January 27 – Greetings from Prescott, Arizona! As we can now count down the pitchers and catchers reporting in days and not months, there is nothing more rewarding than touring the state while spreading a little baseball love and excitement. Clearly the job of the Dbacks Hometown Tour is to blanket the state and visit local communities while thanking fans for all of their support. Yet inevitably what occurs is as we are supposed to be getting them fired up, they bring as much or more passion and crank up the entire group’s anticipation for another season of the game we all love.

Our group is the North Tour and I am joined in our fine RV by Doug Davis, Chris Snyder and 3rd base coach Chip Hale (and I will certainly not overlook Scott Geyer and Tara Trzinski). At South Beaver School in Flagstaff, we divided up and went to all of the classrooms, and after reading Casey at the Bat, we reminded the well behaved youngsters how important education is to all of us and Doug and Chris stressed that they do homework daily in prepping for each and every game. Doug actually mentioned that he studies an average of twelve hours between starts. The big question from all the kids to Snyder….are you excited to catch the Big Unit again? After we rubbed the beaver’s teeth for good luck and mixed in a squirt of Purel, we were off.

Next stop was the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce luncheon, where Governor Janet Napolitano addressed a massive audience with a great deal of conviction and passion. Team Prez Derrick Hall and I were able to address her passion for baseball as we presented her with a jersey and I must admit this was a pretty humbling and honorable experience to share the stage with the governor. There were autographs after and then we were gone.

Next it was KPPV Radio in Prescott and it was fun to listen outside the studio as Doug and Chris, future batterymates looked forward to working together and were ready to get to Tucson and be a part of the 07’ preview in person. Then Chip and I were asked into the studio and I promptly didn’t let Mr. Hale get a word in edge wise…what’s new. Actually Chip was great, he sports the widest smile when asked about guys like Chris Young and Stephen Drew, all of whom helped him win a AAA title last year as manager.

Finally it was autographs at the Boys and Girls Club in Prescott. This was a fund raiser for the location and the highlight was walking into the room and seeing it dressed up in Red, Black and Sand. But it wasn’t any team issued gear or posters, it was all the work of excited youngsters is first, second, third grade and beyond. There is no printer or computer generated graphic that can match the love that goes into a “Welcome Dbacks…Have a Great Season” put together with crayons and markers.

Finally it was a stop for a few (not autographs) at The Office. Great food, better people and ready for baseball. I must admit some of the best parts of Day One were the conversations while traveling from place to place. It was amazing inside baseball talk and I will share some of it with you in the next few days. But I’ve gotta go, don’t want to miss the RV!

January 19 – As a late arriver to Diamondbacks Fantasy Camp, I had a lot of making up for lost time to accomplish as the campers arrived to the locker room for day five, or the “Dog Days” as they were appropriately named. It was a fitting title for the day as there were many hamstrings and quads that were barking like our canine friends as we all slipped on our big league uniforms. Soreness was erased by smiles as the conversation around me shifted to anticipation of the day’s games and the upcoming session of “kangaroo court” to be handled by his Honor Mark Grace and Matt Williams, Attorney at Law (I think he handles accident victims when not practicing law at camp).

A perfect fit, that uniform, and suddenly I felt like a kid again. It is amazing how a few items of clothing can act in the transformation of one’s emotions.

All of us failed to match our dreams of perfection. So I rate us on the basis of our splendid failure to do the impossible. -William Faulkner, Novelist and Nobel Prize Winner

It is safe to assume that Mr. Faulkner never attended fantasy camp, yet this in many ways describes those of us that played catch, swung the bat, ran the bases, listened as we were guided by a few living legends, and laughed….laughed a lot. We all had dreams as a ten-year-old that we could strike out Reggie Jackson like Bob Welch did or tip our cap to a packed house at Wrigley Field, you fill in the players and the ballparks. But, Mr. Faulkner, the unique thing about this experience is that in this setting we are able to capture our dreams of perfection. We’ll save our splendid failures in this great game for another day, because today I plan on drifting one more time and hearing the crowd call me out of the dugout.

This experience also serves as a clear reminder that when I sit in the booth, I am covering some of the most gifted athletes in the world. This game is not easy, but is it ever a great game. Grab a glove and ball sometime, find a friend or a wall, there’s nothing better.

And finally it would be unfair to my manager Matt Williams if I didn’t give him credit for his solid skills as bench general. Our squad defeated Matt’s bitter rival Mark Grace and his crew and locked up a year’s worth of bragging rights for my skipper on FSN Arizona. The kicker of the ballgame was that I lucked into scoring the winning run on a screaming gapper of the bat of Thomas Stuart. It is apparent that Matt expects constant on-air reminders of the victory to my esteemed partner and color analyst. What’s a new guy to do? Stay tuned.

See you soon. I have to go feed my barking hamstring.

By the way…drop me a note at dbacksbooth@aol.com.

As a D-Back fan from the beginning, I am looking forward to our first real youth movement this year.  We had a small youth movement with some lesser prospects in 2003, but I can’t wait for the real deal to arrive this year. With the addition of Randy Johnson, I am more excited about this team than I’ve been since ’03. I feel like we have a competitive rotation 1-4 and a lineup that can compete with any other team in our division. On another note, much like the Diamondbacks, I started on the ground floor watching Arrested Development, easily one of the funniest TV shows ever, and much like Seinfeld, a show you can watch again and again to pick up new jokes that you missed the first time because you were laughing so hard.  I definitely recommend all 3 seasons on DVD. Glad to see it still getting props, almost a year after its cancellation. Hope you have a great season.
-Craig, A Loyal D-Backs fan.

