Archive for the 'Column' Category

Dunn Deal

Published by doug on August 13, 2008 in Column and Doug Franz. 2 Comments

It’s a Dunn deal and it’s a good deal.

People are coming out of the woodwork against the Adam Dunn trade and I just don’t get it. This is a good trade. The D-backs traded a player who’s coming off of Tommy John surgery and two people not named Parker and Scherzer for a power bat. On top of that, when Dunn leaves as a free agent, the D-backs get two first round picks.

If the worst thing you can say about this trade is, “He’s bad on defense,” then it’s a good trade. Sure there’s some issues when Upton comes back, but what about this issue: when Upton comes back, the Dodgers have a 5 game lead? It’s wrong to pretend any of us know what stage the D-backs will be in when Upton’s back. What we do know is the D-backs are horrendous on offense and OK on defense. They now go to decent on offense and average on defense. Are the D-backs better equipped to win the NL West now than they were two days ago? I say yes!

Speaking of Upton, after his torrid start, he’s been very poor. I was getting all these e-mails that he needs to be sent down before he was injured. Now that the D-backs have traded for a RF, suddenly Upton’s going to the HOF and has done everything perfect all year. Let’s keep Upton in Tucson until he demonstrates that he belongs back up.

Of course you should anticipate problems and decisions before they happen, but that doesn’t mean you have to fret over them ahead of time. If you’re turning left in five blocks, why drive in the turn lane with your signal on the whole time? Put Dunn in LF and then make a decision what to do with Dunn and Upton when you need to.

Monday observations

Published by doug on August 5, 2008 in Column and Doug Franz. 0 Comments

1) Todd Haley can coach. Getting the chance to talk to him on air and private shows me his knowledge of the game and knowledge of the media. Whether it’s fair or not, both aspects are important to be a successful head coach. I think he will be.

2) Clancy Pendergast listens to the show. I think that’s cool.

3) The game of baseball can be so simple to people so talented. The D-backs are starting to figure that out.

4) Remember when Chad Tracy was hot…that’s over now.

5) I watched Costas Now tonight. I think I’m the only one left who likes Costas.

6) So many people like to rip GM’s for the trades they made. How about giving credit to Josh Byrnes for not trading Conor Jackson.

7) I like Flagstaff…I hate missing my daughter’s birthday today.

8) I’m watching the D-backs and Tony Pena just gave up a solo shot on 2 strikes.

9) Buster’s is my favorite Flagstaff restaurant.

10) I live in an RV next to an interstate now. It’s just like my childhood all over again. Of course, this RV is much nicer than the horrible pop-up campers I used to camp in on my trips to AZ in the summer. I have an RV from Kempton’s Travel Town in Mesa. It has two bathrooms and two bedrooms. If you want to come visit, I’m at Munds Park RV resort. If you’re going to practice, honk on your way buy.

Must Read

Published by doug on August 4, 2008 in Column and Doug Franz. 1 Comment

I don’t know if you give me credit for this blog or not.

When I give you something you’ve got to read does it show my intense work ethic and display how much time I spend researching for my job, or does it show I’m lazy because I didn’t think of writing this myself and I’m putting it on my blog?

I don’t know the answer either. If you’re a Suns fan, you must read this.

His name is Ben Patrick

Published by doug on July 31, 2008 in Column and Doug Franz. 2 Comments

After spending my first week at Cardinals Camp, I am officially a fan of Ben Patrick.

When he was drafted, I liked the pick because I had read that he might go late in the 5th but most teams had him on the board as a 6th rounder. The Cardinals got him in the 7th round. I love value picks.

So far at camp, he catches just about everything. Since he was smart enough to be accepted at Duke (he went there before transferring before his Senior year), it seems like he has the offense under control. He always seems to be in the right spot and he’s catching everything.

The problem is size. He’s small for a tight end and slow for a wideout. Football, however, is becoming more and more like basketball. You hear people go small in basketball all the time in an attempt to run a big team out of the gym. Patrick’s size could be an advantage if he can use it against a defense’s weakness.

So far in camp, the linebackers of the Cards can’t guard him. His route running has dramatically improved. He’s eliminated almost all of the wasted motion from last year. I also haven’t seen him drop a catch-able ball, while making some tough catches and one spectacular catch.

What I haven’t seen, yet, is if he has the ability to use his body against safeties and corners. I hope it doesn’t drive you crazy how many KC Chief mentions I make but it’s a major point of reference for me because I learned so much about the game from former players and current coaches who were in the organization and allowed me to be very close to the team. A few years ago, the Chiefs drafted Kris Wilson. I’m hoping this won’t be Ben Patrick’s fate.

