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When the Detroit Tigers signed starting pitcher and former Arizona Diamondback Brad Penny to a contract it began a domino effect that is still rumbling around Major League Baseball. In order to make room for Penny on the 40-man roster, the Tigers designated starting pitcher Armando Galarraga for assignment.

This is the same Galarraga who received national attention last season when his bid for a perfect game was broken up by a questionable call by first base umpire Jim Joyce. Both Galarraga and Joyce showed humanity and compassion after Joyce admitted his mistake and Galarraga accepted the umpire’s tearful apology.

Just a few short months after that historic event, Galarraga found himself about to be unemployed. The Tigers had one week to either try to trade the pitcher or allow him to become a free agent.

Given the rather shallow market for starting pitching, the Tigers were said to have several teams interested in trading for Galarraga. One team that didn’t seem to be a fit was the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Arizona had just signed Aaron Heilman with the stipulation that he would be allowed to compete for a spot in the already full starting rotation. It therefore came as a surprise to learn that the Diamondbacks were the leading candidate in the Galarraga sweepstakes.

The Diamondbacks offered minor league pitcher Kevin Eichhorn and another player to Detroit in exchange for Galarraga. The Diamondbacks will assume the entirety of Galarraga’s $2.3 million contract for 2011.

This deal will mean a substantial amount of competition will occur during Spring Training as seven pitchers compete for five rotation spots. That is not a bad place to be and Arizona will have what they have been desperately been lacking the past two years—pitching depth.

Hopefully this deal works out better than the last two the Diamondbacks have made with the Tigers. Edwin Jackson and Dontrelle Willis weren’t exactly the kind of returns you want to see out of a team’s trades.

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With the first Spring Training game just 39 days away, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies hosted a behind the scenes tour of their new Spring Training facility Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.

When ground broke in November 2009, it was hard to imagine what the complex would look like.

Now, just 14 months later, the transformation is incredible.

Most of the heavy earth moving equipment has disappeared and all that remains is a few minor details and some cleanup.

Before entering the stadium, we were greeted by friendly staff who gave each of us a hardhat, safety glasses, a neon vest and cloth booties. I have to admit, I was disappointed that the hard hats were not Sedona Red and was even more depressed to learn that we had to turn in that cool vest.

I was hoping I could take it and wear it to the first Spring Training game on February 26th as a badge of honor.

The entrance to the stadium is incredible. As you walk across the bridge towards the gates, there is a water feature to the left that runs below and to an adjoining lake to the right; the other cool thing about the entrance is that you are able to look out on the practice fields and batting cages and catch a glimpse of your favorite player warming up.

The left side of the complex is the Arizona Diamondbacks side, while the right is the Colorado Rockies. Besides the stadium that seats just over 11,000 fans (7,000 fixed seats and another 4,000 lawn seats), the complex also includes 12 practice fields (six each for the Diamondbacks and Rockies).

On the Diamondbacks side, there is one field that has the exact dimensions as Salt River Fields at Talking Stick stadium, while another has the exact field dimensions of Chase Field. This will allow players to learn the nuances of each field without having to actually be at that stadium.

That should pay dividends both in Spring Training and also during rehab assignments or instructional league.

Entering the front gates, the first thing you will notice is the amazing sight lines. It is almost breathtaking to see the field emerge as you walk in.

Like at Chase Field, the Diamondbacks dugout will be on the third base side while the Rockies dugout will be on the first base side.

I sat behind home plate and waited for the event to begin. I tried to remember what this looked like during the groundbreaking ceremony. It was hard to imagine what we saw in front of us did not exist just a year prior.

The event began at 1 PM and the seats behind the plate were in the shade. Mo Stein from the architecture firm HKS explained that the stadium was designed so that 80 percent of the seats would be in the shade by game time taking into account the location of the sun during February and March.

The scoreboard beyond left field was the first thing to catch your eye—it is hard to miss at 24 feet by 48 feet. The board will look familiar to Diamondbacks fans as it is similar to the one at Chase Field and can be controlled similarly.

It is the largest LED screen in all of MLB Spring Training.

Besides the main board, there are also two LED ribbon boards similar to what you see at Chase Field. The ribbon boards are positioned so that those in the lawn seats will be able to see the information clearly.

