Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks are once again partnering with Fry’s Foods as part of their Fan Loyalty program. Fans that have a Fry’s Rewards card can scan their card at each Diamondbacks game and receive five points for attending.

You can receive additional points for each dollar you spend at Fry’s Foods purchasing specific grocery items. After accumulating points you can trade them in for prizes that range from Diamondbacks merchandise to autographed memorabilia to baseball experiences.

Conor Jackson has always intrigued me. He looks and sounds like a guy who should hit .320 with 30 home runs and be an All-Star every year.

Unfortunately, he is a guy who hits about .285 with 15 home runs every year. Which, if you consider it, isn’t all that bad.

But the issue now with Jackson isn’t his productivity on the field, it’s the fact that he can’t stay on the field. Jackson missed all but 30 games last year because of Valley Fever Virus.

Wednesday night was a good night for Phoenix sports. The Suns won their regular season finale and locked up the number three seed for the playoffs, the Coyotes won their playoff opener, and the Diamondbacks pulled off a come from behind/blown lead/extra inning victory over the evil Dodgers. And I missed most of it.

I should be used to it now, being "trapped" (and willingly so) by my other responsibilities of being a husband, dad, and worker. But still, the fan in me sometimes just wants to cry. Here is how my evening went:

There is almost nothing like the start of the regular season for baseball fans.

Enthusiasm abounds. At the start of the season, every team is even (yes, the Yankees and Red Sox are always favored, but all teams begin together).

The Arizona Diamondbacks have started 4-2 and are second in runs scored in the National League with 42.

Their run total was helped by a 13-run outburst in the fourth inning of Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 13 runs in that inning were a Diamondbacks team record.

Let’s see what is going on with the team from the Valley of the Sun.

Kelly Johnson is back!

As I mentioned in my first article introducing the Bleacher Report Professional League, I will be writing updates on the league regularly about transactions, the draft, and results throughout the season. Tomorrow night is the draft, and I will be recapping the results afterwards, here is a link to the league:

Earlier this week the Arizona Diamondbacks announced who would be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day.

They have given this honor to Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, who recently retired.

Warner has been a fan favorite during his time in Arizona and led them to a Super Bowl in 2009. His departure from football will be greatly felt, and the Diamondbacks should be applauded for recognizing him.

While I believe that Warner deserves the honor of throwing out a first pitch, I find myself a little disappointed in the timing of this.

After the 2007 season that saw the Arizona Diamondbacks exceed expectations and reach the National League Championship Series, the team decided to make a blockbuster trade to bring in another front line starter.

General Manager Josh Byrnes would make a trade with the Oakland Athletics that would bring Dan Haren to the desert for several top prospects. The trade was warranted and given the success Haren has had with the Diamondbacks he was worth the price.

The Arizona Diamondbacks finished a disappointing 2009 season with a record of 70-92 and in last place in the NL West—this after having posted winning records in each of the two prior seasons.

They should be considerably improved in 2010, if only because they have added veteran leadership and should get bounce back years from a couple of key performers.

Earlier this week I received an e-mail from the Arizona Diamondbacks Season Ticket Holder Services group. In the e-mail they outlined another new benefit for being a season ticket holder. In our season ticket holder package we received a voucher to be redeemed at Chase Field during any home game in April or May.

The voucher is good for a “Fan Loyalty Cup” and can be picked up at the Season Ticket Holders Area behind Sections 111-112. This cup can be refilled at most Chase Field concession stands for 32 ounces of soda for a reasonable $2 price.