Snake Bytes, 10/30: Chase the title

Team news

[SI] Torey Lovullo Speaks on Game 3, Walker, Pham, and More - "This was to me a true team moment. Tommy Pham came to me and said, I need you to get my boy [Jace Peterson] an AB. And I said, Are you sure? 100 percent sure? And I gave him some contingencies. I said if it's 7-1, that's the only score I'll allow it to happen. 7-2, lefty-right, I'm going to reconsider it and I'll circle back to you. We all know what happened. But this was a moment where it was a teammate loving a teammate to give him an opportunity. He took what mattered most to him personally, number one on the list, and said, it's more about the team and my teammate at this moment. That spoke volumes about what that clubhouse feels every single day."

[AZ Central] Pham on benching by Torey Lovullo - Pham was benched for Game 5, with the series tied at two games apiece, because the outfielder and designated hitter was battling turf toe and stuck in a 1-for-13 rut through the first four games. “He didn’t think I could get the job done,” Pham said, recounting his conversation with Lovullo. “It’s up to me, as a player, to instill confidence in my manager and in my coaches so that when a situation presents itself again, they’re confident in me to do the job. So I have to do a better job, as a player, instilling that confidence in everyone in the room, from my teammates to my coaches... It wasn’t pretty on my end. I didn’t feel like it was pretty. But it was healthy. Because the best way to get over anything is to hash it out or talk it through, man to man."

[Dbacks.com] Hazens’ love story inseparable from D-backs’ postseason saga - The other half is the story of Nicole, whose passion for this game and this team exceeded the ordinary bounds of the baseball bride. She was wrapped in her husband’s work, breaking down ballgames, engaged in every outcome, even, at times, critiquing his transactions. “Her love for the D-backs,” says manager Torey Lovullo, “was real, it was fierce, it was all-in.” Baseball fans watching this World Series should know Nicole’s story and feel her presence. Because the D-backs -- this young, fun, scrappy, surprising squad -- aren’t just trying to win a championship for their heartbroken boss. They’re trying to win it for their biggest fan.

[SI] D-backs GM Mike Hazen Speaks During the World Series - Hazen is especially proud of his player-development system saying that they "do a really good job raising our players, quite frankly. We put a lot of effort into developing them all the way through from the second they get here to their families, to understanding who they are and trying to pour every ounce of energy into making them the best they can be." Owner Ken Kendrick and CEO Derrick Hall have been in his corner this whole time, both professionally and personally. Speaking on Kendrick, "he very rarely, if ever, says no to me on anything that I want to do or pursue...I really appreciate the freedom to be able to do this job in a way that allows me to do it and that he allows me to do it."

[Forbes] Arizona Catcher Moreno Has Turned The Postseason Into His Playground - “The strides I've seen Gabby have from the beginning of the season to where we are now is incredible,” Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly said. “I’ve said it multiple times in the last couple of weeks that I can't wait until I'm 50 years old and I'm watching Gabby Moreno still playing in the big leagues. I think he's that type of talent, that type of mentality." Kelly turned 36 on Oct. 14, two days after Moreno’s foul/fair homer daily double. “For as young as he is he's not scared of the moment,” Kelly said. “He's not scared of anything that I've really seen.”

[Arizona Sports] Luis Gonzalez, Randy Johnson to throw out first pitch for Game 3 of World Series - Cajun Shrimp Fries and Tenderloin Steak Nachos will be available at the Taste of Chase concession stand in Section 130. At the Copper State Steaks stand, fans can pick up the Millionaire Steak Sandwich in Section 120. Big Dawgs in Section 105 is selling a Pork Belly Banh Mi Dog. It’s a footlong hot dog with gochujang barbecue and garlic aioli sauces on a New England hot dog bun. For dessert, Sweet Treats in Section 123 is selling an Apple Pie Chimichanga that comes with vanilla frozen yogurt, crackerjacks and whipped cream. The Cactus Cooler, which has fresh lime, prickly pear and watermelon vodka and the Moneyball Mango Margarita with mango margarita mix and tequila on the rocks with a candy straw will be available at all bars that sell liquor.

[AZ Central] World Series is trip down memory lane for ex-DBacks pitcher Max Scherzer - The trade was a clear miscalculation for the Diamondbacks. And it was a disappointment for Scherzer, though he intimated that he would not have been as upset by the deal had he known then what he knows now. “I have no ill-will towards the Diamondbacks,” he said. “Now that I’ve been in the game long enough I’ve seen the business of the game. The GMs are under a tremendous amount of pressure to win and construct teams. As players, sometimes we get caught in the crosshairs of decision-making and what teams have to do.”

[NY Post] Jay Bell says Diamondbacks’ ‘character’ emulating 2001 World Series champs - Bell doesn’t have to look too hard to see the similarities between the 2001 D’backs and this bunch. “Jerry Colangelo first made the comment when I got here that we were a team full of character, not a team full of characters,” Bell told The Post. “We had a group of guys who understood how to play the game. We played the game right. From our generation, we always wanted to please the guys who played in the ’60s and ’70s. That was the style of play that we grew up on and it was always fun to hear some of the old players talk about how they respected the way we played, and that is the way this current team plays.”

[SI] Brandon Pfaadt's Rookie Season Comes Full Circle in Game 3 - "It was cool going back to Arlington. It was like a full circle" said Pfaadt. "That debut day was kind of a blur, but some things came back when we showed up to the ballpark. It was really cool to be there and kind of see that full-circle moment. I think the way we've grown over the season has been tremendous. And ready to get back after them." The Diamondbacks would not be in the position they're in now without Pfaadt's postseason heroics. In his past three starts, the rookie has allowed just two runs in 14 innings.

[Dbacks.com] How Pfaadt went from 5.72 ERA to World Series starter - That 5.72 ERA sure is ugly, but it also doesn’t really matter at all any longer. In the same way that Kevin Ginkel remade himself this season from unremarkable middle reliever to dominant postseason arm, all that matters is the type of pitcher Pfaadt is right now -- and he’s considerably different than he used to be. "I think the hardest moment was definitely getting sent down -- that's going to be hard for everybody," Pfaadt said on Sunday. "But I think it all depends on the way you take it, which road you want to take. And I chose the road to the positive mindset and go down and work on things, get better and here we are. It all paid off."

[St. Louis Post-Dispatch] Diamondbacks quickly learn what Cardinals knew about Tommy Pham’s ‘zero nonsense’ intensity - “He’s a hard guy to get a read on when you’re across the field, but my time getting to know him it’s all A-plus,” said first baseman Christian Walker, who has the locker beside Pham in the D-Backs’ home clubhouse. “He’s calculated. He’s experienced. He’s polished. The intensity. The preparation.” The bluntness? “It’s refreshing, right?” Walker said. “A lot of people dance around the truth these days, and Tommy is not that guy.” “Zero room for nonsense,” Lovullo said.

[Arizona Sports] Meet the Arizona Diamondbacks fan who created the ‘Snakes Alive’ meme - Jeff Guzzardo, creator of the original sign, joined Arizona Sports Saturday ahead of World Series Game 2 to talk about the origin of the sign and the thought process behind it. “It’s all about the Diamondbacks and the fans and the players and the organization,” he said. Guzzardo explained that he came up with the idea on a whim the morning before a game and wanted to limit himself to a normal 8.5 x 11 piece of paper so as to not obstruct anyone’s view behind him.

And, elsewhere...

Nah, nothing else matters today!