The fact that he's returned to the game this season is a triumph in itself. And even he knows he'll be on the outside looking in soon.
The Big Unit was knocked around by the Houston Astros on Wednesday. Randy Johnson gave up 6 runs, all earned, and 9 hits in 4 innings. He was let off the hook for the loss thanks to fellow Dbacks starter Micah Owings. Owings never took the mound. He stepped to the plate as a pinch-hitter in the 6th inning and launched a 2 run homer to tie the game at 7. Eric Byrnes added an RBI single later in the inning to send the Dbacks ahead 8-7. And that's how it finished.
Yeah, we got a starting pitcher who can deliver pinch hit homers. We're cool like that.
The Diamondbacks are the only team to finish the opening month with 20 wins.
OK, I know technically the opening month of the season was March. So I'm noting that here for all you anal goofballs(no offense, Roger Clemens and Mindy McCready)who consider stats some kind of religion.
Keeping with the recent tradition of Major League debuts at Chase Field, a 'fan' ran out onto the field during the game and was promptly plummeled by the brownshirts. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say alcohol and/or other ingestibles might have played a part in the actions of this 'fan'. Of course, I can't confirm this or the identity of the 'fan'. But I can confirm that Paula Abdul was not at the game.
But Geddy Lee was. The RUSH frontman was taking in a rare weekday afternoon contest at Chase, along with lots of schoolkids, senior citizens, and THALESMEN! entertaining clients.
The schoolkids were in various groups chaperoned by a few teachers, being rewarded for their good grades and perfect attendance. How ironic that perfect attendance is rewarded by allowing the kids to blow off school for a day and take in a ballgame. Alot of the kids wanted their pics taken, but the chaperones couldn't allow it since they didn't have signed permission slips from parents allowing their children to be photographed and placed on the Dbacks website. I could certainly understand that.
OK, No. Not really. I think schools and their administrators have gotten ridiculous. Suspending kids for buying candy at school. Suspending a girl for having highlighted hair. Who are these #### administrators running the schools and denying kids of some simple fun?
And Annie thought she had the hard knock life.
Maybe instead of protecting youth from Skittles and Clairol, they should start protecting them from the teachers who seduce them. What are these hot babe teachers seducing male students thinking? And where were they when I was going to school?
But I digress.
There was one group of at least 500 schoolkids attending the game. They were honored before the game and marched along the warning track. They wore identical shirts as part of the "Dbacks Inner City Jam".
In Chicago, you wear kevlar to an inner city jam. Here in Phoenix, you wear white t-shirts.
But you could tell these kids and their chaperones were from the inner city. They didn't scare easily. They had candy. They had highlighted hair. They invited, even pleaded, for danger to tangle with them. Because they let me take lots of pics to post on the Dbacks website.
Parental permission slips? They don't need no stinkin' parental permission slips. They were rebels, Dottie.
The NY Mets spend the weekend in Phoenix. Tomorrow night it's John Maine(2-2)for NY and the pinch-hit-homer-hitting Owings(4-0)for the Dbacks. Saturday it's the Mets' Mike Pelfrey(2-1) vs. Brandon Webb(6-0). And on Sunday, a marquee matchup between Johan Santana(3-2) and Dan Haren(4-1).
NY starters with a combined record of 7-5 vs. Diamondbacks starters with a combined record of 14-1.
Is it just me, or are the Mets becoming the Miami Dolphins of the Dan Marino era? Always hyped as the team to beat. Always touted as the eventual best. And always ending up like Mama Cass Elliot eating a ham sandwich.
Randy will find his place on this team. even if it mean giving Lyon a break as a closer or perhaps as a set-up man. with Max going into the starting rotation and Davis coming back soon the D'backs have more options than Brad Pitt at an all girls school.
i'd like to see some of those pictures of fans you can't post on the website. i have a few myself that my wife gets jealous of.
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I am a fan photographer at Chase Field for Arizona Diamondbacks games. I'll be sharing the unique perspective this job allows me of the ballpark, the fans and the games with you.
I was a lifelong Chicagoan until June 30, 2007, when my girlfriend and I spent our first night in our new home in Phoenix.
Chicago is a great city, but it was time for a new adventure. I had a good-paying job that was a pain in the BLEEP. I had winters and snow. I had high taxes and fees for everything.
Phoenix is also a great city. They don't nickel-and-di me you to death. And the weather! They don't sell snow shovels and icemelt here. Oh baby, the weather!
And as a baseball fan, I have a great job. I look forward to going to work for the first time in years. I actually have fun while working.
