azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Few questions left for Melvin to answer
Bob McManaman
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 20, 2005 12:00 AM
For as many question marks as the Diamondbacks had when he took the job, manager Bob Melvin could have embroidered a dozen or so on his uniform and changed his name to the Riddler.
Two-and-a-half months later, Melvin has more answers than questions when it comes to filling out his lineup. A dizzying series of moves transformed the Diamondbacks. The ownership and management team brought in three experienced starting pitchers, two huge bats and more dependable defense up the middle.
"I think what it says to our fans is that we were serious about what we were talking about. It wasn't just lip service," Melvin said Wednesday at Bank One Ballpark, where the club opened its doors for a two-hour, pre-spring training interview session. "It wasn't, 'Here's what we're looking to do.' It was, 'This is something we're going to do.'
"There's a precedent you set for your fans, and they get used to it. Winning is something we don't take very lightly around here. It's always been the most important thing, and we feel we're putting together a team on the field that is going to be competitive and win. If you do that enough years in a row, years like 2001 are going to happen."
Nobody is about to predict the Diamondbacks will win the World Series in 2005. They have to win 30 more games than they did last season just to hit the .500 mark.
More moves are on the way, but once the team reaches a decision on a center fielder and adds a pinch-hitter to back up Chad Tracy at first base, the roster is virtually set. The question marks will be the starting catcher and the fifth spot in the rotation.
"I know everybody was skeptical about what our team was going to look like," left fielder Luis Gonzalez said, "but I think the fans should be excited about the product we're going to put out there, because if you look at our division, we've made the most moves and we've added a lot more veterans on our ballclub."
Melvin isn't ready to name his leadoff hitter, but he has options in second baseman Craig Counsell and shortstop Royce Clayton.
The G-Force follows at the heart of the order: Gonzalez batting third, new third baseman Troy Glaus batting cleanup and new right fielder Shawn Green fifth. It is expected, but not etched in stone, that Tracy will hit sixth, followed by Counsell and then the catcher, who will be determined between youngsters Koyie Hill and Chris Snyder, with veteran Kelly Stinnett serving as a backup.
"I just plan on showing up to the park every day, playing hard and giving it my best shot," said Hill, who is returning from a fractured right ankle but should be ready for spring training.
As for pitching, the Nos. 1-4 starters are set, with right-handers Javier Vazquez, Russ Ortiz and Brandon Webb and southpaw Shawn Estes. Brad Halsey, Michael Gosling, Ramon Antonio Peña and reliever Oscar Villarreal are in the running for the No. 5 spot.
The bullpen figures to be tweaked but features Greg Aquino returning as closer, with Mike Koplove, Brian Bruney and Jose Valverde (if he's healthy) as the setup men.
"We have a lot of new faces," Ortiz said, "but once we get used to each other and have good leadership that everybody is willing to follow and do the job, I don't see how we'll have a problem getting this squad together fast."
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0120dbacks0120.html
Bob McManaman
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 20, 2005 12:00 AM
For as many question marks as the Diamondbacks had when he took the job, manager Bob Melvin could have embroidered a dozen or so on his uniform and changed his name to the Riddler.
Two-and-a-half months later, Melvin has more answers than questions when it comes to filling out his lineup. A dizzying series of moves transformed the Diamondbacks. The ownership and management team brought in three experienced starting pitchers, two huge bats and more dependable defense up the middle.
"I think what it says to our fans is that we were serious about what we were talking about. It wasn't just lip service," Melvin said Wednesday at Bank One Ballpark, where the club opened its doors for a two-hour, pre-spring training interview session. "It wasn't, 'Here's what we're looking to do.' It was, 'This is something we're going to do.'
"There's a precedent you set for your fans, and they get used to it. Winning is something we don't take very lightly around here. It's always been the most important thing, and we feel we're putting together a team on the field that is going to be competitive and win. If you do that enough years in a row, years like 2001 are going to happen."
Nobody is about to predict the Diamondbacks will win the World Series in 2005. They have to win 30 more games than they did last season just to hit the .500 mark.
More moves are on the way, but once the team reaches a decision on a center fielder and adds a pinch-hitter to back up Chad Tracy at first base, the roster is virtually set. The question marks will be the starting catcher and the fifth spot in the rotation.
"I know everybody was skeptical about what our team was going to look like," left fielder Luis Gonzalez said, "but I think the fans should be excited about the product we're going to put out there, because if you look at our division, we've made the most moves and we've added a lot more veterans on our ballclub."
Melvin isn't ready to name his leadoff hitter, but he has options in second baseman Craig Counsell and shortstop Royce Clayton.
The G-Force follows at the heart of the order: Gonzalez batting third, new third baseman Troy Glaus batting cleanup and new right fielder Shawn Green fifth. It is expected, but not etched in stone, that Tracy will hit sixth, followed by Counsell and then the catcher, who will be determined between youngsters Koyie Hill and Chris Snyder, with veteran Kelly Stinnett serving as a backup.
"I just plan on showing up to the park every day, playing hard and giving it my best shot," said Hill, who is returning from a fractured right ankle but should be ready for spring training.
As for pitching, the Nos. 1-4 starters are set, with right-handers Javier Vazquez, Russ Ortiz and Brandon Webb and southpaw Shawn Estes. Brad Halsey, Michael Gosling, Ramon Antonio Peña and reliever Oscar Villarreal are in the running for the No. 5 spot.
The bullpen figures to be tweaked but features Greg Aquino returning as closer, with Mike Koplove, Brian Bruney and Jose Valverde (if he's healthy) as the setup men.
"We have a lot of new faces," Ortiz said, "but once we get used to each other and have good leadership that everybody is willing to follow and do the job, I don't see how we'll have a problem getting this squad together fast."
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0120dbacks0120.html
