August 2009
15 posts
Potpourri of Subjects →
There are times throughout the season when I have tidbits of information or small subjects that do not warrant an entire blog post be devoted to them. In most cases these ideas get jotted down on a…
Geeks Invade Diary of a Diehard →
Let me start by saying up front; this is one of the few times when an entry at Diary of a Diehard is not baseball related. When the Arizona Diamondbacks 2009 season schedule was released I could…
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered →
It seems like an eternity ago that Major League Baseball held its annual draft but really it has only been a couple of months when the teams met at the MLB TV studios for the first-year player…
Missed Opportunities →
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Yusmeiro Petit is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. His performance this season has become the poster child of inconsistency. During the first…
Oh Yes It's 80's Night and I Feel Alright →
I think my family could probably be considered a typical baseball fan family. Ok let me rephrase that. If I take myself out of the equation, I think my family probably represents a typical family…
State of the Home Stand Address - August 10 - 14 →
After the last out was recorded yesterday at Chase Field, the Arizona Diamondbacks packed their luggage and left for the airport meaning it is time for another episode of State of the Home Stand…
Archenemies and the Trade Deadline →
Everyone has an archenemy. For Superman it was Lex Luthor, for Batman it was the Joker, and for me it is Rally Sally. Oh sure some will say she’s not that bad; it’s not like she is plotting world…
Are They Still Engaged? →
The Arizona Diamondbacks are clearly having a season that has not met expectations. Prior to the season this team was predicted to battle the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League West title….
Messing With My Mind →
Today is one of those days that I absolutely dread; an off-day during a home stand. They only happen about 5 times a year which is a very good thing. I am not against the Diamondbacks having a day…
Double-D on the Double-W? →
One of the unsung heroes of the Arizona Diamondbacks 2009 season has been starting pitcher Doug Davis. Davis came to the Diamondbacks along with pitcher Dana Eveland and outfielder David Krynzel in…
I Hate Brooms →
After beginning the road trip 6-1 the Diamondbacks were now scrambling to find a way to stop the bleeding and somehow salvage one win in the series. On the mound for the Diamondbacks was the newly…
Who Is the Face of the Franchise? →
Recently several friends and I embarked on a conversation to try and identify who was the “face of the Arizona Diamondbacks”. For many years this was a question with a simple answer. From 1999…
One-Hit Wonder →
On August 14, 1971 Bob Gibson took the mound at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Gibson had just won his 200th game of his career earlier in the month and like was usually the case; the St….
Really How Bad Is It? →
There are times when this season seems like it has no end. That’s not exactly a bad thing if you want my honest opinion. I would welcome a never-ending baseball season even if it did mean that my…
Birthday Bash →
The Arizona Diamondbacks completed a four game series against the New York Mets today. Going into this series we knew it was going to be a battle. Both Arizona and New York have been struggling…
July 2009
8 posts
State of the Home Stand Address - July 23-29 →
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…
My Bucket List - Diamondbacks Style →
Last off-season my wife insisted that we have a movie night. Since baseball was still a few months away I agreed. After all I had not seen Major League, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, or The Natural…
My Thoughts on the Remarks of Hank Aaron →
As I was driving this morning I happened to listen to the radio. The sports announcers on this particular station were talking about last weekend’s Hall of Fame inductions. Instead of recounting…
Hoping for Some Brotherly Love →
The Arizona Diamondbacks just completed a 4 game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates winning 3 of the 4 games. Normally beating the Pirates 3 games is not an accomplishment that would warrant…
Boys in the Hall →
Each November Major League Baseball releases their Hall of Fame ballots to the baseball writers whose responsibility it is to determine which players meet the criteria to be included in the…
Shades of Humor →
One of the more interesting aspects of being a baseball fan is the whole concept of the stadium giveaway. It always seemed weird to me that baseball teams would try to entice you to come to the…
Diamondbacks Changing Colors Again? →
One of the most traumatic days of my life occurred on November 8, 2006. It was one of those dates when later people mention a date and you know exactly where you were and what you were doing. In…
A New Spring in My Step →
It was a cool evening on February 27, 1998. The weather channel was predicting possible rain. I had a 2 hour drive ahead of me and I was not looking forward to getting to Tucson only to find out…
June 2009
5 posts
The Game That Never Ends →
Today was one of those games that makes you want to go out and buy Rogaine in bulk to fill in the bald spots you’ve suddenly developed after pulling hair out by the handfuls. On paper this looked…
The Draft is All a Twitter? →
Everywhere you turn these days it seems like someone is talking about the social network Twitter. What began as a social experiment for many to keep track of what their friends were doing is now…
State of the Home Stand Address - May 25-31 →
With the conclusion of yesterday’s game the Arizona Diamondbacks completed a seven game home stand. The team left Chase Field and caught a plane to Los Angeles where they will open a three game…
Another Home Stand, Another Loss →
As I sat and watched the Arizona Diamondbacks be dismantled by the Atlanta Braves in the final game of the series I couldn’t help but wonder why the friendly confines of Chase Field were not so…
Town Hall Meeting →
After an exciting game at Chase Field, my family and I gathered up our Stephen Drew bobble head dolls and began to make our way to the exit. As we walked past the Diamondbacks dugout I happened to…
May 2009
24 posts
Offense vs. Defense →
Rarely does a player come along that is the complete package. Usually they arrive with positives and negatives and the manager does the best to accentuate the player’s strengths while mitigating or…
Who's Your Padre? Mad Max →
Every season as Spring Training comes to a close the Diamondbacks players all get together and decide on one pitcher that they will withhold all support from whether it be offensively, defensively,…
Missed Representation →
The first year player draft is quickly approaching. I have already noted my picks participating in various mock drafts that are taking place around the Internet. This is a very important draft…
A Fitting Memorial →
Today marked the beginning of a six game home stand for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Their first opponent is the red hot San Diego Padres who entered today’s game riding a nine game winning streak….
