A truncated report this week, due to my absence for the past couple of days. Don't want to delay this any longer, so here you go!

Results

AZ SnakePit 4, warlords 4
dbacktom 2, Shenanigans 7
The Fighting Amish 5, The Don Quixotes 3
4 K's 4 Gonzo 9, Douchebaggery 0
Crazy VIII's 3, Chupacabras 7
Bob Melvin Sucks 4, Desert Dingleberries 6
BBTNG 5, GregSchulteOverdrive 4
Tucson Myth 5, Baked 4
7-2 Offsuiters 5, CoJack Forever 4
Kapsaicin Kids 6, Webby17 3

Standings

 1. 4 K's 4 Gonzo        97-59-14   -
 2. Crazy VIII's         93-62-15   3.5
 3. Kapsaicin Kids       90-67-13   7.5
 4. The Fighting Amish   89-67-14   8
 5. Bob Melvin Sucks     85-65-20   9
 6. Shenanigans          85-70-15  11.5
 7. GregSchulteOverdrive 85-72-13  12.5
 8. Douchebaggery        82-76-12  16
 9. Desert Dingleberries 83-79-8   17
10. dbacktom             79-75-16  17
11. warlords             76-79-15  20.5
12. 7-2 Offsuiters       76-80-14  21
13. The Don Quixotes     75-79-16  21
14. Chupacabras          72-82-16  24
15. CoJack Forever       75-85-10  24
16. BBTNG                73-86-11  25.5
17. AZ SnakePit          70-90-10  29
18. Tucson Myth          65-95-10  34
19. Baked                60-97-13  37.5
20. Webby17              55-100-15 41.5  

Upcoming Games

AZ SnakePit vs. Kapsaicin Kids
dbacktom vs. warlords
The Fighting Amish vs. Shenanigans
4 K's 4 Gonzo vs. The Don Quixotes
Crazy VIII's vs. Douchebaggery
Bob Melvin Sucks vs. Chupacabras
BBTNG vs. Desert Dingleberries
Tucson Myth vs. GregSchulteOverdrive
7-2 Offsuiters vs. Baked
CoJack Forever vs. Webby17

The Fighting Amish vs. Shenanigans will be the televised game this week. Amish have put together three solid wins in a row, but Shenanigans are red-hot, having a record of 16-3-1 over the past two weeks. Harang has been Amish's ace of late, posting a 2.79 ERA and with 38 K's in the past month; their offense is light on homers, but the ever-dangerous Holliday leads them there. Cano has been Shenanigan's go-to guy recently, with their front-line starters of Zito and Capuano struggling, and the loss of Young to the DL could be a crucial blow to an already-damaged pitching staff.

[Click to enlarge]

With no small fanfare and a host of guest stars, the new uniforms were officially unveiled at the Valley Ho Hotel in Scottsdale this evening: Sedona Red is now the preferred shade of your Arizona Diamondbacks. This has been the subject of much discussion, and probably, to be honest, counts as a badly-kept secret, with details of the logos and designs leaking out through various sources, quite some time ago. But I do have to say, when seen in its proper scale, and used as intended, on shirts, etc. I found the results are quite effective.

Conor Jackson

The event attracted quite a number of celebrities, mostly from other sports - nobody from the Suns, but I guess they were otherwise occupied. ;-) The Coyotes included Jeremy Roenick and Wayne Gretsky - the latter lurking in the back, far from the celebrity area - while there were also a number of Arizona Cardinals present, including quarterbacks past and present, Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner. [Kurt, I have to say, deserves especial praise: coming down the red-carpet, there were a bunch of kids getting autographs, and he stopped, not just to sign, but also to chat to them about whether they were D'backs fans, the new uniforms, etc. He seemed a genuinely nice guy, and my respect for him certainly increased.]