Wilson was supposed to be this “tweener” (too fast for LB’s, too strong for CB’s) that would be able to take advantage of his speed and really cause havoc for the defensive front seven. The Chiefs were going to move him all over the line and cause all the LB’s fits on how to guard him in pass patterns. In week 2 of the season, the Chiefs opponent just put their safety on Wilson. Wilson’s career was basically done. He wasn’t physical enough. He didn’t take advantage of the match-up size wise despite being bigger than most DB’s. Instead of physically manhandling the safety at the line, Wilson just ran his route but never had the speed to get away from a safety.

One thing the Cards have that the Chiefs never did while I lived in KC is a pair of great receivers. This might nullify my fear of a defense guarding Patrick with a big corner or a safety because no one will ever worry about Ben Patrick before they have Boldin and Fitzgerald taken care of. With the skill of those two on the outside, I think you’ll be hearing a lot from Patrick.

He might start the season well and then, if one of the receivers gets hurt, suddenly he becomes worthless. He’ll need others to create the mismatch for him. He’s not enough of a threat on his own but I think he’s a great piece.

If he can be physical with safeties and out-run LB’s, I’m going to look pretty smart. If not…

The Weekend

Published by doug on July 25, 2008 in Column and Doug Franz. 1 Comment

Do you have any great plans this weekend?

I feel like this is my last weekend as a father and husband. Of course that’s not true but my summer break ends Sunday.

As you can guess, you never get a break in this business. I don’t say that to play the “Boldin pity” card. I know what a blessing my job is. It’s a great country when I get paid to watch sports, talk about sports, and write about sports. The draw back is the job is all-day, every day. I got to work today at around 3:45 this morning. I’ll probably leave today around 1:00. After my nap and dinner, it’s time to work again. Granted, I’ll be sitting on the couch watching a baseball game but, it’s work. If you take it easy for one day, there’s always something that might slip through the cracks.

The time where it’s easiest is between the NBA Draft and the last week of July. I talk to some D-Back sources and go to some games. I watch all the D-Back games but it’s mostly just reading time. After this weekend, it starts back up again.

I’ll be in Flagstaff for the next month getting to know the Cardinals. College football media days are going on this week across the country and I just opened my first CFB pre-season magazine yesterday to begin reading up. CFB starts on Labor Day weekend and the NFL is the weekend after. The NFL and baseball playoffs go on at the same time as the Suns training camp. The Suns, Cards, D-Backs, and ASU are all going on and all on our station in November. The NFL playoffs start in January and that’s when college basketball starts the conference season. Then the Super Bowl rides into March Madness and Spring training. Then NBA playoffs are the same time as the NFL Draft with Opening Day mixed in. Once the NBA crowns a champion, they have their draft. After that, it’s back to just focusing on the D-Backs.

So enjoy your weekend. It’s my last one, but you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s why we say, “It’s all here.”

The Mailbag - x’s three

Published by Doug & Wolf on July 16, 2008 in Column and Doug Franz. 1 Comment

I try to read and return all my e-mails. I have a philosophy that if you write a post to the blog, I won’t respond to that because I feel like the posts are you communicating to other listeners how you feel about what I say. When you write to me, I try to respond because that’s between you and me. To share with you the joy and perils of this job, I open up some of those e-mails and present to you, The Mailbag.

We have three main categories in this mailbag: the Brett Favre circus, the response to Big Pitch, and D-Backs issues. Click whichever mailbag you’d like to open.

D-Backs in a race

Published by Doug & Wolf on July 16, 2008 in Column and Doug Franz. 5 Comments

THE D-BACKS

After listening to the talk shows today, many people say we should get a big left hander even though Chad Tracy is hitting well. Others say that we should get another pitcher just in case Qualls and the rest cannot pitch well in the bullpen. If you had to choose only one trade to make, would you get another big bat or another pitcher?

Pitcher for the pen. Last year proved you can win without offense, you can’t win giving up 7th inning leads.

It is absolutely embarrassing to be a Diamondbacks fan right now. They’re softer than a pack of fluff dried poodles in a field of daisies. They have no heart. They play the worst defense it has been my displeasure of ever watching.

Do they even have a hitting coach? What the hell is he doing? Does he know how to hit? If so, does he know how to coach? What’s the friggin’ problem then? No progress has been made in months, none. If anything they have become even worst. And is Bob Melvin doing anything? Where did the running game go, they have not stolen a base in 5-6 games, why? A few weeks ago, they started drag bunting and actually got three base hits, since then not one try.

Last year was an apparition, this year is the truth.

