azdad1978
Championship!!!!
By Jack Magruder, Tribune
TUCSON - The sky was dark and the dewy, freshly cut grass clung to players’ spikes on the first day of pitchers’ and catchers’ workouts Thursday morning — a brisk day similar to the Diamondbacks’ very first spring training workout here in 1998.
"There is always that rejuvenated excitement. Everybody is ready to go,’’ said catcher Kelly Stinnett, an original D-Back who has returned after spending the previous four seasons in Cincinnati (2001-03), Pittsburgh (2003) and Kansas City (2004).
"It’s nice to put a uniform on and get out there and see the guys we brought in,’’ said manager Bob Melvin, who capped his day by running the steps of Tucson Electric Park.
Right-handers Ramon Antonio Pena and Jose Jimenez were the only players missing from the opening workout; Pena because of a visa issue and Jimenez because of a personal matter. Melvin said the two are expected in the next several days.
Melvin said he paid particular attention to some of the pitchers he had not seen before and came away impressed with closer Greg Aquino and potential set-up men Brandon Lyon and Adam Peterson.
"I hadn’t seen Aquino before, and the ball absolutely just screams out of his hand,’’ Melvin said. "Brandon Lyon was a guy I really wanted to take a look at. His ball has a lot of movement. I’ve talked to a lot of people who think he is going to be a special pitcher. Adam Peterson, the ball jumps out his hand, too.’’
Lyon missed most of last season after undergoing ulnar nerve transposition surgery during spring training and feeling another twinge in the elbow during a mid-summer rehab assignment in Tucson. Peterson was obtained from Toronto for Shea Hillenbrand.
Oscar Villarreal (ulnar nerve transposition) and Jose Valverde (labrum tear) had no restrictions after missing most of 2004 with injuries. Villarreal did not pitch in the major leagues after May 9, although he spent time on a rehab assignment in Tucson. Valverde did not pitch after June 13.
Valverde, who said he has been throwing for about six weeks, was clocked at 94 mph during his first offseason workout in the Dominican Republic.
"Everything is perfect right now,’’ he said.
HOME AGAIN
One of the perks of signing with your hometown team — proximity. Tony Clark, who has served as a volunteer assistant basketball coach at Northwest Community Christian High School in Glendale, is to drive back to the Valley to attend his team’s first-round state tournament game this evening.
Clark, who accepted a basketball scholarship at the University of Arizona and also played at San Diego State, has helped at Northwest the last four seasons. He has lived in the Valley for nine years.
SHORT HOPS
Todd Stottlemyre, who works for a major financial house in Scottsdale, attended the first day of spring training at Melvin’s invitation. He and his wife are expecting their fourth child (first son) in August.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=36638
TUCSON - The sky was dark and the dewy, freshly cut grass clung to players’ spikes on the first day of pitchers’ and catchers’ workouts Thursday morning — a brisk day similar to the Diamondbacks’ very first spring training workout here in 1998.
"There is always that rejuvenated excitement. Everybody is ready to go,’’ said catcher Kelly Stinnett, an original D-Back who has returned after spending the previous four seasons in Cincinnati (2001-03), Pittsburgh (2003) and Kansas City (2004).
"It’s nice to put a uniform on and get out there and see the guys we brought in,’’ said manager Bob Melvin, who capped his day by running the steps of Tucson Electric Park.
Right-handers Ramon Antonio Pena and Jose Jimenez were the only players missing from the opening workout; Pena because of a visa issue and Jimenez because of a personal matter. Melvin said the two are expected in the next several days.
Melvin said he paid particular attention to some of the pitchers he had not seen before and came away impressed with closer Greg Aquino and potential set-up men Brandon Lyon and Adam Peterson.
"I hadn’t seen Aquino before, and the ball absolutely just screams out of his hand,’’ Melvin said. "Brandon Lyon was a guy I really wanted to take a look at. His ball has a lot of movement. I’ve talked to a lot of people who think he is going to be a special pitcher. Adam Peterson, the ball jumps out his hand, too.’’
Lyon missed most of last season after undergoing ulnar nerve transposition surgery during spring training and feeling another twinge in the elbow during a mid-summer rehab assignment in Tucson. Peterson was obtained from Toronto for Shea Hillenbrand.
Oscar Villarreal (ulnar nerve transposition) and Jose Valverde (labrum tear) had no restrictions after missing most of 2004 with injuries. Villarreal did not pitch in the major leagues after May 9, although he spent time on a rehab assignment in Tucson. Valverde did not pitch after June 13.
Valverde, who said he has been throwing for about six weeks, was clocked at 94 mph during his first offseason workout in the Dominican Republic.
"Everything is perfect right now,’’ he said.
HOME AGAIN
One of the perks of signing with your hometown team — proximity. Tony Clark, who has served as a volunteer assistant basketball coach at Northwest Community Christian High School in Glendale, is to drive back to the Valley to attend his team’s first-round state tournament game this evening.
Clark, who accepted a basketball scholarship at the University of Arizona and also played at San Diego State, has helped at Northwest the last four seasons. He has lived in the Valley for nine years.
SHORT HOPS
Todd Stottlemyre, who works for a major financial house in Scottsdale, attended the first day of spring training at Melvin’s invitation. He and his wife are expecting their fourth child (first son) in August.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=36638
