Sort of Sports Related Breaking News: Fire at D-Backs Parking Garage

So tonight I went to the Diamondbacks game, because my White Sox are in town to play them in the regular season for the first time in 8 years. As you may have seen, my White Sox lost the game, but hey, at least I'd be treated to a firework show after the game! The firework show lasted about 30 seconds, until the lights abruptly turned on and they said that the rest of the show would be cancelled due to "safety concerns" in downtown Phoenix. When we reached the parking garage where we parked across the street from the center field side of Chase Field, everyone was just standing around and the fire alarm was going off. Yep, apparently the firework show caused a fire on top of the garage. In the end, the fire was put our quickly and we were allowed to enter the garage and come home. I'm not even sure if it will be newsworthy, but it's a little ironic considering the wildfires that are devastating the eastern part of Arizona.
[UPDATE: Apparently Steve was the first on the scene, however AZ Central has a little bit more on the story.)

Position in the Spotlight: Phoenix

The Position in the Spotlight series is back, and this weekend we are going to cover Phoenix, Arizona. This one hits a little closer to home for me because I currently live in the greater Phoenix area, so I have had the past 2 years to get a feel for the sports climate here....

Phoenix is a 4-sport market but doesn't quite have the history that most of the other cities that we will be covering that have all 4 sports in town. It all started in 1968 when the Phoenix Suns were reluctantly added to the NBA. Little did the NBA execs know back then that the population of Phoenix would explode throughout the 70's, 80's, 90's and 00's. The Phoenix metro area is now almost 4.5 times larger than it was when the Suns began play. The other sports took notice of Phoenix's steady population rise, and by 1998, they had all 4 sports in town. The St. Louis Cardinals NFL team became the Phoenix (now Arizona) Cardinals in 1988. The Winnipeg Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996, and the Arizona Diamondbacks started as an expansion team in 1998. Considering the short amount of time these teams have been in town (and for some, their awful pasts) there has been some success enjoyed in Phoenix, but not nearly to the degree of the other 4-sport towns. The lone championship was won by the Diamondbacks in 2001, when they stunned the Yankees in the World Series. The Cardinals made a surprise run to the 2008 Super Bowl but lost, and the Suns have always been above average but never great, making it the finals in 1976 and 1993 but never winning. The Coyotes have yet to win a playoff series since moving the Phoenix 14 years ago. Phoenix also has Arizona State in bordering Tempe, who have enjoyed some success in baseball and football, and if we include Tucson, Arizona has won a national title in basketball.

Now onto my pick. There is something interesting about living here that is different than almost anywhere else. It is almost impossible to find someone that was born and raised in Arizona. Almost everyone you meet was born and maybe even grew up somewhere else. It's a lot like going away to college, where you meet people from all across the country and world. This leads to some problems with the sports teams. I think they are almost here as a novelty, with the hopes of being a "2nd favorite" team. Sports fans from all across the country moved here with their allegiances to their home town teams, and enjoy the fact that Phoenix has all 4 sports so that they can watch their favorite teams play as visitors. Having half the MLB here for Spring Training every year doesn't help the local teams either. Because of this, my position in the spotlight pick for Phoenix is All of the Other Cities' Position in the Spotlight Picks.

Yes, it really is that strange. People that enjoy sports and aren't there to see the visitors because they grew up loving them tend to pull for the home town team (I do this too), but once their childhood favorite comes to town, they immediately turn into the obnoxious visiting fan. However, its really not that obnoxious, because at almost every game I've been to, probably at least 40-50% of the stadium is doing the same thing. I remember wearing 49ers stuff to a Bears game in Chicago in 2001. Big mistake. I was a little worried about my safety in all honesty. I tried it again this year at a 49ers-Cardinals game. No problems at all. In fact, I was only 6 rows from the field but somehow surrounded by Niners fans. But what about the actual Cardinals fans there? I received no crap or trash talking from them at all. I think they are just used to having their home stadium invaded by visiting fans. I've seen the same happen at D-Backs games and although I haven't been to a Coyotes game yet, I think its very safe to assume the same thing happens there.

