Diamondbacks Bullpen

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...according to Jerry Crasnick, is Eric Byrnes. Nick Piecoro, Jim McLennan, and Eric Young will chime in later in the week with their opinions.

Crasnick's take:

[matt]

MAJOR props to Jim for getting featured on ESPN!!

[qudjy1]

[TAP]

[levski]

[wedge]

really, to be honest, I was expecting them to say that Gonzo is STILL the face of the franchise somehow.

[thesidewinda]

[whatuwant]

[Robert S.]

[Tucson DBacks Fan]

There's a television commercial that runs in Tucson that I doubt many of you have seen. It has been airing all baseball season when the Diamondbacks games are broadcast here. Mr Aun, a local restaurant owner, took over a restaurant called "The Great Wall of China." Gonzo in the ad asks if he can help him out at the restaurant, and Mr Aun gives him some food platters to deliver to a table of hungry customers. Gonzo darts around to deliver the food to the table while avoiding a lot of unexpected obstacles as clown music plays in the background. After managing to get the food to the the table, Gonzo says to Mr. Aun ( whom he refers to as his dad ) "I never knew I'd make such a good Dodger." Got that folks. Luis Gonzalez is a Dodger now, and he proudly boasts about this to the television public of Tucson who are watching the Diamondbacks games.

[matt]

I saw the commercials last time I was in Tucson but I missed the Dodger part of it. Fucked up.

[baldmaga]

Sakura?

[Tucson DBacks Fan]

The owner of Sakura bought another restaurant, and this ad features Gonzo the Dodger helping out in the new place. Formerly, as a Diamondback, Gonzo did comercials for Sakura. Perhaps your question had to do with whether I got my restaurants confused? No. Same owner, additional place.

[Ryan]

As much as I love Randy Johnson, Brandon Webb is the only correct answer to ESPN's question.

Pigpen may be more marketable, but Webb has been here the longest, has the best track record, and is picking up where the Big Unit left off in making sure that the Cy Young Award continues to stay in the Valley almost every year.
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Die-hard D-Backs fan in enemy territory

[dirtygary]

Whatever. It's gonna be Upton as early as this postseason, as late as next.

Byrnes is a celebrity/marketable/personality thing. The Paris Hilton of baseball, if you will. I consider his extension like the Galaxy signing Beckham - who cares if he's dominant or not, he's free advertising. And that does count.

The only way this org loses me is if they don't keep Webb and Upton until I think they're washed up. Which should be 2015 at the earliest for Webb, 2020 at the earliest for Upton.
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We have Bo.

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Nick Piecoro picks Brandon Webb!

[shoewizard]

Good job Nick.

I'm glad that the team's best player is recognized as " the face"

[moviegeekjn]

[dirtygary]

Excellent choice, Nick. Good thing the better, homegrown player gets a vote from somebody.

Byrnes is a novelty. Moorad will be regretting this signing by the end of '08, when Byrnes is back to his fall-flounder self, and Q is providing the pop off the bench we need.
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We have Bo.

[TAP]

Very nice extended story on the Face of our Franchise HERE by Steve Gilbert.

In fact, it was almost an accident when D-backs special consultant Phil Rizzo, the father of then-scouting director Mike Rizzo, happened to see Webb pitch.

"He was there to see someone on the other team and he called me and he says 'What do you guys have on this Webb kid?'" Rizzo said.

Rizzo quickly dispatched scouts Kris Kline and then Ed Durkin to look at Webb. Finally Rizzo and national crosschecker Kendall Carter watched him in the SEC tourney. Webb pitched well in the tournament, and the D-backs snatched him in the eighth round.

"When he was maybe a junior or senior in high school, we hoped that he might get drafted," Dreama said. "Then when he played college ball, he wasn't overpowering. He was good, but he wasn't great. When it came to his junior year, a lot of scouts had contacted us and we knew he had a chance of being drafted."

In his first couple of years in the D-backs system, Webb threw mainly a four-seam fastball -- he would perfect the sinker later -- and a curve. He pitched out of the bullpen his first year and seemed destined to do it again in 2001, but once again fate provided an opportunity.

"Mike Schultz was supposed to be in the rotation and I was going to be in the bullpen," Webb said. "I didn't really want to do that [pitch in relief]. But then he got hurt, and they said Schultz wasn't going to be able to make his first start. So they put me in, and ever since then, I've started. I was just a fill-in then, but I did well, and that was it."
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Arizona Diamondbacks
- 2007 National League West Champions
- 2007 NLDS Winners
- 2008 World Champions

[YBC-Dog]

To me, Brandon Webb is so much more than the face of the franchise.

IMO, he is the first real D-back. Gonzo and RJ and Schill were D-backs too, but Webb is the first homegrown superstar this team has produced, and even if Upton and Drew and Young all pan out, they'll all be A.B.W (After Brandon Webb).

Also, I think a lot of why Webb is ignored nationally has to do with his demeanor....we'll call it "Bob Melvin Syndrome", because of the way Bob is always contrasted with Lou P (even for Manager of the Year this year).

If Webb were out there shouting and angry and firey during and after the game, ala Zambrano, I think he would get more attention...but he's always so cool and composed out there, and so humble and polite after the game that sometimes it's almost boring.

He just pitched his 3rd complete game shutout on Friday and he goes in there cracking jokes about two shutouts being easy. It just seems like nothing flusters this guy, which I think is better than the firey guy who starts to crack the minute something goes wrong.

Hoepfully the marketing dept takes notice though.

[dirtygary]

[wedge]

Jim picks B-Webb, too!

[TAP]