January 8 –

I’m 33 for a moment
Still the man, but you see I’m a they
A kid on the way
A family on my mind

I’m 45 for a moment
The sea is high
And I’m heading into a crisis
Chasing the years of my life

15 there’s still time for you
Time to buy, Time to lose yourself
Within a morning star
15 I’m all right with you
15, there’s never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live.
-Five for Fighting

Life is too short to keep your dreams and desires in a bottle. Yes, even multiple Cy Young Award winners feel they have more to accomplish and it may not be on the field. Longing to work at home is not a new phenomenon in this game as your kids ask to hold your hand and then your car keys in the blink of an eye.

Was it the case of a player not fitting in a certain market? Maybe, then again the answer could be maybe not. Randy’s 34 wins the last two seasons were more than any other player to wear the pinstripes, six more than Mike Mussina and both received more than six runs per game support. The biggest concern for Johnson as one examines his 2006 numbers is the how hot the fire burned with men on base. With the bases empty opposing batters hit .206 against the lefty, but with runners on that average jumped 115 points. This was a huge departure from his career numbers of .211 (empty) and .227 (runners on). You can’t help but think that a bum back had something to do with working out of the stretch as opposed to the windup.

Since turning 43, Roger Clemens has made 29 starts and has an ERA of 2.51. In 1990, a 43 year old Nolan Ryan made 30 starts, winning 13 times and held his ERA below three and a half, as a matter of fact, the Express went to the mound 97 times after birthday number 43, sported a 3.52 ERA, and threw two no-hitters to put the wrap on his legendary career. Since only the pitchers mentioned above have more career strikeouts than Randy, he should be afforded the opportunity to reach the bar set by the duo, better yet, let’s expect it. After all, five Cy’s don’t rest in the trophy case by accident. There is certainly risk in a deal such as this one, but so was counting on Kenny Rogers in 2006.

How about the NL West now? Zito, Cain, Schmidt, Lowe, Penny, Peavy, Young, Maddux, Johnson, Webb, Hernandez, Cook and Francis are all pretty good arms, last time I checked.

See you soon. 

January 2 – Happy New Year fellow baseball fans, drop me a note at dbacksbooth@aol.com and let us know what excites you the most about 2007 on the diamond.

In no particular order and certainly with no rhyme or reason, here are a few things I’m looking forward to witnessing and enjoying in the New Year.

The Webb of Wormburners. There is nothing more rewarding than watching a muscle bound slugger open up those hips with hopes of pulling a ball five miles into the bleachers, only to see the mammoth man hit a 13 hopper to the shortstop and take a quick right turn back to the dugout. Over the last three seasons, Brandon Webb has rolled up 1319 ground outs, second only to Derek Lowe as baseball’s best. Sweet dreams slugger.

Goose Bumps. Nothing keeps you coming back to the ballpark more than memories loaded with electricity and emotion. Bill Hall’s walk off homer with a pink bat on Mother’s Day with his mom in attendance, the opening a new era at sparkling Busch Stadium II in St. Louis, and the same fans doing the tomahawk chop on the season’s final weekend begging the Braves to help pave their path to the postseason against the Astros were moments many will not soon forget. Love the bumps!

Fenway Franks. Over the last few seasons, I have been able to sneak away from the team on an east coast trip and journey to the ballyard in Boston for a Red Sox game. It is truly one of the game’s great destinations and here’s hoping there can be some schedule squeezing again this year. Then it’s all aboard Amtrak.

Arrested Development. On a self serving level, I am hoping to obtain as many DVD’s of the show in order to catch up on the many plane flights we enjoy. You see, I missed the boat when the show was originally on FOX and have found that I can’t get enough of the Bluth family, the Blue Man Group, the banana stand and GOB’s magic. Did I mention Bob Loblaw?

A Magic Juan. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a small stick with a star on the end that when waved at an athlete would transform their heart and effort into that of Juan Pierre’s. Upon arriving at the ballpark at about 2pm for a night game, it is a usual occurrence to witness the leadoff hitter in the outfield working on his jumps, his bunts or his conditioning. Here’s a challenge for you in 2007, find someone that outworks the LA leadoff hitter. Final note…since 01’ only Ichiro has more hits than the magic man.

A DeLorean (Preferably with a Flux Capacitor). As years fly forward, I find myself longing to journey years back. Just give me one chance to see, in person, Jackie Robinson’s courage, Sandy Koufax’s arm and Bob Gibson’s stare. Many of us have been fortunate enough to witness baseball history in our lifetime, yet we find ourselves a bit envious of those that were a part of the things we missed. Here’s hoping Marty McFly can drive.

Kids in the Hall. And in the aisles, seats and concourses is where we all hope to see young smiling faces day after day and night after night. The phrase “paint the town red” will hopefully apply to school hallways as young boys and girls will be proud to wear number 16, 17 or 22 Dbacks tees.

Kids in the Dugout. Here’s hoping that the rookies and veterans alike never abandon their childlike love for this great game. In doing so they should always remember the youngsters in the stands who adore their every step. Finally it will remind them how fortunate they are to earn well beyond an “adult” living to play a “kids” game. It’s still ok to smile guys…we love it.

See you soon.