Last SnakeBytes of winter, folks. Pitchers and catchers report tomorrow. I confidently predict that we can look forward to the following stories in the coming weeks:
- Player A is late arriving in camp due to visa problems. There's a good chance Player A's first name will end in a vowel.
- Player B shows up at camp "in the best shape of his life". Animated GIFs involving said player and chocolate cake may have become an Internet meme last year.
- Pitcher C will be working on a new pitch, which will be a work in progress but could be a valuable weapon in his repertoire. [Said pitch will not be seen after Opening Day[
- Manager D will express disdain for his team's dreadful won-lost record, stating that "It's only spring training."
Meanwhile, here are some more solid pieces of journalism.
- [dbacks.com] Kirk Gibson aims to keep D-backs hungry - "Success is hard to deal with. We've talked about it. I'm not worried about it, but yet I'm alert about it. And it's something that we'll work on. It's something we'll remain alert about. It could damage our chances if we can't remain humble."
- [AZCentral] Towers ready for a greater challenge in 2012 - "I think this year is an even greater challenge," he said. "Good teams don't just win one year. They sustain it for a period of time. I think that if we can pull it off again, go deeper into the postseason, I'd say we're kind of for real."
- [Fox Sports Arizona][ More Cactus League intrigue than ever - "The D-backs, however, are only the tip of the Cactus League's intrigue iceberg this season. The storylines are perhaps more plentiful this year than any in recent memory."
But, wait! There's more...
- [HardballTalk] Running down the rosters: Arizona Diamondbacks - "I wasn’t optimistic about the Diamondbacks repeating in 2012. Now, I am. Props go out to ownership for expanding the budget and GM Kevin Towers for bringing in a couple of quality pieces. They definitely had a better winter than the Dodgers or Giants."
- [dbacks.com] Joe Saunders pleasantly surprised to return for '12 - "I think the camaraderie we built last year was huge," Saunders said. "The starting pitchers got along really well, and we did a lot of stuff together both on and off the field. We'll introduce Mr. Cahill to all our idiosyncrasies this year and have a lot of fun."
- [AZCentral] Trevor Cahill just what the Diamondbacks were looking for - "The song he warms up to is "White Rabbit," the Jefferson Starship's psychedelic anthem that is anything but demure. Cahill has said he simply liked the song when he was young and never felt like changing it." Go ask Cahill... I think he'll know...
- [MiLB.com] Prospect Pitch: Bauer reveals repertoire - "Right-hander Trevor Bauer, the D-backs' No. 1 prospect, talks to MiLB.com about the nine different pitches at his disposal." Nine of them. I'll repeat that in case you skimmed the sentence: NINE DIFFERENT PITCHES.
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- [Diary of a Diehard] Diamondbacks Evangelism - "There’s a lot to like about this team and now is the perfect time to make your conversion. Before long you’ll be referring to colors not as red and tan but rather Sedona Red and Sonoran Sand and humming the roof opening music to Chase Field and loving every minute of it."
- [Fox Sports Arizona] Cactus or Grapefruit? No question about it - "Arizona provides the perfect combination of factors for spring training, from ideal weather to minimal game-day travel to entertainment and dining for players." Hell, yeah!
- Baseball IQ | MLB Network: Promotions - Down to the last eight of the MLB Network's gameshow, and Arizona is still represented, through Josh DiFanio. He faced the Rockies' rep on Tuesday at 7:30pm Arizona time, and hopefully will progress to the final four - I mean, it's the ROCKIES...
- [MLB.com] Fan Cave Voting 2012 - And finally, there is an Arizona fan in the final round of Fan Cave voting! At least, I think she's a D-backs fan, though that doesn't really look like a D-backs cap she's wearing. She is from Phoenix anyway, so click on the link above to vote for Christy McGaugh. Here's her video.