Diamondbacks Bullpen

[AZ SnakePit]

Noticed a recent burst of new members, and also a record number of people on the site - more than 50! - earlier this week. Both of which are great to see. Kinda figured it might be fun to kick off a thread where members, both old and new, could introduce themselves to the board with a brief auto-biography. Think it'd help build a sense of community: pause for chorus of We Are The World. I'll go first...

AZ SNAKEPIT - Jim McLennan
Born in Scotland, first trip to Arizona in 1997, when then-friend (now Mrs. SnakePit) Chris and I stared at the hole in the ground that would become Bank One Ballpark. So, been a D'back fan since Day 1, and only ever a D'back fan, so look down my nose at those who supported any other team before AZ as impure. Moved out to Phoenix in 2000, proposed to Chris immediately after Gonzo's hit in Game 7.

I set up the board, after issues with the old forum on azcentral.com, and nurse it through server downtime, team colour changes and serial killer investigations [long story...]. I tend to leave the actual posting to others, since I mostly preserve my British sarcasm - and spelling! - for my D'backs blog, AZ SnakePit. But I can be relied upon to tweak the noses of the regulars occasionally! General baseball philosophy: stats are good, but intangibles do matter. Other interests: cult movies, music and conspiracy theories.
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Jim McLennan
AZ SnakePit

[matt]

Great idea Jim, I'll post mine later when I have some time!

[TAP]

TAP
Born and raised in Illinois, my love of baseball and for the Cardinals began in 1968 during the Cardinals/Tigers WS, which the bad guys won in 7 games. Arizona won my heart over during a childhood vacation in 1969 and after completing my tour of military duty I made The Valley of the Sun my home in 1982. The Diamondbacks became my team the moment they touched the field in 1998, and when I stole my wife from Northern California she in turn converted her allegiance from the Giants to the D-Backs.

A former software executive, my primary focus for the last several years has been selling what I’m truly passionate about – Arizona! Most of my day is spent helping Arizonans buy and sell homes in the East Valley, from Carefree to Gold Canyon and everywhere between.

When not working, I’m a fervent fan of the Diamondbacks (1st) and the Suns (2nd), practice Jeet Kune Do full-contact fighting twice a week, and I’m also a former competitive bodybuilder who now just works out for the fun of it.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting about 20 of the posters from this board before, during, or after D-Backs games, and they all have high baseball IQ’s and know how to enjoy life. My job on this board (the only message-board I have the time to participate in) as Admin, along with Jim, is to do whatever is needed to keep this the best online community for Diamondbacks fans to ruminate, analyze, and celebrate their team.

[B. O. N. D.]

B. O. N. D.

Born in Gary, Indiana... raised in Houston. Baseball was my first love, along with music. I played baseball for close to 10 years in various youth leagues, primarily as a catcher... and made the Texas All Star Team before being "DFA'd" after an "emotional outburst". Long story. I then turned to music and girls.

I loved Bench's Reds, Brook's Orioles, but my first team I saw and followed was the Astros... and then I moved out West to California. When Finley and Gonzalez and Randy Johnson came to Arizona, I was drawn in and was excited to be around at the beginning of something special with the DBacks. I am a fan for life.

I'm a professional musican and travel to Arizona frequently. I hope to live in Tucson sooner than later. I have some family and alot of friends there. I've met a couple of the guys on here and they're the real deal. Cool, solid people.

I am a member of the Anal Mod Squad®... and my job is to make sure your messaging experience goes smoothly, as well as weed-out a-holes.
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[shoewizard]

Hello, my name is Shoewizard, and I'm a postaholic

Born in Cooperstown, grew up on Long Island, pitched a bit in High School, I somehow ended up in Taiwan when I was 19, and later thats where I met my wife. I pitched tent in the far east, made some noise in the footwear industry for a while, had 3 sons, and eventually moved back to states in 2000 choosing Arizona because

A.) I have family here,
B.) I like the weather
C.) It's a National League city.