Management for the Diamondbacks and Rockies took turns addressing the media expressing gratitude for the work that had gone into the stadium. As of January, there have been two million man-hours of work done on the facility. Each day 650 people are on site working and at its peak, there were 1,250 people there.

The hard work clearly paid off—the facility was incredible.

From the main concourse, we went to the party deck. There are three party decks at the stadium. On the left field side is the Miller Light deck, while the right field side houses the Coors Cold Zone.

The third deck is the Pepsi Party deck. For $19, fans can mingle among the three decks, which will not only have seats and patio furniture but also food and beverage.

Beyond the seats in right field currently sits a large expanse of concrete. This pad is in the process of being transformed into the Cold Stone Creamery Kids area. It will have a whiffle ball field, complete with artificial turf and have other areas where kids can go to play while their parents watch the game.

Everywhere you look, the Rockies and Diamondbacks have taken fan experience into consideration.

In tomorrow’s blog post, we will move beyond the stadium and delve into the other aspects of Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, including the team clubhouses and overall fan experience.

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Capistrano can have its swallows, farmers can have their almanac, and Punxsutawney can have its groundhog, but baseball fans everywhere know that the surest sign that spring is in the air is when Cactus League and Grapefruit League tickets go on sale.

The mere mention of Spring Training will put most baseball fans into a trance. They are whisked away from the frozen landscape and accumulating snow and transported to places with perpetual sunshine and blue, cloudless skies.

Soon, they will smell the fresh cut grass intertwined with roasting hot dogs and ice cold beer. They will hear the vendors offering ballpark delights while walking through the capacity crowds of ballparks throughout Arizona and Florida.

For Arizona Diamondbacks fans, the long wait is finally over. The team announced that single-game tickets go on sale Monday, January 17 at 10 AM. For the first time Cactus League fans will be able to enjoy Diamondbacks baseball without having to travel to Tucson.

The Arizona Diamondbacks along with the Colorado Rockies open the newest Spring Training stadium, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, in late February and, for the first time, all the Cactus League teams can be found within the Valley of the Sun. No more long road trips; instead fans are within 30-45 miles of all Spring Training venues.

Tickets to Spring Training Opening Day at Salt River Fields will be hard to come by, as everyone wants to see the new stadium. The Diamondbacks and Rockies will offer not only single game tickets to specific games but will also put together packages to allow fans to experience several games at the new complex.

And while I have Spring Training season tickets, I’ll be anxiously waiting on the phone for the operator to assist me in getting a few “extra” tickets so that family and friends can enjoy the weather and baseball in Arizona.

Tickets can be ordered online at dbacks.com/spring or by phone by calling 480-362-WINS (9467) locally or toll-free at 888-490-0383. Seat prices range from $25 for Infield Box seats to $8 for Lawn seats, making it affordable to all fans.

So, while it may not be time to put away those snow shovels and parkas in most of the country, in Arizona the sun is shining and the skies are a brilliant blue with temperatures forecast to be in the low-70’s; a perfect day for baseball.

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On the first Thursday of every month, Arizona Diamondbacks CEO/President Derrick Hall took time out of his busy day to attend an online chat where he discussed the team and what fans should expect during the 2011 season.

Questions to the chief executive once again centered around the roster and the moves the team has made since finishing last in the National League West for two consecutive seasons.

Hall was very enthusiastic about the moves General Manager Kevin Towers has made this offseason.

He spoke glowingly of the changes to the bullpen, which finished last among major league clubs last year. He talked about new closer J.J. Putz and how important he will be in closing out games, something that the team did poorly last year.

Hall also spoke of other pitchers in the bullpen, acknowledging Kam Mickolio and David Hernandez, whom the Diamondbacks received in the Mark Reynolds trade, as well as Joe Paterson and Bryan Sweeney. Mike Hampton will also be returning to the Diamondbacks this year after having a successful call-up in the last several weeks of the 2010 season.

It was interesting to note that Hall said he expects Towers to bring in another starting pitcher before Spring Training begins and likely another veteran utility or bench player. We can only hope that veteran is capable of playing first base in case Juan Miranda or Brandon Allen are unable to earn a spot out of Spring Training.