One other fun example was on Week 17 of the NFL season last year, I went to a sports bar in my subdivision and so no less than half of the NFL represented there. Yes, 16 teams' clothing being worn in one little sports bar in suburban Phoenix. This would not be too odd of a sight in a college town, but these were adults in the bar, not college kids lost from Tempe. I wrote the teams on a napkin for the day I'd eventually write this post. Here is the list in no particular order:
1. Cardinals 2. Colts 3. Patriots 4. Steelers 5. Saints 6. Browns 7. Jets 8. Ravens 9. Bears 10. Eagles 11. Lions 12. Packers 13. 49ers 14. Broncos 15. Cowboys 16. Redskins

This is not intended to be a knock to Phoenix, its just a different kind of city that is growing rapidly and hasn't developed the kind sports followings that other older cities have. Unless parents and grandparents still hold a strong sports influence over their kids, I think over time the Phoenix teams will become the majority's favorite team.

Proof of this is that it seems like 1 of the 4 teams does stand out as having more followers than the others, and that is the original team in town, the Suns. The Suns have been around long enough and have been competitive enough with hated regional cities like LA that they have a much more loyal following than the other teams in town. So to throw Phoenix a bone, my pick for native Phoenicians is Phoenix Suns (Point) Guard.

The Suns have always based their play around a strong point guard, even in the days before there truly was a position called point guard. Let's start back in 1975 with Paul Westphal. After some success with Boston in the early 70s, Westphal came to Phoenix and helped lead the Suns to the 1976 NBA Finals against his former team. Westphal stayed with the team until 1980, when he was replaced by, this time, a future Boston Celtics star, Dennis Johnson. Johnson led the Phoenix offense until 1983 when he went on to greener pastures in Boston.

Following a return of Paul Westphal and a few years of Jay Humphries (who got indicted in a cocaine trafficking ring...oops....well it was the 80s.) The Suns traded for a rookie that became a franchise player (and the mayor of Sacramento), Kevin Johnson. Johnson was the Suns point guard from 1988-1998, leading the Suns to the playoffs every year but his first, the conference finals 3 times, and the 1993 NBA finals, where they ran into the Michael Jordan buzzsaw.

In 1997, the Suns replaced an aging Johnson with likely future hall of famer Jason Kidd, who led the Suns dynamic offense until 2001, leading the NBA in assists twice during that span.

Kidd was traded to New Jersey in 2001 for another star point guard, Stephan Marbury. Marbury was eventually traded to the Knicks in 2004, and led the NBA in assists that year.

It seems like it might be hard to top 3 great point guards in a row. The Suns outdid themselves again by signing their current face of the franchise, Steve Nash, as a free agent in 2004. Nash came in and electrified a Suns team that just came off an awful season, leading the Suns all the way to the 2005 Western Conference finals and winning the league MVP award in the process. In 2005-06, Nash repeated this act, again leading the Suns to the conference finals and again winning the MVP award. Nash has lead the NBA in assists 4 times since joining the Suns, including this past season, where he led the Suns to yet another Western Conference Finals appearance.

Nash is starting to get a little long in the tooth, but this season proved he still has something left in the tank. Based on an impressive 22 consecutive year run of point guards in Phoenix, Suns fans won't expect anything less than a great player to replace Nash when he eventually retires.

Honorable Mention
Arizona Diamondbacks Ace - The D-Backs have always had strong starting pitching in the front of their rotation. They acquired Randy Johnson in their 2nd year in the league and eventually added Curt Schilling to lead them to their first World Series title in 2001. After Johnson and Schilling left, Brandon Webb stepped up as the team's dominant ace until he was hobbled by injuries. Dan Haren seemed poised to pick up where Webb left off, but he was just traded last week. We'll see if Webb can pick up where he left off when he eventually returns or if the D-Backs can find someone else to lead their staff.

Arizona State Baseball Some Position - This is one of the few places where some people actually care about college baseball. I, however do not, so I don't feel like researching it.

