On Sunday, October 1, 2006, Luis "Gonzo" Gonzalez played his final baseball game as an Arizona Diamondback. The club informed Gonzo and the media nearly a month ago that it would not exercise it's option to retain Gonzo for another year. The Diamondbacks claim they are going for a "youth movement," but I think they meant to say "bowel movement."
Gonzo's Skills Have Declined, But...
Luis Gonzalez is not the player he used to be. At 39 years old, he has come a long way since his 2001 season when he hit 57 home runs, won the Home Run Derby, and scored the winning hit in the 2001 World Series that ended the Yankee dynasty (from which they have still not recovered). Having said all this, letting Gonzo go was not the right move, especially for a new front office that has no fan support.
In addition to sending Gonzo packing, the club axed Craig Counsell and Miguel Batista, the last three players left from the 2001 World Series team (Bob Melvin and Jay Bell remain as manager and bench coach, respectively). Of course, both Batista and Counsell have left the team before but were called back to Arizona. Counsell is currently in the Top Five Diamondbacks of All Time list (that's not an official list, but just ask any Diamondbacks fan), but it is his time to go with the early emergence of Stephen Drew at shortstop. Miguel Batista has never been a dominant pitcher, but he also hasn't declined since 2001 either. On top of being one of the nicest guys in baseball--the nicest according to Sports Illustrated, who bestowed him that honor after learning of his extensive charity work--Batista is a solid third or fourth starter that can still contribute on a young team. Batista could and should stay, but the front office has other things in mind.
The New Front Office Ditches Purple and Colangelo
Starting next season, the Diamondbacks will play in red and brown instead of their original purple, copper and teal. This is another new choice by the Diamondbacks front office, and a choice that remains wildly unpopular with the fanbase. The color change--along with the personnel change--is one more step in the new direction of the new Diamondbacks front office: as far away from Jerry Colangelo as possible.
Colangelo brought sports to the Valley with the Phoenix Suns. Since then, he brought us the Coyotes, Rattlers and Diamondbacks. Over the years, Colangelo assembled winning teams and never assembled lackluster rosters like another Arizona franchise I know. Colangelo brought Arizona it's first and only professional sports championship with the 2001 World Series victory. But for some reason, the Diamondbacks hotshots shoved Colangelo out the back door. That "reason" is probably along the lines of greed and glory, but that doesn't give anyone the excuse to kick your founding father in the teeth. Whoever these dimwits are--I don't know their names, because they're not important--they seem to fancy themselves as Stalin to Colangelo's Trotsky, only Mexico is a lot closer to Arizona than it is to Mother Russia.
What does all of this have to do with Gonzo's final game?
After the game, the new president of the Diamondbacks--again, I don't know his name--hosted a "Farewell to Gonzo and Counsell" ceremony. The whole affair was bittersweet: here we are saying goodbye to two of the greatest Diamondbacks in the club's short history, and we're totally ignoring the fact that the two still want to play, and still want to play for this team. We're totally ignoring the fact that the person responsible for them leaving at all is standing right next to them, pretending to be their friend, even offering them their own replica of the World Series trophy as belated hush money to atone for his sins. He gave those same trophies to Jerry Colangelo, former general manager Joe Garagiola, Jr., and outgoing Diamondbacks president Rich Dozer. These five men stood together, fully knowledgeable of the snow job the new guy was putting on, but so calloused against the new management that they hardly cared about the farcical display.
Gonzo momentarily addressed the crowd in a farewell address, but his words rang hollow: his heart wasn't in it. He was too honest to lie, and too honorable to bash the organization that shut the door in his face. When you can't lie and you can't tell the truth, you're left with nothing.
The fans who stayed around for Gonzo's farewell enjoyed their last opportunity to see him as a Diamondback, but it was unfulfilling because every fan knew that it didn't have to be this way. Yet, Gonzo deserved for his fans to support him, so we stayed to show him that support, with tearful eyes of loss and bitterness for the new organization instead of tears of joy and nostalgia for the tremendous gifts Gonzo gave Arizona with athletic play and community leadership.