Making a Draft Mockery →
As I logged in this morning I found an email waiting for me from Evan Brunell at Most Valuable Network (MVN). In the email was a plea for help. My mind immediately thought of the scene from Star…
Who Are These Guys? →
For the entire 2009 season the Arizona Diamondbacks have never won consecutive series and have not had a winning streak that surpassed three games. Now all of a sudden they have split a series with…
Let's Play Two →
I have been following the Arizona Diamondbacks since March 9, 1995 when then acting- commissioner Bud Selig announced at a meeting in West Palm Beach that baseball owners had voted 28-0 to expand…
Swimming with the Fishes →
The Arizona Diamondbacks season schedule for 2009 has been very strange to say the least. It began with the world’s longest home stand that seemed to stretch through the entire month of April with…
A Parra Nines →
Gerardo Parra has been identified as an up and coming prospect in the Arizona Diamondbacks minor league organization for quite some time. He has caught the eye not only of the Diamondbacks staff…
Winning to the Max →
When the Arizona Diamondbacks drafted Max Scherzer with their number one pick in the 2006 Amateur First Year Draft there were high expectations for the power pitcher; there were also more than a…
Double-D in Dutch →
When the Arizona Diamondbacks introduced AJ Hinch as their new manager replacing Bob Melvin much was made about the lack of coaching experience that Hinch had. By lack of coaching I mean that he…
State of the Home Stand Address - May 8 - May 13 →
The Arizona Diamondbacks just completed a six-game home stand; one filled with changes and new beginnings but unfortunately with the same tired results. After a rare off-day yesterday, the only off…
Chatting with the Prez →
When Derrick Hall took over as president of the Arizona Diamondbacks at the conclusion of the 2006 season it ushered in a new chapter in team history and opened the door to an unprecedented level…
Where Is the Accountability? →
Leading up to the firing of Arizona Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin, there was a lot of talk about player performance and responsibility. It didn’t seem to matter which way you turned, there was…
Another New Era Begins? →
With every passing game the 2009 Arizona Diamondbacks season is beginning to look more and more like the dreaded 2004 season where the team lost 111 games. It began with a long list of injuries…
Just For Mom? →
There are times that I just don’t understand women. Take today for example. It is Mother’s Day and there is also an Arizona Diamondbacks game. Why then is it that my wife seems less than thrilled…
Hinch-ing Up the Wagon? →
With each loss this season the tenure of Arizona Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin seemed more and more tenuous. For the past few weeks, the rumors of Melvin being on the hot seat circulated. It…
And So It Continues →
After the Diamondbacks made the play-offs in 2007 reaching the National League Championship Series ahead of anyone’s schedule; the expectations for the core of young players rose to the point of…
Three Times the Pain →
May 31, 2000 the St. Louis Cardinals were at what was then Bank One Ballpark. The Cardinals and Diamondbacks were playing a four game series and on this Wednesday night it would be the third game…
It's Justin Time →
High expectations have followed Justin Upton ever since the Arizona Diamondbacks made him the first overall pick of the 2005 First Year Amateur Draft. His rise through the Arizona minor league…
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back →
There are times it can be almost maddening to be an Arizona Diamondbacks fan especially over the last year. After the success of the 2007 season where the young Diamondbacks made it all the way to…
Oh Danny Boy →
There are a few terms in baseball that have become overused and have lost their meanings. One such term is “ace”. There is probably not a day that goes by that some announcer or baseball writer has…