I am not quite sure of the priority order there.


Today I am semi retired, thanks to that footwear career, and the Real Estate boom here in AZ, and it allows me the luxury of doing the Mr. Mom thing with my youngest son while my wife goes back to school.

Besides family interests and activities, and playing golf with my Dad and friends, much of my life revolves around baseball, obviously. Some say I should work to be more well rounded, and expand my interests some more. But I say screw that. I worked 70-80 hours a week and traveled 120 days a year for over 20 years to get to the point where I could do what I want, and THIS is what I want to do. Heck....even my wife has accepted it.

Baseball Rocks!!

[qudjy1]

Qudjy1

Born in Mineola, NY in 1975 - Raised in Binghamton NY. Never really got into baseball much as a kid - played tennis, lacrosse, and basketball in HS. Grew up a casual Mets fan, as Binghamton is the home of the Mets AA affiliate. Got drunk with Hideki Irabu at a bar after he got shelled in a rehab assignment. Graduated with BS in Economics and Minor in Stats from a 4 year college in Albany, NY.

Moved out here in 1999 - Just in time to see some exciting baseball. I have really become a "serious" baseball fan only since i have moved out here... Finished my MBA 2 years ago. Have had various financial jobs - Now employed as a Stats/Forecasting Manager for a private company to remain nameless. Somewhere found time to meet my wife (the world to me), and have 2 awesome kids.

All things considered - couldnt be happier.
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Arizona Diamondbacks - 2007 NL West Champions

[Espo]

ESPO
I was born in Massachusetts and moved to Chandler Az when I was a year old. Grew up in Chandler and my baseball career ended in coach pitch when it was discovered that I couldn't swing a bat without closing my eyes, apparently that isn't one of the 5 tools everyone is looking for. I loved basketball and grew up a HUGE Suns fan. When the Diamondbacks came to town in '98 I became a baseball fan and attended 10 to 20 games a year with my buddies from school. I didn't completely fall in love with baseball until the past two summers working with the Tucson Sidewinders. I am about to graduate from the UofA with a degree in media arts in a few weeks and move back to Phx to enter "the real world".
Glad to have found this board after spending time at another board where dbacks fans were hard to find and baseball smart fans were even harder to find.

[EvilJuan]

EvilJuan

An old guy who grew up playing baseball in a city park (not intended for baseball, but what the heck) with whoever showed up from the neighborhood. (I was never good enough to make the team in high school, but was an equipment manager for one season...) Started rooting for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1963, and am unashamedly a NL guy who thinks the DH is one of the worst ideas ever. I've lived in lots of places since leaving Philly (almost all being NL towns, some minor league towns, and some with no organized baseball at all). Discovered hockey while living in a town that had lost its AL team, and learned then how to love a loser (hey, 6 wins in an 80 game season...) -- but baseball rules.

Started following the Diamondbacks when the team began, and let out the loudest cheer ever heard in Boise, Idaho, at the end of Game 7 in 2001; and finally switched the #1 spot from the Phillies to the Diamondbacks at the start of a Dbacks-Phillies game in Philadelphia in 2003. (As soon as I vocalized the choice, the Phils hit a 3-run homer to take the lead and eventually win the game. So it goes...)

I've met several of the people from this board, am honored that some consider me to be a friend, and am always amazed at the level of knowledge displayed here. I continue to learn from y'all, and find my appreciation for the game increases as a result. Thank you!

For some totally bizarre reason, I was entrusted with moderator powers for this board. I have sworn to use them only for good - reserving, of course, the right to determine whatever that means! (insert evil chuckle here...)

Married to a wonderful woman who has only made one serious mistake in her life; three (grown) kids, two of whom are baseball fans, one a rabid Diamondbacks fan; and a Labrador retriever who is even more neurotic than is normal for the breed.

