An open letter to Ken Kendrick

micmac99
Baseball Fan
Downtown Phoenix

Ken Kendrick
Managing General Partner
Arizona Diamondbacks

9/3/2006

Mr. Kendrick:

I am glad baseball is in Arizona. Up until this weekend I was more than happy to support the Diamondbacks. At this point - despite the fact that the Diamondbacks are poised in the years to come to be one of the more sucessful and exciting teams in all of Major League Baseball to watch and to support - I am not so sure.

Many factors that have transpired this season have caused me to seriously question whether or not you should continue to remain in your position as managing general partner of this franchise.

1. Your apparent orchestration of the departure of Jerry Colangelo in 2004. Your (and the other partners) apparent disagreements with Mr. Colangelo are well noted and justified. However, the virtual firing of the founder of this franchise and someone who still garners tremendous respect as a capable and influential leader in American professional sports frankly baffles me, in the way it was handled.

2. Your accepting Jeff Moorad as the public face of the general partners, and Moorad's significantly diminished role as such, as this season has progressed. Why bring him on in the first place if you will not use him?

3. Your handling of the Jason Grimsley affair.

4. The overall team morale, which in my best observation has suffered this season, and I feel that is a major contributing factor in the less-than-stellar on the field performance of an otherwise strongly talented team. With the mix of youth and veterans - even with the pitching staff in place as of today - there is no reason why this team should be over 8 games out of first place. I am also afraid that quality players, who can help this franchise win championships, will either elect to leave or otherwise not come to the Diamondbacks in part because of the tone you have set this season.

4a. Your failure to acknowledge that certain members of the fan base are not happy with the on-the-field gameday decisions by Mr. Melvin and his staff. While I respect Mr. Melvin, there are other fans who are regular posters to this forum who do not. There are those who strongly believe that Mr. Melvin, who has been in the game of baseball the better part of 25 years and has played or coached under some of the best minds in the sport such as Roger Craig and Phil Garner, does not have total freedom to manage the team in the way he sees fit.

5. Your implicit and rather audacious slap in the face to Mr. Colangelo (and all who honor and remember his years of successful leadership of the Suns) by announcing a radical and unneccesary change to the color scheme of the ballclub, which is one of the few remaining remnants of Mr. Colangelo's impressive effort to bring Major League Baseball to Arizona, and to be creative and innovative in having such team be competitve on the field in opposition to the traditional trend of expansion franchises to take years if not decades to become competitive.

I have made countless posts on this message board defending the actions of Mr. Colangelo, and showing my understanding of why he took the financial route he did, so I will not rehash them here.

There are others on this board who have over the entire course of this season had the audacity to suggest that my views and opinions are without merit and represent the views of "whiners" and "casual fans" with their heads stuck inside certain bodily cavities. To them I say to each his own, I will not budge, just give me the pleasure of posting them as long as I am following the Terms of Service of this message board, and feel free to ignore such comments as you see fit - I certainly shall exercise similar rights.

And to you, Mr. Kendrick, I say:

1. I call for you to step down from your position as managing general partner effective the end of the 2006 postseason and sell your financial interest in the Arizona Diamondbacks to a businessman or group of such, with much stronger local and regional ties, respect, and public esteem in Phoenix, Tucson and statewide. Such men will have a greater inclination to act in the best interest of the Diamondbacks, their fans, and to the people of Arizona. I have posted a partial listing on this board earlier today of those who might be possible considerations. This should be done for the long-term greater good of the Diamondbacks franchise.

2. If you are not willing to do that, please consider hiring or promoting a team president to assume all major executive duties not under the responsibility of the General Manager or other player-related executives, with absolutely no interference of any sort from yourself or the other partners except in the most drastic of situations. Rich Dozer has proven himself to be one of the most excellent and capable executives in American professional sports and is a strong tie to the ownership tenure of Mr. Colangelo. I would suggest he be team president in more than a nominal fasion. He would also be an excellent candidate for Managing General Partner and one I would be strongly inclined to support.

