Almost... By the next time I put together a SnakeBytes, the idea of Spring Training will no longer be purely hypothetical. We are now in the last week before pitchers and catchers report, and a week from today our team will be having their first workout of the season- how's that for a great way to celebrate Valentine's Day?
DBacks News:
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[DBacks.com] General manager Kevin Towers is confident the D-backs can win now - I appreciate his optimism, but I don't feel anywhere near as confident as he does.
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[Bleacher Report] 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks Team Preview: 5 Big Questions - I was at first amazed that Bleacher Report managed to write a report about the Diamondbacks and even spell all the player's names right. But then I realized it was mainly them asking Jim questions.
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[D'Backs Venom] How the West Was Won - Well, not quite won... Amit puts out the fifth installment in Bloguin's NL West season preview, including some questions asked by other Padres, Dodgers, and Rockies bloggers. Of the five bloggers, three picked the Diamondbacks to end the season in last again, while Amit places them third, and the Dodgers blogger put them fourth- ahead of the Dodgers.
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[AZ Central] Arizona Diamondbacks' steps to build a winner - Five important things for the Diamondbacks to develop this year, but it's really more aimed at getting us "back on the road to contention"- so not this year, but building for the future.
Remember, though, it isn't just Spring Training for the players. Opening Day is less than two months away. Better start getting your typing fingers into shape for the season, we've got GDT production standards to meet.
Around the NL West:-
[LA Times] It's a throwback to an alternate universe of Brooklyn Dodgers uniforms in new promotion (plus half-priced beer!) - The Dodgers are letting fans to vote for which throwback Brooklyn Dodgers uniforms the team will wear in six games this season. But none of them are really the uniform that comes to mind for me when I think Brooklyn Dodgers- but let's all go and vote so that the team ends up having to wear blue satin.
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[Denver Post] Renck: Rockies thinking Young has possibilities - Rumor has it the Rockies are asking for the Rangers to pay about $20 million of the $48 million remaining on Young's contract. If they expect that much money in the deal, they better be offering some pretty good prospects in the deal.
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[Examiner.com] Turnout at SF Giants FanFest prove fans are ready for baseball - But while the fans may be ready for baseball, are they ready for Tim Lincecum's mustache? I'll admit, that's using the word "mustache" generously. And we thought the Eric Byrnes porn-stache was bad....
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[Padres.com] New faces abound for Padres heading into Spring Training - It's interesting to watch the Padres try to downplay what losing Adrian Gonzalez will do to their team.
Around Baseball:
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[MLB.com] With NFL in rearview mirror, Spring Training emerges front and center - Yessssssss. Though MLB's enthusiasm on Twitter did spark a bit of rivalry from the NBA. I wouldn't worry too much- a baseball team has a basketball team outnumbered.
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[ESPN] Report: Trustee asks for $1B from New York Mets owners - In return for the money that the Wilpons made off the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme, they're being asked for $1 billion dollars. If the Mets already are in debt for $430 million dollars, how likely do you think it is that we'll see the franchise up for sale sometime soon?
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[MiLB.com] Ashford broke barriers behind a mask - Everyone knows Jackie Robinson first played for the Dodgers in 1947, but it wasn't until 19 years later when Emmett Ashford became the first black umpire in the majors.
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[FanGraphs] The All Minor League Contract Team - Scouring through the list of players getting minor league contracts this off-season, FanGraphs puts together a roster, including a handful of former Diamondbacks. Their bullpen still might put up better numbers than the DBacks did last season.
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[Baseball Prospectus] Wezen-Ball: Ferris Bueller's Day Off at Wrigley Field - Changing 80s movie references for the moment, this is the finest of internet sports nerdery- a writer at BP does some detective work and finds out just which game Ferris Bueller caught a foul ball at.