Ok, "tidal wave" is somewhat of an exaggeration. And "news" is pushing the envelope a bit too, since there isn't a great deal of previously unheard information. But if this story was titled "A few ripples of stuff you mostly already know," who'd bother to read it? There does seem to be quite a number of stories about the team though, so let's get tore into the linky goodness. I'll spare you the scary Alice Cooper publicity shot New Times dug out, since it was 35 years old. Must have been a slow week for Russell Pearce news.
Diamondbacks news
- [dbacks.com] Team president/CEO Derrick Hall talks about new-look D-backs with fans - Put this date in your diary. "We are planning on having SUBWAY D-backs Fan Fest on Saturday, February 12 here at Chase Field. A release with all events planned that day is soon to come."
- [azcentral.com] Zavada’s back; ticket sales update; & more - I'd been wondering where Nick P had gone. Here, he catches up on all the news that he missed. But he only just heard about us signing Andy Tracy? Sheesh... :-)
- [dbacks.com] Juan Gutierrez will be D-backs' primary setup man in bullpen - Steve Gilbert digs into his mailbag, also discussing leadoff hitters, Esmerling Vasquez and clubhouse culture. "I think the ban on pellet guns is a good one, personally, because I felt that got a little out of control last year, but on the flip side, it's a long season and the players spend a lot of hours at the ballpark, so blowing off steam and having some fun is part of it."
Somewhat Diamondbacks news-ish
- [Yahoo!] Diamondbacks Team Report - Some interesting stuff on the injury front, such as that Upton will "undertake a rigorous strengthening program to ensure he plays more than 133 games next year."
- [McCovey Chronicles] The offseason of the Arizona Diamondbacks - "Arizona is in complete rebuilding mode. They somehow turned Brett Anderson and Carlos Gonzalez into Joe Saunders and some low-minors arms. Brandon Webb disappeared into a Noah Lowry vortex. They still have Justin Upton and Stephen Drew, but they’re starting to look like the talented exceptions, not the stampede of talent we were all fearing just a couple of years ago."
- US Airways magazine covers the new spring-training complex - "This is an exciting time for the franchise," says Derrick Hall. "We are creating what will be the most fan-friendly and fan-interactive complex in all of baseball." Look forward to seeing it.
- [MiLB.com] Ten Questions with Paul Goldschmidt - Our slugging prospect discusses 12-hour bus rides in rookie ball. "We only had to do it three or four times, but you're still in Rookie ball and they don't have the roster requirements, so there's sometimes 35-40 guys on the bus and everyone had to share a seat with someone." The glamor of pro sports...
- [The D-blog] D-backs and Hall of Fame Voting - Greg Salvatore looks at the past and future of ex-players on the HoF ballot. Summary: outside of Roberto Alomar, it's not pretty, and likely won't be for a while.
Not Diamondbacks news-ish at all
- [ESPN Blown call still haunts Major League Baseball umpire Jim Joyce - "What happens when one action not only annihilates a career-long, concentrated effort at invisibility and accuracy but also wholly contradicts it? What happens when you're Jim Joyce and you try to resume your normal life?"
- [MLB.com] This winter, teams valuing names over needs - "This winter's headline transactions reveal a bent for cutting deals based on the player's stature, not on the team's need." So goes the theory, with the Rangers' signing of Beltre the most-obvious example.
- [Joe Posnanski] The Hall of Fame Recap - "If the Hall of Fame voters feel like they should punish McGwire for admitting he used steroids — even if he was evasive about the effects — then it seems to me that we are discouraging anyone from coming clean. It’s almost like the voters don’t really want to know the truth. Maybe we would rather think the worst." Personally, McGwire's 'admission' was so disingenuous as to be worthless: "The only reason I took steroids was for health purposes"? Hardly "coming clean."
- [Radar Online] New Reality TV Show About Major League Baseball Groupies - "Casting in now taking place for a show about Baseball Annies, slang for women who stop at nothing to hook up with major league players -- married or single. The show has the working title of Cleat Chasers and casting is in full swing... Scottsdale, Arizona -- the home of spring training for many major league teams -- is a front runner to host the show and several women from there have already been cast." Be afraid. Be very afraid...