I hope to get to know more of the members of this board, both here, and at the ballpark formerly known as BOB.
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Diamondbacks Baseball:
We're Gonna Be Great in 2008!

[McCray]

McCray

McCray is my real name. I'm a mix of Irish, Scottish, German, African, Indian, and Peruvian. But some legends (mainly in the northwest) claim I arose from a giant clamshell to destroy the world. Or fix it. Or take out the trash. I probably should have written it down.

I have a mighty army of chickens wearing bolo hats -- it's cute when they bob. They are responsible for 30% of the apartment smell. The rest, sadly, is me. (Too much dairy, perhaps?)

Once, I saw a turtle.

Some on this board refer to me as "Captain," simply because I have an extensive and highly decorated captaining career off the tumultuous coastal shores of Indonesia and Microasia.

I am 6'6" tall, and weigh in at a modest 320lb.

I'm a biter.

The following is a list of gifts received upon my first communion:

- Green and red crocheted outfit, complete with shawl
- "Sassy" hats, quantity: 4
- "The Child's Guide to Making Strong Life Decisions"
- Ramen, quantity: 16 packs
- VHS collection of "Mama's Family"
- Solar powered pith helmet, complete with cooling fan
- $7 Machete from Walmart

I've often been told my thick eyebrows (really, eyebrow) convey a sense of my virility. In fact, this was first told to me by Shoewizard, during our time together on a pirate ship off the Ivory Coast (amazed that didn't make it into his bio -- ohh, the lashings we gave!).

I shot JR.

I keep my entire body hairless due to a legal settlement between me, Wendy's Restaurants, and Qudjy's family.

My primary natural gift is knowing when squirrels are upset. Most people think they can tell by the tail. Most people are wrong.

I spend most of my time either watching the Diamondbacks, or enjoying the sensory deprivation tank I built in my closet. Sometimes, I have visions where I'm a wolf.

I played "Dewey" on the hit TV show "Malcolm in the Middle." FoulPole played "Lois."

I'm allergic to shellfish.

I was naked when I wrote this.
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Hank, you're dead to me.

[TAP]

[McCray]

yeah, but which one or two? am i naked and hairless as i write this, or am i surrounded by a chicken army in a smelly apartment? oooo, the mystery...

(i'll post a real one later. i'm bored at work. )
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Hank, you're dead to me.

[EvilJuan]

[TAP]

[AZ SnakePit]

Just you, then...
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Jim McLennan
AZ SnakePit

[B. O. N. D.]

Methinks McCray spent too much time in the sensory deprivation tank...


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[foulpole]

That was hilario Mac.

But why am I Lois???

[TAP]

[foulpole]

[foulpole]

[matt]

I'm Matt and I was born and raised here in Phoenix. I went to ASU, majoring in Chemical Engineering and now I'm trapped with a bunch of Civil's. I'm married and we have a two year old and another on the way.

I never cared much for sports, more of a music guy, but for some odd reason I felt drawn in right at the end of the regular season 2001. I have no idea why I was watching or why I cared at all but I did. Instantly, I was hooked. It was like voodoo or something.

Somehow, I found the old AZCentral board in the offseason before 2002. Not really knowing much about the game I lurked and made stupid comments. Five years later I'm still making stupid comments but somehow convinced Jim to make me a moderator.

Everything I know about baseball (hardly anything at all), I got from the old posters from the old board. It's surprising how almost all of the regulars from back then are still posting together today.

I don't get to the games much but the few times I did last season I had a great time meeting a bunch of you. Hopefully I'll find more ways next season. I love the crowd that our board has attracted and it keeps getting better. It's great because when we meet up, it's such an eclectic group of people that wouldn't normally group together. It's odd how replacing faces and voices with 1's and 0's can do such a thing.

[matt]

[David B]

David B here

The Pacific NW's representative to this board, I'm the "Poster to be named later" in the Richie Sexson trade. My primary functions can be summed up as defending the wearing of the cheese, pissing in people's Cheerio's, and the occasional rim shot.