I also hope that you will continue to grant Josh Byrnes complete autonomy to shape the on-the-field presence of the Diamondbacks as he sees fit, with absolutely no interference from yourself or the other general partners whatsoever, unless the performance of the team is unacceptable to the point where action must be taken.

3 If you are not willing to do 1 and 2 then I will have no choice to be a strong advocate for an outside group to form a corporation and purchase the Diamondback franchise, operate it as a public corporation on the model of the Green Bay Packers, and give control of Arizona's team back to Arizona's fans.

By these comments and others that I have made on this board, please do not infer that I hold you in less-than-high regard or respect as a person. I do not know you personally and upon meeting you personally, if I were to have the chance to do so, I might find you a pleasant individual. However, as a fan of the game of baseball and of the Diamondbacks from the inception of the franchise, I am somewhat uncomfortable with much of the direction of the team I waited over seven years to arrive in this state, with the exception of the high caliber of talent assembled in the minor league system (the responsibility in large part of Mike Rizzo, who is making a tremendous name for himself as a baseball executive).

The dismissal of Colangelo, even if there was no choice but to do so for the good of the franchise, was handled badly enough. Now you have to get rid of his colors. To this fan, that is unacceptable.

I don't expect a response from you. This is more for the perusal of the others on this board. I would suspect that you may never read this and never even be aware that some of the fans even think this way.

In any case, thank you, Mr. Kendrick, and thanks to the Diamondbacks and to Major League Baseball for giving me - and those who disagree with me - a forum to express our opinions, angry as well as joyful, about the team we love so much.

I will make a decision over the course of the offseason whether to continue as a fan of this team. And whether I choose to support this team publicly in 2007 or not, I will always support the fact that Phoenix and Arizona, the city and state that I love more than any other, dared to dream big and get Major League Baseball.

My crazy idea: let the FANS own the D-Backs

(The following was posted to the official D-Backs message board as an ongoing response to the announced uniform change.)

As you all know, I am not a supporter of managing general partner Ken Kendrick. I have been in disagreement over many things about the Diamondbacks but the announcement of the color and uniform change was the last straw for me. Adding insult to injury as a fan. You folks know how I feel by now, if not, go back and read my posts the last day or so.

So I wondered aloud on another thread if the D-Backs would be better off under a new majority owner such as an Ira Fulton or an Eddie Basha, men with strong local ties and just as respected here in this state as Jerry was.

But I started thinking...

Why not have the fans own the Diamondbacks?

Why can't WE, the FANS, be the owners?

Why can't we send a message to the Major League Baseball powers that be that baseball is first and foremost a PASTIME for the enjoyment and edification of the FANS?

Yes, baseball is structured as a business. Some of you were quick to point that out. But the problem with the entire sport of baseball, IMO, is that we have too many greedy businessmen running the teams. Businessmen who put profit and maximizing revenue above the greater good of the sport. Steinbrenner is building New Yankee Stadium as we speak and not one cent of those revenues from the new, modern, state-of-the-art facility is going to be shared with the Diamondbacks or any other franchise in baseball. Major League Baseball right now is "every team for himself and if you don't have the money, it suxxx to be you" which is IMO just plain unfair and runs against the idea of sportsmanship and the ideals of a level playing field and making things fair for all - ideals I think we all agree we want our kids to learn.

The Green Bay Packers, the legendary NFL team, are the only major professional sports franchise in this country organized all by itself as a publicly traded company. The Packers have shareholders. They incorporated in 1923 and had IPO's from time to time to raise money. Their latest IPO raised the money to renovate Lambeau Field.

Why can't we use the Packers as our model and form a new Diamondbacks, a democratically elected Diamondbacks, and take our team back from the KenCo's? Why can't the Diamondbacks be the People's Team???