Besides the roster, fans were also interested in the new Spring Training home of the Diamondbacks, as the team moves from Tucson Electric Park to their new home Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale. Hall talked about not only the facility, but the entire complex and how fan-friendly it will be.

Hall also talked about how the Diamondbacks would like to honor Randy Johnson, hopefully this season, with the second Arizona Diamondbacks number being retired at Chase Field. There is no set timeline, but both the team and Johnson are having discussions on when this might happen.

Hopefully Hall will be able to mend the fences between the Diamondbacks and Johnson, much like he did with Luis Gonzalez after the two parted ways. This could go a long way towards having Johnson become a part of the Diamondbacks family and ultimately be a way for Johnson to be close to the team when he is elected to the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible.

I was disappointed that no questions were raised regarding the proposed humidor at Chase Field. After last season, it was rumored the team was looking at building such a facility to try and neutralize the hitter friendliness of Chase Field.

This will be especially important with the Diamondbacks not having an identified ace on their pitching staff in 2011.

Finally, Hall announced that the Diamondbacks would hold their annual Fan Fest at Chase Field on Saturday February 12th. This is an event that everyone looks forward to each year, as it ushers in the beginning of Spring Training workouts and the return of baseball to Phoenix.

Overall, it sounds like Hall and his staff have been busy and fans will have a lot to look forward to this upcoming season.

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Do you ever have one of those days where it doesn’t seem to matter what you do, you just somehow find a way to stick your foot in your mouth? And then you try to fix things and you make an even bigger mess out of stuff than if you had just let things alone? Unfortunately, that pretty much describes every day of my life but even more so it describes my day yesterday.

Judging from the web site analytics and my email in-box, there were many people who visited Diary of a Diehard yesterday and read my entry on the Justin Upton Meet-and-Greet event held at Chase Field last evening.

In that entry I lamented the fact that despite my best laid plans sending my two teenage daughters to Chase Field they were turned away. I further went on to describe how I felt that Upton had shortchanged the event by only staying for a minimum amount of time.

This is one of those subjects that polarize sports fans and give many an open forum to blast the selfishness of today’s player regardless of the sport or the person. The number of comments I received took me aback and I chose to remove most of them (sorry, editorial prerogative).

The article bothered me for several reasons. It put the Diamondbacks in a bad light and I hate doing that. I try to be an optimist as one reader reminded me. No matter what happens, there is always some positive that we can take away from the experience. I neglected to remember that.

Today I received a phone call from the Arizona Diamondbacks who wanted to talk to me about the event last night. The call was not a result of my being a long-time season ticket holder or because I have any special relationship with the team. I received the call because the Diamondbacks care about their fans.

It started off with an apology. They apologized for my daughters making the trip to Chase Field and missing out on the opportunity to meet Justin Upton. It’s funny how powerful the words “we’re sorry” can be.

They didn’t need to do that. Much of the blame was clearly on my shoulders. The event had a stated start time of 5:30 PM. Obviously the girls had not made it to the ballpark by that time. The team had every right to deliver that message but they didn’t.

Instead they empathized their disappointed fans. They explained how the event had taken place. Forty-five people arrived on time for the event and were able to attend. Justin Upton arrived early and spent an inordinate amount of time with each person making sure they got the proper attention.

When he had given each fan the attention they needed he waited to see if any other fans might show up. The Diamondbacks season ticket services group made the decision to end the event when it appeared no other fans would be arriving. Upton was willing to stay as long as necessary to make sure no one was left out.

Yesterday I painted Upton as a young player who cared little for the fans or the community. That was extremely unfair and extremely wrong. I want to take this opportunity to apologize to him and to the Arizona Diamondbacks for what I said.

I took two innocent events one in September and another last night and immediately jumped to the conclusion that he didn’t care. I didn’t even consider the possibility that the decisions may have been beyond his control.

It’s funny; I am old enough to be Justin’s father yet this young man has taught me a valuable life lesson. You shouldn’t be quick to judge someone and you should always give people the benefit of the doubt regardless of appearances.

To Mr. Upton and to the Arizona Diamondbacks, I am sorry I leapt to inaccurate conclusions and I apologize for suggesting in any way that either the player or the team did not care about the fans or the fan experience.

