baseball
Wire | Weekend D-Backs Games Free for Kids
Posted on 5/24/13 by DPJ Staff » No Comments
DPJ’s Wire series delivers news and information straight from the source without translation.
Photo by Jon Willey courtesy of Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) are offering free tickets to kids 12 and under with the purchase of a full-price adult ticket. The offer is valid for games May 25-26 for any section in the ballpark, excluding the All-You-Can-Eat section.
Every D-backs game offers tons of fun for kids, including the Sandlot, an area dedicated just for kids. The Sandlot is open for every D-backs home game and includes age-specific playground areas, Futures Field and a batting cage. D-backs Baseball Academy coaches offer free clinics at Futures Field in the Sandlot one hour before first pitch and at the end of the fourth inning. In addition, kids can sign up to be a part of the free Kids Club program in the Sandlot to earn prizes for every game they attend.
On Sundays, kids take over the game with several promotions including delivering the lineup card, taking the field with D- backs players, serving as the Chevy “Play Ball” kid and can run the bases after the game. Kids are also encouraged to arrive early on the last Sunday home game each month to catch the Sunday Sluggers Show, presented by Delta Dental, at Baxter’s Den in the Sandlot starting at 11:45 a.m. and features an appearance by a D-backs player.
The D-backs also offer Value Item pricing on six food items ranging from $1.50-$4 at various concession locations making every game affordable for families, including seven merchandise items available in the Team Shop priced below $10.
The D- backs continue to provide the most affordable fun for families and for the seventh consecutive year, the team has the lowest Fan Cost Index for a family of four, named by Team Marketing Report in April. In addition, the team’s official game program, D- backs Insider, is also distributed free to all fans in the ballpark during each homestand and offers a section just for kids.
Adult tickets for the weekend games start at just $12 and are available at the Chase Field Box Office, by calling 602.514.8400 or online at dbacks.com/kids.
Featured photo by Jordan Megenhardt courtesy of Arizona Diamondbacks.
Singles Night with the DBacks
Posted on 7/16/09 by Tyler Hurst » No Comments
Didn’t matter if you were young, old, hip or a little nerdy, the 2009 Singles Night with the DBacks had someone for every lonely single. Fox Sports roamed the crowd the entire night looking for people to show on TV, there was a bingo contest which included items such as “socks and sandals” and “tramp stamp” and plenty of tequila tasting (one per ticket, which, well, could have been better).
Over 200 people attended and the Diamond Club, sponsored by Miller Lite, was packed. Catherine Herman of the DBacks proclaimed it one of their most popular events and she certainly wasn’t exaggerating.
Congrats to Katie Charland and her male counterpart for winning concert tickets on Fox Sports prior to the game. Was it a love match? Perhaps we’ll find out next year.
Flag Lady Cindy McBride
Posted on 7/15/09 by Lindsey Anderson » 1 Comment
During the day, Cindy McBride works in a dental office, but off hours, she is the Diamondbacks’ biggest fan.
McBride has hand-made flags for almost every Diamondbacks player and pom-pom routines for various moments in the games. She waves the banners enthusiastically as each player steps up to bat, dances between innings and yells encouragingly to the team.
“We watch her [McBride] from here and she gets us all excited,” said Marcia, a worker at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix. “She’s a great person.”
McBride has been a fixture at every Diamondbacks game since 2002. She lugs her bundle of flags up to the 300-level seats before every game, greeting workers and friends along the way.
Around row 320, McBride unpacks her bags and lays out the contents according the day’s batting order. Sometimes she even dresses up as a disco duck on disco night or an American Indian when the team plays the Braves.
“This is why I’m always the last to leave the stadium,” McBride said with a laugh, pointing to her pile of gear.
Her 62 years and occasional hip difficulties don’t stop her from dancing across the aisle and rooting for the players.
“Even during the 111 game loss in 2004, I was up there cheering for them in spite of everything,” she said.
McBride crafted the flags to fit each player’s personality: Stephen Drew’s flag emulates the ten commandments since he is Christian; Chris Young’s is a half circle since he covers so much area as a center fielder; Felipe Lopez’s flag shows how he is “just hot.” And when the players leave the team, they can take their flag with them.
“I don’t just sit and start throwing stuff together,” McBride said. “I envision them like the player.”
She has met most of the players and knows much of the Chase Field staff by name. McBride makes a point to talk to those she knows are going through a hard time, and often offers life advice to fans that chat with her. They can even help her wield the flags, but only if they are very careful and say please.
Many people think the team pays for the flags, McBride said, but she pays for the material and season tickets herself. When the Diamondbacks changed their colors, the team offered to pay for new fabric. But McBride declined, wanting to ensure the design power remained in her hands. She once even had an extra part-time job that helped pay for the flag supplies.
“They are made for a reason,” McBride said. “It’s not a toy. I have to take care of these and I wave them hard.”
Images by Paul Valach
D-backs Split Series with Sunday Loss
Posted on 7/12/09 by Paul Martinez » No Comments
The Arizona Diamondbacks faced the Florida Marlins for their final game of the series on Sunday after coming off of two back-to-back victories. Florida would start the game with a bang, knocking in three runs in the first inning. The D-backs were unable to get anything going offensively as they tried to help earn another win for Doug Davis.
Davis would pitch for four innings giving up two more runs before leaving the game. Davis would strike out seven while giving up five runs total. The lone Diamondbacks run came from Stephen Drew as he hit in Augie Ojeda in the seventh inning. The Diamondbacks would wrap up the first half of the season at home with a loss against the Marlins.
The Arizona Diamondbacks will be represented in the All-Star game on Tuesday by Dan Haren and Justin Upton. It is more than likely that the entire team will be at the game to see the festivities. The D-backs return from the All-Star break to face the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis, home of the 2009 All-Star Game.
Haren Baffles Marlins Throws Complete Game Shutout
Posted on 7/10/09 by Paul Martinez » No Comments
Coming into the game with an 8 and 5 record, Dan Haren would remind the Marlins why he has been selected as an All-Star for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Haren would go the distance, allowing no runs on singles night at Chase Field. Haren’s performance was shadowed by all of the spectacular play in the MLB on Friday night, including a no hitter by the San Francisco Giants’ Jonathan Sanchez. Not to be ignored, Friday’s game was an excellent revitalization to the team as they bounce back from a disturbing loss one day prior.
Miguel Montero would get the scoring going in the second inning as he hits a solo home run off of Nolasco. The D-backs would score once again in the third inning to make the score 2-0. In the bottom of the fourth inning Gerardo Parra would score on an Alex Romero triple followed by an RBI single by Dan Haren. With Chad Tracy and Dan Haren on Nolasco would pitch to Felipe Lopez. Felipe Lopez would launch one into the pool for a three-run homer.
The Diamondbacks would score one more in the bottom of the eighth inning to round the game off at a score of 8 to nothing. Haren would strike out a total of ten batters while throwing a total of 117 pitches (77 strikes and 40 balls). Jon Garland gets set as he is slotted to start against the Marlins’ Sean West for the Saturday matchup.