Bud Selig was also in the building, as was - for some reason - Sherriff Joe Arpaio. I was going to ask him if he intended to change the boxers worn in Tent City from pink to Sedona Red, but chickened out. Of course, a lot of Diamondbacks were there as well, though curiously, they all seemed to be the position players - I don't think a single pitcher was present, either in the fashion show or even just attending the event. Otherwise, most of the likely 2007 Opening Day starting line-up was present. To answer the big pre-show question, Eric Byrnes did indeed take part: as he came up the red-carpet, I wanted to ask him whether he was still going to adopt the same "unbuttoned" approach with the new uniforms. But in typical Byrnes style, he whizzed right past us at top speed, hurrying on in to get ready for what I imagine what his runway debut.

Mark and Daron work on their play-by-play

Your hosts for the evening were Mark Grace and new commentator Daron Sutton, and if this is what we've got to look forward to come next season, it should be a lot of fun. They riffed nicely off each other, with Sutton demonstrating a dry irony and self-effacing style that made for very easy listening. Of course, they hardly covered any baseball-related material, and that will be the true test. [As he arrived, I asked Mark which Diamondback he thought would have a breakout season in 2007. "Write this name down," he said: "Chris Young." Consider it written down and preserved for all to see, Mr. Grace.]

Chris Young proves he's well-red...

Before the fashion show, team president Derrick Hall came out to say a few words, explaining the reasons behind the changes, and why they went for Sedona Red. He stressed a desire for the team to remain representing the state of Arizona, plus that they wanted to pick a shade that wouldn't go in and out of style, and would stand the test of time. He added it was important that no-one else in our division used red; an obvious nod to Colorado, who had snagged purple before the Diamondbacks did [indeed, it always struck me as an odd choice for Arizona to begin with, given the Rockies already used it in their scheme].

Then the fashion show itself started, with the Diamondbacks' players coming out, dressed in the new styles - these were interspersed with professional models, showing what else could be done with Sedona Red and the other colors in the new scheme. It was interesting to note who looked most - and least! - comfortable as clothes-horses, though to avoid embarrassment, I'll avoid naming any specific names in either direction... :-) I will say, however, that Eric Byrnes did indeed sprint down the runway, going full-throttle, though fortunately, did stop short before the end.

Byrnes looks slightly disappointed his new uniform did not come pre-stained.

I like the new uniforms. I think the red adds punch that was previously lacking in the color scheme, and the new style definitely looks modern. I'm still not quite convinced about 'D-backs' rather than the team name in full, but I guess it's the price you pay for having the longest name in MLB. Obviously, any time there's change, it will inevitably meet with resistance; in this case, I suspect that various other factors are perhaps prejudicing opinion. You might very well find, for example, those who resent the loss of Gonzalez tend to reject the new uniforms too - and probably would do so, regardless of any specifics. The mere fact it came from the same regime is reason enough.

But I think it won't be long before Sedona red is every bit as beloved as the old purple ever was. Certainly, I strongly suspect there will be a couple of presents lying under the Christmas tree at SnakePit Towers, which will feature the new color schemes in significant quantity...

Pedro Martinez, RHP (5-2, 3.01)

Russ Ortiz, RHP (0-4, 6.52)

Before I even start this thread, allow me to begin with a quote my father told me once. He looked at me deep in the eyes during a 10 year old softball game that he was guest coaching while the coach took another player to the ER. He took a sip of his beer, and as the drops rolled down the hair on his lip and chin, he said "Nick. I know someone has said something motivational to you at some point in your life. Remember that now."

So, you've been warned. Take my dad's advice to heart now.

So ... I deserve this. I damn well know I deserve to blog this game. Because I decided to talk the largest amount of smack that has ever been talked to a former Soccar Hooligan :).

What can I say about this game? Nothing looks good. The lines? Umm, Pedro owns while the Manatee blows. Pedro has been nothing short of dominant in his career against AZ : 28IP, 1.29 ERA, and just over 8K's per 9IP. And we counter with Russ Ortiz.

