How much stock should one put in a team’s performance during the NFL preseason? In our opinion, not a damn thing. That’s why Arizona Cardinals’ fans should give a rousing “so what?” and “who cares?” when talking about the team’s zero-win preseason. Yeah, the starting offense only tallied one touchdown…
A few weeks back, we were chortling while listening to the wildly optimistic worldview of Arizona Diamondbacks president/CEO Derrick Hall on one of the morning talk shows. Hall’s team may be bad, but dude’s an ace. He’s the sort of enthusiast who could sell Otter Pops to Eskimos, firewater to…
By playing a solid nine innings of baseball Wednesday night, the Arizona Diamondbacks helped keep the race to win the National League West an interesting one. In their 4-3 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field, Dan Haren was excellent, the defense was airtight, and strikeout king Mark…
[jump] Boyer came in from the bullpen to protect a 4-1 lead at that point, and promptly allowed a slew of singles from the Los Angeles lineup, which propelled Russell Martin. Then came Daniel Schlereth, who gave up a ribbie single to Andre Ethier and permitted Mark Kemp to get…
Around 3:30 p.m. on Labor Day, while boarding an empty light-rail car at the Third Street and Washington stop, we heard a Sedona-red-wearing male say, in reference to the just-completed game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field, “Whoa. This [the game] is really the…
Max Scherzer had what may have been the best outing of his young career Wednesday night as he beat the Los Angeles Dodgers and one of the better pitchers in the National League, Chad Billingsley, 4-1. Mad Max, a pitcher with incredible stuff but frequent bouts of inconsistency, was rock…
How do you spell “relief”? Here’s a hint, it sure as heck ain’t Z-A-V-A-D-A. That’s because last night the mustachioed left-hander upended the Arizona Diamonbacks’ chances of taking two straight against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine by forcing in the game’s winning run on a walk. Here’s the…
Last night during the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Fox Sports Arizona confirmed that five-time All-Star Jim Thome had been dealt from the Chicago White Sox to the Dodgers for a player to be named later. (The ChiSox also got rid of pitcher Jose Contreras,…
With their lineup back at full-strength, the Arizona Diamondbacks looked — for a weekend, at least — like a team that could be dangerous in September. Against the reeling Houston Astros, the hitters hit well and the pitchers pitched well and everyone went home happy (except for closer Chad Qualls,…
Mark Reynolds returned to the Arizona Diamondbacks’ lineup on Thursday night after a weeklong bout with the flu and provided instant offense for a team that had been struggling big-time recently. The same could be said for Justin Upton, who was only in his second game back from a strained…
Rumors have been swirling about the Interweb over the past few days that Chad Qualls might soon find himself hurling the ball for another team, especially after the Arizona Diamondbacks closer was placed on waivers earlier this week. But whatever luster the right-hander has earned this season (23 saves, 3.73…
To boil down the Arizona Diamondbacks’ series in San Francisco (which commenced last night), it’s basically this: The Giants have mucho to play for and the D-Backs ain’t got jack. Because SF is chasing Colorado for the National League Wild Card, they are a bit more motivated each game compared…
Actor Bill Murray could be turning up at some U of A basketball games this season. His son, Luke Murray, has joined the UA basketball staff as a graduate assistant. Before his new gig in Arizona, Luke Murray served as an assistant coach at Post University in Connecticut.Luke says he’s…
The Arizona Diamondbacks have taken a real beating on their current road trip; they lost seven in a row before snapping that streak on Sunday with a 7-5 win over the Houston Astros. During the streak, the offensive achieved levels of futility — an average of two runs scored a…
The Arizona Diamondbacks barely made it out of Philadelphia alive Thursday after enduring a three-day whipping by the defending world champion Phillies. The D-Backs, who had been playing relatively solid baseball since the All-Star break, were simply overmatched in every facet of the game — pitching, hitting, defense — in…
Hard Luck got his ticket punched during the third inning when his first pitch to four-time All-Star infielder Chase Utley became a two-run homer. His nightmare continued in the fifth as Jimmy Rollins smacked a line-drive double and Shane Victorino hit a grounder single before watching Ryan Howard clear the bases from…
Once upon a time, the Arizona Diamondbacks were winning a game against the defending MLB champeen Philadelphia Phillies (we know, hard to believe). Stephen Drew had slugged a lead-off home run off of pitcher-of-the-decade Pedro Martinez, who was making his second major-league start since being brought up to The Show…
For you Diamondbacks completists, May 17 is now officially in the books. For D-Backs faithful, it was hardly worth the wait. In a rain-delay makeup game against the Braves at Atlanta’s Turner Field this afternoon, D-Backs starter Max Scherzer (7-7) got folded, spindled, and mutilated in the 9-4 loss to the…
A dirty slide that initiated a beanball war in front of a raucous Chase Field crowd. A for-the-ages, come-from-behind win in extra innings. Stars and unknowns stepping into the spotlight and delivering big plays. And one of the most unbelievable and scary moments baseball has ever witnessed. Before the ’09…
D-Backs ace Dan Haren will try to throw a minor monkeywrench into the Dodgers’ postseason plans tonight. Way back on April 10, we reluctantly — because it was a distasteful task — called the National League West for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Of course, it’s not a done deal yet. The Boys…
After getting battered about by Arizona over the past two weeks both at home and on the road, the New York Mets dished out a little comeuppance by defeating the D-Backs, 6-4, this afternoon at Chase Field. Led by the surprisingly sturdy pitching of lefty Oliver Perez (who’s had a…
If nothing else, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ disastrous 2009 season will be remembered for the number of breakout stars it’s helped to spawn. From mustachioed pitcher Clay Zavada to walking tattoo canvas Ryan Roberts, the burgeoning ball-playing talents of this year’s crop of Baby Backs have helped provide a reason to…