Jason

So seven months of baseball from April ’07 through April ’08 is a farce, but 2 ½ months of baseball is real? You never win 90 games on a whim. What happens is your talent carries you. Now there’s thick books on these kids. It’s up to them to make the adjustments.

They’ve already fired one hitting coach. Are you just going to keep firing coaches so the players have an excuse for their own arrogance? The problem is the patience. Quite a few of these kids have options. The D-Backs should use them. If the kids don’t want to listen to their coach, send them down to the minors. You don’t want to hit behind the runner, send them down. The organization is only using words as discipline with no action. Melvin should have run out of patience after May and has been far too accepting.

You definitely should brag about what you are doing.

Scott

Never…there are so many people who make us look good

Doug,

I couldn’t agree with you more about trading O-Dog. I think marriage and the thought of same may have taken the energy out of EB and OH. It’s time for ultimatums from management when it comes to contracts.

Due to that four letter word “work”, I can only listen to you and Ron from 5 to 6 daily. Keep up the good work.

Frosty

Thanks for listening when you can.

Doug, I’d trade Hudson too, but you can’t get anything for him, he’s not the type of player that will “put a team over top.” If you’re a contender and have a .260 hitting 2nd basemen are you really making much of a difference by trading for Hudson? I sure some contender would like to have Hudson but the most they would give up is a 4th outfielder or a second tier prospect.

Steve

100% wrong. There is a huge market for the best defensive 2nd baseman in the league who happens to be hitting in the .300’s with a solid OPS.

I want prospects and the Twins are in the playoff chase with a hole at second and they’ve got prospects. Also, if the Yankees are ready to give up on Cano, maybe you could swing a deal with them. The problem there is the best Yankees prospects are in the low minors.

Big applause for ‘Big Pitch for PCH’

Published by Doug & Wolf on July 16, 2008 in Column and Doug Franz. 1 Comment

BIG PITCH FOR PCH

Doug…I got a chance to read your blog on Big Pitch. I will never forget what you, Wolf, KTAR and your listeners did to raise money for this cause. There was no way in hell I would NOT donate to a cause like this. And to be able to go out to Dave & Busters to see you guys in person made it even more special…this event, among many other reasons are why I continue to listen, and consider you not only my friends, but CRUNK BRUTHUS!

Brother Murph

Thanks for listening and reading the blog.

I just wanted to thank you gentlemen for the amazing work and accomplishment with the Big Pitch for PCH. To double the original goal is truly astounding. It was an absolute pleasure to listen to this very special broadcast. I must admit that the show brought tears to my eyes more than once.

I have two friends who both have had children at PCH. Both children, unfortunately, passed away. However, the staff at PCH did all that they possibly could to help and care for these children, and they were so supportive, caring, and loving to all family and friends involved.

Tim

Thanks for listening to something that we’ve never tried before. I don’t have the vocabulary to explain how over-whelmed I was Thursday.

Amazing! $197,000! Are you kidding me? I donated what I could early this morning. I was very pleasantly surprised when I checked your final tally. Wow. I am proud of The Basin for the contributions made to PCH.

Bret

I feel the same as you. The news got better when we passed $200K after we left the air.

I love this town.

Doug,

I just wanted to chime in on the outstanding job you and Wolf and the whole crew did with the fund raiser. Truly awesome! I was proud to be a part in my small way.

Hugh

We didn’t receive any donations above $5000. The vast majority were for $20. To actually make $200,000 is incredible. You did more than a “small way” because you helped us get there.

I wanted to write you both just to drop a note of thanks. You both truly make a difference in the world. What you guys did today was extraordinary. You hear everyday of a cause and everyone wants a donation but in times today it is hard to put your trust in anyone. It is so clear listening to you both how genuine your concern and caring truly is.

With the gas prices I am struggling to get by. I wake up each morning stressed about the daily financial situation of my family but at 7am the drive always starts with tuning the radio to 620. Each day you bring a smile and laugh into my life and I am sure many thousands of others around the Phoenix area.

You should both truly feel good about what you do and the joy you bring into peoples life.

Thanks from just one of your many listeners.

Mike

Your e-mail is incredibly humbling.

Doug & Wolf,

I can’t even begin to describe how much joy it brought me to see you guys dedicate so much time, with so much passion to such a great cause today. I decided to stop by Dave and Busters and check out your show. What an awesome experience it was to be there live as you guys reached $175,000. The excitement in the room was incredible! I went ahead and made a small donation.

This entire event has brought back many memories of when I was a 12-year-old kid growing up in Colorado when my 8 year old brother was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. He was only given six months to live. He spent weeks at Denver Children’s hospital and we drove an hour one way to go visit him. I can’t imagine what these families have to go through when their kids are sent out of state.

