CenPho Sports

Perfect Game at MLB All Star Game 2015

daronsutton — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 17:54:25 +0000

http://m.mlb.com/video/v258758383

Perfect Game All American Game Selection Show on MLB Network. ASG Cincinnati 15′.

Chip Hale’s high school coach in attendance

Steve Gilbert — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 04:41:46 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO — The series with the Giants is a homecoming for D-backs manager Chip Hale, who grew up in the Bay Area and also spent the past three seasons as bench coach for the A’s.

“Every time I come to this ballpark or play against the Giants or the A’s, it’s a warm spot for me,” Hale said. “I’ve got a lot of family and friends here, people that are the reason I’m here. I wouldn’t be here without all the coaching I had throughout my youth.”

Don Miller, who coached Hale at Campolindo High School and in American Legion ball was in the dugout and on the field while the D-backs took batting practice.

“He was just born to coach,” Miller said of Hale.

Miller said that when Hale was a freshman and his team won a semifinal game the coaches prepared to go scout the other semifinal game.

“And he says, ‘Hey Coach, could I come with you guys?’” Miller said. “So here’s a 15-year-old, 14-year-old kid wanting to go watch the other team and hang out with the coaches and see what we were doing. You just knew. It’s in his blood.”

PxP KC at NYY, FOX Sports, Sept 2014

daronsutton — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 23:46:27 +0000

http://mlb.mlb.com/shared/flash/mediaplayer/v4.5/R6/MP4.jsp?calendar_event_id=14-382655-2014-09-06&content_id=&media_id=&view_key=&media_type=video&source=MLB&sponsor=MLB&clickOrigin=&affiliateId=&team=mlb

Louisville Slugger Brand Story 2015

daronsutton — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 23:08:30 +0000

D-backs deal Parra

Steve Gilbert — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 18:12:22 +0000

PHOENIX — The D-backs acquired Minor League outfielder Mitch Haniger and Minor League left-hander Anthony Banda on Thursday from the Brewers in exchange for outfielder Gerardo Parra.

Haniger, 23, was ranked as the eighth-best prospect in the Brewers system prior to the season by MLB.com and was hitting .255 with seven doubles, 10 homers and 34 RBIs.

Haniger, who can play center field, is regarded as a patient hitter with decent speed and he has power potential. He was the 38th overall pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft and was a member of the Arizona Fall League’s All-Prospect Team last year.

Banda, who turns 21 in a couple of weeks, has appeared in 20 games (14 starts) for Class A Wisconsin and was 6-6 with two saves and a 3.66 ERA.

Parra was hitting .259 for the D-backs this year and hit .274 and won a pair of Gold Gloves during his six seasons in Arizona.

“I try not to think anything about it because I’m happy being here,” Parra said prior to Wednesday’s game. “I’m happy being with the Diamondbacks. But that’s baseball. Today you play and tomorrow you could play for another team. But I don’t want to think about it and put pressure on myself. I’m going to play hard today and play to win.”

Hill out of lineup but injury does not appear serious

Steve Gilbert — Sun, 27 Jul 2014 17:47:02 +0000

PHILADELPHIA — Aaron Hill was out of the lineup Sunday after being hit in the right hand by a Justin De Fratus pitch in the sixth inning Saturday night.

Hill received treatment on the hand Sunday morning and said that it felt “good.”

Throwing was not a problem for him, but Saturday night he was unable to grip a bat. Sunday morning he was headed to the batting cage to try and take a few swings.

X-rays taken Saturday did not show a break, but that can be deceiving. Last year when he was hit by a pitch in April, X-rays were negative, but an MRI later showed a non-displaced fracture and he missed more than .

“Nah, I’ll be alright,” Hill said when asked if he was concerned about a repeat of last year. “Nothing you can do if it is, but I’ll be fine. It got me a little more square last year.”

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Back to Baseball

Steve Gilbert — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 15:59:44 +0000

For a baseball beat writer, the season is long. It starts in mid-February (early February for the D-backs and Dodgers this year) when pitchers and catchers report and it stretches through September and into October if the team you cover makes the playoffs.