In which I use the word "proxy"

First and foremost, I try to keep the blog apolitical unless it directly involves with sports or the city of Victoria, Minnesota, like, say, a stadium bill or something. I feel like we're sort of getting into that territory with what is going on with the Arizona Diamondbacks. For those that don't know, there was a new immigration related law put on the books in Arizona that has rankled some people. Without getting into details or discussing either side of it, I'll jump to the point of this post. People across the nation, outside of Arizona, have decided to express their displeasure with the law by protesting at Diamondback games.
Some of the players have complained about this, and some writers have declared this to be lunacy. I disagree. We name our teams after the location in which they play, and when they go on the road, we expect them to be representative of us. This is why so many people want decent human beings on their teams, so they reflect better on the city they are playing for. This means they have to stand in, sometimes, and receive boos that are meant for the home state. It's what Team USA (in everything) does, and really, is there a difference? I assure you, Landon Donovan had as much to do with American foreign policy as Stephen Drew does with Arizona's immigration reform.
In a way, sports teams are ambassadors for the areas that they play. This must mean that they will become a proxy to the region they represent, whether you want to or not. Most people in say, Chicago, will not be going to Arizona any time soon (for this example), and they don't have a say in their politics anyways. If you feel strongly against this policy, why not protest in the face of the most notable emissary to Chicago from Arizona? It's not going to be terribly effective (protesting of any kind rarely is), but it registers your displeasure in an easily documented, public way.
As for the players who are upset by this, it all goes back to my original point. You are, whether you like it or not, a proxy for the citizens of your team's home. You know that whole thing about being about the "name on the front of the jersey" rather than the one on the back? This is one of those situations. There isn't anything to do about it, just quietly keep playing baseball.

Ryan's quick and dirty MLB predicition post

Let's get right to it...

NATIONAL LEAGUE

East
Mets
Braves
Phillies
Marlins
Nationals

The Mets have the best talent in the league, no doubt, and their history of choking will eventually be overtaken by their enormous talent, right? Right?! Look for injuries and Raul Ibanez to derail the Phillies this season, while the Braves could pull off some amazing things with their suprisingly talented pitching staff. The Marlins offense will keep them interesting. Not in contention, but interesting. Look for the Nationals to pack it up and hit the golf course in June.
Central
Cubs
Cardinals
Reds
Brewers
Astros
Pirates

Make no mistake... this isn't a very good division, and the Cubs will win simply because the rest of the teams in the NL Central aren't very good. The Cardinals may get second. I sort of just picked them because they are usually OK. The Reds are always my sleeper because they are so young and could break out. Of course, they never do. Otherwise I would have put them in second. The Brewers lost too much, and without pitching, they can't do a thing. The Astros are simply not any good this year. They have Roy Oswalt, Lance Berkman and despair. Speaking of despair, the Pirates are still involved in baseball.

West
Diamondbacks
Dodgers
Giants
Padres
Rockies

The Dodgers and Diamondbacks will come down to the very end of the season before its all sorted out. The Dodgers have very little in terms of pitching, something I'm suprised was not addressed by them this offseason, so I think that's what will give the Diamondbacks the title. The Giants and the Padres have a few good arms as well, and that should propel them beyond the Rockies.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

East
Rays
Yankees
Red Sox
Orioles
Blue Jays

I feel like the Rays will stay healthy enough to overtake their older, more brittle adversaries. I think the Red Sox are too young, and certainly hurt by the loss of Manny Ramirez, while the Yankees top three pitchers are very good possibilities to go down to injury. At the bottom of the division, I like going with young garbage over old garbage every time. Orioles over Jays

Central
Indians
Twins
Tigers
Royals
White Sox

The Twins and White Sox spent much of the season at the top of the division last year. The Indians were ravaged by injuries, but it would be silly to think that every card dealt to them this year will be bad as it was last year. The Twins will only get better, but I think the Indians are still the better team. The Tigers will work out some kinks and should be better next season, while the Royals, I think, are destined to have one of those seasons in which they make brief strides that get everyone in a tizzy, then falls apart. In Chicago, this will be Ozzie Guillen's last season, as they lost too much due to aging and attrition to be competitive this year.

West
Angels
A's
Rangers
Mariners

I think the Angels' time as a perennial contender has finally run out. Of course, they are still going to win the West because none of the other teams in the division are talented enough to overtake them. The A's still haven't wowed me with their pitchers, which are usually the driving force behind their successes. The Rangers have a lot of emerging sluggers, while the Mariners will have fun with Ken Griffey Jr's return.

Playoffs:
National League
Braves over Cubs
Diamondbacks over Mets
Diamondbacks over Braves

American League
Rays over Twins
Indians over Angels
Indians over Rays.