He survived the unthinkable and he is a walking miracle today. His tumor disappeared, which was very inexplicable to the doctors. He is now 28, married, with a daughter of his own. It is indeed amazing the care that Children’s hospital give to the kids in need!

Scott

Your story is as over-whelming as my day was Thursday. I don’t care what you think about the size of your donation. I meant it completely when I said to do what you can.

Thanks for coming, your story, and your donation.

I am so proud of you guys. I know how hard it is to raise funds and especially in this economy to get 200 thousand bucks. All I can say is wow. You guys did an amazing job and should be sky high for the next week….Congrats to both of you on a job better than well done.

Gambo

I never saw it coming.

Thanks John.

Brett Favre fiasco

Published by Doug & Wolf on July 16, 2008 in Column and Doug Franz. 2 Comments

BRETT FAVRE

Please do your homework.

Favre chose Fox and Greta Van Susteren because Greta is a good friend of Brett’s wife.

On a side note, is PCH a private or public hospital company?

Jay

Let’s make sure I have this right.

You’re telling me to do my homework but you’re asking me if PCH is a private or public hospital five minutes after you posted on our website that it was a private hospital. You reported something you didn’t know and now you rip me for not knowing a FOX news anchor’s circle of friends.

I knew Greta was a Packer’s fan but, I must admit, I do not keep tabs on QB’s wives’ friendships.

Doug,

I understand that you’re entitled to your opinion on your radio show, but I feel that it’s a little irresponsible for you to rant about the Packers brass like you have been lately concerning the Favre situation. If the leader of your team’s heart just isn’t into the game fully, you need to turn the reigns over to the next best option.

You keep saying that Thompson and McCarthy are “stupid”, but who exactly built the best young team in the NFL? You can’t question is the team going 13-3 along with being the youngest team in the NFL. As for McCarthy, he brought discipline back to that team that was lacking in the previous years. He held Favre accountable for his play and look at what happened over the last two years?

The 49ers had Joe Montana and they had to make a tough choice as well. They had a somewhat unproven, but talented player named Steve Young who was ready to step up and be the man while Joe was starting a downward spiral toward retirement. They traded Montana away and let the kid play.

Maybe Aaron Rodgers isn’t the best chance for the Pack to win right now but neither was Ben Roethlisberger for the Steelers, or Tom Brady with the Patriots. Maybe we should give the guys making these decisions the benefit of the doubt before crucifying them on a public forum with no relevant information to back it up.

Billy

 It’s never irresponsible for me to rant about anything. I’m irresponsible if I cheat on my wife or raise my children without discipline. My job is to give my opinion. I think the Packers brass are idiots for the way they are handling the Brett Favre situation.

I don’t care how hard it was on them to go through the draft and mini-camp without Favre. It doesn’t matter where Favre’s heart was from March-June. What matters is where it is right now. When one of the top 5 QB’s on the planet wants to play for your franchise and you don’t have one of the other four, the intelligent answer is, “yes.” Anything else is stupid.

Your Joe Montana reference is worthless. They didn’t “let the kid play.” Montana missed part of one year with a concussion and a back issue and all of the next with an elbow injury. Young had already taken the starting spot from him. Roethlisberger and Brady are the same way. After an injury to the starting QB, they played better than the starting QB did.

My relevant information is 61,655 yards with a 61% completion percentage with 442 TD’s with the a streak as incredible as Cal Ripken’s compared to 329 yards on 59% passing and the same number of TD’s as INT’s. But you’re right; maybe we should give these guys the benefit of the doubt when it comes to leaving Bill Buckner in the game when you’ve got a defensive replacement. It’s wrong for me to criticize Marty Morningweg for choosing to go on defense first in overtime because I’ve never been a head coach in the NFL.

Guys, I don’t think the great people of Wisconsin are siding with the Organization on this one. I think the season is nearing and they were all prepared to back Johnny Newkid. There is no doubt everyone wishes it worked out differently, but it hasn’t. It’s starting to make me sick to my stomach. Either way, the Pack goes 10-6, or better this season.

James

 You must realize how much I appreciate you listening before you read my next sentence.

You’re crazy.

Winning 10 games is hard. Winning 10 games after you tell a Hall of Famer to go away, impossible.

Guys - LOVE the show.

Brett Favre has been a great QB. But there is a downside. Fans are tired of the on-again, off-again retirement issue. Fans want to win but many believe Brett can’t win the big game. The past 5-6 times the Pack made the playoffs, Brett threw a late game interception that cost GB the game.

