Diamondbacks Spring Training: Play (Paint)ball!

War is hell

For some reason the welt on my neck makes me feel quite bonded with my new team. @dbacks #Paintball #GibbyGotMe #HopeThatIsGood

— Mark Teahen (@ESPY_TEAHEN) February 19, 2013

An abbreviated workout for the team yesterday was followed by a mass trip - about 120 people all told - to a local paintball range, for a spot of friendly fire. MLB.com reported, "The idea originated when Gibson met with closer J.J. Putz for lunch a couple of months ago to discuss the possibility of doing something as a team other than golf. "We talked about changing things up a bit," manager Kirk Gibson said. It seems to have been enjoyed, though was not without pain, going by reports that flooded the Twittersphere. Daniel Hudson said he "got shot in the butt-tocks (Forrest Gump Voice)" and David Hernandez was "shot a few time", but stated the players were victorious.

Kevin Towers: Best > Sexy

After being named the sexiest GM back in December by Big League Stew, it appears this led to some fun being had by his colleagues in the NL West. BLS now reports, "Part of the good-natured ribbing might have involved someone in the Giants front office taking an adult magazine and grafting Towers' head onto a male centerfold's body and presenting it to Towers." Well, as Towers put it, "It's nice to be at the top of the pack in something," though went on to add, "I’d rather be the best GM in the World Series than be the sexiest GM. That’s not going to get me a contract extension." But there was also this interesting quote from Towers later in the piece:

"It’s tough for people to understand the method to the madness, but when you’re inside the clubhouse and have your pulse on the club, you kind of know what needs to be fixed. Some of that you can’t talk about; it’s hard to be candid and explain why we’re doing things. That’s what makes it difficult. There’s a lot of things I can’t share. But I like the way our club is looking. I like the intangibles. There’s talent there. I think we’ll surprise some people... You’re going to make a lot of mistakes. A good executive will recognize a mistake he made and get rid of it. A poor executive is always trying to make that mistake look good."

Please note: the above is not a cue to rehash the same old pro/anti-Towers arguments which we have heard on the board all winter and which are, frankly, getting extremely tedious. Thank you for your attention in this matter.

Braves to retire Chipper's number

The Atlante Braves will be retiring Chipper Jones' #10, on June 28, when the Diamondbacks are in town. It's certainly a thoroughly-deserved honor, with Jones having spent the entirety of his 19-year career with Atlanta - one wonders if any Diamondback will ever do the same? The most obvious candidate will indeed be there in Atlanta on the 28th, but Justin Upton will be wearing the home town's colors. Maybe Miguel Montero? In these days of increasingly high-priced free agents, and decreasing (for understandable reasons) player loyalty, the likelihood appears to be diminishing, especially among mid-market teams like ourselves and the Braves.

Best shape of...etc.

Best shapes of their lives! #Diamondbacks' J.J. Putz lost 17 lbs. and Trevor Cahill almost 15 after going to gluten-free, dairy-free diets.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 20, 2013