I know of no restriction in the rules of Major League Baseball that would prevent this, and the other owners of the teams have no reason to object as other clubs are owned by publicly traded companies:

Atlanta Braves [Time Warner]
Chicago Cubs [Tribune Company]
Seattle Mariners [Nintendo of America]
Toronto Blue Jays [Rogers Communiations]

How it would work:

Forbes Magazine listed the Diamondbacks as having a franchise value of $305 million. (reprinted in the Phoenix Business journal, April 21, 2006). If the team were put up for sale today that would most likely be the asking price.

A corporation could be formed for the express purpose of raising funds to buy the team outright. Call it "Purple Baseball Corporation (PBC)". Shares of PBC stock can be issued that combined, add up to the total sale price of the franchise.

I am using the Packers as an example.

Priced at $200 per share (or whatever), fans can buy enough shares of PBC during an IPO that could last the offseason. Prospectus and other info could be sent to season ticket holders, MVP Rewards members, etc., and the IPO should be heavily promoted in the news media, on ESPN, FSN, etc. The coverage on ESPN alone would generate interest from thousands of fans across this country.

First priority would be given to residents of the Diamondbacks territory as defined by Major League Baseball which I think is the entire state of Arizona and possibly parts of Nevada, Texas and New Mexico.

(The rest is semi-verbatim from the Packers article on Wikipedia.) Shares of stock would include voting rights, but the redemption price is minimal, no dividends are ever paid, the stock cannot appreciate in value, and stock ownership brings no season ticket privileges.

No shareholder may own over 200,000 shares, a safeguard to ensure that no one individual can assume control of the club. To run the corporation, a board of directors would elected by the stockholders. (my note: have the annual meeting at Chase Field each year.) The board of directors in turn elect a seven-member Executive Committee (officers) of the corporation, consisting of a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and three members-at-large. The president is the only officer to draw compensation; The balance of the committee is sitting "gratis."

(Now my comments again) Once this PBC would be established, the team would be purchased and operations would continue under the corporation with the team president being the CEO and the public face of the corporation.

All this could be done in time for spring training, people.

That is assuming the other partners would sell and the other MLB owners approve the sale.

Does this make sense? Why or why not? Let's debate this one.

What Sedona Red is REALLY all about

The color change is symbolic of the Kendrick regime completely disrespecting the foundation laid by Jerry Colangelo. I have posted comments time and time again on how Colangelo is always unfairly labeled the bad guy for the deferred compensation issue which brought this state a World Series championship. This is just a final slap in the face, a final "this is my franchise now" and "don't let the door hit you on the way out" type of a power move and frankly, it leaves a very, very sour taste in my mouth. Legitimate national marketing concerns aside.

I understand how many people are saying "c'mon it's only a color - get over it," but the colors mean something. Ask any alumnus of ASU or the U of A if it's OK to change THEIR colors and see what response you get. We were on the path to building a tradition with the purple and you admitted as much by saying let's get the change done now while the franchise is still young.

If Mr. Kendrick had conducted the Colangelo departure, the Grimsley situation, the Gonzo situation, etc., with a little more tact and a little more respect I might be more apt to give "Sedona Red" a chance and maybe even embrace it as a fresh start for the 2007 pennant run. But I do not agree that Kendrick has a genuine respect for the fans that pay a good portion of the bills for "Red Roof Inn at the BOB". I feel Kendrick only is in the business of baseball to make a profit for himself and the "shareholders"; I do not get the sense that he sees baseball as something close to a public trust, which is how the best owners regard the sport as.

Baseball is not the same as banking or manufacturing or retailing. Baseball is an entertainment medium. Baseball exists to give moments of joy and pleasure to the fans. And you know what? some years the team will not post a profit at the end of the FY. And that's OK because baseball is more than just the bottom line. Baseball is the national pastime. Baseball is a public trust.