The Pack needs to look at Aaron Rodgers for a full season. He is a free agent after this season. Come February of 2009, they are either going to have to offer him a 5 year, multi-million dollar contract - or - let him go. If Brett came back, no doubt, he’d retire for real after this season. Then the Pack would have no sure choice for QB. Even if they go 8-8 this year, they are better off building for the future. It is time to move on.

Joe

Although I disagree on who should be the Packs’ QB next year, this is the best e-mail I’ve received on the subject.

Thanks for listening.

Maybe this retirement was an emotional decision, but how many free passes do we give the guy? He does this every year! Do you think that the Pack would draft the way they did if they knew he was coming back? Do you think they’d work free agency the way they did? At what point do we say that Brett Favre is making himself bigger than the team, and why is that acceptable?

Paul

What Brett is doing is a joke. What the Packers are doing is idiotic.

Every QB who’s fixed as the starter is bigger than the team.

Can we institute a rule in sports that once a player decides to retire, he cannot undo it. I cannot stand the Brett Favre chat. When a person undoes his retirement and then retires multiple times it hurts the franchise. I agree with Green Bay to hold him to his word because after listening to his retirement speeches, he is not much of a man. He cannot decide what to do with his future.

Michael

No we can’t. I think we’re Americans so we can do what we want and I don’t want to trample on Brett’s freedom.

Shock and Awe

Published by doug on July 12, 2008 in Column and Doug Franz. 2 Comments


It’s not very often in your life where you stand on Mount Everest and then see another mountain that’s higher, but that happened to me on Thursday.

From a personal standpoint, the highlight of my career was in Kansas City three years ago. If you ever had the chance to see the Ken Burns series on baseball that PBS aired in the mid-nineties, you became instantly over-whelmed with Buck O’Neil. I watched that series while I was in my second senior year in college. I never thought I’d have the chance to meet Buck. About 8 years later, I took a job in KC where Buck used to play first base for the Kansas City Monarchs. In May of 2006, Buck came in studio with me and told stories for an hour on the air. When that show ended, I thought that would be the highlight of my career.

Through my time in KC, I found out how soccer balls helped saved the lives of our soldiers in Iraq. The soldiers would give Iraqi kids soccer balls and the townspeople began to trust the soldiers more. As the trust grew, soldiers learned about IED locations and Al-Qaeda hide-outs. I will always take great pride in the soccer ball drive but I was out on my own. My station never got behind me and I probably collected only 200 total soccer balls. Neither of these two events come close to what I witnessed Thursday.

Sports 620 KTAR organized and drove something close to me like I didn’t know was possible. There are a flood of people I could spend time thanking but if I do, I feel like I’m taking away something from you. What you did by donating over $200,000 was close to miracle status. I have never been so humbled and exhilarated at the same time.

I had a flood of emotions a couple months ago when I took a tour of Phoenix Children’s Hospital. I can’t look at a NICU without being over-whelmed with the old anxiety I would try to hide before I visited my daughter during her 95 day stay at a Dayton hospital eight years ago. It was last Tuesday that Allison from PCH told me kids are being sent to Las Vegas or LA from time to time. When I found out the reason was something as simple as space, it was a punch in the gut.

I was working in Alabama when Vienna was born in Dayton, OH. Jennifer moved in with my parents and we lived apart so she could be with Vienna. I would take off of work every Friday and drive 6 hours to the hospital every Thursday night and go back to Alabama on Sunday night. I couldn’t believe that anyone from Phoenix might have to do the same thing I did.

Put yourself in that position. You take your family to PCH and they say there’s no room. Are you going to Vegas. Does your wife live in a hotel and you come up on weekends? How’s that gas bill going to look? Are you going to move into the hotel too and try to work out your room? Are you pulling your sick child’s siblings out of school? It is the most lonely feeling to come home from work everyday while your daughter fights for her life hundreds of miles away. I couldn’t stand the idea of someone else going through what I did.

Because of you, we made a major dent in fixing those problems. For you to ignore gas prices, your declining home value, and saving for your own vacation to donate to this cause is amazing. I was floored when the donations reached $100,000 before lunch, but to double that shows the power of many. We didn’t receive any donation over $5,000. The vast majority of our donations were for $20. Fundraisers do not reach $200,000 on $20 donations unless an enormous number of people really believe in the need and their own community.

I realize my name is “on the door” since the event is titled “Doug & Wolf’s Big Pitch for PCH,” but we’re all on equal footing because I donated and you did too. It was OUR Big Pitch. Every time you hear someone talk about Sports 620 KTAR raising $200,000, tell them you were a part of that.

Thank you.

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