Snake Bytes, 12/26: Boxing Day edition

Diamondbacks news

[dbacks.com] D-backs showed improvement 2015 season review - Ultimately, they came up short, but their 79-83 record was a 15-game improvement over 2014 and it left them excited about taking yet another step in 2016. "Obviously the goal is to play into October, which we didn't make, but next year that stays our goal," D-backs manager Chip Hale said after the season ended. "I thought the process was great. I've said it all year: I thought our guys were prepared. They brought it. So I think it was a success in that way."

[TKB] Depth Could Set Diamondbacks' Rotation Apart - While having an undisputed No. 1 guy at the top of your rotation is great and having "two aces" can take you a long way, having a tough rotation from top to bottom can make you a devastating team and could push you all the way to the World Series. The third through fifth spot in any rotation just needs to post quality outings on a consistent basis. While Arizona will need some intangibles to fall in their favor, they have the potential to have a solid latter portion of the rotation.

[Inside the 'Zona] The Looming Question: Patrick Corbin’s 2016 Innings Total - We should expect the team to use the same quick hook they used with Corbin in 2015. We may never see Corbin throw as many as 100 pitches next season, as he works his way fully back...  Corbin could be in line for about 170 innings in 2016. Given the Mets’ recent experience with Matt Harvey and the D-backs’ intentions for 2016, that seems like a workable outcome — and one that still might leave something in the tank for a possible playoff run.

[Examiner.com] Can Diamondbacks starters save the bullpen? - It’s the hope and probably the expectation of Hale and other Arizona decision-makers that the starters eat innings. If these five can constantly go deep into games, that will lessen the pressure on the bullpen, and save arms at critical times. At the same time, the Diamondbacks will entrust to ball to closer Brad Ziegler as one who will slam the door on opponents in the ninth inning. While Ziegler has shown to be an effective set-up reliever and one for getting a critical double-play grounder at an important time, the physical burden on this 36-year-old old could be demanding.

[dbacks.com] Matt Williams happy to be home with D-backs - "I really enjoyed the opportunity presented to me in Washington, but this has been home to me for almost 30 years. We make our home here, Madison goes to school here. It will be nice to sleep in my own bed during the season. Everybody seems to come to our house for the holidays and it's a great gathering of family. It's fun to be home again."

Diamondbacks news (scraping the bottom of the barrel department)

[ABC15] Glendale PD: Would-be robber gets away with nothing at bank - A man entered a Wells Fargo bank located on 91st and Glendale avenues on Christmas Eve. The man gave the teller a note where he was demanding money. The teller refused the man's request, and the man left shortly after entering the bank. The man, who is described as being in his 20s, was wearing a plaid long-sleeve shirt, khaki pants, a black Arizona Diamondbacks baseball hat, as well as carrying a Wilson tennis bag that was red, white and black at the time of the incident. The man was also carrying a long board and wearing large headphones at the time.

[TechDirt] Joe Arpaio Allegedly Involved In Copyright Infringement - David Kelly is the latest to bring a lawsuit against the sheriff. His complaint alleges Sheriff Arpaio knowingly took possession of -- and resold -- infringing prints of his world-famous photo, which was taken at the 2001 World Series. It's a whole thing...

And, elsewhere

[Steam] Oout of the Park 16 is $9.99 until January 4 - If you need something to tide you over until pitchers and catchers report - and, by "tide you over," I mean "occupy every waking hour and some of the ones when you should be sleeping as well", you can pick up the best baseball sim game, OOTP 16, for half price on Steam through the end of next week. You had better hope I don't get round to taking advantage of this, or you'll be on your own here until Opening Day...

[Reddit] Got a few thousand dollars and about ten weeks off work? - You could visit all 30 MLB teams almost entirely by rail in 71 days. It'd be ~$1,650 for train tickets alone (and only if you didn't want a roomette on the sleeper trains), plus tickets (eep) and lodgings (EEP). But it'd be one hell of a journey. However, you would need to figure out how to get from the nearest station to Chase Field, since Phoenix is close to the only MLB city that does not have any passenger rail service.

[MLB.com] 7 reasons why Rey from 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' is actually Rey Ordonez - Some believe her to be the daughter of REDACTED or the sister of REDACTED. Each of those possibilities would have massive consequences across the Star Wars realm. But they are wrong. No, J.J. Abrams wrote Rey to be an analogue for former Mets shortstop Rey Ordonez. How do we know this? Here's the proof: [Fun fact: a Rey Ordonez #0 jersey was the first baseball one I ever owned. This pre-dates the existence of the Diamondbacks, obvs...]