Along the way there are deadlines to meet, endless airline flights, car rental counters, expense reports to do and multiple stories daily.

In other words, it’s a grind.

Don’t worry, this isn’t a column that complains about any of that, because this is the life that I’ve chosen and one that I love. My point in the above is to say that at times we all get a little worn down by it all no matter how much we love the game or our jobs.

And man was I there on the final day before the All-Star Break.

But I work for a company that encourages us to use a week of our vacation time at some point during the regular season. For the last few years I’ve chosen to take All-Star Break week off and the routine is fairly predictable.

First there’s relief Monday in turning off the phone and not checking Twitter every few minutes to make sure I’m not missing a D-backs trade rumor. But as the week wears on, though, I find myself turning the computer back on and checking on baseball not because I have to, but because I want to.

All of this is a long way of saying I’m back on the beat starting today and looking forward to another two-plus months of baseball. Sure the D-backs are out of the postseason race, but there is still plenty to watch out for in the second half as the organization tries to figure out who will be part of the team going forward.

My hope is to bring all that to you. Thank you for reading,

Steve

Some quick thoughts on Tony La Russa hiring

Steve Gilbert — Sat, 17 May 2014 19:10:12 +0000

A few quick thoughts on the D-backs hiring of Tony La Russa as Chief Baseball Officer. Obviously we will have plenty more at dbacks.com following this afternoon’s press conference.

La Russa missed the wins and losses

La Russa had a great job with the commissioner’s office, but my guess is we’ll hear him say today that he missed the wins and losses that come with being involved with a particular team. He was a candidate for the Seattle Mariners team president position not too long ago and that was a good indication that he was itching to get back.

He’s not going to manage this team

From every indication La Russa is done managing and I would also believe that he is not interested in being a general manager either. Overseeing the entire baseball operations seems to fit what he has been looking for — a chance to put his stamp on an organization.

He will be fair in his evaluations of GM Kevin Towers and manager Kirk Gibson

Keep in mind while La Russa has never held a position like this one he is extremely bright and you can expect that he will attack this new challenge very meticulously. He is a big believer in “doing things the right way” so you can bet he will be very even handed when it comes to deciding what to do with the baseball ops department going forward.

PxP Col at LA, FOX Sports (Open, Top 4, Top 9) 2013

daronsutton — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 18:50:50 +0000

PxP Az Clinch NL West (Bottom 8, Top 9) 2011

daronsutton — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 18:50:00 +0000

PxP Az at KC (Open, Top 2) 2011

daronsutton — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 18:49:20 +0000

PxP Az at SF (Open, Bottom 5, Top 6) 2011

daronsutton — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 18:48:39 +0000

Hank Aaron Interview, MLB Network (Link)

daronsutton — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 18:46:35 +0000

Commissioner Bud Selig Interview, Parts 2 and 3

daronsutton — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 18:45:16 +0000

Sanderson Lincoln Driving Commercials

daronsutton — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 18:42:52 +0000

D-backs Kevin Towers and Kirk Gibson address job status

Steve Gilbert — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 17:34:55 +0000

CHICAGO — Kevin Towers looks at the team that he put together and the D-backs general manager is as perplexed as anyone at the dismal start.

“I’ve been a part of some bad clubs, but most of the time I knew they were bad clubs, knew going into the season that we were going to struggle,” Towers said.

The D-backs had far higher hopes for this season with a club-record payroll of $110 million, but they entered Wednesday afternoon’s game with the Cubs with a Majors-worst 5-18 record.

With that payroll came expectations and Towers knows that managing general partner Ken Kendrick and team president/CEO Derrick Hall might be running short on patience.

“I’ve talked to Derrick, Ken and they’re [frustrated] — rightfully so,” Towers said. “They should be. This organization has committed a lot of money. That’s what’s even more disturbing. You’ve got a payroll that exceeds $100 million and we’re off to one of the worst starts in franchise history. That’s tough to swallow when you’re an owner and you care and you’ve invested in a product and the product isn’t performing. I’m sure they’ve grown impatient and I don’t blame them.”

D-backs manager Kirk Gibson knows that there has been speculation about his job status, but he is trying to remain focused on getting his team turned around.