Diamondbacks Indians for the World Series, with the Diamondbacks coming out on top.

I can almost guarantee I will be the only person to make that pick this year

If you were wondering, I've got Carlos Zambrano and Jered Weaver for Cy Young, and David Wright and Carl Crawford for MVP. Your thoughts in the comments, please.

The Red Sox are better than the Rockies

Before I tried to go to work, only to have my car not start, I caught some commentary from Fox's Ken Rosenthal while he was talking to Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. They asked him why the Rockies were struggling so furiously with the Red Sox when they had just swept their way through the Cubs and Diamondbacks. Sure, there is the argument that it's the Rockies layoff, or maybe the playing conditions, but Rosenthal had a pretty solid argument as well.
The Red Sox are a lot better than the Phillies or Diamondbacks. The Rockies too, for that matter. I find it curious that so many didn't think to factor that into their World Series picks. I include my self in that group. Let's break this down. I'll even throw in the Phillies and Diamondbacks to show how clearly superior the Red Sox are. Analysis as needed.

Catcher:
Red Sox: Varitek.
Rockies: Torrealba
Diamondbacks: Snyder
Phillies: Ruiz
Advantage: Red Sox, without any argument, both behind the plate and at bat.

1b:
Red Sox: Youkilis
Rockies: Helton
Diamondbacks: Clark/Jackson
Phillies:Howard
Advantage: In most situations, the Phillies win out here, but in the postseason, Youkilis is hitting .422. .422! Oh, and when they are playing in Colorado, the Red Sox will bat this Ortiz fellow, that I hear is pretty good.

2b:
Red Sox: Pedroia
Rockies: Matsui
Diamondbacks: Ojeda
Phillies: Utley
Advantage: Rockies, in a very close battle. Ojeda had an empty batting average (all singles, no walks) this offseason and Utley hit .182, while Matsui and Pedroia have been veritable monsters for their teams. Matsui has been better in the post season by a slim margin, but Pedroia is going to be the rookie of the year. (Be careful so he doesn't sell his World Series trophy replica).

3b:
Red Sox: Lowell
Rockies: Atkins
Diamondbacks: Reynolds
Phillies: Nunez/Helms/Dobbs
Advantage: Red Sox. Atkins has the second best postseason batting average for third basemen in this comparison at .194. The Phillies started three different 3rd basemen against the Rockies, and none got a hit. In the regular season, Atkins splits away from Coors are dreadful, and I couldn't pick any of the four from Arizona or Philly out of a lineup.

SS
Red Sox: Lugo
Rockies: Tulowitzki
Diamondbacks: Drew
Phillies: Rollins
Advantage: Of a good group of short stops, Stephen Drew has had the best postseason by far, and Jimmy Rollins is one of the most effective shortstops in the game, but hit .182 this post season. As I'm sure you've heard, the best hitting shortstop in the World Series is Troy Tulo-- Wait. Julio Lugo. Higher batting average, but lower slugging percentage, which is ok, because he can still score in front of the bigger bats in Boston's line up (Tulowitzki is batting .226, if you were wondering, while Lugo is at .282).

LF
Red Sox: Ramirez
Rockies: Holliday
Diamondbacks: Byrnes
Phillies: Burrell
Advantage: Red Sox. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Manny is batting .447 in the postseason, and he still finds time to befriend soup.

CF
Red Sox: Crisp
Rockies: Taveres/Spilborghs
Diamondbacks: Young
Phillies: Rowand
Advantage: Diamondbacks? Chris Young is the only player here that has done anything this postseason, and really, he had the best regular season as well. I guess he is why they made the playoffs, huh? And of the World Series teams, I have to give the Colorado platoon the nod. To say Coco Crisp has underperformed falls wildly short of the truth.

RF
Red Sox: Drew
Rockies: Hawpe
Diamondbacks: Upton/Salazar
Phillies: Victorino
Advantage: If Justin Upton could have played all the games instead of platooning with Jeff Salazar, theirs would have been the best Right Field of this group, but they didn't and the position batted .250, lower than Brad Hawpe. By the way, guess how many extra base hits Hawpe has this postseason? The same as me! So, in the end, J.D. Drew is the best of the right fielders here.

