The Arizona Diamondbacks, who were batting below .200 as a team during the last six games-they won 2 and lost 4-went back to the formula that led to their early success in beating Atlanta 11-1. They scored early and often, handing Doug Davis a 5-run lead before he threw the first pitch in his comeback from thyroid cancer surgery. Davis then cruised to victory, giving up only 1 run in a 7 inning, 5-hit, 89-pitch effort. (Max Scherzer pitched the 8th and Doug Slaten the 9th).

The five-run barrage in the first inning started with a solo homer by Stephen Drew, batting second. They got another homer later in the inning-a two-run shot by Eric Byrnes, batting seventh, for the 100th of his career. If he managed not to hurt himself today, let's hope that this gets Byrnesie going; sometimes hitters slow up as they approach a milestone. Next time up, he singled and eventually scored from third on a single by Chris Young. So Byrnesie had two hits, two RBI and he also scored two runs.

Homers were the name of this game for the D'Backs. In addition to Drew and Byrnes, Conor Jackson, Chris Young, and Mark Reynolds went yard. Chris Snyder had a 2-run double.

Welcome back, DD!

___________________

It's been a long time coming. And it barely made it, hitting the top of the wall in left field and bouncing in the good direction. But there it was in the fifth inning, Eric Byrnes' first grand slam. And it came off of Tom Glavine, of all people. Only the second grand slam the future Hall of Famer has given up in his long and illustrious career. It changed the score from 3-2 Braves to 6-3 Diamondbacks, and the Snakes never looked back. The final score was 9-3, giving Micah Owings his 6th W of the year.

True Elation? More than that really. But if I call it something else, it will ruin my numbering system. More than redemption for the pop-up with the bases loaded in his previous at-bat and the 5 LOB on the day. Two homers in 3 days! Maybe he is coming out of his slump. Or maybe there is something extra he reaches back for every time people start asking again if he should be on the DL.

Eric Byrnes has been on a very steep roller coaster ride this year. And he's still got a long way to go to get the batting average back into respectable territory. It will be interesting to see what happens now with the bases loaded. He finally cleared them. Now he should approach a sacks-full situation in a different way. It has often looked like he was trying to be too careful, trying not to make an out, instead of trying to get a hit. Or he was being desperate, swinging at anything, like the junk off the plate that Glavine threw him the time before. This time Glavine threw it in Byrnesie's wheelhouse and Byrnesie sent it out. And I hope that any and all anxiety and self-doubt he's had with the bases loaded in the past went with it. Of course, not every time up with the bases loaded will have this glorious result. But now, Byrnesie knows he can do it because he HAS done it. And I look forward to him doing it again.

Four beautiful RBI. The game-winner.  (And let's not forget two walks after the grand slam, one of which resulted in his second run scored. He needs better plate discipline to get out of the slump, and walks are indicative of better discipline).

Beyond True Elation. A new level of achievement for Eric Byrnes.

Congratulations!

ByrnesBlogger1

Many knowledgeable baseball people, including Eric Byrnes, consider the 2001 World Series one of the best, if not THE best World Series ever. Seven games between the storied New York Yankees, winners of the previous three World Series, and 26 championships overall, versus the upstart Arizona Diamondbacks, in existence for only four years and playing in their first World Series. And Game 7 was an epic pitchers' duel that went down to the wire.

On April 29th, A&E Home Video (aetv.com) and MLB Productions make a DVD set of this series available. Buy it. Unless you win the one I have available as a giveaway on this blog. Details about that further down.

The DVD player I have attached to my TV is not working for some reason. So I was pleased to find that the DVDs will play on a PC with DVD playing software. I'm running Windows XP Home Edition and NTI DVD software on a 2 GB system with 512 MB Ram of which only 448 MB is working properly; but the DVD's ran perfectly despite the RAM problem. The mouse substitutes for TV remote control and is much easier to use.

The pictures, basically the Fox broadcast of each game, are crisp and clear. The games are edited to bring you the best shots...and no commercial breaks! You just go from one inning to the next and through the pitching changes with all baseball. The only non-baseball information is in the form of the graphics that were part of the game broadcast that day. For example, Game 7 updated the viewers on the Emmy Awards that were presented that night. That's a nice historical touch.