“I don’t worry about that part,” Gibson said of his job status. “I just come in here and am positive every day. We try to analyze what we can do [better] and we just prepare and try to get the guys to prepare and have a positive day and a good game.”

Regardless of how positive they are, or what Towers or Gibson do, the reality is that it is up to the players on the field and Towers issued a bit of a challenge Wednesday.

“It’s a team that should be performing a lot better than they are and it’s not like help is on its way,” Towers said. “These guys are the guys who are going to have to get it done. If not, your legacy is that you were part of one of the worst teams in Diamondbacks franchise history. To me, I’ve got incredible pride — and hopefully they do and they’re going to have to find a way to turn it around or that will be their legacy.”

When asked if he thought that he would be given a chance to continue as GM and be given a chance to fix what’s wrong with the team, Towers deferred the query to Kendrick and Hall.

“That’s a question you need to ask them,” Towers said. “I don’t think they dislike Gibby or myself. They’re good people. They’ve been great to us. But Gibby and I are smart enough to know that this is what you get paid to do. You get paid to hopefully go out and win ballgames. But I think we’re all accountable. Everybody. It’s players, it’s us, it’s coaches. We all should be wearing this right now and finding a way to turn this around.”

When he took over as GM in Sept. 2010, Towers inherited Gibson, who had been named interim manager in July.

The two quickly formed a bond and Towers elected after that season to rehire Gibson. The pair won a division championship together in 2011, which was followed up by back-to-back .500 seasons.

After last season the organization declined to pick up the contract options on the pair for 2015, but then announced extensions of unspecified lengths for both just before the start of Spring Training.

As of Wednesday, Towers was still standing behind Gibson.

“I think the world of Gibby,” Towers said. “He’s a fierce competitor. He cares. But ultimately, it’s how do they respond? Players may ultimately get GMs and managers fired, but they don’t do it, it comes from up above. But how they respond to different things, our livelihood kind of lies in their hands. That’s just the truth and it does. They perform good, we have job security. They don’t perform well, we don’t have job security. That’s probably what makes it tough on Gibby and myself. You can’t go out and swing the bat or throw a ball. You’re sitting and evaluating, watching. You try to find different ways to get it done but you can’t go out and play the game for them.”

Gibson, for his part, continues to stand behind his players in terms of the effort they’re putting forth.

“Yeah, they’re busting their [butts],” he said. “When you don’t score runs it looks bad. When you don’t pitch, it looks bad. It always will. It always has. Things are magnified when we make an error and somebody hits a home run. It looks bad. Anybody going to question anybody on our team’s attitude and dedication and how they prepare when they make an error? They better not.”

2/6/14: A few thoughts

Steve Gilbert — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 01:36:54 +0000

A few thoughts from report day…

— They really shouldn’t call it report day, because the pitchers and catchers don’t actually have to show up at Salt River Fields. They simply need to check in to say they are in town.

In addition, almost all the guys — even position players — have been working out at the complex for days if not weeks.

— Speaking of which, the quote of the day on that subject came from pitcher Brandon McCarthy: “It’s just good because in the last month is when you start to hit that boredom point of you’re done with the offseason, you’re sick of your loved ones, you want to get out of your house, you kind of want to get back at some competitive outlet.”

— And while we’re on the subject of McCarthy, his comments about the determination in the clubhouse this spring really jumped out at me. You can read them here.

Look every team sounds optimistic during Spring Training especially early in camp, but this sounded different, there was an intensity and specificity about what needed to change that caught my attention.

Maybe it means nothing, but in listening to McCarthy and then to manager Kirk Gibson later, it seemed like things are quite different than they were last year.

— Here’s a link to today’s notebook with information on the closer competition, Mark Trumbo’s signing and Henry Blanco.

— The D-backs will go out to stretch and begin Friday’s first workout at 9:30 and they will be on the field until close to noon.

— All spring long workouts are free and open to the public. Fans can park in the Desert Parking Lot.

— For photos, schedule updates and news throughout the spring, follow me on Twitter.

