SB Nation User Blog: soco

Tucson Courting Orioles for 3 Team Complex in Marana

soco — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:12:29 -0000

Tucson Courting Orioles for 3 Team Complex in Marana

What it says on the tin, the Orioles are being courted to be the third tenent for a new Tucson facility designed to keep the Diamondbacks and Rockies in the area.

The Orioles aren't strangers to Arizona, having trained in Yuma starting in the 1950's.

Justin Upton: Superstar

soco — Sat, 30 May 2009 18:21:18 -0000

Justin Upton: Superstar

A little piece over at Fangraphs yesterday about our superstar in training, Justin Upton.

The Return of the Patriotic Cap

soco — Sat, 23 May 2009 07:22:20 -0000

The Return of the Patriotic Cap

So I know that last year's "patriotic" cap that was rolled out for Memorial Day, Independence Day, and every other semi-patriotic event wasn't so popular, but I think I like this year's better. Maybe cos it actually matches our color a little better.

Sugar: A Movie Review

soco — Mon, 18 May 2009 00:24:25 -0000

Sugar is not the typical sports movie. Yes, it uses baseball as its framing device. Yes, certain devices such as the rags-to-riches backstory and carefully cut training or travelling montages make an appearance. Miguel Santos' journey, however, does not follow the predetermined path and instead provides a glimpse of a world the average sports fan probably doesn't think about, nor do they often want to think about it.

Santos, known as Sugar for a variety of reasons, is a pitcher in the Dominican Republic who is invited to Spring Training after developing a wicked curve. He, like many others at the academy he is plucked from, is the hope of his family, the one that will lift them out of the abject poverty they endure on a daily basis. Santos' education is baseball; although he has a little bit of high school, from early age he has known that he might have the talent to go all the way. And so it is at the Dominican academy and later the minor leagues that he attempts to learn as much as possible about his desired trade.

His backstory is not necessarily remarkable within the film medium; it is the standard hero's background, in line with the American ideal of working up from the gutter to the top of the world. It is first at the academy, however, and later in Iowa where he plays that the viewer begins to see the baseball world not as we often wish it were but how it is. Players come and go. They fight for positions, help each other but grow jealous when others are favored and promoted. Some of the characters introduced don't make it, are sent away, perhaps back to the Dominican Republic to sell cellphone chargers or perhaps running off to some corner of America to make a better living doing manual labor.

It is the minor league journey that the baseball fan, especially those of us in major league cities, don't often consider. As fans, we reduce players down to very limited labels. Good. Bad. Can't bunt. Great slider. It isn't convenient to think of players as people, instead they become commodities. We rarely weep for the player that never makes it to the Bigs, or that flames out after a season or two, or is cut from a team with no place else to go. We don't think of lonely journey along dusty small city roads. The truth is that there is always someone else waiting in the wings, and so unless a player is truly great or terrible, he is often quickly forgotten after beling replaced. Sugar offers a glimpse into this world we might rather forget.

Sugar is a film of subtlety. There aren't moments of epic emotions, like Remember the Titans or Brian's Song or even Field of Dreams. Instead, the frustrations and loneliness the Dominican and other foreign born players feel is shown in small scenes that don't always resolve immediately, instead of overlapping and spilling over. For instance, when a group of Dominican players, Santos included, arrive in Arizona for Spring Training, they go to a diner with a friend who had been called up the year before. He orders French toast, and since they don't know English they also order the French toast. Santos is shown at different times in this part of the film ordering the French toast because he doesn't have the courage to attempt to ask the waitress for something different. Finally, he asks for eggs, but can't answer her question of how to cook them. Dejected, he orders the French toast again.

Another one of Sugar's strengths is that it is a highly visual film. There are large gaps with no dialogue, where instead we are allowed to simply watch and interpret. The viewer begins to understand Santos' experience as an observer and silent participant.