The phone call was a very humbling experience but one that I hope stays with me a very long time. Each of us needs to be reminded once in a while of how important it is to consider each other and how simple words can sometimes be the hardest things to manage.

Someday I hope to have the opportunity to meet Upton personally and tell him how much I appreciate his abilities not only on the baseball field but also his ability to teach me why it’s important to admit my mistakes. A discussion that will undoubtedly be met with a confused look and a motion to have security remove the crazy guy from section 132.

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At the conclusion of the final home game of the 2010 regular season, the Arizona Diamondbacks held a celebration for their season ticket holders on the playing surface at Chase Field. Season ticket holders had the opportunity to sign up and have their pictures taken with various players and coaches.

It was an overwhelming success after the 2009 season and season ticket holders I spoke to were looking forward to this event. With the home team in route to a 97-loss season, fans and team personnel were looking for anything positive to come out of the year.

As the event arrived I sent in my RSVP for the event and picked up the necessary wristband to attend. The wristbands were color coordinated by player/coach groups. My son Dakota and daughter Tiffany each selected a player they most admired to have their picture taken with.

After a long debate I finally choose right fielder Justin Upton. It’s not that I admire Upton, nor do I necessarily believe him to be the face of the franchise. I just think he is dealing with a lot of pressure from everyone’s expectations and thought it might be nice to have a photo taken and give him an encouraging word from an average fan.

For the better part of September leading up to the event Upton was injured and was not in the lineup for the Diamondbacks. He hurt his non-throwing shoulder while swinging a bat. Having gone through three shoulder surgeries myself I felt I was in a unique position to understand what he was going through.

On the day of the final game of the season Upton did not seem to be visible either before or during the game. After the conclusion when the Diamondbacks awarded the “Shirts off our D-backs,” Upton was once again absent.

There were grumblings throughout the stands from fans who were growing tired of Upton’s seeming lack of concern for the fans. His connection to the community seemed too staged and a result of the well working public relations teams instead of Upton actually caring to be part of the Phoenix area.

When the postgame celebration began fans holding Upton colored wristbands were told that he would not be attending. He chose instead to fly to Alabama to see the doctor about his shoulder.

At first I gave him the benefit of the doubt. After all, getting back onto the playing field is something every player should strive for. It became a little bit more difficult to explain why a player who had been out the entire month would choose that particular day to fly across the country to see the doctor…on a Sunday no less.

Diamondbacks officials were left to pick up the pieces. The season ticket holder services team did an admirable job of blocking the negative comments and took everyone’s name with a promise that at some point during the offseason a meet-and-greet event would be scheduled where fans would get an opportunity to meet Mr. Upton.

Exactly a week ago an email arrived from Mandi Howard, manager of season ticket services for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The message contained an appreciation of the fans’ patience and understanding for the Fun on the Field event.

The rescheduled meet-and-greet with Justin Upton had been rescheduled for December 14th at Chase Field from 5:30–6:30 PM on the Diamond Level of the ballpark. Free parking was being offered to fans attending the event. The email concluded with a request to RSVP by end of the day on December 8th if you planned to attend.

I had been looking forward to attending this. Unfortunately, the timing could not have been worse. I was previously scheduled to undergo stomach surgery on December 3rd but postponed that for a week so that I could attend the Diamondbacks Spring Training Select-a-Seat event.

I was still trying to explain that to the surgeon and my wife so the thoughts of moving the date another week to attend a meet-and-greet with Justin Upton was probably a long-shot at best. I still sent an RSVP for two spots thinking at a minimum my kids could have the opportunity.

As the day arrived I was still heavily medicated and in no condition to attend the event. My daughters did want to go so I sent an email to my season ticket representative to make sure that would be ok.

My daughters Tiffany and Whitney eagerly waited to hear whether they could attend. When we received the response from the team they jumped into the car and drove to Chase Field. They were worried they would not make it in time given the distance from where they were. I explained not to worry—the event was scheduled for an hour so even if they did not get there just as it began they still had time; or so I thought.

