East Valley Tribune (Mesa, AZ) articles from July 2001

East Valley Tribune (Mesa, AZ) archives from July 2001

Same ol' Barry Bonds, whether at Arizona State or with Giants.
July 1, 2001... Byline: Bob Moran Arizona Diamondbacks scout Charles Scott was visiting with his old Arizona State roommate Barry Bonds last year before a Diamondbacks-San Francisco Giants game. "We were talking about our school days," Scott recalled....

Schilling, Johnson might start right after All-Star Break.
July 1, 2001... Byline: Ed Price With Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson almost certain to pitch in the All-Star Game, Bob Brenly is considering starting the Arizona Diamondbacks' two aces in the second and third games after the break. "We thought...

Diamondbacks edge the Rockies.
July 1, 2001... Byline: Ed Price One for three is a pretty good game, even for a bullpen. Despite blowing their first two save chances of Saturday's game, the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied on eighth-inning homers by Damian Miller and Craig Counsell and...

Tax threshold provides payoff for owners.
July 1, 2001... Byline: Mike Tulumello PHOENIX _ Everybody who owns an NBA team will have a fatter wallet at the end of the upcoming season _ thanks to the players they employ. All 29 teams are expected to receive between $5 million to $8 million from...

Bryan Colangelo must face the music.
July 1, 2001... Byline: Slim Smith Jerry Colangelo was mad. It wasn't the kind of question a reporter could pose without expecting an angry response. During a 48-hour period that began Wednesday morning, the Phoenix Suns made sweeping changes on...

Guards Maloney, Drew interested in Suns.
July 1, 2001... Byline: Mike Tulumello The Phoenix Suns still have one significant opening on their roster for next season, and at least two potential players are offering their services. Matt Maloney and Bryce Drew are both interested in the Suns'...

Schilling, Diamondbacks edged out by Astros.
July 4, 2001... Byline: Ed PRICE HOUSTON _ Luis Gonzalez can do just about anything these days, but one thing he can't do alone is win. Gonzalez homered twice Tuesday for the Arizona Diamondbacks, including his second grand slam of the season, but the...

No break for Sanders.
July 4, 2001... Byline: Ed PRICE HOUSTON _ Reggie Sanders seems to have avoided his 14th career trip to the disabled list. Sanders, the Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder, was hit on the left hand by a Scott Elarton pitch in the third inning of...

Diamondbacks' Johnson, Schilling named NL All-Stars.
July 5, 2001... Byline: Ed PRICE HOUSTON _ Baseball's top 1-2 pitching punch will go to the All-Star Game together. Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling were selected Wednesday from the Arizona Diamondbacks for the NL All-Star team. The game is Tuesday in...

All the right moves: Brenly's decision in 7th leads to victory.
July 5, 2001... Byline: Ed PRICE HOUSTON _ Luis Gonzalez is a hot slugger. Randy Johnson is a hot pitcher. David Dellucci is a hot pinch hitter. Byung-Hyun Kim is a hot reliever. But the hottest of all the Arizona Diamondbacks is their hot, hot _...

Brenly eyeing Kim to close.
July 5, 2001... Byline: Ed PRICE HOUSTON _ The Arizona Diamondbacks have talked to other teams about a rent-a-closer trade. The D-Backs may take a look at hard-throwing Class AA right-hander Jose Valverde later this month. But the closer for the rest...

Diamondbacks fall to Astros again.
July 6, 2001... Byline: Ed Price X X X "Well it's lonesome in this old town Everybody puts me down I'm a face without a name Just walking in the rain Goin' back to Houston, Houston, Houston" _"Houston," as sung by Dean...

Diamondbacks hoping Schilling, Johnson see limited All-Star duty.
July 6, 2001... Byline: Ed Price HOUSTON _ Bob Brenly prefers Curt Schilling not pitch at all in Tuesday's All-Star Game, although the Arizona Diamondbacks manager will allow Schilling to decide. "I'll see what happens," Schilling, the NL's only...

Callaway, Solheim remembered as two who brought golf to the masses.
July 6, 2001... Byline: Slim Smith One was an engineer whose curiosity in a new hobby fueled his creativity. The other was a businessman who turned his entrepreneurial genius on a game and changed its face. The former, Karsten Solheim, and the...

Diamondbacks almost put Mark Mulder in the history books.
July 7, 2001... Byline: Dan Zeiger PHOENIX _ With the chances of them being witnesses to baseball history growing, with every out the Arizona Diamondbacks hit into on Friday night, all the fans in the right-field seats at Bank One Ballpark could do was....

