Did you miss me? I did, I know. Thanks very much to Snakecharmer for filling in on my vacation! But now that I'm back, it's about a week and a half away from Opening Day for the Diamondbacks (appropriately set for April Fool's Day) and it's time to kick SnakeBytes into high gear. Well, maybe about third gear, and we can use the downhill slope of March to- fine, the car metaphor isn't working. But, hey, it's finally spring! Hence the, uh, 50 degree temperatures, wind, and rain outside right now. Okay, bad example, let's just start with the links.

DBacks News:

• [DBacks.com] David Winfree keys D-backs' late rally over A's - You win some...

• [DBacks.com] Armando Galarraga, D-backs fall short against Indians - ...you lose some. And in Spring Training, sometimes on the same day.

• [MiLB.com] D-backs' teen Skaggs unfazed in debut - Skaggs put up a good showing- three scoreless innings, and not just against minor leaguers. It's easy to think about the Haren trade and think that Joe Saunders was a poor return, but just try to keep Skaggs in mind.

• [AZ Central] Arizona Diamondbacks' Melvin Mora endures tough spring - Car accident, getting hit in the wrist with a pitch, and batting below the Uecker line going into Sunday's game- Melvin Mora is not enjoying this March.

More DBacks News:

• [AZ Central] Kirk Gibson still mulling Arizona Diamondbacks' Opening Day lineup - He's mixing in some spices and putting it on the stove for his Christmas party? Fine, today is just not the day for metaphors for me.

• [The D-blog] Parra, Gutierrez Heating Up As Season Approaches - Could we see some good results from two of our more mocked members of the roster last season? We can certainly hope...

• [DBacks Venom] Carlos Rosa - Is He a Possibility for the 2011 Diamondbacks Bullpen? - Rosa has given a good showing in Spring Training so far. He wasn't too bad out of the bullpen for us last season, hopefully he can give us a good showing this year.

• [AZ Central] Arizona Diamondbacks' Justin Upton OK after hurting knee - A few injury notes- J-Up jammed his knee chasing after a foul ball against the As yesterday, but it just looks to be sore. Meanwhile, Stephen Drew started yesterday after missing a few games due to abdominal tightness, and J.J. Putz is clear to play catch today.

• [FanGraphs] 2011 Organizational Rankings: #29 – Arizona - Not promising. They rate us as tied for 16th on future talent, but they aren't fans of a year full of front office changes or the team's financial situation. We're sitting behind Pittsburgh (ow) and just ahead of Houston on the list.

Around Baseball:

• [ESPN] Chicago White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy has possible rotator cuff tendinitis - Peavy's return to the majors hits another speed bump- he'll miss the start of the season, and Ozzie Guillen no longer trusts Peavy's opinion on whether or not he's ready to pitch.

• [MLB.com] Mets release pitcher Oliver Perez - I've seen a few pages that suggest Perez might end up in Arizona- do we think Kevin Towers is going to go rummaging about the pitcher bargain bin again?

• [New York Times] Baseball-Loving Japan Delays Its First Pitch, but Not Without Debate - In the face of a tragedy like Japan has faced, it's always hard for entertainment to find the proper place.

• [Beyond the Box Score] The Brady Anderson of Defenders - From the "Fun with Infographics" Department, a look at a player who had a defensive spike in his stats akin to Brady Anderson's 50 home run season in 1996. As one commenter put it, "Clearly this is just proof... that [the player in question] ate a gazelle." Excellent detective work.

• [Big League Stew] D.C.’s double downer: Five Guys bolts Nats Park, Harper injured - Wait, Harper is injured? So, I guess now isn't the time to start supplying your Biweekly Bryce...

• [LA Times] Crowds are deserting Dodgers at Camelback Ranch -- attendance down 42.3% - That's an impressively huge drop. Wonder why the Dodgers (and Angels- down 49.9%) are seeing such a drop off.

• [BBC News] Barry Bonds drugs perjury trial jury selection begins - Hey, something chock full of uninteresting characters and overwrought storylines that we'll be sick and tired of by the time it comes anywhere near a conclusion! It's the last three seasons of Heroes all over again.

Diamondbacks are set to play the Dodgers this evening at Salt River Fields, but since all of the afternoon Cactus League games were canceled for rain, it may just be an off-day for the team, and we'll face off against the Indians tomorrow.