. This happened to align very well with my more left-wing, gas-miser, eco-friendly Honda license renewal. Given the fact that I have named my car “Chase” (since that is primarily where it goes), it seemed appropriate that I would have a Diamondbacks license plate attached to that car. I braved a visit to the Department of Motor Vehicles and ordered my plate. All that was left now was to wait.

Continue reading ‘Note to Self’ »

Over the last few years the Arizona Diamondbacks have begun to reap the benefits of building a strong farm system. Their amateur drafts have been receiving accolades as they selected the best available athlete regardless of sign-ability concerns. As these young ball players have matured it became evident that they were ready for the next step in proving that they could play at the major league level. This left the Diamondbacks in a situation where they had to decide if they would remain committed to a veteran ball club or go with a youth movement and allow the youngsters to earn their way in the Major Leagues. The Diamondbacks choose the latter and executed a plan whereby they would become one of the youngest teams in the National League West. This decision did not come without some angst. It would mean that the team would have to part ways with some of its more popular players. The epitome of this example was when the Arizona Diamondbacks met with long-time outfielder and fan favorite Luis Gonzalez. Gonzalez expected to discuss whether the team planned to pick up his option and if not they could begin discussions of contract parameters for a new deal. Instead the team came to the meeting to express their gratitude for his service but it would not be needed after the 2006 season. While the decision was warranted and the team handled it in a very professional manner it did not go over well with the fans who felt betrayed that their favorite player was being shown the door. I believe the team made the right decision in this case as Gonzo’s skills had begun to deteriorate and the young outfielders in Tucson had nothing else to prove at the minor league level. This whole experience made me begin to think about when do you give up on a player who may be past his prime?

Continue reading ‘When Do You Give Up on a Player?’ »

According to my Hallmark calendar June 14 commemorates Flag Day. Did we run out of famous people so we had to start naming holidays after inanimate objects? And why did we start with a flag? Why isn’t there a pop-top can day or screw-top beer bottle day? Those inventions have done a lot more good than a flag has. One look at the stands at a baseball game will show many more people enjoying the benefits of twisting the top off a beer bottle than waving flags. Sure there will always be exceptions to that rule; Rally Sally is a perfect example of that. Any holiday that supports the notion of a crazy lady waving a flag in front of my face during a ballgame is not something I can get behind. For all I know this is a subversive ploy by terrorists to destroy our national pastime by providing a holiday to recognize insane dancing women in the upper deck who make their own flags. That is just wrong. Still, my Hallmark calendar has never led me astray before so I did have to respect that. I decided that maybe I just didn’t understand Flag Day so I decided to do a little research on the subject and what better place than Wikipedia?

Continue reading ‘Flag Day’ »

Yesterday I spoke a little bit about my interaction with the psychologist and his obsession with baseball. I wasn’t completely accurate with my description. Not all of the answers came back “baseball”, there was one question that was different. When the psychologist said “Satan” my answer was “Derek Jeter”. The psychologist was taken aback by my answer. It was unclear whether he was surprised to find a question that did not result in the answer “baseball” or that I mentioned the Yankees shortstop. But after a brief discussion he completely understood my reasoning and nodded in agreement. I am not saying that Derek Jeter is in fact the actual Satan, he might be his son. It is not that I hate Derek Jeter; it is just that I think he is highly over-rated and over-saturated from a marketing standpoint. The marketing perspective was expanded when Major League Baseball and XM Radio came up with their latest promotion.

Continue reading ‘The Not-So Perfect Father’s Day Gift’ »