D-backs Spring '09 Report - Part 2

Talk about a hitting clinic. The Sunday edition of the spring workouts at TEP brought a trio guys together that just smoked the ball for a good 20 minutes or so. The three guys: Conor Jackson, Eric Byrnes, and Chad Tracy. I haven't seen a dinger barrage like that in quite some time.

Even Bo Mel was quite impressed. He came over in the middle of it all, and it was obvious he was happy with what he saw. He was congratulating the BP coach when the rare ground ball would find it's way off of a bat. For the most part, all that was seen were either screaming line drives, or towering home runs. And of course Susan the super fan was right there giving her hoopla to the festivities. It was good stuff.

I think there really is something to make of the Jackson and Byrnsie competition. I'm just a guy on the outside looking in, but there seems to be a little fight there...and who could blame either guy. Nobody wants to lose their job. Not that last year wasn't a good year for Jackson, but I really believe this will be a breakout season for him.

First game is on Wednesday, and I will certainly miss the workouts. It's the one time of year where getting so close to the action truly gives you the inside perspective on how the team operates, both from the standpoint of strategy and the relationships that can be seen and developed.

D-backs Spring '09 Report

There's nothing quite like spending an hour or two watching Spring Training workouts. To get insight into their workouts and seeing what the coaching staff is stressing in practice is really quite interesting.

One of the things that bench coach Kirk Gibson and Brett Butler have been emphasizing is smarter base running. In a workout on Friday, Gibson was emphatic to the young players in his approach to taking the correct angles on the bag, accelerating into the turn, and pushing off in order to maximize the chances of taking the next base. While this team does have decent home run power, running the bases properly is easily worth a few wins a year. Given the competition they will face with the Dodgers this year, that can't be understated.

As for batting practice, the guys that jumped out to me were Justin Upton and Conor Jackson. Both guys were smoking the ball. Not so much out of the park, although Upton did hit a couple of monster shots, but more the bat speed and ferocity that both were taking to the plate. Eric Byrnes didn't look too bad either, as he will certainly have his hands full getting playing time this year. But knowing Byrnsie, he'll be in there more than he's not.

As for the up and comers, Gerardo Parra has always impressed me, and continues to do so. He and fellow outfielder Trent Oeltjen will both be participating in the World Baseball Classic in early March (Parra with Venezuela and Oeltjen with Australia), so will miss a chunk of the early games, but I think both will make a good impression in limited action. Oeltjen is a fun guy to watch. Always smiling and kidding around with the guys. They all seem to get a kick out of his funky Aussie accent.

More updates to come....

A-Rod story is sad for the kids...

For all of you out there in the 30+ age bracket like myself, yesterday's revelation that Alex Rodriguez used steroids in 2003 is the nail in the coffin for a complete era in baseball.

Sad....so sad.

When I was growing up, major league baseball players were viewed in such high regard and esteem by us Little Leaguers. Certainly the players of the 70's and 80's were not perfect, not by any stretch. But they were truly my heroes. My friends and I all looked up to them; wished we could be just like them; dreamed of someday playing like them.

Unfortunately, today's kids don't have that luxury. Sure, they have the PlayStation and Wii that we never had. But they've been stripped of their imagination to dream of becoming someone that they really believe in. They can't believe in these players today...and it's sad.

Pitchers & catchers in less than 2 weeks

Wow....what better gift could I imagine my wife getting me for Valentine's Day than the D-backs pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training. Yeah, it's a bit lame, but this is the date we hard core seam heads wait for three months to see every year.

And it's really hard to believe it's less than two weeks away now.

From mlb.com, here are some important dates upcoming in February:

FEB. 1-21, 2009

Salary arbitration hearings

FEB. 2-7, 2009

Caribbean Series

FEB. 14, 2009

• First date injured players, pitchers and catchers may report to Spring Training.
• All World Baseball Classic players for the teams from China, Japan, South Korea and Chinese Taipei must report to Spring Training.
• All pitchers and catchers for other World Baseball Classic teams must report to Spring Training.

FEB. 17, 2009

• First date all players may report to Spring Training.
• Remaining World Baseball Classic position players must report to Spring Training.

FEB. 22, 2009

Mandatory Spring Training reporting date for all players.