Jerry Colangelo, one of the greatest executives the sporting world has ever known, had the consummate understanding of that. His impact and legacy regarding caring about the fans and providing a quality product in every aspect of operations lives on in such traditions as the Suns Gorilla - I don't see anyone bashing the Gorilla. He has also restored honor to the USA in international basketball competition.

Jerry Colangelo was the right choice to be head of the Phoenix baseball effort in the '90's. Jerry was one of the most popular men in this state, more so than a lot of the politicians here at the time. Jerry did all the things he was supposed to do to create a winner here in Phoenix. He set up a farm system which took some time to get going but is now regarded as one of the better systems in the sport. He got proven veterans here and paid them using an innovative compensation system that gave this club the most financial flexibility possible under a revenue system in this sport which is utterly unfair, asinine and horrific. (Revenue sharing needs to be implemented in baseball for its long-term survival or else baseball will be just 6 or 8 teams with the most money in 25 years.)

In my opinion there is absolutely no reason for the one lasting contribution everyone knows is most closely associated with Jerry - the colors - to be so summarily dismissed and just wantonly discarded as to say, "Jerry, you founded this ballclub but now you're gone so good riddance."

With the implementation of "Sedona Red", it is almost as if the FO is saying that all of us who cheered for a team in this state while being led by a man who was idolized in this state for giving us our moments of glory with the Suns and the 2001 WS championship - but is now persona non grata - are now no longer welcome as Diamondback fans. It is a slap in the face and is quite cruel and quite sad.

So the fact that "it's just a color", that's not quite the whole story. This isn't about a kid in Iowa who won't buy a jersey. This is about respect, and complete and total lack thereof, for the man that gave this state Major League Baseball and all of us who remember and still choose to honor.

In my opnion this franchise should still be in Jerry's hands to this day. We might actually be in first place.

Sedona Red and other travesties

It was recently announced that the Diamondbacks are planning a major change to their uniforms and colors. Purple apparently will be discontinued as a color of the team.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0901dbackscolors.html

I was livid.

Here's what I said on the official Diamondbacks message board:

"IMO it's all the big power grab by Kenny Boy KenCo.

"F Jerry Colangelo! This is my team now, b!!!!!"

I will also NEVER spend one red cent on "Sedona Red".

That's like the Yankees changing their uniform colors to Day-Glo reds and blues because NYC is the home of Broadway - or silver and black to match a subway train.

That's like the Dodgers changing the Dodger blue to UCLA powder blue because they are close to the ocean (actually that is the actual rationale behind the Padres' color change)

That's like the Cubs changing their blue to brick red and green because of the Wrigley ivy covered walls.

The Mets colors make sense. Dodger blue/white with Giants orange trim. The two NYC teams that the Mets now replaced (1962).

The Giants colors made even more sense when they moved to SF than they did in NYC. The Giants orange looks a lot like the orange of the Golden Gate bridge.

Next we'll hear this:

"The Diamondbacks have announced that the nickname of the team will be the Phoenix Firebirds, effective November 1."

Why don't we just call ourselves the Arizona Buttes? The Arizona CanyonClimbers? Since we're just B-slapping the history of this team up and down West Van Buren Street! Holy cowwwwww!!!!!..."


On Friday I sent a message to the FO just now using the "Contact Us" link on this very website:

-----

Hello:

As someone who was thrilled in the early 1990's when Jerry Colangelo (who at the time was one of the most highly regarded executives in all of American professional sports) spearheaded the effort to bring a much deserved Major League Baseball franchise to the state of Arizona, I am appalled, shocked and dismayed on hearing the recent rumors that the team is about to announce a major change to the team colors effective the end of this postseason, which may include the discontinuance of the Diamondbacks signature purple color.

I would hope that the Diamondback organization would take a second look as to how such a move could potentially create a substantial negative reaction among the fan base.

In my opinion, the purple color has become as synonymous with professional sports in the Phoenix market as yellow and black have been in Pittsburgh. The decision to choose purple as a signature color was only the most appropriate choice given the longtime rock-solid fan loyalty in this market to the Phoenix Suns of the NBA.

