Diary of a Diehard

It’s always an interesting time of year after the season and post season have ended and the free agent feeding frenzy has begun. This brief period of time just before the Winter Meetings are held is when teams must finalize their 40-man roster. A lot of people may wonder why that is so important since there are not that many transactions happening during the off-season. While that may be true that a team might not make a lot of changes there are some things that play into the 40-man roster that need to be taken into consideration.

Continue reading ‘The Roster Crows’ »

There are times that I am left scratching my head trying to understand what the Baseball Writers of America define as the Most Valuable Player. Should the definition be the Most Valuable Player who puts up the best combination of offensive and defensive statistics thereby defining themselves as the best overall baseball player in each specific league? Or should the award describe which one player meant more to the success of his team? This could include statistical categories but really relies more on intangibles such as clubhouse presence, mentoring and leadership ability, and who motivates their team to greatness? The latter category would somehow take into consideration the individual’s role and importance in a team game. How for example do you quantify the importance of the leadership skills of someone like Tony Clark to a young Arizona Diamondbacks roster? How much significance does a team’s success have on the deciding the value of an individual player? Are you judging a player’s value to their specific team or are you judging their value to the league and the betterment of baseball? These are the ponder able questions that arise around this time of year when baseball awards begin to be handed out.

Continue reading ‘Most Valuable Player’ »

Although few people may realize it there is a Baseball World Cup tournament which has been held roughly every two years since 1938. The World Cup is an international tournament made up of teams representing different countries. In 1938 the tournament featured 2 teams but has expanded to feature 16 teams. [Blog trivia, can you name the 2 teams in the inaugural World Cup in 1938 and who won the championship? The answer will be given at the end of this article.] The 2007 World Cup had representation by teams from the United States, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Italy, Spain, and South Africa which made up Pool A and Cuba, Australia, Netherlands, Korea, Canada, Venezuela, Germany, and Thailand which made up Pool B. The tournament was held November 6 – November 18 in Taiwan. The rosters from these teams are made up mostly of amateurs and/or minor league baseball players. The World Cup should not be confused with the World Baseball Classic which began in 2006 and whose teams were made up of professional players playing for their native countries.

Continue reading ‘How in the World Cup’ »

Wow it seems like only yesterday that I was taking a vacation day and leaving work early to go down to the Phoenix Civic Plaza. It was a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky. It was one of those days that made you forget about the triple-digit brutal heat of the summer and reminds you of why you chose to live in Arizona. This was not an average November day though. This was a date that I had been anticipating to for 986 days. And while I would only be a spectator that day, I still found myself extremely nervous about what was going to transpire over the next several hours.

Continue reading ‘An Anniversary of Sorts’ »

After the four game sweep in the National League Championship Series it took me a little while to recover from the pain and the shock of the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball season actually being over. After 169 games watching and following the Diamondbacks on a daily basis my system had gone into shock at the notion of not seeing box scores in the news paper or making plans to drive down to Chase Field for the next home stand. Although I have never smoked, I have to imagine that what I was now dealing with had to be the equivalent to when a smoker decides to quit. The only difference was that there doesn’t appear to be a patch that has been produced to help ease a baseball fan back into normal society after the season is complete. I feel as though the medical profession has seriously lapsed at this oversight and I decided to do something about it.

Continue reading ‘I Want a New Drug’ »

Like many baseball fans outside the city of San Francisco I am not much of a Barry Bonds fan. It’s probably a combination of things that made me disenfranchised with possibly the best baseball player of the 20th century. First and foremost it would be his attitude and perceived disdain for the fans and the game. From the beginning of his career Barry Bonds has given the impression that he is above having to deal with the common baseball fans. Bonds has never attempted to hide this arrogance and in fact seems relatively proud of it. It is Bonds assertion that it really doesn’t matter what the fans think of him. He is not playing for their benefit. He is playing for his own. It seems as though every accomplishment he acquires causes him to alienate himself further from the fans that pay to see him. This of course reached its crescendo this past season as Bonds chased and passed Hank Aaron to become the all-time home run leader.

Continue reading ‘Barry in Pinstripes’ »

A year ago we were all eagerly pacing back and forth waiting for the National League Cy Young award to be announced. Brandon Webb had pitched an unbelievable year and was the odds on favorite to take the prize. This of course came to pass and for the fifth time in the team’s existence an Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher was touted as the best pitcher in the National League. Of course when you win a prestigious award such as the Cy Young there comes with that a tremendous amount of expectations from fans, teammates, and from yourself. With that respect it was difficult to imagine that Brandon Young could match what people thought he should do this season. Opening Day was a prime example. Before the game everyone expected Webb to dominate the Colorado Rockies. By the time the Diamondbacks had secured the win Brandon was long gone from the game.

Continue reading ‘Cy Young Sayonara’ »

At the beginning of the 2007 season the expectations for the Arizona Diamondbacks were to continue their youth movement and get the young players some experience to set them up for success and hopefully a play-off run in 2008 or 2009. Manager Bob Melvin felt that the level of talent that the Diamondbacks had on their roster may provide them with an opportunity to improve on the team’s 2006 record of 76-86. Melvin also realized that his managing ability would be challenged this season as he moved from a veteran team to one filled with players having minimal major league experience. The 2007 season would be a telling sign of how adaptable Bob Melvin could be as a major league manager. Bo-Mel’s management style has always focused on open communications with his coaches and his players. He believes that roles should be properly defined and each member of his staff and team should know their responsibilities within those roles. This style makes Melvin an easy guy to work for. You know what is expected of you and you know you will be held accountable for how you go about your business. But how would that style work with an inexperienced team?

Continue reading ‘MOY Bueno Bob!’ »

Have you ever wandered into one of those all-you-can-eat buffets at around 3 PM in the afternoon? It was a little late for a lunch hour and way too early for dinner and so I erroneously thought I would have the place to myself. Instead I reach the parking lot to see that there are no spaces available and the line stretches out the door and part way around the building. As I approached the end of the line I also realized I was way out of my element. Although I am no kid, I was nearly half the age of most of the people standing in front of me. I rarely go to all-you-can-eat buffets so I was extremely out of my element. I obviously didn’t know the routine and the other patrons were quick to let me know that with each mis-step I made. By the time I finally reached the serving line the room was already in a frenzy with arms and legs and a few canes waving around as people staked out their claim on one dish or another. The closest thing I could equate the experience to was a program I once saw on the Discovery Channel during Shark Week. That is until today.

Continue reading ‘Let the Feeding Frenzy Begin!’ »