Bonus features include highlights of the NLDS and NLCS, trophy presentations, and several on-field post-Game 7 interviews with the winners. Each of the seven games comes on its own DVD, in its own jewel case with a liner that provides the box score, an inning-by-inning summary and tidbits that will satisfy any trivia buff. The set comes in a box that easy to store; It's 18 hours and 49 minutes of material for only $69. Even though the set emphasizes the Arizona Diamondbacks, it's a great addition to the libraries of Yankees fans and anyone else who enjoys great baseball.

For those of you who are interested in the one I'm giving away, the way to get it is to send me an Eric Byrnes story from anywhere starting with his college days to the present. Keep it family-friendly as I want to post the entries here. What was it like to meet Byrnesie? Did you go to school with him, see him as a minor leaguer, banter with him in the stands in the majors, or meet him in the supermarket? Did he visit your school, hospital or Little League?

My stats reports say that a lot of people visit, but only a few people ever comment. My usual commentators, the guys who run the AZSportshub & MLB.com websites, members of Byrnesie's family and current social circle, professional journalists who have interviewed Byrnes, and anyone who has ever been featured on The Eric Byrnes Show are not eligible to win the DVD set but are welcome to contribute a story to enrich the visiting experience for my readers.

I'm looking for Byrnes fans who have never commented here before. I'm hoping a chance at this wonderful DVD set will entice some of you into joining the discussions. Don't be shy. You don't have to be a literary genius to enter, but the winner will be the story I find most interesting, so don't just say you were there when Byrnesie did thus-and-such.

Send your stories to byrnesblogger1 [at] azsportshub.com by May 15th. The decision of the judge (me) is final.

ByrnesBlogger1

I downloaded the Tony Gwynn documentary from MLB.com last night. Ihave yet to watch it, but I have made an important discovery about MLB downloads: You are not downloading a file to keep and play as much as you want, you are only renting the file for a limited number of viewings, or in my case, attempts to view.

I am a novice at using Windows Media Player. And my experience with it last night and this morning have made me long for the days when you just opened a file in Real Player and it played. Now there are libraries, and playlists, and all sorts of complications.

One such complication is Digital Rights Management (DRM). When I first tried to play the file, my computer went out and searched for a license. I was not surprised by this. I assumed that somebody somewhere would want assurance that I had a legal copy of the documentary. But I was surprised that the computer retrieved a new license every time I tried to get the documentary to play. This morning, after I tried, unsuccessfully, to turn the documentary on twice, I got a message saying that I had maxed out on the number of licenses for this download and I should call customer support or email them.

So you basically get 5 or 6 opportunities to view a download. (Opportunities only, the license count is triggered before the documentary actually plays so if it fails to play, you are out of luck).

F**K DRM. When I buy something, I expect to be able to use it whenever and how many times ever, I want. And F**K MLB for not making it clear that you are only renting a limited number of licenses.

Frankly, it isn’t worth my time to call or email customer support and I am certainly not going to pay any more money; I have received no value for the money I have already paid. Now I didn’t pay a whole lot ($3.99) but that shouldn’t limit the number of times I can watch what I paid for. I figured that the low price was a function of both the fact that the documentary was a download, and therefore much cheaper to produce than a DVD, and the fact that MLB.com boasts huge traffic stats, meaning that MLB could go for volume sales. But no, they went further, using DRM to turn downloads into de facto rentals.

I will never buy another download from MLB and I hope that this post spreads far and wide and other people decide to boycott also. The fascist DRM regime has got to end! The only way it will end is if enough consumers reject it so that rights-holders realize that there is more money to be made from selling a product than from withholding it.

The purpose of copyright was to allow creators a chance to control distribution of their work. But nowadays, a creator typically makes things on a “work for hire” basis for a large corporation, like MLB, or any of the Hollywood studios the Writers Guild is currently striking, and the big corporation reaps the benefits while most creators get next to nothing. With Digital Rights Management, the big corporations have found a way to give the consumer next to nothing also.

ByrnesBlogger1

is at http://byrnesblog.azsportshub.com

Be sure to listen to the podcast, which is a slightly longer version of the story that I filed for KPFA.
Needless to say, this is not my last word on the subject.