There does come a point somewhere in the third act that the film seems to lose focus. If you do get a chance to see this movie, however, I implore that you keep going until the end, as it is tied together brilliantly.

Of course, I could probably list off a hundred things in the film that show the cultural shock of attempting to play in the US for foreign players, or the interesting observation it might make on how sports fandom clashes with the human side of sports. I assume, however, that some of you might actually want to see it, so I'll resist the urge. Unfortunately it is playing virtually nowhere (I saw it at the Camelview 5 in Scottsdale), so you may have to wait to rent it.

Manny Suspended 50 Games for Drug Violation

soco — Fri, 08 May 2009 01:04:42 -0000

Manny Suspended 50 Games for Drug Violation

Apparently he was using HCG, a woman's fertility drug that also can boost testosterone. No word if Jon from "Jon and Kate Plus 8" has attempted to ask him out yet.

The suspension starts tonight.

Diamondbacks 2, Dodgers 11 - A Shot to the Heart

soco — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 04:48:49 -0000

More photos » by Matt York - AP

Sup dawg, I heard you like errors, so we put a Buckner behind your Buckner so you can error while making errors!

Browse more photos »

Record: 2-3. Pace: 65-97 Change on last season: -1

I knew that tonight's contest between our beloved Diamondbacks and the invading Dodgers and their legion could be in danger when I walked up to the gate and Sliders began to blast "Shot to the Heart." True to fashion, the D'backs showed they truly know how to hurt their faithful.

The game started innocently enough, with the two teams trading zeroes for three frames. The first out featured Mark Reynolds ranging out from the infield grass to past the dirt and the foul line to catch a ball mid-dive. After this it was all pitching, so I settled in, hoping for a pitcher's duel similar to the second game of the Rockies' series, albeit with a slightly different result.

It was the top of the fourth when the first shot came. Orlando Hudson, now the enemy's O-Dawg, led off the inning with a solo home run. This seemed to wake up the slumbering Dodgers fans, and walking both Ramirez and Loney didn't help quiet them down. Russel Martin stepped into the batters box, and after a short battle with Petit, snapped a wicked ground through the wicket that was Reynolds' legs. I turned to the wife and muttered, "Buckner" but with only a 3 run deficit I figured that the D'backs had a chance to will their way back.

Up to this point the Diamondbacks had largely looked lost at the plate, with only Tony Clark making it on base somehow, who was quickly was the front end of a double play. With a 3-0 deficit, however, either the D'backs mentally checked out or were all hoping to be the hero. A fly-out, a pop-out and a strike-out ended any hope of a quick response.

The Dodgers threatened again in the top of the 5th with a leadoff Casey Black double, but luckily they weren't able to bring him home with a sacrifice and some timely defense. The Diamondbacks attempted to respond, putting Snyder on with one out, but Upton's tepid sacrifice attempt resulted in an instant out, and Ryan Roberts, substituting for Petit, struck out. Not a what you want to remember as your first Major League at-bat, but with the strike-out at least he can fit with the rest of his teammates.

Petit was now out of the game, a victim of an untimely home run and less than stellar defense from Reynolds, and the Real Buckner came to the mound for the Diamondbacks. At this point, it is understandable if anyone with a heart condition, or small children, choses to turn away. Buckner had the unfortunate luck to first face Ramirez, and he quickly walked Enemy Number One. Just setting him up for the double play, right? Not tonight! Loney snaps a double and Ramirez waddles to third, two on and no outs. One would think this might be the point Buckner gets the long, candy-colored cane, but Melvin rolled the dice instead. Buckner walks Martin, bases loaded and still no one out. Ethier doubles a ball of the wall, and two score bringing the total to 5-0, two on and no outs. Still no cane. Kemp adds to the fun, and Martin scores off his sac fly. 6-0, Buckner keeps working. Casey Blake singles, Ethier scores. 7-0, only one out. Stults strikes out, making it two outs. Buckner decides to switch things up, and throws a wild pitch that allows Blake to advance to second. Furcal caps the inning, bringing Blake in with a single to put the total damage at 8-0. Finally, mercifully, the ring leader arrives, and yanks the hapless Buckner.

