Diary of a Diehard

Yesterday’s game was not just about a parade in fact that was just a minor part of what took place at the ballpark. Before the game began the Arizona Diamondbacks held their own ceremony where they dedicated the broadcast wing of the press box at Chase Stadium and renamed it to honor Joe Garagiola Sr.

It is hard to imagine anyone not knowing who Joe Garagiola Sr. is. His career has spanned decades and crossed beyond just the boundaries of baseball to include all facets of life. I grew up in a rural town at Idaho yet I felt as though Joe Sr. was a close personal friend.

Continue reading ‘Say It Is So Joe, Say It Is So’ »

The Arizona Diamondbacks in conjunction with their partner APS have implemented a program referred to as the APS Renewables Kids Club. This free program allows kids with their parent’s permission to fill out a form and be given a membership card. The card can be used to gain points for attending Diamondbacks home games.

This fan loyalty program has been in existence several years although with different sponsors and under different names. The child swipes his or her card at various red kiosks throughout Chase Field along with their game day ticket and are awarded 10 points for each game they attend.

Continue reading ‘I Love a Parade’ »

Last night’s game at Chase Field was Christian night at the ballpark. Many of the local Christian churches around the state were welcomed to the stadium. The welcoming screen on dbTV read like a who’s who of religious groups. It’s always good when the Diamondbacks offer these special nights. The crowds are generally larger and it brings fans into the stadium that my not have otherwise attended the game.

It wasn’t just the welcoming on dbTV that gave this game’s theme away. There was also the church choir who sang the national anthem to a resounding amount of applause that signified that this was indeed a special night.

Continue reading ‘And the Heavens Opened Up’ »

As I reached across my desk and tore off a page from my Arizona Diamondbacks desktop calendar I let out a melancholy sigh. There before me was the date of September 18, 2009. It looked so innocent offering hope of another new day. To me it signified something much more ominous, a day that I had not looked forward to for a very long time.

September 18 meant that the Arizona Diamondbacks had returned from San Diego fresh from a series win against the Padres. It also meant that the team had been rewarded with a well-deserved day off yesterday and would be returning to work today at Chase Field.

Continue reading ‘The Beginning of the End’ »

In a season that has been filled with disappointment and frustration, the Arizona Diamondbacks scored a moral victory with their win against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday. That win gave them 64 wins for the season and that means they can’t possibly end up as bad as the 1998 Diamondbacks.

Oh sure that might seem like a hollow victory but this season the fans will take whatever they can get. So when that final out was recorded on Tuesday I tossed the television remote control in the air and began dancing around the family room chanting, “We’re number three! We’re number three!”

Continue reading ‘How Are We Doing Now?’ »

It used to be that I would spend days dredging through the bowels of the Internet during the off-season trying to piece together what the season schedule would look like for the upcoming year. Major League Baseball never wanted to announce their schedule until after the first of the year making it a mad scramble to come up with details to post to sites such as Now Hitting.

Beginning last season Major League Baseball decided to announce the following year’s schedule before the season ended. This was very welcomed news for those who run fan sites. It gave us ample time to create content and provide information on the next season.

Continue reading ‘The New Schedule Is Here!’ »

There is probably no Arizona Diamondbacks player who should be looking forward to the end of the 2009 season than center fielder Chris Young. Young has unfairly become the poster child for all that went wrong this season for the Diamondbacks.

As the season began Young was being counted on to lead the group of core young outfielders to help the Arizona Diamondbacks rebound from a disappointing second place finish in the National League West to once again battle the Los Angeles Dodgers for the divisional title. Instead Young found himself marred in a season long slump.

Continue reading ‘Chris Crossed’ »

When Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman (that still seems so strange to not type San Diego there) got Stephen Drew to fly out to left field to end the game; the Diamondbacks completed their six-game home stand. The Diamondbacks left the not so friendly confines of Chase Field and embarked on a short three-game road trip to San Diego. This is the last trip to San Diego this season for the Diamondbacks and gives the team an opportunity to try and pull themselves out of the National League West cellar.

With this trip it once again is time for another episode of ”State of the Home Stand Address” where I discuss the just completed home stand. As is always the case, these views are my own and in no way represent the thoughts of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Bud Selig, Major League Baseball, or any other sane fan for that matter. Your mileage may vary, objects in the rearview mirror may be closer than they appear, and this offer is not valid in the states of Texas or Arkansas. I think that covers all of the necessary disclaimers.

Continue reading ‘State of the Home Stand Address – September 7-13’ »

There are times that I just have to stop and shake my head at how odd my life is. Regardless of how many times I keep telling myself that I lead a normal and uneventful life, somehow strange and bizarre things just keep happening. What is even funnier is how the strange and unusual now seems to invade other strange and unusual aspects of my life making it seem even more surreal.

Friday night as I was in the midst of the most incredible experience I have ever had when I changed the bases during a Diamondbacks game, another unusual experience occurred that left my mouth open in disbelief.

Continue reading ‘Circle K Hot Dog Races’ »