A color change, while it may be a signal that the new ownership would like to make a clean start after the arguably controversial departure of Mr. Colangelo from the Diamondback franchise, nonetheless would be, frankly, a huge slap in the face to those many loyal and dedicated fans that have followed this franchise for 10+ years. These are fans who gathered in the tens of thousands in Copper Square to celebrate a World Championship in 2001 - as well as fans who willingly endured a 100+ loss season.

I would ask that the management and ownership of the Arizona Diamondbacks respectfully give the strongest possible reconsideration to any plans to change the team colors. The purple and turquoise mean as much to D-Back fans as any player. Over the years, these colors have been cemented in the minds and hearts of we the fans as much as the likes of Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez and now, Eric Byrnes. We will most certainly continue to support the players as they retool and recharge for a fresh run at a National League championship in 2007, but without the purple, something will just not seem right with the world.

Thanks very much for listening.

----

Oh, my God, I have a D-Backs blog

I have not posted on here since a little before the All-Star Break. Since then, a lot has happened to our beloved team:

- the callups of the Baby Backs: Drew, CQ, Chris Young - and all of them doing pretty good

- the pickup of Livan Hernandez

- the trade of Shawn Green

and as of this writing we are 6.5 games back and 4 games back in the WC race. We finished the last homestand 2-6.

I have been mad posting on the Diamondbacks board so here are some thoughts I placed there:

I'm not impressed with Kendricks as the D-Backs owner.

1. The way Grimsley and Gonzo were handled. Quality FA's may not want to come here even if we can afford them.

2. Reluctance to really go after good mid-priced FA's. I am glad we got Livan and I do realize we are caught in a bind with finances.

If you like Kendricks as an owner tell me why I should like him. Otherwise I will wish for him to sell his piece of the team to Matt Williams or Moorad so we can really get to the business of winning.

And yes, I know the Sidewinders are one of hottest teams in AAA. Yes, I know our farm system is one of the best in the game. And Yes, I am mildly confident will will contend for the NL West in 2007. But where is our pitching gonna come from? Especially the rotation? Where is our slugger gonna come from? When are we gonna stop leaving 21 runners on base in a game without scoring????? We NEED to build this team to beat the Dodgers, the Mets and the Cardinals. There is absolutely NO REASON why a team with position players with the talent and experience we have can get swept by the Giants and drop 2 of 3 to the Dodgers. That is utterly inexcusable.

Leadership has to come from the top. If Kenny can let Josh Byrnes craft the D-Backs and leave him alone and keep his mouth, his morals and hispolitics to himself I will respect him a lot more. Right now he's looking a lot like the second coming of Marge Schott, not as extreme, but still scary.

...Bringing on one of the bright young (relatively) minds in baseball was a very good move. I am just scared that he might keep Byrnes from running the team as he sees fit. The team MUST be Josh Byrnes' team, NOT Ken Kendricks' for the purposes of player acquisition and development. Josh Byrnes needs to develop a legendary reputation like John Schuerholz and Walt Jocketty and some of the other great GM's in this game. And Kendrick and the other partners need to step back and fully allow it to happen. I am not confident that Kendrick is the kind of person to just keep quiet and just let his GM be the GM. And if Byrnes cannot do the job he was hired to do this franchise will only be a shadow of how great it looks like it might become in the next 2-5 years.

I still love the Livan trade and hope Livo can be a rock in the rotation down the stretch - what little of it is left now - and next year.

I hope the MLB draft the next few years brings us some great pitching and some great OF prospects who are power hitters.

And I hope the payroll gets to the point where we can add an arm or two to get us past the first two games of a homestand.

September will be the month where I decide how I feel as a fan we are going and what we must do going into the winter meetings and spring training. Going 2-6 for this homestand against our two biggest division rivals is NOT a great way to start. We could have scored our way into first place. We almost pitched well enough to do so.

it's not too late - if we do some things

We can still win the West, make a statement in the playoffs AND build momentum for next year.

