Trust you are all getting your hot-dogs and burgers ready for tomorrow's televisual treat, which has been eagerly anticipated all year. I refer, of course, t the Super Bowl Commercials. I just think it's a shame they choose to interrupt them with some boring game or other. Still, you've got to go to the bathroom sometime, I guess. More on that tomorrow, with our traditional OT Commercial thread. Meanwhile, here's some stuff about the Diamondbacks.
Team news
- [AZCentral] Diamondbacks taking it slow with Stephen Drew - "I would imagine we'll have to take it rather slowly with him in spring training," Towers said last week. "I'm hopeful he'll play in some games in spring training. Will he play in our opening game? I don't know. I haven't laid eyes on him other than to see him on video doing some agility drills. We'll have a better idea probably at the end of February"
- [dbacks.com] General manager Kevin Towers hosts web chat - Towers reviews Moneyball: "We had seven hours before our flight left Tampa so those of us in baseball ops decide to watch it. Liked Brad Pitt but didn't care much for the movie. I didn't like the way it portrayed scouts."
- [BBTF] 2012 ZiPS Projections - Arizona Diamondbacks - Best line: "Having John McDonald, Geoff Blum, and Willie Bloomquist all signed to major league contracts is the equivalent of designing a jumbo jet to have one engine and no mechanical backups to the landing gear but making sure there are 3 backup fridges in the galley to hold cans of soda." I also note, Jason Kubel projects for the second-best OPS+ on the team...
- [AZCentral] Hall says he's not looking to leave - "I’m very happy where I’m at and I don’t foresee myself going to another team." Good. The though of him running the Dodgers would be... difficult to bear.
- [FoxSports Arizona[ Questions to consider in the NL West - Jack Magruder asks, "Will Arizona's career years carry over? Can San Francisco's offense make its pitching staff proud?"
- [FanGraphs] Estimating a Miguel Montero Extension - Suggestion is he'll produce about $55 million of value over the years 2012-14. Don't think he'll get paid quite that much..
- [Ballpark Digest] 2011 Ballpark of the Year: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. - "In a year that saw several noteworthy new ballparks, one stood out as a way that fundamentally rethought how a spring-training facility should work."
- [AZCentral] What needs to go right for the Diamondbacks - And the winner of the 'Bleacher Report Cheap Page Views Padding' award for the week, goes to...
- [Tucson Citizen] What needs to go right for the Diamondbacks - Oh, look: here's the one-page version. Suck it, AZ Central...
Team news (less)
- [MLive.com] In hypothetical trade, former GM Jim Bowden highlights an ideal target for Detroit Tigers In an ESPN Insider piece, Bowden proposed sending Gerardo Parra to the Tigers for OF Andy Dirks, UT Don Kelly and LHP Andy Oliver. Justin Rogers takes a look at the deal, and since he's not behind a pay-wall,he gets the link love!
- [MLB.com] Memories remain: Don Baylor's 1979 Angels magical - "Even now, Don Baylor can hardly walk around this city without being stopped by fans eager to chat with him, take a picture alongside him or simply say they met the man most responsible for their first taste of postseason baseball more than 30 years ago. "
- [CBS Pittsburgh] Bucs: Pirates Sign Juan Cruz - A minor league contract and gave him an invitation to spring training.
- [Yahoo!] Dodgers, White Sox to play spring game in Tucson - It's on March 23, and as before, will benefit the Christina-Taylor Green Foundation.
- [baseballhall.org] Baseball Hall of Fame Internship Program Provides Opportunity of a Lifetime - The chance to spend the summer in Cooperstown is every baseball fan's dream. Unfortunately, apps closed January 31st, so you're probably stuck in Arizona instead.
- [The Onion] 1,000 'Bleacher Report' Writers Descend On Super Bowl Media Day - "I asked Tom Bardy [sic] where he thought he should be on my list of the top 10 guys to ever play in the Super Bowl, and he said it didn't sound like I had anyone who played before 2005," And speaking of Bleacher Report, so is the Onion...