Snake Bytes 03/26: One Week Away

Team News

[AZ Central] Goldy remains humble after WBC experience - What if I told you that Paul Goldschmidt found a way to critique his own play after just winning a championship with a roster full of superstar teammates? I know. Shocking.

“I wasn’t able to do as much as I would have liked,” he said. “That’s part of it. Luckily, teammates there picked me up and they played great. Our pitchers did good, good defense and we were able to get the wins.”

[Venom Strikes] Andy Green quells Ahmed Rumors - This should make some members happy, Michael and James. When asked about his team’s reported interest in our glove first shortstop, Padres’ skipper Andy Green refused to comment on a player currently employed by another team. Reports elsewhere also have their middle infield defense mostly set with Yangervis Solarte and Erick Aybar. It remains to be seen if a trade will be worked out in the final week. What do you think the Diamondbacks should do with Ahmed? Let us know your opinion in the comments.

[ESPN, Insider subscription required] Yasmany Tomas among one of the worst projected defenders - Tell us something we don’t already know. The best analogy I’ve seen to date is that it is as if he is like a cat chasing a laser pointer in the outfield. Wouldn’t it be something if we could combine Ahmed’s fielding prowess and Tomas’ offensive ability in to some sort of super player? Interestingly enough it isn’t his range that is critiqued in this article but rather his throwing arm. Somewhere I hear AzDbackfanInDc’s cries for Gerardo Parra.

[Fox Sports Arizona] Tom Wilhelmsen as ‘The Bartender’ - Before Tom Wilhelmsen was a major league pitcher, he was pouring pitchers of beer in Tucson. As someone who worked in the food and beverage industry through college, I can attest to how common this situation actually is. Young athletes tend to devote a significant amount of time into their sport with the goal of one day reaching the highest level. As a result, they might not be prepared with a backup plan should their dreams not come to fruition. The draw of the industry is quick, easy money. You just have to know how to talk to people. Lucky for Tom he had the talent to pick the sport back up when the industry became mundane as it does for most. Fun factoid about me: Two of the first people I ever served in the industry while working at a resort in the West Valley were Clayton Kershaw and Mike Moustakas. Go get ‘em kid.

Elsewhere

[ESPN] Mike Trout suggests Spring Training for umpires - It is common during the early stages of Spring Training that everyday players are only getting 4-5 innings of work. The umpires, however, work the entire game once Cactus and Grapefruit League play begins. During one such game, Mike Trout suggested to an umpire that perhaps after 4-5 innings of work they change the crew to staff that would otherwise only see time in minor league games. The suggestion was brought forward to officials and applauded because it enables evaluators to see how minor league umpires handle faster competition, and allows a veteran crew more time to get back into game shape.

[Engadget] DirecTV to broadcast 25 MLB games in 4k - This may be interesting to those of you who recently purchased a 4k television over the off season, or watch more games at home than you attend. Remember when flat screen tube televisions were considered hi-tech?

[NPR] Overcoming the language barrier in the MLB -

For the 2016 season, MLB mandated that all teams provide interpreters for players with limited or no English proficiency.

This was actually one of my interests in study during college. The world we live in is becoming more globalized. Increased interaction with people from other other cultures means that we need to be able to understand each other although we may not speak a common language. Translation is not one for one. An effective translator will translate the meaning behind the words spoken not just what is said. Anyone that has ever tried to have a meaningful conversation through an inaccurate translator can attest to that. Baseball is no exception to this rapid globalization, and it should be evident to anyone that paid attention to the World Baseball Classic.