Time for a link dump, I think. Random stuff from various sources of interest:
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Montero's music: If you've ever heard Miggy's music when he comes up to bat, and thought - like most of us - "What the hell is that?", Nick Piecoro would like to enlighten you.
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Pizza fight! - If you were wondering what Grace and Sutton were talking about last night, discussing the incident at a Boston game that involved the lethal combination of beer, a foul ball and pepperoni, wonder no longer.
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'Young' talent abounds in Arizona. So says USA Today. "Any time there's change, there's a little anxiety," general manager Josh Byrnes says. The article reckons, "Wild flip-flops in management philosophy define the franchise as much as saguaros define the region." I like Mark Grace's comment: "Jerry got what he paid for, a World Series champion. Was it worth it? To me, damn right. To Jerry, damn right. But when it comes to pay the piper, the banks will probably say 'damn no.' "
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Gonzo's return. "If a first-time fan comes to the park, the first thing he does is look up at the rafters and look for tradition," according to Gonzalez. But what attracts that "first-time fan" to the park to begin with? It certainly isn't going to be the nine years of tradition mustered in Arizona.
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SI's Power Rankings. The Diamondbacks are up to #4, with John Donovan saying, "Like a lot of people, I have a foot up on the Arizona bandwagon. And this hot start makes you want to swing that other leg up... All in all, though, I'd feel better if they'd have beaten someone ranked higher than No. 14."
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Fox Sports rankings. We're #2! We're #2! "Randy Johnson probably won't make his 2007 debut until next week, Brandon Webb is getting cuffed around, Chris Young isn't hitting yet, and Stephen Drew is slumping. The good news: Micah Owings, Orlando Hudson, the bullpen and first place in the NL West."
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Schmidt happens. Jason Schmidt has been put on the DL with shoulder inflammation. Add that to the struggles of Barry Zito - whose ERA is north of Russ Ortiz thus far - and those big-money free-agent signings of the off-season in our division are looking more than a little shaky thus far.