Sending two teenagers into downtown Phoenix during rush hour where neither was accustomed to driving was a bad idea to begin with but that wasn’t the worst part. They arrived at Chase Field a little before 6:00 PM.

They made their way to the parking garage and parked the car. They followed the instructions we were given but found the gates were locked. They searched around to find someone who could help them find their way.

After going through several people they were told the event was already over and Upton had left the stadium even before they got there. So while the girls had arrived well within the time stated in the communication we received, they were turned away.

No explanation was given as to why Upton left early or why the stated 60-minute event lasted less than 30 minutes. At first I considered that everyone who had sent an RSVP had been met and greeted but that was not the case since I had re-verified that my daughters would be attending less than an hour before they were turned away.

I can appreciate that Mr. Upton’s time is important. I can also understand that he probably has many more important things to do in his life rather than spend 60-minutes at a darkened baseball stadium two weeks before Christmas.

From my perspective this was a complete failure. I would like to hope this was not indicative of the level of interest Upton has of interacting with the Diamondbacks fanbase. The optimist in me wants to suggest that it was my fault for not somehow getting my kids down to the stadium just a little faster.

I want to give the Diamondbacks the benefit of the doubt that this was just an unfortunate turn of events. The team always seems to go out of its way to make the fan experience as enjoyable as possible. It is one of the things I admire most about the franchise. But tonight they took a serious hit from a public relations standpoint by two young fans who won’t be cheering on Uptown next season.

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When Kevin Towers took over the job as general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks he had several items on his to-do list to make this team more competitive. The top of that list included rebuilding the worst bullpen in all of Major League Baseball and cut down the number of strikeouts by the offense.

Both of these items were addressed when Arizona sent starting third baseman Mark Reynolds and either a player to be named later or cash to Baltimore for right-handed pitchers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio.

In Hernandez the Diamondbacks receive a pitcher that can either work into the starting rotation or become part of the revamped bullpen. In 2010 Hernandez threw 79 innings striking out 72 while walking 42. He held opponents to a .242 average and had an overall ERA of 4.31. Coming out of the bullpen Hernandez’s ERA was lowered to a 3.51.

Many have suggested Hernandez has closer stuff and he would be better off as a late-inning pitcher. While Hernandez likely will not be the Diamondbacks closer, he could ultimately become one.

Mickolio is a hard-throwing right-hander that came to the Orioles as part of the Erik Bedard deal with the Seattle Mariners. Mickolio is 6’ 9” and has a powerful arm. The Orioles expected him to become a late-inning pitcher but he struggled during spring training and ended up in the minor leagues for most of the season. The Diamondbacks are hoping a change of scenery will help him live up to his potential.

By trading Reynolds the Diamondbacks lowered their team strikeout total by more than 200 per season. Add to that the departure of first baseman Adam LaRoche and the Diamondbacks have cleared nearly 400 strikeouts from the league-leading total.

Reynolds struggled last season hitting just .198 and had more strikeouts than hits for the fourth consecutive season. There is no debating Reynolds’ power but his lack of plate discipline has plagued the Diamondbacks for too long.

Arizona will now be forced to look to replace Reynolds’ 32 home runs and LaRoche’s 100 RBI in a rather meager offense. The Diamondbacks struggled to score runs the past two seasons so losing two of their most productive hitters will definitely be a challenge for Towers at the winter meetings this week.

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They say that just before Mother Nature unleashes her wrath of bitter weather on the unsuspecting, it gets extremely calm and quiet. Leading up to a large tsunami, the waters become calm and recede away from the shore.

Over the course of the next week we will feel a similar quiet, almost uneasy, feeling. Beginning next week, all of baseball will turn its attention to the Swan and Dolphin Resorts in Orlando, Florida.

No, it is not time for Mickey Mouse’s annual Christmas parade, although there may be some who will wish to celebrate. Instead, representatives from all 30 teams will descend on the two resorts at the gates of Epcot for baseball’s Winter Meetings.

There they will interact with each other in hopes of setting the groundwork or making deals that will catapult teams into instant contenders.

Agents will likewise descend upon the outskirts of Walt Disney World, hoping to make out like Captain Jack Sparrow and secure a treasure room of cash for their clients. Until then, teams will work the phones, setting up meetings and maybe making a few dinner reservations.

