Craig Counsell
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2009 DIAMONDBACKS SEASON PREVIEW - PART III
* WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN - As a franchise, the Diamondbacks' age, payroll and record rocketed sky-high on the way to their 2001 World Series victory. Those expensive, aging veterans that won Arizona's first major professional title began to fall from the stratosphere in the seasons to follow. The 2002 Diamondbacks (98-65) managed to repeat as NL West champs, but were swept 3-0 in a NLDS rematch with St. Louis. By 2003, Arizona would slip to a third-place finish at 84-78 behind a half-hearted mix of veterans and youngsters.
Fortunately, Arizona had found its cornerstone in Brandon Webb, whose sinker opponents were helpless but to pound into the infield grass. Drafted in 2000 while the "old" school roster was still ascendant, Webb would make his debut in 2003 and come to exemplify the Diamondbacks' new strategy: to win by developing its own talent. Another pair of building blocks joined the organization that year with the selections of Conor Jackson and Carlos Quentin....
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Major Chords: Take a Bow, Craig Counsell
The first casting call was answered by Andy Fox. More recently, Augie Ojeda and David Eckstein have reprised the role. In Arizona franchise history, however, no one has played the part of scrappy utility infielder quite as famously as Craig Counsell.
Like fellow underdog Rudy Ruettiger, Counsell played his college ball at Notre Dame. Drafted in 1992 by the Rockies, he made his ML debut in 1995, but Counsell's Colorado career amounted to a total of one hitless at-bat in three games. A 1997 trade to Florida gave Counsell his first big break; in the post-season, he demonstrated his flair as a supporting actor by scoring a run in extra innings to win Game 7 of the World Series. The Fish sent Counsell to Hollywood midway through the 1999 season, but his spell with the Dodgers was panned by the critics.
Los Angeles released Counsell in the spring of 2000, and he soon thereafter signed with Arizona. He performed well in his first year with the Snakes, playing quality infield defense and...
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2009 DIAMONDBACKS SEASON PREVIEW - PART II
* 2001: A BASEBALL ODYSSEY - If their first three years were an exercise in the improbable, then 2001 saw the Diamondbacks achieve the unthinkable. Bolstered by the additions of Mark Grace and Reggie Sanders, Arizona played a magical season, regularly winning games late and in dramatic fashion. The Snakes' stars dominated the batting and pitching leaderboards. Gonzalez -- now "Gonzo" to his adoring fans -- hit .325 / .429 / .688 with 57 HR and 142 RBI, marks that would have earned him an MVP but for the eye-popping performances of Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa. Co-aces Johnson and Schilling combined for 43 wins and 665 Ks in 506.1 IP, with the only sub-3.00 ERAs among NL starters.
The amazing season was epitomized by its final moments, which played out like a kid's backyard baseball fantasy. Against the three-time defending champion New York Yankees, Schilling (7.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 9 K) pitched deep into Game 7 of the 2001 World Series and entered the 7th inning with a 1-1...
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Diamondbacks Notes: August 14, 2008
* ARI @ COL, GAME 2 -- Arizona fell behind early Wednesday night before mounting a pair of rallies, first to tie the game at 4-4 in the seventh inning, then again to draw to within a run in the ninth following Brad Hawpe's two-run HR off Jon Rauch in the bottom of the eighth. Despite the Diamondbacks' resilience, Colorado evened the series as Brian Fuentes struck out Adam Dunn with the bases loaded to seal a 6-5 Rockies win.
* WEB GEMS -- With runners on the corners and no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning of last night's game, Augie Ojeda combined with Stephen Drew to turn a pretty double-play. Drew fielded an Ian Stewart grounder, then checked Brad Hawpe at 3B before throwing to Ojeda to force Troy Tulowitzki out at 2B. Ojeda, who started at 2B for the third straight game following Orlando Hudson's season-ending wrist injury, smartly saved a run by again looking Hawpe back to the bag before firing to 1B to finish the 6-4-3 twin-killing.
* TRACY GETS HOT -- The Dunn...
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