CatBoxBackFan
Hall of Famer
By Scott Bordow, Tribune Columnist
Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin is astonished by the amount of work that’s been done on his fixer-upper.
"You’ve got to liken it to Extreme Makeover," Melvin said Wednesday.
"This certainly isn’t the team I inherited when I got here."
No, it’s not, and for that we’re grateful. Following a team with 111 losses is about as enjoyable as carpooling to the ballpark with Randy Johnson on the day he pitches.
Here’s the thing, though: You put a new coat of paint on a dilapidated shed and you still have a dilapidated shed.
The Diamondbacks lost 111 games last year. For all of the changes they’ve made this offseason, is there a wrecking ball big enough for them to go from worst to first? "That’s a great question," said second baseman Craig Counsell. "What’s great is that you can ask that question. The fact you’re asking means progress has been made." Good point. It’s still hard to imagine the Diamondbacks winning the National League West. In case you’ve forgotten, THEY LOST 111 GAMES. That’s not just bad. That’s really, really bad. They were so bad they made the Cardinals look good.
But it’s not so crazy to think Arizona can hang with Los Angeles, San
Francisco and San Diego for most of the summer. Colorado was mathematically eliminated last week.
"There’s no doubt in my mind we can come close to reversing our record," said pitcher Russ Ortiz.
Wait a minute. Did he just say the Diamondbacks could go 111-51? Wow. Let’s hope ol’ Russ is a bit more accurate with his pitches.
A .500 season does seem plausible, however, and if Arizona can complete its renovation by acquiring a center fielder and a top-three starter, who knows?
"Each and every day we’re getting everybody’s attention in our division," Melvin said.
If nothing else, the Diamondbacks will be a far more disciplined and fundamentally sound team.
It’s no secret that some of Arizona’s younger players cheated themselves — and the team — last season in terms of their preparation and professionalism.
Infielder Alex Cintron spent more time on his cell phone than he did fielding grounders, and center fielder Luis Terrero’s work ethic was haphazard at best.
They weren’t set straight because the Diamondbacks’ clubhouse was nearly devoid of veterans, and interim manager Al Pedrique didn’t have the juice to keep players in line.
The result: Arizona committed 139 errors — only the Detroit Tigers had more — and hardly a game went by without a boneheaded mistake on the basepaths. That kind of carelessness won’t be tolerated this summer. If one of the newbies fails to hit a cutoff man or misses a sign, he’ll hear about it from veterans like Counsell and Royce Clayton. It’s funny. Matt Williams often was viewed as a clubhouse cancer by those who rarely ventured inside the clubhouse, but last season Arizona desperately missed the example he set in the hours leading up to a game.
"We were a blue-collar team," said outfielder Luis Gonzalez. "Nowadays, with younger players getting paid more, they spend less time in here (the clubhouse). "Hopefully, with the guys we’ve brought in, the young guys will see the different kind of attitude that we had in the past." Every baseball team feels good about itself in January — other than Colorado, that is — so the good vibes coming out of the Diamondbacks’ clubhouse Wednesday shouldn’t be inhaled. But at least fans aren’t breathing in noxious fumes anymore.
EV Tribune
Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin is astonished by the amount of work that’s been done on his fixer-upper.
"You’ve got to liken it to Extreme Makeover," Melvin said Wednesday.
"This certainly isn’t the team I inherited when I got here."
No, it’s not, and for that we’re grateful. Following a team with 111 losses is about as enjoyable as carpooling to the ballpark with Randy Johnson on the day he pitches.
Here’s the thing, though: You put a new coat of paint on a dilapidated shed and you still have a dilapidated shed.
The Diamondbacks lost 111 games last year. For all of the changes they’ve made this offseason, is there a wrecking ball big enough for them to go from worst to first? "That’s a great question," said second baseman Craig Counsell. "What’s great is that you can ask that question. The fact you’re asking means progress has been made." Good point. It’s still hard to imagine the Diamondbacks winning the National League West. In case you’ve forgotten, THEY LOST 111 GAMES. That’s not just bad. That’s really, really bad. They were so bad they made the Cardinals look good.
But it’s not so crazy to think Arizona can hang with Los Angeles, San
Francisco and San Diego for most of the summer. Colorado was mathematically eliminated last week.
"There’s no doubt in my mind we can come close to reversing our record," said pitcher Russ Ortiz.
Wait a minute. Did he just say the Diamondbacks could go 111-51? Wow. Let’s hope ol’ Russ is a bit more accurate with his pitches.
A .500 season does seem plausible, however, and if Arizona can complete its renovation by acquiring a center fielder and a top-three starter, who knows?
"Each and every day we’re getting everybody’s attention in our division," Melvin said.
If nothing else, the Diamondbacks will be a far more disciplined and fundamentally sound team.
It’s no secret that some of Arizona’s younger players cheated themselves — and the team — last season in terms of their preparation and professionalism.
Infielder Alex Cintron spent more time on his cell phone than he did fielding grounders, and center fielder Luis Terrero’s work ethic was haphazard at best.
They weren’t set straight because the Diamondbacks’ clubhouse was nearly devoid of veterans, and interim manager Al Pedrique didn’t have the juice to keep players in line.
The result: Arizona committed 139 errors — only the Detroit Tigers had more — and hardly a game went by without a boneheaded mistake on the basepaths. That kind of carelessness won’t be tolerated this summer. If one of the newbies fails to hit a cutoff man or misses a sign, he’ll hear about it from veterans like Counsell and Royce Clayton. It’s funny. Matt Williams often was viewed as a clubhouse cancer by those who rarely ventured inside the clubhouse, but last season Arizona desperately missed the example he set in the hours leading up to a game.
"We were a blue-collar team," said outfielder Luis Gonzalez. "Nowadays, with younger players getting paid more, they spend less time in here (the clubhouse). "Hopefully, with the guys we’ve brought in, the young guys will see the different kind of attitude that we had in the past." Every baseball team feels good about itself in January — other than Colorado, that is — so the good vibes coming out of the Diamondbacks’ clubhouse Wednesday shouldn’t be inhaled. But at least fans aren’t breathing in noxious fumes anymore.
EV Tribune