As for me, I’ll be watching the Walt Disney Vacation DVD one last time and wonder if the deals that get done next week with the Arizona Diamondbacks will make Chase Field the Happiest Place on Earth next season.

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Major League Baseball announced the National League Most Valuable Player selection and, for the first time in three years, the winner is not someone named Albert Pujols.

The 2010 NL MVP was Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto. Votto’s win was not that surprising given the type of year he had but the degree with which he won was shocking. Votto received 31 out of a possible 32 first place votes and that one vote was a second place.

Pujols finished the voting in second place receiving the one first place vote Votto did not get plus 21 second place and eight third place votes.

In yet another reminder to Diamondbacks fans of what we gave up, Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez finished third.

Gonzalez was part of the package of players that went to the Oakland Athletics in the trade for Dan Haren. At the time I cringed at the thought of giving up so many prospects in exchange for a starting pitcher.

Most of the prospects have not had an impact yet; at least not to the extent of Gonzalez. After struggling in Oakland in his rookie season he was sent to the Rockies as part of the Matt Holliday deal and blossomed in the thin Colorado air.

Diamondbacks fans will be continually reminded of the level of talent Car-Go has and how he could have solved the issue the team currently has in left field. Many die hard fans had dreams of an outfield containing Justin Upton, Chris Young, and Gonzalez.

Since the trade the Diamondbacks have had numerous left fielders including Conor Jackson, Gerardo Parra, Rusty Ryal, Ryan Roberts, Brandon Allen, and Cole Gillespie in just the last year. Those players combined they did not equal the statistics that Gonzalez put up for the Rockies.  

This is one of those trades that will haunt the Diamondbacks for years.

Looking at the voting totals for the NL MVP race there were no Diamondbacks players that received a vote. That should probably not be too much of a surprise given the Diamondbacks’ anemic offensive production in 2010.

Still, it would have been nice if anyone had received a vote, even a tenth place vote.

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Over the last week, the Arizona Diamondbacks have began tweaking their roster— not in a wholesale massive way, but rather by adjusting the player mix one small step at a time. Many Diamondbacks fans will look at each of these moves and question whether they are actually making the team better or just shuffling like a three-card Monte game.

In their first deal of the offseason, the Diamondbacks sent minor league pitcher Scottie Allen to the New York Yankees in exchange for minor league first baseman Juan Miranda. Allen was the Diamondbacks 11th round draft choice in the 2009 amateur draft. He spent two seasons in the Diamondbacks minor leagues. In 2010 Allen played for the Class-A South Bend Silverhawks where he compiled a 5-4 record including 95 strikeouts in 28 games and a 3.95 ERA.

Miranda played for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in 2010 hitting .285 with 15 home runs and 43 runs batted in. He did play briefly for New York this season hitting just .219 with 3 home runs.

Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers spent the 2010 season as a special assistant to the Yankees GM Brian Cashman, and he obviously made notes of players he would be interested in once he became a GM again. The question is, where will Miranda fit with Brandon Allen already on the roster as the incumbent first baseman with Adam LaRoche now gone?

The Diamondbacks also added two of their minor league players to the 40-man roster, a precursor to the upcoming Rule-5 Draft that will be held during the Winter Meetings in early December.

Both players added were pitchers, signifying that the Diamondbacks feel their strength in the minor leagues continues to be the pitching staff. Right-hander Yonata Ortega was added from the Visalia Rawhide roster while right-hander Josh Collmenter was added from the Mobile BayBears.

Neither expects to be on the 25-man roster next spring, but Collmenter has pressed the Diamondbacks to promote him as he has overachieved at each level. Taken in the 15th round of the 2007 amateur draft, Collmenter has earned a spot as a prospect through hard work and a very good Arizona Fall League campaign.

Arizona also claimed right-handed pitcher Juan Jaime off waivers from the Washington Nationals. Jaime had limited work in 2010 recovering from Tommy John surgery. He has a powerful arm and could become one of the pieces in the revamped bullpen Towers is assembling.

While none of these roster moves stand out as the answer to the dismal 2010 season, collectively they very well could be some of the pieces that act as the glue that will hold the team together in 2011.

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