The Arizona Diamondbacks are feeling pretty good about themselves after a solid win over the Giants on Friday. The mood in the clubhouse, however, hasn't really changed all that much according to skipper Kirk Gibson.
"Through the whole ordeal, they've been great. They've stayed loose and stayed together. They've live their locker room lives together. They haven't been irritable which sometimes can cause people to turn. They're working together to get consistently where we want to be," Gibby said about his team.
For the intense manager, Friday was a night to let loose...a bit. He was at his "secret hiding spot" for a glass of wine (just one) with a friend and comedian Lewis Black. Black is in town for a benefit to raise money for a Bill of Rights Monument Project. Black is somehow close to retired Cardinals' manager Tony La Russa and got him on the phone for a 10-15 minute chat with Gibson. The two go back to Gibson's days in the minor leagues.
Young And Drew Updates
Chris Young played six innings in an extended spring training game and had six at-bats. He could be headed to the minor leagues for a rehab assignment as soon as Sunday, depending on how he feels after this workout.
Stephen Drew slide for the first time. He went about six times on the mat and another three on the field. Gibson said he looked good and appeared to show no mental hesitation. Drew, of course, fractured his right ankle last July on a slide play at home plate. Sliding was the last baseball activity on Drew's list.
Saturday lineup vs. Giants with Matt Cain on the hill:
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Willie Bloomquist (SS)
- Gerardo Parra (CF)
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Justin Upton (RF)
- Miguel Montero (C)
- Ryan Roberts (3B)
- Lyle Overbay (1B)
- Jason Kubel (LF)
- Aaron Hill (2B)
- Trevor Cahill (RHP)
Some solid analysis (as always) over at The Pit...
A Dose of Relaxation: Justin Upton and J.J. Putz - AZ Snake Pit
[...]as the saying goes, "Keep(ing) Calm is Really Boring," or something like that. Thus, as a way to make this is as analytically ambiguous as possible - and essentially a tribute to the truth of You Can't Predict Baseball - I've also decided to play a little devil's advocate and look for comps to 2012 D-backs from 2011 that started bad and ended bad.Or, at the very least, I've sought out negative examples as a way of determining whether or not we really have something to be concerned about for the rest of the year.