It was at this point I stopped updating my notebook, as it was all beginning to look eerily like the Necronomicon, screaming demons and all. I did add one last entry, "TOP 6TH: The inning when hope died." The wife and I waited with a slightly sick feeling, wondering who would be the lamb thrown to the lions of the Dodger offense. With horror, we realized it would be Rauch. Certainly Melvin wouldn't play Rauch-an Roulette, not tonight?

By some bizarre fashion, perhaps it was the Necronomicon or a sign of actual improvement, Rauch did what he was brought in from Washington to do: dominate and get outs. Okay, the domination wasn't immediately obvious, but after a slight road bump of walking O-Dawg, Rauch forced a ground-out and subsequently gets two strike-outs and a ground-out for a quick 7th.

The deficit was too much at this point, though, and the way the Diamondbacks were batting even the 3-0 fourth inning deficit would have been too much. Although they were able to knock out Stults in the bottom of the 6th after getting two on with one out, the opportunity was quickly wasted with Jackson fielder choice and a Clark strike-out. The next bottom inning was similar, again the D'backs were able to get two on with a Reynolds single and Montero taking advantage of a catching error, but Snyder and Upton's strikeouts killed the inning before it truly began.

To add insult to injury, as the drunken Dodger college fans behind me so lovingly pointed out fifty times at a decibel level generally only associated with landing airplanes, the Dodgers added to their lead in the 8th, scoring 3 and bringing the result to 11-1. Scanning the scoreboard, I realized this would be the worse loss of the day if things continued as they were going. I didn't want to be sole worst loser of the day, and I think the D'backs agreed with me.

With the stadium consisting soley of Dodgers fans, masocistic D'backs fans, and those entrusted with recaps, Reynolds tripled with one out. I screamed from the upper deck, the red voice in a sea of blue, "PITY RUN! PITY RUN!" And low and behold, the Littlest Ballplayer heard my plea, hitting a sac fly to Pierre that allowed Reynolds to score. 11-2. Now we'd just be tied with the worst beat down of the day. Sometimes it's the little things, and the Little Ballplayers, that you need to appreciate.

[Click to enlarge at Fangraphs.com]
The Real OG: Chris Snyder, 3.6%
The Young Turk: Tony Clark, 2.2%
The Wanksta: Billy Buckner, -13.1%

On one hand, as frustrating as this loss was it is still only one loss. This isn't the BSC, you don't get extra points for running up the score. On the other hand, the handful of games this year is painting a scary picture for the Diamondbacks. The only two wins have been home run derbies, and the three losses have had a complete lack of offense. Obviously, it is a very small sample, but minus the two shows of offense Opening Day and last night, this is a team acting very nearly exactly like the one that lost the division last September.

Tepid gameday thread, but that's to be expected given the result. Thanks to the poor souls that braved it out with me in spirit: kishi, unnamedDBacksfan, hotclaws, PhoenixFly, Pyromnc, Quin, TwinnerA, luckycc, Jim McLennan, Azreous, PioneerSkies, Lisalisa8, AF Dbacks Fanatic, Bcawz, 4 Corners Fan, mrssoco, sergey606, Gravity, TheDBackFan, and Diamondhacks.

Tomorrow is the rubber game, and the Diamondbacks need to win it and the series. They can't start the season dropping series left and right, least of all to yet another division rival and defending champion. Also, it would be nice for Golden Boy Upton to get a hit. Haren faces off against Wolf (no, not Drew) at 1:10PM, so let's give it the old college try, eh?

[Morning update] Audio clips from Petit and Reynolds.