Gonzo's Skills Have Declined, But...
Luis Gonzalez is not the player he used to be. At 39 years old, he has come a long way since his 2001 season when he hit 57 home runs, won the Home Run Derby, and scored the winning hit in the 2001 World Series that ended the Yankee dynasty (from which they have still not recovered). Having said all this, letting Gonzo go was not the right move, especially for a new front office that has no fan support.
In addition to sending Gonzo packing, the club axed Craig Counsell and Miguel Batista, the last three players left from the 2001 World Series team (Bob Melvin and Jay Bell remain as manager and bench coach, respectively). Of course, both Batista and Counsell have left the team before but were called back to Arizona. Counsell is currently in the Top Five Diamondbacks of All Time list (that's not an official list, but just ask any Diamondbacks fan), but it is his time to go with the early emergence of Stephen Drew at shortstop. Miguel Batista has never been a dominant pitcher, but he also hasn't declined since 2001 either. On top of being one of the nicest guys in baseball--the nicest according to Sports Illustrated, who bestowed him that honor after learning of his extensive charity work--Batista is a solid third or fourth starter that can still contribute on a young team. Batista could and should stay, but the front office has other things in mind.
The New Front Office Ditches Purple and Colangelo
Starting next season, the Diamondbacks will play in red and brown instead of their original purple, copper and teal. This is another new choice by the Diamondbacks front office, and a choice that remains wildly unpopular with the fanbase. The color change--along with the personnel change--is one more step in the new direction of the new Diamondbacks front office: as far away from Jerry Colangelo as possible.
Colangelo brought sports to the Valley with the Phoenix Suns. Since then, he brought us the Coyotes, Rattlers and Diamondbacks. Over the years, Colangelo assembled winning teams and never assembled lackluster rosters like another Arizona franchise I know. Colangelo brought Arizona it's first and only professional sports championship with the 2001 World Series victory. But for some reason, the Diamondbacks hotshots shoved Colangelo out the back door. That "reason" is probably along the lines of greed and glory, but that doesn't give anyone the excuse to kick your founding father in the teeth. Whoever these dimwits are--I don't know their names, because they're not important--they seem to fancy themselves as Stalin to Colangelo's Trotsky, only Mexico is a lot closer to Arizona than it is to Mother Russia.
What does all of this have to do with Gonzo's final game?
After the game, the new president of the Diamondbacks--again, I don't know his name--hosted a "Farewell to Gonzo and Counsell" ceremony. The whole affair was bittersweet: here we are saying goodbye to two of the greatest Diamondbacks in the club's short history, and we're totally ignoring the fact that the two still want to play, and still want to play for this team. We're totally ignoring the fact that the person responsible for them leaving at all is standing right next to them, pretending to be their friend, even offering them their own replica of the World Series trophy as belated hush money to atone for his sins. He gave those same trophies to Jerry Colangelo, former general manager Joe Garagiola, Jr., and outgoing Diamondbacks president Rich Dozer. These five men stood together, fully knowledgeable of the snow job the new guy was putting on, but so calloused against the new management that they hardly cared about the farcical display.
Gonzo momentarily addressed the crowd in a farewell address, but his words rang hollow: his heart wasn't in it. He was too honest to lie, and too honorable to bash the organization that shut the door in his face. When you can't lie and you can't tell the truth, you're left with nothing.
The fans who stayed around for Gonzo's farewell enjoyed their last opportunity to see him as a Diamondback, but it was unfulfilling because every fan knew that it didn't have to be this way. Yet, Gonzo deserved for his fans to support him, so we stayed to show him that support, with tearful eyes of loss and bitterness for the new organization instead of tears of joy and nostalgia for the tremendous gifts Gonzo gave Arizona with athletic play and community leadership.
