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#DHallChat: The unanswered questions

Brave is the sports team president who takes on an open Q+A on Twitter. That would be Derrick Hall this afternoon. But what of the questions he didn't quite get to?

By Jim McLennan
@Dbacks, via Twitter

As many companies have found out to their cost, this is the kind of thing which can quickly turn into a PR fiasco - just ask JP Morgan. There was never any real risk of such a snarkpocalypse being unleashed on Hall, and most of the questions he didn't address were... well, let's be honest, as gently bland as the ones he got to. Still, there were a few which I will endeavor to answer, in Hall's apparent absence. There may be slightly more cynicism here. :)

WTF?

Er... No? The same person immediately followed up with "what's the deal with beets?" Maybe it makes more sense if you say it in a Jerry Seinfeld voice? "What is the deal with beets?" Nope, not really. However, that did actually get a reply from Derrick: "My wife makes me drink them for blood pressure treatment. Gross. Earthy." Who knew.

Uniform thoughts

I'm kinda torn about that as an idea. Part of me associates pin-stripes too much with the Yankees, even though it was actually the Cubs who were first to use them (so long ago, their last World Series win was still in the future!). But a little more variety might not be a bad thing: I guess it'd probably depend on the execution. If you want a vague idea, here are the White Sox with a similar concept from 1972.

Paging #51

The obvious name here is Randy Johnson, but if I had to guess, his number won't be retired this season. The explanation for that is, he's going to be on the Hall of Fame ballot next time, and unless something really bizarre happens, he'll be going in to Cooperstown in July 2015. I would not be surprised to see his number be retired by the D-backs in that summer instead. As for a "Ring of Honor", I think it'd be pretty sparse at this point. Maybe in another 15 years or so.

Unclear on the concept, #1

What I like about the saga above, is how it's almost the Kubler-Ross model in Tweets: the five stages of grief. there's denial, anger, bargaining and finally acceptance. Of course, he might have had more chance of getting something if, in between the last two Tweets, he wasn't sucking up to Taijuan Walker and proclaiming what a "big fan" he was of the Mariners! Reminds me very much of a certain dickhead ball-hawk from 2013, who'd switch hats for another Prrrrreshusssss...

Commercial breakdown

If Mrs. SnakePit has her way, none at all. She is of the firm belief that too much media exposure is bad for a player - Exhibit A being The Eric Byrnes Show. The final tally for 2013? Number of times we saw Montero interviewed after a fictitious, game-winning, three-run homer: eleven billion (approximately). Number of actual three-run homers hit by Montero: 2. Both came in blowouts and added less than 1% to our win probability. So: no more adverts, please. I have to sit next to Mrs. SnakePit on the couch.

Curt and to the point

In case you hadn't heard, Curt Schilling announced the other day that he has cancer - type and severity not specified. It might indeed be a nice thing to do for him [the mention of ALS at first puzzled me, then I remembered he has been a big supporter of the ALS Association, helping fund-raise for it]. Of course, I've never quite forgiven the man for referring to his 2001 World Series title as "the B-ring." But holding that grudge seems kinda churlish now.

Heading straight to the vital issues.

Next!

Your ARIZONA Diamondbacks...

I think that's a good question. Previous years have seen things like spring training games in Tucson, or the "Hometown Tour" they used to do, where some players and coaches would go to outlying areas of the state. This year, there seems to be little or nothing of that kind: I suspect probably the fact the team are going to Australia has knocked any such hopes on the head, but I do get the feeling (justified or not) that the team seems very much Phoenix-centered. Remembering the "Arizona" bit of their title a bit more might be no bad thing.

Unclear on the concept, #2

Wrong division. Hell, wrong league. But let's just move over to the American League to pacify one fan. Next!

And, finally...

Showing up a good hour and three-quarters after the chat had ended But we appreciate the effort. I'm thinking we will see Bradley later this season, but not on Opening Day. As for what to expect in the years to come? I'm hoping he'll rival Brandon Webb for the title of best pitcher in team history to come through the farm system. Of course, it's still all in the future, but we can dream, can't we? I do want to echo the final sentiment. As noted, not many team presidents would open their doors to the Twitterverse in this way, and I think the generally respectful tone of the Tweets showed fans very much appreciated it. Here's to another one, from which we can hijack more questions!

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