Listen. Do You Want To Know A Secret?
Here’s the "Surprise": Before the first pitch was thrown we had spent $70. 
The stadium couldn’t have been more than half full. The hot dogs and peanuts were good. The beer was warm. But the weather was BEAUTIFUL! 
(And I’m still trying to figure out WYSIWYG)
UGH
After three decades of broadcasting Atlanta Braves games nationally ascable’s pioneering "Superstation," TBS steps up as a bona fide baseball
network this season with a package of featured Sunday games.
Opening plans for "Sunday MLB on TBS," a schedule of Sunday afternoon games throughout the 2008 season, were revealed Wednesday.
Does this mean my Extra Innings games on Sunday are going to be blacked out?
It’s Headlines Like This
That almost makes me wish I was a Yankee fan.
Is Hudson too good for D-Backs to keep?
What is the difference in dollars, I wonder, between a headline like that and the one I’d like to see:
Is Hudson too good for D-Backs to let get away?
Sticker Shock
This week we went to pick up tickets for the Feb 29th game in Surprise between the Rangers and Angels. (Funny, I think we saw them play each other there last year.) By the way, that’s a great name for a ballpark. Imagine my "surprise" to find out that infield box seats for a Spring Training game are now higher than our seats in the front row Down the Left Field Line at Chase Field.
ODDS and ENDS
Stephen Drew has arrived at camp – get ready for this, Ladies – "thicker".
Nixon Works Out
Trot Nixon worked out for the Diamondbacks in Tucson yesterday. The contact with the club was initiated by Nixon, and scouts from Toronto, Seattle and the LA Dodgers also observed.
"He looked good," D-Backs general manager Josh Byrnes said of Nixon.
"We’re going to talk about it. Probably the big issue is ‘Trace.’ If
our health returns, we are fine. But if we get more injuries, that
would make you a little worried."
Arizona said it was unlikely to sign a veteran free agent as a
short-term fill-in, and would have to run through that scenario with
Nixon before talks got serious.
This brings me to the one issue that has been bothering me all winter which is the club’s (at least public) lack of concern over the loss of Tony Clark. I half expected them to re-open talks with Clark after Chad Tracy’s injury proved more serious than first thought. When that didn’t happen the other half or me expected them to maybe go after Mark Sweeney.
In losing Clark they lost a powerful left handed hitter off the bench, a reliable above average back-up at first base as well as a team leader and veteran (you can never have too many of them). Clark ended up signing a smaller deal with division rival San Diego (another DOH!) than the one that was initially offered to him by the Diamondbacks.
I know that Robby Hammock has played everything except third line trombone, but he has exactly TWO games at first base as a major leaguer under his belt, and he doesn’t come close to being the long ball threat that Clark had been.
Is Nixon the answer? I don’t know. Certainly he isn’t a first baseman, but for a team that many feel is going to have to bump up their run production in order to keep pace this year, he could bring some of the intangibles back that they lost with Clark. Failing to address this issue is one off-season move I hope the D-Backs don’t end up wishing they hadn’t made.
I’m just sayin’, you know?
All Things Considered, This Could Be Florida
Ah, we finally made it! Less than two weeks to go before the first Cactus League game. Everybody’s tied for first and hope springs eternal in the heart of every baseball fan. Even so, it’s good to be a Diamondbacker, drinking the sportswriters’ kool aid and dreaming of another Division title.
Meanwhile in Miami, Da Fish are looking for a few good big men.
Fantasy Pitchers
Dugout Central has listed its top 10 Fantasy Baseball pitchers for the upcoming season. The list finds the D-Backs’ Brandon Webb at #6 and Dan Haren at #10 and division rival Padres pitchers Jake Peavy at #2 and Chris Young at #9.
Here’s the complete list with notes on Webb and Haren (theirs not mine):
1. Johann Santana
2. Jake Peavy
3. Cole Hamels
4. C.C. Sabathia
5. Erik Bedard
6. Brandon Webb (Webb continues to find success by making major league hitters pound theball into the ground. This makes him a perennial contender for the Cy
Young award, but robs him of a little fantasy value because his
strikeout numbers aren’t quite as good as the top tier. Be that as it
may, he’s strung together three straight excellent fantasy seasons and
each one has been a notch better than the last. If he’s your number one
starter, you’re still in good shape.)