44 days until opener in Sydney
53 days until opener vs. Giants at Chase Field
234 days until the end of the 2014 regular season

What to expect today

Steve Gilbert — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 15:06:53 +0000

Today is report day for D-backs pitchers and catchers so I wanted to give a quick rundown of what you can expect today on the site and at the ballpark:

Pitchers and catchers will not necessarily be there today: Report day is a bit misleading, because all players have to do to “report” is to call the organization and let it know they are in town. Pitchers and catchers don’t have to be at the ballpark until Friday when the workouts start.

Nothing to see here: That means there’s a good chance there won’t be any activities out on the fields. Now, that being said, there are players who have been working out at the complex for months so I’m not sure if they will be there or not, but your best bet is to come out Friday.

Site content today: They will open the clubhouse to the media mid-morning today, but there is no guarantee there will be any players to talk to. However, Kirk Gibson will be meeting with us at 11 a.m. so you can check back this afternoon for his thoughts as camp opens.

Arroyo watch: As always, we’ll be on top of whatever breaking news there is throughout the day. The D-backs are planning on meeting with Arroyo (not sure when) but it’s something we’ll keep an eye out today and going forward.

Workout times this spring: I will try and have the blog updated daily during the spring, but your best bet for staying on top workout times and any changes to them will be to follow me on twitter.

Spring Training preview: Here’s my preview of the D-backs as they head into Spring Training.

D-backs extend Towers and Gibson

Steve Gilbert — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 21:04:18 +0000

PHOENIX — As it turns out, D-backs general manager Kevin Towers and manager Kirk Gibson will not be entering the final year of the contracts in 2014.

The team on Monday said that it had extended the contracts of both men. The length of the extensions as well as the financial terms were not disclosed.

“Over the past couple months, Ken Kendrick and I have had continued conversations about extending both Gibby and KT’s contracts and we are pleased to have come to an agreement,” D-backs President/CEO Derrick Hall said in a statement. “We continue to be impressed by their loyalty, dedication, work ethic and track record of success during their big league careers and are glad that their contract status will not be a distraction as we open up Spring Training this week.”

Towers, who was hired in Sept. 2010 and Gibson, who took over for A.J. Hinch on July 1, 2010, both had future contract options declined by the organization following the 2013 season leaving them both with just 2014 left on the deals they signed following the 2011 National League West championship season.

Both Towers and Gibson said entering the final year of their respective contracts would not be an issue.

“We’re very happy with both of them,” Hall said of Towers and Gibson at the time the options were not picked up. “They’re under contract and they can still be extended. It’s not a big deal. We’re all on the same page.”

Arizona managing general partner Ken Kendrick echoed Hall’s comments in an interview with MLB.com in November.

“I think we have good leadership starting with Derrick and in the front office and on the field with K.T. and Gibby,” Kendrick said at that time. “I’m comfortable with those guys. I think it’s important for them to go out and prove themselves once again. I hope and believe they’re going to be long-term Diamondback people.”

If they didn’t then, they should now.

Gibson has a 290-279 record with the D-backs, including going 34-49 in the second half of the 2010 season.

Towers, meanwhile, retooled the D-backs after taking over for Josh Byrnes and turned a 97-loss team in 2010 into a 94-win team in 2011.

The past two seasons the D-backs have finished with identical 81-81 records.

“I would say it’s disappointing really because our expectations are very high,” Towers said following last season. “I think they have been since Gibby and I have been together since 2011. We fully expect to be in the postseason each and every year, and the last two years we’ve been .500.”

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D-backs taking another look at remaining free agents

Steve Gilbert — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 18:11:19 +0000

PHOENIX — With just three days remaining before pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training, the D-backs might not be done adding to their roster.

D-backs team president and CEO Derrick Hall said that the team will make one more pass through their free agent list to see if a match can be found.

“We owe it to ourselves to at least see what the remaining free agents are looking for,” Hall said.

The D-backs had hoped to add a frontline starter this offseason and were one of the finalists for the services of right-hander Masahiro Tanaka, who eventually signed a $155 million deal with the Yankees.

Matt Garza was another pitcher the D-backs had interest in, but he was able to get a four-year deal from the Brewers. Arizona general manager Kevin Towers had said during the Winter Meetings that he did not anticipate offering a deal of longer than three years to any free agent pitcher other than Tanaka.