ByrnesBlogger1

Hear my interview with MLB.com's Diamondbacks beat writer Steve Gilbert on the possibility of the Snakes getting Dan Haren, Tony Clark re-signing, Micah Owings playing first and more at

http://byrnesblog.azsportshub.com

ByrnesBlogger1

I was on the scene for the Bonds arraignment. Hear my podcast at http://byrnesblog.azsportshub.com/

ByrnesBlogger1

I have an interview with Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic from the WInter Meetings at http://byrnesblog.azsportshub.com/piecoro-at-winter-meetings

See you there!

ByrnesBlogger1

I will keep this space open until the end of the subscription sometime next August. But it will be like Rumor Mill's. New Posts will direct you to stuff at AZSportshub.

Thanks to Mark Newman, Matt of Diamondhacks, Russell of Arizona via Slough, Tracy of Chicks Dig The Long Ball, Michael and Christopher of Some Ballyard/Clubhouse, more Red Sox bloggers than I can name, and all  the other past & present MLB folk who shared my ups and downs following the fate of Eric Byrnes. I learned alot; I had a good time, but with Eric signing a 3-year contract with the Diamondbacks, it makes sense for me to affiliate with this Arizona contingent, especially since they asked me.

BTW, Eric and Tarah got married Dec. 1. Within just under 5 months Eric Byrnes has gotten his first multi-year contract (with a complete no-trade clause no less), an XM Radio show, and a wife. Could he be growing up? Naaah! Don't let the trappings of adulthood fool ya! He'll always be "our boy" and we'll always love him for that childlike quality of not taking himself or his money too seriously.

Eric, all we ask is that you always do your best at work, respect the game and the fans, be good to Tarah, and don't drink and drive!

See y'all at the new place! http://byrnesblog.azsportshub.com/

ByrnesBlogger1

Tracy, who had microfracture surgery on his right knee on Sept. 20, experienced a blood clot in the calf area last week. He is currently taking blood thinners to help alleviate the problem and will stay away from working with the leg for a week or so.

The entire Steve Gilbert article is here.

Get Well Soon, Chad!

ByrnesBlogger1

D'Backs President Derrick Hall held this inline chat on Nov. 1 2007. The full transcript is here.

cnaylor62: Just read the Q&A regarding Tony Clark. Can we be optimistic by saying the D-backs will re-sign him for two more years?

Hall: Tony is wonderful and he is our leader. I certainly hope we come to an agreement with him. We have been working on it. We have to keep "Anybody. Anytime," alive -- he's the author.

D-BACXRULE: When you say that we just need to tweak our pitching staff, how are you planing on doing that?

Hall: By adding an arm or two. Our staff was fantastic, and we have only lost Livan Hernandez. Dustin Nippert continues to strengthen, and we have options from Triple-A. It is always a luxury to have extra arms for the bullpen, so perhaps a deal or two will work to our advantage in landing a reliever.

odogfan1: Can you give us an update on Randy Johnson?

  Hall: Randy had successful surgery near the end of the season and began rehab in September. We are expecting him to be back and ready to go for Spring Training. He was so valuable to us for that five-game stretch before his season-ending injury.

cherw: Is there any chance that Orlando Hudson will be returning?

Hall: He is a D-back. His surgery went real well and he will back. He had a great season for us and was a major reason for our success. It was unfortunate that he could not play in the postseason.

admin1013: What kind of improvements can fans expect at Chase Field next year?

Hall: We will have our new video board up by Opening Day, which will be the largest and nicest in all of baseball. We also hope to have Baxter's Den and the Peter Piper Playhouse moved up to our new kids' section, and a museum built out in center field where those two are now. We may also be introducing a new candy shop in the ballpark with D-backs branded candies.

krodversion2: What is the status of Chad Tracy and will third base present a problem when he's healthy?  

Hall: Chad is still recovering from his knee surgery and we look forward to his return. When he does, he can play either first or third, which is a luxury. With Mark Reynolds at third and Conor Jackson and possibly Tony at first, we again have some great options. It is always nice to have his left-handed bat and lifetime .300 average in the lineup.

The next chat is Dec 6.

ByrnesBlogger1