Diary of a Diehard

Baseball season at the major league level has been over for a couple of weeks now but for fans in Arizona there have still been games played in the Arizona Fall League. All of that ends today with the conclusion of the Arizona Fall League Championship.

The Arizona Fall League Championship pits the two teams with the best records facing each other at Scottsdale Stadium. For the sixth consecutive year one of those teams is the Phoenix Desert Dogs.

Continue reading ‘Arizona Fall League Championship’ »

Going into this off-season the Arizona Diamondbacks identified three areas they wanted to address before Spring Training 2010 arrived. They wanted to find one or possibly two candidates for the starting rotation, a veteran position player that could come off the bench and provide an offensive spark, and they wanted a veteran in the bullpen to anchor the young pitching staff.

The Diamondbacks hoped to fill at least one of these needs through a trade but conceded they would be active in the free agent market, something the team has not been in the past.

Continue reading ‘Diamondbacks Attempt to Shore Up Bullpen’ »

The O’Hare Hilton in Chicago is once a bustling Mecca of baseball decision-making this week as owners of the 30 baseball franchises meet with the Commissioner and members of the MLB front office. These meetings come just a week after the General Managers met here.

While not formally on the agenda, owners are planning to speak about the length of the post season and what baseball may be able to do to shorten the play-offs. There will also be informal discussions on the use of instant replay and whether to expand the types of calls that can be reviewed.

Continue reading ‘Commissioner Meets with Owners Discusses Baseball Post Season’ »

Just one day after the Arizona Diamondbacks broke ground on their new Spring Training facility in Scottsdale, the team announced their Spring Training schedule for the 2010 season.

This season marks the 13th and final year the Diamondbacks will play their Spring Training home games at Tucson Electric Park. After next spring the Diamondbacks along with the Colorado Rockies will move into their new complex for 2011.

Continue reading ‘Diamondbacks Announce Spring Training Schedule’ »

When we last looked in on Conor Jackson he had just begun playing winter league baseball in the Dominican Republic. With the season now in full swing in Santo Domingo, I thought it might be interesting to see how things are going for the lost Diamondback.

Playing for the Leones del Escogido, Jackson has now appeared in 23 games. When we first looked in, Jackson had started out on a torrid pace feasting on Latin American pitching. Having gone through Valley Fever, the biggest question was whether Jackson would have the stamina to maintain his energy level for an extended time.

Continue reading ‘Action Jackson Rocking the Dominican Republic’ »

Ever since I received an invitation to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks Spring Training Facility in Scottsdale I have been counting down the days, hours, and minutes until the day the ceremony would arrive.

As I had written earlier, my friend Andre and I planned to go to the groundbreaking ceremony much to the chagrin of my daughter Tiffany. In an effort to help me maintain my status as a good father, the Diamondbacks graciously gave me another ticket to allow my daughter to go as well.

Continue reading ‘Groundbreaking, It’s Easier Than It Looks’ »

After the disastrous 2004 season where the Arizona Diamondbacks lost a franchise worst 111 games there were many changes afoot. Manager Bob Brenly had been let go during the season and interim manager Al Pedrique was subsequently relieved of duties after the season ended.

The changes that season were significant. Original owner Jerry Colangelo was forced out of the ownership group with Ken Kendrick taking over as general partner along with new owner Jeff Moorad. With the depth that the Diamondbacks had sunk in the standings, all of these moves were to be expected.

Continue reading ‘Backman Back Again?’ »

Yesterday I lamented about how the voters glossed over Diamondbacks third baseman Mark Reynolds accomplishments when handing out the National League Silver Slugger award. It was not so much that Reynolds didn’t win, it was the fact that the baseball community seemed to completely ignore what he did during the 2009 season.

This would be the perfect time to poetically ramble about how there is a eastern bias towards any sports award. The last thing I need is to stand on that soapbox. I’ll leave it up to the local talk radio hacks to beat that dead horse.

Continue reading ‘Diamondbacks Catcher Earns Award’ »

Each year Hillerich & Bradsby, the manufacturer of the Louisville Slugger baseball bat selects recipients for the Silver Slugger Award. The Silver Slugger recognizes the best offensive player by position for each league. Major League Baseball coaches and managers vote on who they feel had the best season offensively.

With the Diamondbacks finishing in last place in the National League Western Division, very few of the players are up for any awards. In the case of the Silver Slugger award, one Diamondback has been garnering some support giving Arizona fans a ray of hope.

Continue reading ‘The Third Base Silver Slugger, Did They Get It Right?’ »