Audio courtesy of KTAR 620

Johnny Bench Book Signing in Scottsdale

soco — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 01:25:08 -0000

Coming up in May, Johnny Bench will be signing copies of his book Catch Every Ball as well as have a short talk. The date is May 14th, and while the time isn't confirmed yet, I imagine it will be at 7pm. It's at the 90th and Shea location of Barnes and Noble, and the full address is 10500 N 90th Street, Scottsdale Az, 85258, and the phone number is 480-391-0048

I'm pretty excited about this, and if I don't have a final that night (which I might) I'm definitely going to be there. As a full disclosure, yes I do work at that Barnes and Noble, and I suppose I have a vague financial motivation for it to do well, but I figure since we're all baseball fans here it would have interest.

If you have any questions, I'll try and answer them the best I can, or get the answers (with a delay of about a day or so).

Padres will suck but at least their food is cheap

soco — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 01:01:42 -0000

Padres will suck but at least their food is cheap

Padres are introducing some ridiculous deals involving their concession stands. An example: "The "5 for $5," available at every home game, includes a regular-sized hot dog, peanuts, popcorn, cookie and soda for $5. For an additional $5, fans can swap the soda for a 16-ounce draft beer."

Concessions is one of those things that venues use to make profits hand over fist, so it's kind of cool from a fan's perspective that the Padres would be willing to create some crazy deals.

Six Sites Considered for Dbacks' Spring Future

soco — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:40:50 -0000

Six Sites Considered for Dbacks' Spring Future

The Diamondbacks have submitted six request for proposals to various cities in the Phoenix area and are asking for a response in the next 30 days. Some of the options rumored are an East Mesa site with the Rockies by the convention center, Casa Grande, both the Gila River and Fort McDowell Indian communities.

As per Matt Williams' mini-interview during the MLB Network broadcast of the Diamondbacks' game a couple days ago, the Diamondbacks have talked to Scottsdale, but no word on whether they were sent a RFP.

Baseball...of the FUTURE!

soco — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 03:59:34 -0000

Welcome....to the wooooooooooorld of tomorrow!

As inspired by a little ditty in the recent Cardinals thread, I find myself wonder how, if at all, baseball will change in the future. This thought was brought about by a discussion on Vintage Base Ball, and how much fun it would be to play.

What is Vintage Base Ball, you ask? It's what happens when you take Civil War reenactments and baseball, and mash them together. Vintage Base Ball is about playing the game we all think we know and love, but playing it by antiquated rule sets. Not only do teams play by the old rules (such as a catch off one bounce can be an out) but they attempt to dress the part as accurately as possible. That means more likely than not you're going to end up looking like this fine fellow:

The point of all this isn't simply to just play the game and play it well, but to also be authentic as possible. Some teams use slang from the time, or their "spectators" wear authentic clothing as well. Essentially it's an excuse to play a great game and dress up, and assumedly eat as well. I mean, that's totally what I would do if I ran a team.

There are Vintage Base Ball teams in the Valley: the ill-named Bisbee Bees, the Phoenix Senators, and I've heard rumors of Black and Red stockings. Or maybe one was Blue. Irregardless, there are teams of this nature in the area, and all over the nation, playing this beautiful game from a more simple time.

Between them and the Major Leagues, however, all of baseball is surely covered, is it not? Yes, which is why instead I cast my eye foward. Into...the future.

Now personally I don't mind if we just want to playfully wonder what the future might bring to this game, but I think it would be fun to also come up with what the game might be like in an attempt to do what Vintage Base Ball does: dress up, play a game, and have a good time.

So how would the future game play? Are there stupid or outdated rules that our wiser decendents will abolish? What is the fashion? Do fans still go to the games or is everything on tv now? Have robots overtaken the game, or has it morphed into something completely different like blurnsball?

(And yes, I still have the info for the eventual Snakepit softball game. I'm still trying to figure out when would be the best time, and the best logistics. Most likely I'll just post a new thread with a few possible dates in the next couple weeks)