I like the idea of at least a partial firesale. For those who say "who's going to take guys like Koplove, Clark, etc."" - just look at Russ Ortiz. Even HE got picked up.

I am leery of bringing up much more pitching. We NEED to trade for one of the FA pitchers that might be out there. I want Dontrelle, but it's looking more and more like he will stay put in Miami as they are under pressure to win to keep themselves in South Florida or make themselves attractive to Vegas or Oregon. Somehow there MUST be a 1-2 punch in the starting rotation or else we will suck for the next 2-3 years until the Baby Back pitchers like Owings get totally ready (next year may be too soon for Owings and DON'T you dare bring him up this year and blow his arm!!!!!)

I have said this before - one of the reasons for a farm system is to have some good players to give in trade if we need to! Richie Sexson aside!

If the D-Backs concede this season by the All-Star Break I just might switch my fanship - to a franchise that gives a care about winning and putting a quality product out there year after year and being proactive in making moves to help the team.

GM Byrnes must NOT stand by and let this franchise become the Cubs of the West!!!!

And as for Ken "I want to have integrity in this franchise even if it scares good players away" Kendrick - if you're gonna be like the Bidwill family (and the Edgerrin and Leinart signings have NOT convinced me yet!!!!) then Phoenix does NOT need you as a sports owner. Sell your stake to Lute Olson.

We could've had Moreno!

Did you catch the article in Sunday's Arizona Republic profiling Angels owner Arte Moreno, a U of A graduate like myself and Suns owner Robert Sarver?

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0625moreno0625.html

I read that article with great interest. While I am generally a big Jerry fam from the old Suns days, I was kind of disturbed to hear that Jerry possibly hugely disrespected someone with the first-rate business acumen and positive attitude towards the average fan of Moreno. Very, very sad and unfortunate. To think we could now have Moreno running the show here instead of Mr. Ken "I'd better call E J Montini back and set the record straight" Kendrick.

Here's an execrpt of note:

"...The day he bought the Angels, he cut the cost of beer, tickets and souvenirs. And he hasn't raised them since...The only thing Moreno likes more than a beer, a dog and a ballgame is making a young fan smile...At home in Anaheim, he ordered a new line of affordable caps and T-shirts for the team's souvenir shops. 'When I came in, our lowest price on ball caps was $19.95,' Moreno says. "A guy or a mother takes a son or daughter into the gift shop, you don't want them to be embarrassed. So I put a $6.95 hat in...They told me you're going to lose money selling a $6.95 cap. Well, we sold almost 60,000 hats. I'm in the marketing business and those boys are wearing my hats'..."

Now that's what I call an owner. And he has kept the club competitive on the field and kept the momentum going from the 2002 World Series championship.

We would have been NL West contenders the last 3-4 years with Moreno involved, and especially if Colangelo stepped aside as part of a more amiable transition of power similar to the Robert Sarver deal. Chase Field would be packed every night with real fans paying reasonable prices for seats instead of a bunch of Mets/Dodgers/Phillies fans paying $15+ a seat to shout "Let's Go Mets" to a bunch of guys in road grays.

Now Moreno has brought bona fide respectability to a franchise that was always second banana to the Blue Crew all its life, and we are a long way from the Big Purple Machine we rightfully should be.

2004 all over again????

We are now at .500 after losing to the Rays in St. Pete today.

We have now lost 15 of 17.

I have been on three different message boards saying we need to make a run for a pennant.

At the rate we are going we will be lucky to finish the season at .500. But then again, we are in the NL West. That very well might be good enough FOR the pennant.

Why even have Major League Baseball in Phoenix if we cannot build a team which contends each year for a pennant? And come to the field ready to go toe to toe with the elite in the NL Central or NL East?