SP:
Red Sox: Beckett, Schilling, Matsuzaka
Rockies: Francis, Fogg, Jiminez
Diamondbacks: Webb, Hernandez, Davis
Phillies: Hamels, Kendrick, Moyer
Advantage: Red Sox again. Beckett has been lights out all year, Schilling pitches his best in the post season, an frankly, even if they aren't getting what they paid for yet, the Red Sox have a better pitcher with Dice-K than all of the others listed, aside from Webb, Hernandez and Hamels.

Bullpen:
Advantage: Ok. Name someone from the Diamondbacks or Phillies bullpen. Go.


Kyle Lohse? Is that it? I thought so. And the Rockies have LaTroy Hawkins and Ramon Ortiz. Generally speaking, that many former Twins in a bullpen isn't the greatest idea, especially when they are rejects from Minnesota. Jonathan Papelbon is very good in the bullpen. End of story.

So, broken down, I don't really see any way that the Rockies pull this series out. The Red Sox, out of 10 categories were the best in 7 of them. The Diamondbacks had the top shortstop and centerfielder, while the Rockies have an advantage at 2nd. Because of Kaz Matsui. The Rockies can only hope it snows in Colorado this weekend.

Game Log #3 Twins at Diamondbacks 6/8

Originally posted on "Is It Sports?" by Ryan. Ryan really wanted to do a game log where the Twins actually won, and this was his chance.

8:52 I’m taking advantage of a few things all coming together. A)High speed internet for easy uploading and B) the Twins are on TV. They are playing The Arizona Diamondbacks on ESPN2 and Johan Santana is on the hill. Should be a good game.
8:58 Once again, the Rockies and White Sox can’t score more than 10 runs combined. I’m speechless.
9:00 The ESPN baseball song is the best sports intro out there.
9:02 Jeff Brantley, keeping the mullet alive.
9:08 Dan Shulman (who? Was Rachel Nichols unavailable?) is helping Brantley dig himself a hole. Brantley thinks Johan Santana shouldn’t have won the Cy Young and Shulman lets him know that he makes no sense.

Top 1st
9:14 Luis Rodriguez batting, we get the obligatory “Twins have such a good farm system” rant.
9:15 Shulman with the Augie Ojeda reference. Nice.
9:17 I don’t think I’ve ever seen Luis Gonzalez in the field before. Interesting.

Bottom 1st
9:20 First bad news of the night. I’m out of Pepsi!
9:20 Royce Clayton wins the award for worst hair. Anywhere.
9:23 Justin Morneau is back in the lineup sporting a goatee even less fetching than mine.
9:24 Two first inning strikeouts. I’m pleased.

Top 2nd
9:27 Once again, everyone thinks Torii Hunter is the best hitter on the Twins. Lately, yes, always, absolutely not. He follows Morneau, Joe Mauer, Jacque Jones, Shannon Stewart and Lew Ford. Sad truth, friends, but a fantastic glove doesn’t always translate to the bat.
9:29 Naturally, Hunter hits a gapper.
9:34 While Brantley is ripping Claudio Vargas, the starting pitcher for AZ, Jones drills about the 15th pitch over the left field wall. The Twins with a lead while I’m writing the log. I don’t know what to say. I’m beside myself.
9:37 After Cuddyer strikes out, Brantley says “If you can throw a breaking ball like that and don’t, you are either hard headed or don’t know what you’re doing.” Brantley doesn’t pull any punches. But really, “hard headed and doesn’t know what he’s doing.” That’s how I would describe…. Jeff Brantley.

Bottom 2nd
9:43 Brantley won’t let it go about Santana. It’s like he’s upset he’s there. Meanwhile, Santana strikes out his third.
9:45 Another easy inning for Santana. Shulman summarizes Brantley’s arguments for why Schilling should have won the Cy Young
a) More wins
b) More pressure in Boston
c) More games against the Yankees
d) Brantley still wears a mullet, he’s clearly been hit in the head a few too many times.