A Classic no more: All-Star game has lost its luster.
July 7, 2001... Byline: Dan ZEIGER Although he had been a full-time player in the major leagues for a decade, Dusty Baker was an All-Star rookie when he entered the clubhouse at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in 1981. If Baker, then a Los Angeles Dodgers...

Diamondbacks hoping to avoid repeat collapse.
July 12, 2001... Byline: Ed Price A 51-36 record and 3 {-game lead at the All-Star break may be quite nice for the Arizona Diamondbacks, but it should also be quite familiar. Last year, the D-Backs were 51-37 and 3 { games ahead at the break. Then,...

Finley trying to clear his head.
July 14, 2001... Byline: Dan ZEIGER ANAHEIM, Calif. _ Counting the days until his sabbatical from the starting lineup ends, Steve Finley is itching to snap his season-long funk at the plate and contribute to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The center...

Mark Grace snaps out of slumber.
July 14, 2001... Byline: Dan ZEIGER ANAHEIM, Calif. _ For a hitter as tough to strike out as Mark Grace, fanning in five straight games constitutes a major slump. Fortunately for the Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman, he snapped out of it on Friday...

Schilling, Diamondbacks defeat the Angels.
July 14, 2001... Byline: Dan ZEIGER ANAHEIM, Calif. _ After five games in which it seemed as if they were using Wiffle bats, the Arizona Diamondbacks finally brought back the lumber on Friday night. Arizona compiled 10 hits, including home runs by Luis...

New Sun is on rise, but Marbury brings plenty of baggage.
July 15, 2001... Byline: Mike Tulumello PHOENIX _ On the night he graduated from high school in New York City, just six years ago, Stephon Marbury got a message. You might call it special delivery. When he returned to his car, he saw somebody had...

Female athletes stripping themselves of equality.
July 15, 2001... Byline: Scott Bordow MESA, Ariz. _ A confession: When U.S. Olympic swimmer Jenny Thompson posed for Sports Illustrated last summer wearing nothing but tight lycra shorts and bright-red boots, I didn't see a world-class athlete at first....

Image is everything: Portrayal of females in media draws scrutiny.
July 15, 2001... Byline: Craig Morgan (HAS TRIM) Michele Timms reads newspapers. But the Phoenix Mercury guard admits that sometimes it's not worth the bother. "I read something down in Australia about the LPGA Tour," Timms said. "Instead of...

Pitchers tough it out in Tucson.
July 16, 2001... Byline: Ed Price SEATTLE _ Although three pitchers from the Arizona Diamondbacks disabled list will pitch from Class AAA Tucson Monday and Tuesday, none are close to being activated. Manager Bob Brenly admitted that with his pitching...

Sele tosses 2-hitter to stifle Diamondbacks.
July 16, 2001... Byline: Ed Price SEATTLE _ Luis Gonzalez was thrown out at home plate to end Sunday's first inning, and the Arizona Diamondbacks never again got within 270 feet of scoring a run. Aaron Sele wound up with a two-hitter at Safeco Field,...

Talks with top pick at impasse; D-Backs aren't optimistic deal will get done.
July 18, 2001... Byline: Ed Price SEATTLE _ An impasse between the Arizona Diamondbacks and first-round draft pick Jason Bulger not only all but precluded Bulger's playing in the farm system this year, it has the team wondering if it will sign him at all....

Not so Graceful; Blunders on bases costly for D-Backs.
July 18, 2001... Byline: Ed Price SEATTLE _ While it may sound like the same old story _ the Arizona Diamondbacks scoring one run or fewer for the seventh time in 10 games _ Tuesday's 6-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners had a new twist: costly baserunning....

Mercury forward still pondering whether to pose for Playboy.
July 18, 2001... Byline: Jerry Brown Bemused and a bit uncomfortable with her official title as Playboy's "Sexiest Babe of the WNBA," Phoenix Mercury forward Lisa Harrison said the chances of baring all in the popular men's magazine appear, well, mighty...

`Thunder Dan' may rejoin Suns as early as Wednesday; Majerle gets $1 million offer from Phoenix.
July 18, 2001... Byline: Mike TULUMELLO Dan Majerle, who wants to rejoin the team where he enjoyed his finest seasons, could be signed by the Phoenix Suns at any time, according to NBA sources. The Suns have offered Majerle the veteran's minimum: $1...

Coyotes' front office leaves Francis in limbo.
July 18, 2001... Byline: Scott Bordow Bob Francis will be behind the bench when the Phoenix Coyotes open the 2001-2002 season. There's no such assurance he'll be the coach when the season ends. As the summer drags on and Francis remains a...

Diamondbacks, Padres get testy again.
July 20, 2001... Byline: Ed Price SAN DIEGO _ Three series this year between the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres, and three disagreements. "There's two teams out there playing with a lot of fire and a lot of emotion, and things happen,"...

Schilling to start Saturday.
July 20, 2001... Byline: Ed Price SAN DIEGO _ Curt Schilling had been through pitchus interruptus before, but that didn't make Wednesday's fiasco any easier. Schilling had pitched two perfect innings for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Padres and...

SURPRISE! Randy Johnson strikes them out in relief.
July 20, 2001... Byline: Ed Price SAN DIEGO _ That 6-foot-10 guy makes a pretty good long reliever. "He might be the best long man in baseball, huh?" manager Bob Brenly asked Thursday after Randy Johnson attained the single-game strikeout record for a...

Mark West breaking through Suns' front office.
July 20, 2001... Byline: Scott Bordow About an hour before Dan Majerle's triumphant return-home press conference, Mark West stood on the practice court at America West Arena. A couple of television reporters drifted over for a question or two then...

Suns name Mark West assistant general manager; sign old Sun Dan Majerle.
July 20, 2001... Byline: Mike TULUMELLO In making two hiring decisions on Thursday, the Phoenix Suns reached back to their glory years. The Suns named Mark West to the new post of assistant general manager while they signed Dan Majerle to a one-year,...

Brenly playing with lineup.
July 21, 2001... Byline: Ed PRICE SAN FRANCISCO _ Bob Brenly likes to use Arizona Diamondbacks team flights to work on lineups. On Tuesday night's trip from Seattle to San Diego, the manager jotted down more combinations than any previous flight, at one...

Diamondbacks blanked by Giants.
July 21, 2001... Byline: Ed Price SAN FRANCISCO _ Telltale signs of a team desperate for offense: bringing the infield in during the fifth inning and pinch-hitting for a pitcher who had allowed one run in five innings. Those signs Friday at Pacific...

Stadium fight abuzz.
July 22, 2001... Byline: Scott BORDOW All was quiet on the western front Friday. Phoenix city officials weren't running around screaming, "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" Members of the Tourism and Sports Authority board didn't call a press conference to...

Diamondbacks ends trip with victory, another incident.
July 23, 2001... Byline: Ed Price SAN FRANCISCO _ Total tally for the Arizona Diamondbacks' 11-day trip up and down the West Coast: six wins, five losses, two bench-clearing incidents. On the scoreboard, the D-Backs finished the trip Sunday on a high...

Arizona looks to build crowds with victories.
July 23, 2001... Byline: Ed Price SAN FRANCISCO _ In the past 11 days, the Arizona Diamondbacks played for six sellout crowds in Seattle and San Francisco. And that left some players longing for a similar atmosphere at home. The D-Backs begin a...

D-Backs are not desperate to trade.
July 24, 2001... Byline: Scott Bordow PHOENIX _ Six days and counting until the July 31 trading deadline, so it's time to separate fact from fiction as far as the Arizona Diamondbacks are concerned. If you believe half the rumors you hear, the...

Greed led to BOB's shoddy sod.
July 25, 2001... Byline: Scott BORDOW What can we call the Arizona Diamondbacks' decision to let the pop group N'Sync play at Bank One Ballpark last Wednesday? A sod, sod story. (The preceding line was written after a full day of furniture...

Towers calls Diamondbacks arrogant; comments by Padres GM adds to feud.
July 25, 2001... Byline: Ed Price While the on-field antagonism between the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres did not reappear Monday, there has been some verbal sparring. "I just hope we beat them every time we play them," Padres general...

Gonzalez, Johnson keep Diamondbacks in first.
July 25, 2001... Byline: Ed PRICE When Randy Johnson took the mound Tuesday at Bank One Ballpark, the Los Angeles Dodgers were already six runs up on the Milwaukee Brewers. Which meant that if the Arizona Diamondbacks lost, they would drop to second in the...

Albie's brother finds some joy in prison.
July 27, 2001... Byline: Scott Bordow PHOENIX _ When Albie Lopez walked into the Sky Harbor Airport terminal at about 11:30 on Wednesday night, the welcome-home party shifted into high gear. Family members and friends _ about 50 strong _ started...

Albie Lopez expected to give Diamondbacks a boost.
July 27, 2001... Byline: Ed Price Although Albie Lopez left the American League as its leader in losses, those who have seen him pitch believe he can help the Arizona Diamondbacks. "I like him," said one AL pitching coach, who has seen Lopez multiple...

Diamondbacks making moves.
July 27, 2001... Byline: Ed Price Two catchers in two states found out about Wednesday's trade in mid-game, and they went on to quite different nights. When the Arizona Diamondbacks acquired right-hander Albie Lopez and catcher Mike DiFelice from the...

Diamondbacks routed by Giants; Barry hits 2 more Thursday night.
July 27, 2001... Byline: Ed Price PHOENIX _ The home-run race got wider Thursday, and the NL West race got closer. Barry Bonds homered twice, including his first grand slam in 3 { seasons, to help the San Francisco Giants pound Curt Schilling and the...

Lopez on the mound Saturday.
July 28, 2001... Byline: Dan Zeiger Mike DiFelice has caught just three of Albie Lopez's starts this season, but the two have the familiarity that comes from being teammates for more than three seasons. So when Lopez takes the mound Saturday night for...

Diamondbacks fall to Giants and Barry.
July 28, 2001... Byline: Dan Zeiger PHOENIX _ After two consecutive nights of allowing visitors to stage loud, ringing parties with the bat, the Arizona Diamondbacks have been evicted from the National League West penthouse. The San Francisco Giants again...

Cardinals open with an apology, changing of the guard.
July 28, 2001... Byline: Darren Urban FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. _ Michael Pittman had finished a television interview near the Arizona Cardinals dining hall Friday evening when quarterback Jake Plummer walked up. The two embraced. Pittman was being welcomed...

Cardinals, Davis in intense negotiations.
July 28, 2001... Byline: Darren Urban FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. _ The streak couldn't continue for the Arizona Cardinals and their No. 1 draft choice. After signing 2000 first-round pick Thomas Jones hours before last year's training camp started, the Cards...

Cardinals mum on stadium flak.
July 28, 2001... Byline: Darren Urban FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. _ While the debate over the new football stadium site is volleyed around Tempe, Phoenix and Sky Harbor Airport, the team that will be the primary tenant have remained quiet. And that's how the...

Womack mending faster than expected.
July 29, 2001... Byline: Dan Zeiger When Tony Womack went on the disabled list with a right calf strain on July 22, the Arizona Diamondbacks figured he would spend most of the 15 days simply recuperating from the injury. But the shortstop's leg is...

Diamondbacks routed by Giants on soldout Bobblehead Night.
July 29, 2001... Byline: Dan Zeiger PHOENIX _ With the help of a Luis Gonzalez bobblehead doll promotion, the Arizona Diamondbacks lured their fourth-largest crowd in three years to Bank One Ballpark on Saturday. There's no truth to the rumor that the...

Can Cardinals keep a Snake in the fold.
July 29, 2001... Byline: Scott Bordow Is there anything else the Arizona Cardinals can do for Jake Plummer? Better question: Is there anything they haven't done? It's amazing, really. Plummer threw eight more interceptions than touchdowns last...

Leonard Davis still not in the fold.
July 29, 2001... Byline: Darren Urban DAVIS UPDATE: The first two practices are over for the Cardinals, and first-round draft pick Leonard Davis still isn't signed. His agent didn't sound optimistic that would be changing anytime soon. "We still have...

Thomas Jones says injury misdiagnosed.
July 29, 2001... Byline: Darren Urban FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. _ Arizona Cardinals second-year running back Thomas Jones revealed Saturday the injury that hampered him at the end of his rookie season was misdiagnosed for nearly eight months and still might trouble...

Diamondbacks stuck in a swoon.
July 30, 2001... Byline: (Fixes byline) By Mike Tulumello lumello PHOENIX _ In your average baseball movie, a team of over-achieving underdogs is chronicled on its way from worst to first. Arizona Diamondbacks fans had visions of these celluloid...

McGinnis polishes his pitch line.
July 30, 2001... Byline: Scott Bordow FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. _ It's lunch hour at the Arizona Cardinals training camp, and coach Dave McGinnis is working the dining hall. "Talk to me, Grut," McGinnis says, his Texas twang booming. Center Mike...