1. Does management know anything about baseball at all???? In 1998 Colangelo hired Showalter to get a baseball guy in here to get the franchise going. Then Bob Brenly used guys Showalter and Joe Jr. assembled and won the WS.

Can someone tell me what happened? I love Jerry but I was not in favor of Showalter OR Brenly getting fired when those firings happened.

2. I am beginning to understand what it means to suffer through losing seasons while talent develops in the minor leagues. I am torn between trading a couple of prospects for people who can get us over the top - or just waiting for the Baby Backs to develop and making a run in 2007...2008...2009...

When I expressed my frustration over waiting for a winner on another forum, you want to know what one response was? I'm paraphrasing here but...

"Maybe you need to stop following baseball."

WTF?????

Should the Diamondbacks - and their fans - just roll over, accept a team that plays worse than the Cubs - even with Kerry Wood - and just come to Chase Field to see the opposing team score 20 runs on us while THEIR fans chant THEIR cheers wearing THEIR colors???? And root for a silly-looking big cup of Pepsi in our Taco Bell version of the Brewers Sausage Race??? Introduced by a SPOKESMODEL?????? What is a SPOKESMODEL doing at a BASEBALL game??????

But I digress.

GrimsleyGate Part Deux: Kendrick vs. Gonzo

You knew it had to happen.

I happened to see in the Arizona Republic today a front-page column by E. J. Montini. The article basically noted Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick's displeasure with a column Montini wrote for Tuesday's paper openly questioning the team's hard-line stance regarding Jason Grimsley. Kendrick responded to Montini's column during a phone conversation, where Kendrick also says basically that he does not like players he perceives as taking performance enhancing drugs and ruining the integrity of the game of baseball.

Says Montini in today's edition: "...Among other things, Kendrick told me the team has "quietly" gotten rid of players that it suspected were using steroids. He spoke candidly against what he called the 'whispers' of steroid use that have pestered Diamondbacks star Luis Gonzalez. And he said the Diamondbacks are working on a code of conduct that goes above and beyond the standards that already exist in Major League Baseball. He even took a shot at baseball's biggest suspected cheater, Barry Bonds, and the federal authorities who are hounding him...

"...Kendrick said that, if he had his way, there would be strong penalties for a first offense, including counseling, while a second offense would get a player banned from the game. Current policy calls for a 50-game suspension for a first offense, 100 games for a second and a lifetime ban for the third..."

Luis Gonzalez was so mad at the fact that his team's owner was bringing his name up about this in the front page of the leading major daily newspaper in the desert Southwest, that he called a press conference before the D-Backs 8-1 loss against the Giants today at the BOB.

"...'Just to have your name thrown in it - I've had phone calls from 7:30 this morning till right now...I don't want to be in this situation. I don't think any of my teammates do...My focus is to play baseball. When I woke up this morning and see something like that on the front page, that's definitely not the way I want to start my morning.'..."

Gonzo went on to say that Kendrick basically is the boss, he signs the paycheck, and Gonoz's responsibility is to "my teammates and to the fans".

On AZ SnakePit I brought up the widely rumored idea that Gonzo's 57 HR's in 2001 may have been the result of performance-enhancing substances. Other fans around baseball have brought this up on AZ SnakePit and other forums. I did not directly accuse Gonzo, but in my post I concluded by saying "Say it ain't so Gonzo!"

Sounds like he's sayin' it aint so. But I think Kendrick wants proof.

"...He said, 'Would you, based upon that information (the 2001 home-run numbers) if you had no other information - and we don't have any other, by the way - act on Luis Gonzalez? . . . Can you make that decision based on the facts that we have? I think you need more. And how do we get more? We get more by the testing protocols that we now have. Expanding the testing to include substances that we can't now test for. It's just a long, hard, complicated process, and you just have to be dedicated to it and say we've got to work at this because it's slowly undermining what we are.'..."