Top 3rd
9:48 Santana bleeds a single through the infield! He does it all!
9:49 Game update. Indians lead the Padres on an Aaron Boone homer. That’s a good sign you aren’t going to win when Boone homers.
9:52 Luis Rodriguez with the bunt single. The single least exciting play in baseball. The bases are juiced!
9:55 Mauer singles, Santana and Stewart score. This is so strange. I can’t be cynical because things are going to well!
9:57 Fielders choice, Twins up 5-0. This game has been magical.
9:59 Jones grounds into a double play. It isn’t a Twins game without a GIDP

Bottom 3rd
10:04 Vargas with an ugly bunt. Brantley never misses an opportunity to rip on the pitchers in this game. He’s just bitter he has a mullet and doesn’t pitch anymore.

Top 4th
10:07 A-rod is the youngest player to 400 career homeruns. Congrats, I guess, despite your team’s terrible record.
10:12 While the Twins were batting, the commentators interviewed Jeff Moorad. I decided to leave to get ice cream. I don’t think I missed much

Bottom 4th
10:13 Alas, I was correct.
10:18 Santana is still cruising despite the second hit.
10:19 Brantley shares his opinion on interleague play. I ignore him.

Top 5th
10:22 Torii Hunter with the MLB commercial on ESPN2. Nice.
10:23 Santana has a virtually invisible at bat, but then the leadoff hitter Stewart goes yard. I’m not sure if it’s good or bad that he is tied for the team lead in homers.
10:26 Luis Rodriguez who weighs a little more than Lindsay Lohan, hits a rocket double to center. I love this game!
10:28 Wild pitch. Vargas is still in, down by 6. The announcers are almost ready to lose interest.
10:30 Hunter grounds out, ending another rough inning for the ‘Backs. I have my fingers crossed that we get to see the vaunted Arizona bullpen soon!

Bottom 5th
10:33 I like these game updates. Reds beat the D-Rays on a walk off homer by Wily Mo Pena. Wily Mo will be touring with Murphy Lee this winter.
10:36 Juan Castro is absolutely brilliant in the field, but he just bobbled that one.
10:39 I just had to look up something about Tommy Tutone. No, I don’t want to talk about it.

Top 6th
10:42 Mike Koplove in to give up about three runs.
10:42 Jones almost kills Tony Clark at first. Wicked shot.
10:45 Morneau hits, Cuddyer with an infield hit. The commentators have begun talking about offseason illnesses. We are on the slippery slope.
10:47 Another RBI, but Santana grounds into a double play. That guy is lucky he can pitch.

Bottom 6th
10:50 Every time Brantley opens his mouth, I want to throat punch him.
10:51 I can’t get over Royce Clayton’s hair.
10:52 Luis Gonzalez is Santana’s 8th strikeout victim. His look says it all.

Top 7th
10:55 I don’t want to think about John Madden selling Tinactin. He can’t have attractive feet.
10:56 Uh oh, Shulman and Brantley are talking about the pool at BOB. Interest is gone.
10:59 Koplove is… erratic.
11:01 Lew Ford gets beaned by Koplove. Things are not going well out there.
11:03 Sac fly Jones. This is ugly, friends.

Bottom 7th
11:05 This game is going on forever. (Channeling Sandlot) Forever. Foooreeeeeevvvver.
11:10 Da Vinci would call this outing a work of art.
11:12 Morneau very nimbly dives for a groundball. He’s definitely no Doug Mientkiewicz.

Top 8th
11:16 They keep going back to that pool. Surely a sign that nobody cares.
11:17 Castro doubles, Cuddyer scores bringing Santana up with a 9-0 lead.
11:20 Michael Ryan in for Stewart. The Twins are now on cruise control.
11:21 Sac fly. Twins break double digits. These game logs are more fun when the Twins win.
11:22 Brantly and Shulman are waxing philosophic about the draft. Nostalgia is kicking in.

Bottom 8th
11:27 Dead air, followed by Brantley repeating something he said a long while ago.
11:29 15 hits to 3. Wow.

Top 9th
11:35 I have no idea what happened, and I’m pretty sure the announcers don’t either.

Bottom 9th
11:36 Don’t worry Brantley, it’s almost over and you can get away from these useless pitchers and groom your finely sculpted mullet.
11:39 Twins have a great farm system, etc. Would these conversations happen if the Twins aren’t up 10?
11:42 Twins win! Incredible.

I don’t think this was a condemnation of the D’backs, as they were pitching a terrible pitcher who was making a spot start against the reigning Cy Young winner. I’ll take the win. Oh, and screw you Jeff Brantley- Ryan