Free agent pitchers Ervin Santana and Ubaldo Jimenez are tied to draft compensation meaning the D-backs would have to surrender their first-round pick in this year’s Draft should they sign one of them.

Right-hander Bronson Arroyo, however, is not tied to draft compensation and therefore might be more attractive to the D-backs.

As it stands right now, the D-backs rotation consists of Patrick Corbin, Wade Miley, Trevor Cahill and Brandon McCarthy. Top prospect Archie Bradley and Randall Delgado are expected to be among the leading contenders for the fifth spot.

Arroyo was 14-12 with a 3.79 ERA last season for the Reds. He has been a workhorse in his career. Over the last nine seasons he has thrown at least 199 innings.

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Fireworks & Champagne

mlblogsdbacksprospect1 — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:09:10 +0000

July 4th, 2009…

Mobile, America.

Good crowd.

Fireworks.

Victory.

Pool.

Champagne showers.

Trespassing.

Cool cop.

Victory.

(That’s all you get, you do the math)

Movin’ From Mobile

mlblogsdbacksprospect1 — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:15:36 +0000

Hello everyone-

To my teammates, coaches, and fellow Mobilians, (probably no such thing) I wanted to say thank you for the past couple months. It was a great ride while I was there and maybe I will get to see some of you in the near future.

Even though the AA Southern League was the stickiest league in baseball, it was still a cool atmosphere to be apart of.

Best of luck to the Baybears for the rest of the season. Thanks guys. Peace.

Daniel

Update

mlblogsdbacksprospect1 — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:52:23 +0000

Hello Everyone-

Sorry for that month layoff. I have had a struggle with the internet and its difficult to write an entry from my phone. Anyways a lot of things have happened since I posted last.

I am currently playing for the AA Affiliate Mobile Baybears and we are cruising. We just finished a road trip in Jacksonville and took 4 of 5 from the Marlins AA Affiliate Jacksonville Suns. We had to bus to Raleigh, North Carolina after the game to take on the Mudcats who are in the Reds organization.

I will be back to post some random adventures that I have endured along the way. Most of these include catching turtles and going to Bass Pro Shops everyday before I have to be at the field.

Talk soon.

Daniel Schlereth

Give It Up For Evan Frey

mlblogsdbacksprospect1 — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:12:06 +0000

This goes out to my homeslice Evan. He was my locker buddy in big league camp. Even though he crowded my personal space and crossed my invisible line that separated our lockers, I want to give him a shout out. The dude is crushin it in camp with the big leaguers.

Evan, a 10th Rounder a couple years ago out of Mizzou, has yet to play above class A ball in the summer. But despite that he has caught the eye of Manager Bob Melvin. I believe Bob called Evan the MVP of the team thus far in camp.

Keep it up french Frey, we are pulling for you.

American Idol

mlblogsdbacksprospect1 — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:03:05 +0000

Ok, make fun of me all you want, but I am an American Idol fan. I started to get into it this past season. Mostly because my lady, Bree, likes to watch it and forces me to sit and watch with her. But now I remind her when the show is on. The tables have turned.

I am upset about last weeks episode because my personal fave, Allison Iraheta, was voted into the bottom 3!!! Come on America! This girl is 16 and rocks the mic like Pat Benatar and Joan Jett in their prime!

Please vote for her if you are into that kind of thing because she is the next Kelly Clarkson, maybe even with a little more style. Allison, you will probably never read a blog on this site but if you do, my fiance and I are pulling for you!!!

Hit Run

mlblogsdbacksprospect1 — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:47:37 +0000

I am having a great week.

Recently, I went into best buy for about ten minutes at the most. I come outside to find that my tahoe has pretty decent size dent on the left side of my back bumper. No info, no note, no witnesses. Nothing. This stirs my pot. Why…Why must folks not own up.

I know accidents happen, but growing up my parents taught me to take responsibility for my actions. I noticed that the streak marks on my black bumper were light blue. So if anyone sees a baby blue car in Tucson let me know. Can’t be too many baby blue’s out there.

