We are delighted to announce that, following the lead set by the Arizona Diamondbacks, we'll shortly be changing the look here at the SnakePit. Our Sportsblogs masters have come up with a new logo, and this plus the new color scheme will be unveiled here over the next couple of days. I'm also trying to organize a fashion show featuring Audrey Hepburn, Nastassja Kinski and Mrs. SnakePit modelling the new colors. Er, and I guess, also a time machine, since Hepburn is dead (though probably still has more meat on her than most models), while modern Kinski has now been far surpassed in my estimations by Mrs. SnakePit, of course. And wild horses could not convince me otherwise: I know who makes my sandwiches. ;-)
I haven't seen the scheme they're using, but I trust it'll be pleasant to the eye: I'm guessing probably it will be based on the sand color, with Sedona Red used in the highlights. I have seen the logo, however, and it definitely kicks butt - to the point where I think that T-shirts may have to be looked into. With all due respect to our current logo, there's something about a purple snake that is just not very threatening. It makes me think "plush toy" rather than "fearsome desert reptile". No such problems with the new logo, which caused a test panel of four-year old children to burst into tears at a distance of fifty feet, and has solicited bids from several Cave Creek biker bars. Hell, never mind T-shirts, I'm thinking tattoo. Er, is this over-hyping it?
And, with impeccable timing, we reached a golden marker in the site's development yesterday, finally cracking the top ten when you search on Google for the Arizona Diamondbacks - I've been aiming for this, and quietly SEO-ing, over the past year. It may or may not last, since Google seems to re-index about weekly, but we're presently #8, of more than two million hits, and that front-page has us in some pretty elite company: ESPN, AZ Central, Yahoo, Sports Illustrated and the official D-backs site. Thanks to everyone who has helped make it so, with their contributions over the past eighteen months. Especially everyone who linked to us, and had the words "Arizona Diamondbacks" as part of the link. ;-)
'Nuff self-trumpeting. As azdb7 noted, nice story on ESPN about the D'backs and the winter meetings. Gives a little insight into what goes on behind the scenes at this event, even if "not much" was the end result. It sounds a little like the draft room from Moneyball, though the member of the AZ party that stood out for me was "Helen Zelman, a 22-year-old MIT graduate whose expertise in statistics got her a full-time gig this fall." My two thoughts were: a) this is not Joe Garagiola's D'backs any more, who would have told anyone like that to go scout players for 30 years, then get back to them, and b) I wish I'd paid more attention during my stats classes at college. [Actually, I did, but opted not to go any further because I could see tentacles of serious math languidly breaking the surface next unit. Run away!]
A quick nod over to Diary of a Die-Hard, who is clearly enjoying the Christmas spirit, despite being unable to find any Sonoron Red tinsel. He's also been redecorating this year - as only a true, die-hard D'backs fan can: "Trina believes that I have now gone over the line and that this room has ceased to be a family room and instead has become a Diamondbacks shrine. I told her that was absurd. A shrine required candles and this obviously did not have any candles." Brilliant stuff. And I thought I was bad, counting letters to see if "azsnakepit.com" could fit onto the back of a new D-backs jersey...
I've put up a new poll, replacing the one on the Johnny Estrada trade. Opinion there was generally favorable, with half the respondents rating the deal as "solid", and a 59%-21% margin overall supporting it. The new one has our five nominees for the SnakePit Game of the Year award, and it'll be interesting to see which one is chosen as the overall best. You could make a decent case for just about any of them, as there's not one particular standout, like perhaps in some previous years, i.e. Randy's perfect game.
Actual Diamondback news? I got nuttin'. Tune in again tomorrow, when maybe something of interest will actually have happened... Or maybe not! :-)