Ahh, Russ Ortiz. Russ Ortiz, as a free agent he joined his new club last season, just like Pedro, should come in with the chance of putting up respectable numbers, right? Umm ... Sure. Why not? Russ has been pwned against the Met's, dating back to the ATL days (see, I got to use ATL again, that's a good omen). The plus side? He does have a winning percentage over .500 against them (9-6), but, he did have the advantage of those 2 pitcher friendly parks out on the East Coast before. I've been trying to dig up Ground Ball vs. Fly Ball ratio, but couldn't find one ... but, Russ has the following keys to the game to win this one:

#1 - Keep the ball tight to the batter. These Met batters have been lighting fire against us, and I just feel that keeping it tight is gonna prevent them from knocking it around the bleachers and the corners.

#2 - Keep the ball at the letters, but don't be afraid to drop it down. You keep it high on these guys, and it's gone faster then a slice of meatball pizza at Lombardo's at 2 AM. Which, Russ knows something about ...

#3 - Get Pedro to stand between you and the BBQ Cocktail weenies at the pre-game mixer. Hopefully, you can knock the wind out of him and down him in the sweet tangy BBQ sauce that those delicious tooth pick speared pork products soak in.

Ummmm ... Pork.

Miguel Batista, RHP (5-2, 4.12)

Jorge Sosa, RHP (1-6, 4.68)

Hey all, sorry for the lack of anaylsis ... I know we got plenty to talk about with the Enrique move, but I blame that on the Gameday Posters ... You never name a new puppy! All that happens is it get's taken away!

So i'm posting the game day thread early ... I've got a family gathering in the morning and i'm off to hit some sleep before that ... might be around for some posts on the game day, but this East Coast trip doesn't work well for a guy that get's off work at Midnight.

Sosa again plays into mediocore challanges for the D-backs from the much vaunted ATL pitching. He's 0-1 in 3 starts, and a ERA of 3.46. Of the 5 earned runs he's given up, 3 of them are homeruns, and a average of 4.1 innings per apperance against the D-Backs.

Batista is coming off 2 straight wins, and the complete game gem that if he can produce again, we are looking in good shape to sweep the Braves. Miggy has posted mostly poor numbers life time vs. Hot-Lanta, but gave a QS last time out during the 'Interleague Weekend' (i'm still humored by that).

My thanks in advance to the East Coast friends who get to enjoy the game and post, and thank you all for being so tolerant of my total abuse of the (American) English. I'm going to write a brief series wrap up after I get back Sunday, and will hand this big kabob back over to Jim who's still Enjoying that beautiful California smog (hehe, can't resist).

Get Em, D-Backs.

Claudio Vargas, RHP (5-2, 5.44)

John Thomson, RHP (2-4, 3.75)

Good news: We won the morning set! Now guranteed a split of the series, we head forward for the win and, fingers crossed, the sweet.

Better news: We've had a lot of success as a club against Thomson, including 54 runs in 11 games, all starts. Davannon is the featured player of success against Thomson, with 3 HR, 5 RBI, and a .455 average in 11 at bats. He gets the start in right field tonight.

Enrique Gonzalez, RHP (0-0, 1.50)

John Smoltz, RHP (4-2, 3.58)

I had to double check the started today after all the talk about The Manatee getting ready to return. But, it's Enrique Getting the start.

This feels like one of those classic text book moments where, in Enrique Gonzalez's life he's going to feel like saying to himself `I'm facing THAT guy?' I don't see a guy that pitched as dominating as Enrique did on Saturday being star struck by one of the great Atlanta Braves legends, but I don't envy the thought either.

The line for Smoltz against the D-Backs is almost downright plain. He's been 2-1 in 4 starts, but a 3.12 ERA when you add in the 7 relief appearances. Smoltz was drummed up for 10 hits and 11 runs against the stagnant cubs offense on Sunday, and is nursing a minor hamstring pull. So hopefully his form will be off, and I wouldn't mind seeing some of the speedy guys laying down a bunt for a hit today. With the Usual Suspects expected in the lineup, I'm going to boldly predict ... nothing really, that's bitten Jim in the ass every time he's guaranteed a win. I am interested in seeing Enrique's performance in another pitchers park. He was 6:7 groundball to flyball out's in Shea, and it seems likely to continue in the spacious confines down south.

I'll try to stop by to keep the conversation going as best as possible tonight, but I would like to say thank you in advance for joining us and let's get some cheers for a much deserved win for Enrique.