Have a great day, and fess up baby blue car in Tucson,

Daniel Schlereth

For The Fans…

mlblogsdbacksprospect1 — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 04:46:53 +0000

I want to shake things up a little…

To be quite honest, I haven’t had a good story to talk about in a week. So, with that said, I want to ask the fans of baseball if there are any questions or comments that they want to ask or talk about.

Please do not be shy, I want to be interactive with this blog because what we are writing in our blogs is for you (the fans) to read.

Also, I heard that there is an increase in spring training attendance and ticket sales this year in the cactus league. I would like to thank all the fans who come out and support what we do. Without the fans, this game would not be what it is today. So a special thanks to all the fans.

I will check back daily to answer your comments and questions the best I can.

Peace be with you, talk soon.

Daniel Schlereth

Let it begin..

mlblogsdbacksprospect1 — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:31:23 +0000

Nothing better… The smell of fresh cut grass in the mornin, the crack of the bat, and heaters smackin’ the leather of a catcher’s mitt. The 2009 Major League games have officially begun.

A great time for the fans to take a break from the real world to watch their favorite clubs as they all begin their journey toward a world series championship.

For me personally, I am not slated to pitch until Friday against the Chicago White Sox. With that said, I stay back with the players who aren’t scheduled to play in the game to get some work in. For pitchers, that means a “side” bullpen session with some fundamental and PFP (Pitcher Fielding Practice) work. For position guys, that’s hack after hack to go along with baserunning drils and fielding drills.

Fans might think that their favorite players simply have an “off” day if they are not in the lineup. Well I can tell you that is not the case at all. They are at practice early in the morning working on a pitch or an approach at the plate, while some others like my teammates Eric Byrnes and Tom “Flash” Gordon are working their tail off with the trainers and strength coaches to prepare for the long demand of the season as they are being hampered right now with nagging injuries from last year.

Anyhoo, I hope this post is a help to some of the fans looking for a little insight on how spring training works if they ever ponder why a certain player isn’t in the game.

I hope to see all you Tucsonians (not sure if that’s right) at Tucson Electric Park to support the 2009 squad. This club is loaded with young talent and should be a tough competitor in the National League… So look out!

That’s all for now, see you next week. Love the comments so keep them coming, D-Back Dan out. Peace.

Javelinas in Tucson…

mlblogsdbacksprospect1 — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:39:50 +0000

This morning at around 8:00 am shortly after completing my urine sample in the clubhouse, there was a topic of conversation that broke out at the breakfast table. A few guys (Brooks Brown, Clay Zavada, Hector Ambriz, Tony Barnette) were discussing a javelina sighting near their apartments the night before. For those of you who don’t know what a javelina is, think of Pumba in the disney movie “The Lion King” with jet, coarse, black hair that smells like garbage.

These fugly beasts typically travel in packs, roaming around the desert at night trying to salvage a few crumbs of food wherever they can find it. I know from a previous experience in my college years that “pumba” loves to dig through trash. Quick story, there was one night my freshman year where my roommate and I forgot about some trash we left on the porch. Little did I know this would come back to haunt us. Totally forgetting about the 8-10 trashbags we had put out, I became startled at about 3:00 am. My first thought was that there were people outside of my place havin’ a little party on our patio. As I approached the sliding glass door to open the blinds I realized what I was dealing with was a little different. There was a group of large and small black pigs ransacking through our garbage that we had forgot about that day. I flipped on the porch light thinking they would go away…they didn’t. So me being the tough guy I am, decided to march out in my underwear with a butter knife trying to scare these weird creatures away, after all I had no idea what they were. They barely flinched, maybe because their eyesight is terrible, or maybe because they had never seen a terrified human attack them half naked holding an intimidating butter knife. After my charge, I gave up, I let them have my trash.

I just thought everyone would like to know a little javelina story. Especially for those of you who aren’t lucky enough to be living among them. Thankfully, I was the lucky recipient of an encounter with these dirty pigs that I will never forget. What a great start to my blog, I will actually begin posting entries that are relevant to baseball here shortly. Thank you, and have a great day. Diamondback Dan out.

Please feel free to comment on your javelina stories, or anything else for that matter.