7. John Smoltz
8. Josh Beckett
9. Chris Young
10. Dan Haren (It occurs to me that there are going to be some hellacious pitchers
duels when Arizona and San Diego square off this year. Four of the top
ten spots are occupied by pitchers from those two teams. Haren comes
over to the weaker league, but the expected dip in his ERA may be wiped
out by the ballpark change. I’m less concerned by that than the
possibility his win total may take a hit unless the D’Backs can improve
their offense or defy the baseball gods for a second consecutive year.)
h/t Baseball Musings
Gonzo a Marlin
Phoenix TV is reporting this morning that despite reports that Luis Gonzalez would not accept a $2 million offer from the Florida Marlins, Gonzo will indeed be playing for the Fish this year.
Gonzalez, 40, is expected to fill a combination of roles, including
left field and first base, and serve as a mentor for the Marlins’
younger players. (The same thing he wasn’t happy doing in AZ and LA.)
If The Phone Doesn’t Ring It’s Me
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Florida Marlins have added themselves to the ever expanding list of teams said to be interested in signing former Face of the Franchise Luis Gonzalez.
The Marlins are showing interest in free-agent outfielder Luis
Gonzalez, envisioning the five-time All-Star as a veteran mentor who
would play both left field and first base, according to major-league
sources.
Good luck with that experiment.
The Marlins are not expected to contend after trading third baseman
Miguel Cabrera and left-hander Dontrelle Willis to the Tigers for six
younger players. Gonzalez might prefer to join a team with a better
chance of reaching the postseason.
Which is what he did when he signed with the Dodgers last year. (Nyah nyah nyah)
Other teams that have reportedly shown interest in Gonzalez are the
Brewers, Mariners, Rangers, Twins, Rays, White Sox, and Giants.
Gonzo chose the Dodgers over Tampa Bay and Baltimore in part because he wanted to play for a winner and also because he wanted many opportunities to make Arizona pay for letting him go after the 2006 season.The Giants would seem to be the perfect fit for Gonzo as it now seems he has something to prove to two NL West teams.
In other former player news: Alex Cabrera signed a one year $2.2 million contract with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan’s Pacific League. Earlier this year the Washington Nationals showed interest in signing Cabrera as a free agent. Several other AL teams were interested in inking him as a DH, too.
But then the Mitchell Report came out.
Cabrera played for the D-Backs in 2000 and has played seven seasons in Japan. He has a career .306 batting average with 273 homers and 686 RBIs and in 2002 tied the Japanese single season home run record of 55 homers. (Wait, the single season home run record in Japan is only 55? Godzilla my a**.)
Will the Last Person To Leave the Room Please Turn Out the Lights?
Luis Gonzalez left Arizona after the 2006 season when it became obvious that the organization wanted to reduce his playing time in favor of bringing along younger players. He opted to go to a "winner" and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers only to find himself sitting the bench while youngsters Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier gobbled up at bats. The younger team he left behind in Arizona played for the National League Championship while Gonzalez sat and pondered his future.
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN writes:
While Clifton spoke with the Twins, White Sox, Rangers, Rays and Giants
early in the free-agent process, none of those conversations bore
fruit. He’s been in touch with the Brewers, but Milwaukee GM Doug
Melvin recently classified Gonzalez as down on his list of options.
If a job as a fourth outfielder awaits, so be it. Gonzalez
simply wants to know where he stands, rather than having to guess if
he’s playing every day.
"The thing that aggravated him in L.A. was that he didn’t know where he
stood day-to-day," Clifton said. "He’d show up one day, and he was in
the lineup. The next day, he wasn’t. It’s important for Gonzo to know
because he’s a real preparation guy."
Luis, you’re not going to be playing every day. As a fourth outfielder you may never know until you get to the park. Shake off the arrogance you criticize the youngsters for having. Baseball is not a seniority based system. The team will play the players it feels can help them the most – whether the game plan is winning a championship or re-building and bringing along the younger guys. I’m sure the Diamondbacks would have loved to have had you as a fourth outfielder if you had only accepted the role back then.
"The kids came up with some arrogance," said a person with knowledge of
the Dodgers’ situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
"They’ve been told how great they are for so long, they think they’re
accomplished when they’re not. But when things start to falter, you
look for the veteran guys to steady it. When [Gonzalez's] playing time
decreased, he started to become a little less of a team guy."
There is a fine line between proud, aging warrior who thinks he still
has something left to give and knowing when it’s time to walk away. It’s easy to be a "team player" when you’re on top of the world. It’s not so easy when reality starts to set in and you’re expected to be as supportive and encouraging of the kids when they start to play in front of you.
"I love playing this game," Gonzalez said, "and I’m going to do whatever I have to do until they rip this uniform off my back."
Gonzo, the writing is on the wall. Do we have to draw you a picture as well? Walk away a winner before it’s too late.
**FULL STORY**
Update: This just in – Gonzo wants to play for the Brewers.
craz3z
Recent Comments