Look, I can't wait for the season to start up again. If nothing else, it'll help me come up with things to fill space up here, and better titles. Well, hopefully. As is, not much to put here other than a note that, if you're thinking of having a kid and want them to be a baseball player, now may be a good day to give birth- Jackie Robinson, Ernie Banks, and Nolan Ryan all were born on the last day of January. Just something to think about and plan ahead for next year.
DBacks News:
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[ESPN] A 'break'down of Galarraga, Rodriguez - "As Galarraga looks for a fresh start in the NL with the Arizona Diamondbacks after being traded from the Tigers last week, one of his biggest goals for 2011 is going to be re-establishing an out pitch." We all know about Armando Galarraga from his shoulda-been-perfect game, but I'll admit I don't know much of anything about his actual pitching- this certainly helps.
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[DBacks.com] Left-hander Clay Zavada on the comeback trail with D-backs - "[T[he elbow is in the back of my mind..." That sounds like a seriously dangerous medical condition. Seriously, though, it'll be good to see Zavada get back to the majors and succeed, even though we'll miss the mustache.
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[Splashing Pumpkins] Ten Questions with Jim McLennan of AZ SnakePit - Jim answers some Q's from a San Francisco Giants blog on the 2011 Diamondbacks. I'm not positive, but I think he started the roundtables so he could steal our answers... Crafty, Jim. But we're on to you.
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[Fox Sports AZ] NL breakout candidates: Five to watch - Jack Magruder's nominates two outfielders and three pitchers for a breakout season, including Daniel Hudson. I'm not expecting Hudson to put up the same amazing numbers he did for the DBacks last year- 7-1 and a 1.69 ERA in 11 starts- but anything even close would be great to see.
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[AZ Central] Arizona Diamondbacks' Jarrod Parker a reason for optimism - He better be- I think Jarrod Parker is seen by many as a glimmer of hope we all need as fans. Parker did throw his first bullpen session of the year on Friday, and on his Twitter account he said it went awesome, and he's "already looking forward to the next one!"
Also, today is the last day of Oatmeal Month. So, you know, you might want to change your dinner plans.
Around Baseball:-
[ESPN] Bo knows Amazing - First off, I'm going to disagree with something Neyer says here: I don't think there should be any doubt that Bo Jackson was heading to Cooperstown if he hadn't been injured. He was, no doubt, of the most exciting players to watch in baseball, ever, and I hate that a football injury brought it to an end. So unfortunate. Second, tucked in at the end, Neyer surprised a lot of people by saying he's leaving ESPN. I'll certainly miss his columns. He was one of the best there. Hardball Talk offers nice piece on Neyer's writing and what it meant to baseball fandom on the internet and in general. Rumor is that we'll hear more about Neyer's next gig tomorrow.
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[ESPN] Source: Citi Field to host All-Star Game in 2013 - Phoenix, Kansas City, and then New York. It'll be the Mets first time hosting the All-Star Game since 1964.
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[SI.com] Players like Torii Hunter take their at-bat music very seriously - I always like hearing what players choose for their walkup music, gives an interesting insight into their personality. Both Kelly Johnson's "It's Raining Men" game and Troy Tulowitzki's Miley Cyrus request get mentioned.
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[SBN Atlanta] Braves Offer Non-Roster Deal To Rodrigo Lopez - The Green Lantern will be spending Spring Training with the Braves. SB Nation Atlanta suspects he'll start the season with the Braves AAA team, to help cover the team in case of injury.
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[Hardball Times] Indefensible deals - A look at the 5 worst deals of the off-season, a list that doesn't include the Diamondbacks. Fortunately. Not many surprises here- the only one I didn't think of before opening the link was John Buck, mainly because who pays attention to John Buck or the Marlins?
Two weeks until pitchers and catchers report, that's all...