Welcome to the D-backs Beat Newsletter! I’m Steve Gilbert and I’ve been writing about the D-backs since 1998. This weekend, the Diamondbacks are honoring the 2001 World Series Champions at Chase Field. So for this edition of the newsletter, let's check out how the 2001 team stays in touch today… |
While the current edition of the Arizona Diamondbacks are trying to keep their postseason hopes alive this weekend against the Yankees, the 2001 edition of the Diamondbacks will be on hand reliving their World Series championship from 25 years ago. The Fall Classic title remains Arizona's lone championship in any of the four major sports and is a reason why the players from that team remain so beloved. In just the fourth year of the franchise, the 2001 Diamondbacks became the quickest expansion team to win a World Series in history, beating the Yankees in a thrilling seven-game series that ended with Luis Gonzalez's walk-off single in the ninth inning. |
While this is their official reunion, the close-knit team has done its best to stay in touch over the years. They've had a group text message chat going for years after outfielder Steve Finley suggested it. "If somebody has something exciting going on in their lives we celebrate it with them," third baseman Matt Williams said of the group text. "If somebody needs help, or needs to talk to somebody, we're always there. Everybody that was on that team is on the same thread, so we rally when we need to or we laugh when we can. It's really nice to have those ... bonds that continue even to this day, as always." Said Gonzalez, holding up his phone, "Look at this. Greg Swindell just texted that he's coming to town and needs two more golfers and the guys are all giving him a hard time." Many players from the 2001 team have been regulars at the organization's annual Fantasy Camp, which will have its 20th edition in November. Jay Bell, Greg Colbrunn, Gonzalez, Mark Grace, Mike Morgan, Swindell and Williams served as coaches last year, while Hall of Famer Randy Johnson has made regular visits over the years to catch up with his teammates and interact with campers. In the past, Finley, Reggie Sanders, Tony Womack, David Dellucci, Erubiel Durazo and other members of the 2001 team have served as coaches. |
"It's like coming home," Williams said. "As soon as you walk into the clubhouse the memories come back. We always immediately jump into "Remember this? Remember that?' It's a fun week for all of us because it's like we're back in the clubhouse all those years ago." Two former players work together to manage a Fantasy Camp and it can get competitive. Gonzalez and Finley, who have been close for decades, found themselves yelling at each other over a camper game one year. "We all banter back and forth between us because we have our teams and we're trying to beat each other with our teams out there," Finley said with a laugh. But when the games are done and they're back in the coach's room, the memories come flooding back. The 2001 team was mostly a veteran team, made up of players who had accomplished a lot individually in their career, but almost all lacked one finishing piece -- a championship. That was probably one reason why their bond was so strong -- even during that season. Even bus rides from the airport to the team hotel would turn into bonding moments. |
"We would play bingo on the bus and I think it was like $100 a card," Gonzalez said. "And Swindell would call out the bingo numbers in the front, but if you called bingo and you didn't have it, you had to match the pot. So guys were very cautious of doing that. And I remember pulling into some cities where the coach's bus would get to the hotel, and we'd make the driver of the player's bus drive around another block because we were in the middle of a game that we didn't want to stop. "It was just a fun bunch of guys. We ate dinners together. We stayed in the clubhouse after games on the road all night long until the clubbies basically tried to kick us out. We just loved sitting around talking about baseball, drinking cold ones and just having fun." This weekend, 25 years after they made history, the 2001 team will once again gather to share memories, tell stories, have fun and, who knows, maybe play a game or two of bingo. Here is a list of the players and coaches expected to attend the reunion:
Manager: Bob Brenly
Coaches: Bob Melvin, Dwayne Murphy, Glenn Sherlock, Chris Speier
Players: Miguel Batista, Danny Bautista, Jay Bell, Nick Bierbrodt, Troy Brohawn, Greg Colbrunn, David Dellucci, Erubiel Durazo, Robert Ellis, Steve Finley, Luis Gonzalez, Mark Grace, Randy Johnson, Byung-Hyun Kim, Mike Koplove, Albie Lopez, Matt Mantei, Damian Miller, Mike Morgan, Bret Prinz, Armando Reynoso, Erik Sabel, Reggie Sanders, Curt Schilling, Junior Spivey, Todd Stottlemyre, Greg Swindell, Bobby Witt, Tony Womack |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST
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PETTITTE'S PITCH TIPPING REVEALED |
When the Diamondbacks roughed up Yankees starter Andy Pettitte in Game 6 of the 2001 World Series, it seemed like they knew what pitches he was going to throw. Turns out, they did. Memories have faded a bit over the years and there's some discrepancies in how they came upon the information, but as you can see in the video embedded in the story, it was pretty obvious when you knew what you were looking for. |
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