In the spirit of the headline, I'm tempted just to re-heat last week's Snake Bytes, and see if anyone notices, or if you're all still too full of turkey, stuffing, etc. I know I am... While it was a fairly light week in terms of baseball news, and in particular Diamondbacks news, there were still a couple of tasty, foil-covered dishes to be found lurking at the back of the refrigerator...
Majors
- [FoxSportsArizona[ Buerhle, Kuroda on D-backs' interest list - "Towers has made contact with the representatives of Chicago White Sox free agent left-hander Mark Buehrle, sources with knowledge of the situation said."
- [dbacks.com] Upton places D-backs' success above MVP voting results "The thing that makes me happier than my performance is that my team had success," Upton said. "We have something to build on now for next year. The guys helped me all year long and if I had won the MVP it would have been because of my teammates."
- [News-Sentinel.com] Jarrod Parker back to work after MLB debut - He said he tried to treat [his debut] like any other, even though it was far from any other. "Somehow, I was calm," Parker said. "I don't know how, looking back now. But it was a fun time and I tried to realize how important it was and how fun it was and I tried to keep as cool as I could."
Minors
- [AZCentral] Salt River tops Surprise in Arizona Fall League title game - Charles Brewer said he had roughly 30 people on his pass list. "That was probably one of the most exciting games I've ever pitched," Brewer said. "It was a heck of an experience."
- [MiLB.com]Prospect Q&A: D-backs' Tyler Skaggs - On the trade: "I felt like [the Angels] didn't want me and Arizona wanted me more. Of course, they traded me for Dan Haren, so I couldn't really be too mad. I was a little hurt by it, but it's just a business."
- [dbacks.com] Jay Bell joins D-backs' Double-A Mobile staff - And also "Former catcher Robby Hammock, who saw brief action for the club last September, will serve as hitting coach for the organization's entry in the Arizona Rookie League."
- [Missoulian] Green named Osprey's new manager - But wait, there's more! "Former Missoula Osprey player and major league infielder Andy Green will be the next manager of the Osprey, the organization and its parent club the Arizona Diamondbacks announced on Tuesday."
- [Niles Star] Silver Hawks sold to Berlin - [Joe] Kernan and his co-investors did not turn a profit with the club and were unable to promote it well enough to draw fans. South Bend dropped to near the bottom in attendance in the Midwest League. New owner Berlin plans on changing all that. He also has said that he may go to city officials to request additional funding for improvements.
- [tallahassee.com] Henry eager to share minor-league stories - "This is my first weekly blog in which I will take you on my journey of chasing my dream of making it to the big leagues... This journey will include my 2007 draft selection out of Florida State in the 12th-round to the Arizona Diamondbacks, all the way to our Double-A Southern League Championship this past season."
The Rest
- [Diary of a Diehard] The Definition of Most Valuable Player - "The goal wasn’t to get Ian Kennedy a Cy Young or Justin Upton an MVP or Kirk Gibson a Manager of the Year award. The goal was to be the last team standing hoisting a World Championship trophy in celebration. That goal is unfulfilled "
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[MLB.com] It's a free-agent seller's market for relief pitchers - "But given the volatile nature of the position, the question has been raised: Are relievers worth long-term high-dollar contracts?" Someone else looks at the topic covered by Dan recently.
- [SI.com] Evan Longoria leads projected MLB's 2012 award winners - Nothing of interest for Arizona fans...
- [FoxSports] MLB deal a dagger to small market teams - Unfortunately for baseball, low-revenue teams got trampled in its new collective-bargaining agreement, trampled in a way that raises genuine concerns for their future. "We are headed for massive problems in the next CBA," one general manager said Tuesday night. "Competitive balance is going to get progressively worse."
- [dbacks.com] D-backs launch 'Gibby is Watching' ad campaign - "Our fan base has quickly grown to love Gibby in the same way that our team took on his personality during this incredible season," said D-backs’ President & CEO Derrick Hall. "We want our fans to know that he’s keeping tabs on them and wants to see them at Chase Field next season." Gibson's opinion is unclear, but Daniel Hudson did Tweet, "If #Gibby saw that "he knows if you've been bad or good" billboard I just drove by he would laugh his a$$ off " Judge for yourself: