Diary of a Diehard

At the conclusion of the game last night the Arizona Diamondbacks backed their bags and headed for the airport to begin a 10-game road trip to the east coast. After an off-day today they begin a four game series against the New York Mets. This will be the Diamondbacks first look at the new Citi Field.

After a trip to the Big Apple, the Diamondbacks will travel to Pittsburgh for a 3-game rematch against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Diamondbacks will face a new look Pirates team who have been active in the trade market sending off several pieces that were at Chase Field earlier this home stand.

The trip concludes in the nation’s capital with a three game series against the Washington Nationals. The Diamondbacks are fortunate enough to catch three teams who are struggling a little meaning if they play well they could come back much closer to their goal of returning to .500.

With the team’s departure from Chase Field that means it is time once again for another installment of the State of the Home Stand Address where I attempt to give you an update of how the latest home stand went for the Arizona Diamondbacks from a fan’s perspective. As a friendly reminder, the viewpoints and opinions expressed here are my own and in no way are they indicative of how others might view the team or Chase Field. This entry covers the four game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and the three game series with the Philadelphia Phillies.

This home stand marked the first one since the all-star break. The team came in struggling much as they have all season. They had dropped 2 of 3 against the St. Louis Cardinals and another 2 of 3 against the Colorado Rockies. The team was also without Tony Pena and Felipe Lopez both of whom were traded.

The first four games of the home stand were against the Pittsburgh Pirates. This series was a rousing success for the Diamondbacks. They received strong pitching performances from most of the staff and took 3 of the 4 games from the Pirates. The final 2 games of the series the Diamondbacks won by shutting out the Pirates. It has been a very long time since Arizona had shut out an opponent in 2 consecutive games so confidence was rising dramatically in the desert.

This confidence was short lived when the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies arrived at Chase Field. The champs took the first two games of the series in relatively convincing fashion. While the scores looked fairly close, the Phillies seemed to be in complete control of both games.

It was especially concerning to Diamondbacks fans to see staff ace Dan Haren struggle in his starts since the All-Star break. Haren similarly struggled last season but came back strong. Hopefully that will be the case this year as well.

The final game of the series saw Yusmiero Petit get his first win of the season for the Diamondbacks. Not only did he win, he completely dominated the Phillies. It was exciting to see but brought more questions than answers as fans are left wondering which Petit will show up for his next start. Hopefully this is the beginning of Petit turning the corner and living up to his potential.

Around the stadium there were a few changes. The Jose Cuervo sign above the Diamondbacks line-up board appears to be new. There is also a new sign at the Arizona Baseball Club restaurant balcony letting everyone know that they are open and available to all fans not just those on the suites level. If you have not had an opportunity to eat there I highly recommend it. The food is excellent, especially the Chef’s Table which features a great combination of foods which are changed regularly.

The Kid’s Club kiosks and the Fry’s Points kiosks around the stadium have been updated to include a list of prizes you can receive by attending games and running your card. The Kid’s Club gives you updated point totals each time you scan your card. The Fry’s kiosk does not give you a point total but you can visit the Fry’s booth behind Section 139 to get a current total.

I’m excited to see the changes but remain somewhat frustrated with this program. It somehow doesn’t seem right that I can go to every game per year yet barely have enough points to get a hat or shirt. Even the points I receive buying groceries seem to barely make a dent in my point total. I’ll continue to lobby for the team to reinstate the Diamondbackers program which seemed to reward the frequent fans much better than the current program.

Baxter is now sporting a Diamondbacks hat with his costume. Honestly it makes him look like a gang member now with the way it fits on his head. I do like the rally cap effort he puts out though. It does seem like Baxter is spending more time on the home team side of the field lately. I’m not really complaining about that but there are a lot of kids on the first base side that seem left out.

The playing surface at Chase Field really looks to be taking a beating. There are numerous visible patches in the grass and along the right field line the turf is really looking bad. I’m really hoping that the weather will cooperate and with the upcoming road trips it will give the grounds crew time to get the field back into good shape.

The level of service provided by the Diamondbacks game day staff continues to impress me. During the pregame the public address announcer states the Diamondbacks are the most fan-friendly team in the league. While that may sound like hollow marketing speak I can attest that is indeed the case. Almost nightly I see someone affiliated with the Diamondbacks going above and beyond their job duties to make sure that the fans enjoy their experience at Chase Field.

With the conclusion of this home stand, Diamondbacks fans will need to stay close to Fox Sports Arizona. During August there are only 9 home games meaning if you want to keep track of the Diamondbacks you will need to do so on television (or if you can talk your wife into it go on the road with the team).

Well that about does it for this installment. Although the Diamondbacks are on the road, they will be returning on August 10 for a 6 game home stand against the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers. That home stand will include a post game fireworks display, the ever popular 80′s night, and the highly anticipated Chris Snyder backpack (if you want to rent or lease your 12-year or younger child let me know. I really want a backpack). These are games you just are not going to want to miss.