Kendrick wants integrity and that is admirable...but if his quest to have a clean team means the Diamondbacks lose focus and lose games as a direct result - with little ot no proof that players are cheating - and with the Player's Association possibly taking action against the D-backs as a result - I as a fan would have a huge, huge problem with that. But Montini says Kendrick even has an answer for that:

"...'The union will not like the fact that we're going to basically release players before they would ordinarily be released under the current guidelines. We're going to do that.'

And what if doing so makes the team lose?

'That's OK, we'll accept that,' Kendrick said. 'I will sleep better knowing that we've tried to do something. . . . I think that what happens over time is that we get ballplayers who want to play here because we do have a more positive culture.'

Kendrick said he got into the business of baseball 'because I love the sport, and I want it to be a community-based enterprise, and I want us to do things right.'..."

I'm beginning to wonder if Kendrick got into the business of baseball not quite knowing what he was getting into. Professional athletics is different in many ways from other industries. You are dealing with athletes who use their bodies to bring in revenue the same way other businesses use refrigerators or hamburgers or antibiotics. Athletes will do whatever they feel it takes to win. I'm not saying taking illegal substances is the correct way, but you have to face reality. Players do what they can to win.

Kendrick, IMO, should just stick to what MLB is doing and let the investigations take their course. If he wants players to agree to the MLB-sanctioned testing as a part of their contracts, fine...but this extra stuff he wants to do - I think that is overreacting. And frankly I believe Kendrick's response is adding fuel to a fire that could burn up the D-Backs' season.

Today, a team spokesman told the Associated Press that Kendrick would not be making further comment on this matter.

This ain't over. Let's hope the D-backs can focus on a pennant. The Giants, Dodgers and Padres will not feel sorry for these guys just because of a scandal - or rumors of one.

When I attend Diamondbacks games

I will try and post a report on how the game went, so you can get a sense of how i experience the game as a paying fan. I would like to talk about the ticket-buying experience, the food, and the Annoying Blonde. (The between-innings entertainment on the JumboTron is hosted by a rather annoying blonde spokesmodel with absolutely no character IMHO.)

In general, I am not too terribly impressed with the peripheral entertainment at Chase Field. The best part of the game day experience would have to be the player introductions. Otherwise I think the little cartoons and the attempts to get people to clap their hands rather suck.

The Oakland A's back in the '80's and '90's had no organist, which made for a more natural cheering experience. Fans cheered and got into the game when THEY wanted to and at times the atmosphere was just electric. When music was called for, recorded songs were played.

Turner Field in Atlanta, they have an organist, but you heard just as much pre-recorded music as well. The organist there would play the legendary "tomahawk chop" song to get the fans fired up, and an animated tomahawk graphic would move on the scoreboard, but it was always best when the fans started that by themselves.

I like the organist at Chase but I think he needs to not try and get the people to clap so often. Let the fans see for themselves when the appropriate time to clap is.

Wednesday Night Baseball

San Francisco Giants (32-32) vs. Diamondbacks (35-29)
Wednesday, June 14 - 6:40pm MST
Matt Cain (4-5, 5.20 ERA) faces Claudio Vargas (6-3, 5.34 ERA)
Roof closed

Can Vargas get a win? He gave up a first-inning HR to Steve Finley but looks like he is settling down nicely.

I will put on some more thoughts later.

Sidewinders update

From the Sidewinders website:

Portland, OR - Scott Hairston and Carlos Quentin each had a two run homer and Mike Schultz recorded the final six outs for his first save of the season as the Sidewinders won their ninth consecutive game, 4-3 over the Portland Beavers on Monday night at PGE Park. The Sidewinders maintained their three and a half game lead over Las Vegas in the Pacific Southern division...Dustin Nippert (8-1) worked 5 2/3 innings and allowed eight hits and three earned runs. He walked three and struck out a season high eight batters.

Good for the Tucsons. I especially like the part that says "Scott Hairston and Carlos Quentin each had a two run homer".