My initial interest in baseball came during the 1968 World Series, though unlike TAP, my rooting interest was with hometown (Portland, OR) hero Mickey Lolich and the Tigers (Oh well, it can't be a great Series for everyone).

The following year Major League Baseball (or a reasonable facsimile) came to the Northwest in the form of the Seattle Pilots, and a young boy discovered his first love. After one season of ineptitude both on and off the field, the team slinked away to Milwaukee. I can only explain it as a folly of youth, but whatever the reason, I felt compelled to continue my allegence to the likes of Gene Brabender, Marty Pattin, Steve Hovely, et al.

While my heart belongs to the Brewers, I figure it's never too early to foster interest in a team located in a warm-weather retirement mecca.

Besides the Sexson trade, my Dback "fun fact" is that I attended games 1 and 2 of the 2001 Series.

[misterx]

Misterx born in a small town Safford,AZ i been a dback fans since day 1 went to the first game live in Colorado now and i should never moved out of Arizona but ill be back there in a few months

[ncdbackfan]

I'm ncdbackfan. Born in Charlotte, NC and raised in a small rural town east of there. Lived in NC my whole life. Played baseball at NC State against several current Dbacks (Chad Tracy, Stephen Drew, Jamie D'Antona, Mark Reynolds, Steven Jackson, Micah Owings). Got degrees in both computer and electrical engineering. Now work for an small engineering firm designing substations, transmission lines, standby generator installations, etc. Interesting stuff, but if the Dback's bullpen catcher job ever opens up please let me know.

Grew up an Orioles and Braves fan because they were the closest teams. Favorite players were Dale Murphy and Cal Ripken Jr. I endured all the terrible Braves seasons while my friends talked trash. Then came the 1991 season and all of a sudden all my friends were "lifelong" Braves fans. Started looking then for a new team. Had brief affairs with the Pirates (damn you Sid Bream), Cardinals, and Giants (pre-steroid Bonds).

None of them stuck though and then the Dbacks came along. I loved the name and the stadium so I've been a fan from the beginning. I never loved the purple so I'm stoked about the color change to red. It is tough being a fan half a country away so I have XM radio and the Extra Innings package to get me by. My wife thinks I'm crazy and she hates that Dbacks games rule our TV, but with the time difference she's normally going to bed when the games start so it's all good.

I go to the Dbacks series in Atlanta ever year so I was in attendace for the RJ perfect game. That is without a doubt my best sports experience ever. I just knew it was going to happen when he got Mike Hampton to end the 6th. My wife could tell something was going on as I was fidgety and on the edge of my seat but she wasn't paying all that close attention. She kept asking me what was going on, especially when the Braves fans started standing up and cheering, and I kept telling her to just shut up (I wasn't going to let her jinx it). After the game she said, "oh I know ... he just threw a no hitter." God bless her. I still love her though.

In addition to my Dbacks, I live for college football. I have lifetime season tickets for NC State football and go to all home games and even most away game. Philip Rivers is the man and will be in the NFL Hall of Fame one day. My other hobbies are fantasy football and golf.

I have not made the trip out to Phoenix yet for a series, but hopefully that will happen in the next year or two. When I'm coming I'll definitely let you all know because I'd love to meet some of you. Thanks to everybody for making this a great board.

[shoewizard]

Hey, thats great. Wow....now THAT is some fan loyalty.

We'll look forward to your trip out here. Be sure to let us know. You'll have to get DBACKSHEELSPANTHS to come with you!!

(Did you guys ever get together for a Panthers game?)

Might I suggest spring training in March, or Early in April as the best time to visit. Weather is great.

In ST of course you can get to see a ton of games much more cheaply than the regular season games.

A perfect trip might be to spend a week out here and straddle the last few games of spring with the home opening series in April. Unfortunately this year we open in Colorado....again......maybe next year for that.