Could rookie Parker get the D'backs 25th roster spot?

Rookie Jarrod Parker is in the mix and just might be pulled out of the bowl as the 25th man on the Diamondbacks postseason roster. A rumor is swirling around Milwaukee that the hard-throwing right-hander who pitched 5 2/3 innings of scoreless ball the other night against the LA Dodgers, just might get penciled in by Kirk Gibson.

I wouldn't want to be in Gibson's shoes (I probably would) and have to whittle down from 30 players to 25 for the postseason. We'll know soon enough. Gibby will have to make that decision in the morning. And, after what Tampa Bay's rookie Matt Moore just accomplished moments ago in Arlington,Texas, Gibby might be leaning that way. Moore just threw a two-hitter in seven innings of work as the Rays blanked the Rangers,9-0.

Good luck, Jarrod!

Diamondbacks will need to get by the prince

The Arizona Diamondbacks will need to get by the prince to get to the crown. The prince meaning Prince Fielder, of course, and the crown, meaning, ultimately, the 2011 World Series title. If manager Kirk Gibson and the D'backs can find a way to maneuver around the Milwaukee pitching staff at the National League Division Series, then the next thing they'll need to do is keep Fielder from being a factor at the plate in the best of five series. The power-hitting Brewers first baseman has 38 home runs and 120 RBI to go along with his .299 regular season batting average. Fielder has also walked 107 times, but he's also struck out 106 times.

Let's hope the D'backs pitchers can coax him into a few K's!

Set up the brew...it's the Diamondbacks and the Brewers

Set up the brew! It is going to be the Diamondbacks and the Brewers in the National League Division Series.

The D'backs (94-68) are heading for Milwaukee. The Brewers (96-66) won tonight over the Pittsburgh Pirates in Milwaukee, 7-3, while the D'backs lost 7-5 to the Dodgers at Chase Field. The Arizona Diamondbacks, the NL West Champs, are sticking around for postseason play, but shockingly the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox are not! Crazy night in baseball as the St. Louis Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Rays win the wild cards! So, it's official: it'll be the Yankees and the Tigers; the Rays and the Rangers; the Cardinals and the Phillies; and the Diamondbacks and the Brewers.

Let's get the party started!

Team Priceless takes on the Big Dawgs this week

My Fantasy Football League: I take on the Big Dawgs (1-2) this week in my UPC Hood Fantasy Football League. At 0-3, Team Priceless will be up against a couple of outstanding running backs in Arian Foster and LeSean McCoy. At the QB spot, Big Dawgs owner Kevin Murray, has three to chose from in Cam Newton, Jay Cutler and Matt Schaub. Luckily, he can only use two! As for me, I've made 24 moves -- with waivers, trades, adds and drops -- the past three weeks, all to no avail. I got rid of New England's defense this week. The Patriots outscore their opponents, not shut them down. Picked up Atlanta's defense, just for this week. Not a lot to choose from. Remember, this was an automatic draft! Picked up New Orleans receiver Marques Colston. The Saints' receiver is returning, this week or next, and the scoop is he'll be ready to play, after recovering from his collarbone injury. I'll keep him on the bench until Week 5.

I need some of my players to step up and get me some fantasy points this week. Otherwise, Team Priceless will be the cellar dweller in Week 5.

The Standings:

1.Assassins 3-0-0
2.El diablo blanco 3-0-0
3.A-TEAM 2-1-0
4.murrays murrauders 2-1-0
5.Honey Bee 1-1-1
6.The Sticky Bandits 1-1-1
7.big dawgs 1-2-0
8.suh-nami 1-2-0
9.Team Priceless 0-3-0
10.Team Arps (Champs) 0-3-0

How can you bet against the Phillies?

I'm backing my Arizona Diamondbacks and will sit on the edge of my seat as they head into postseason play, but the scary team out there is the Phillies. The only team this season to top the 100-mark in wins and with a pitching rotation which is power-plus in Halladay, Lee, Hamels and Oswalt. And on offense, they have this scary dude with 115 RBI by the name of Ryan Howard. Yes, he has heel and ankle problems (kinda like me), but if I could hit the ball up against the fences, or over, like he does, I might consider going to the MSBL World Series.

If I could hit the ball one-quarter as far as he does, I'd be able to hobble around the bases. Unfortunately, I have to run around the bases and he doesn't. Enough about me. I'm through for the year with my fractured heel spur, bad thumb joints and back pain. Still having a tough time letting go of that. One thing is for sure, the teams that take on the Phillies in the postseason are going to have their hands full. If it turns out to be Arizona, let's hope the Diamondbacks can get hot with the bats and get it done. The D'backs did beat Halladay earlier in the year, but beating him again is gonna be tough.

However it pans out, I'll be watching. October is just three days away and it looks like I'll be in my easy chair, taking in all the games.

Son, Michael, gets his elk on 9th day of hunting

My son, Michael Price, got his elk on his ninth day of hunting. Just received a garbled cell phone call from him. Michael had been hunting in an area north of Williams, Arizona. He sounded excited and from parts of the phone conversation it sounded like he said the elk was an average size.

Michael should be headed home later today, after a stop in Flagstaff, where he will take the necessary steps for butchering and processing his elk. Congrats, Michael. Job well done. I'm sure I will hear soon on the size, scoring of the animal and the details of my son's successful hunt.

Tatman walk-off grand slam wins it!

Down 6-1 with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, Ryan Roberts steps to the plate and belts a grand slam over the left field fence tonight to give the Arizona Diamondbacks a 7-6 win over the LA Dodgers.

Wow! Home-field advantage for the D'backs is still alive for the first round of the playoffs! Milwaukee, are you ready for tomorrow? The 161st game of the regular season was a stunner. Without a hit in four previous at bats and visibly frustrated, Roberts steps front and center and rips his first-ever grand slam. The winning pitcher in relief: Micah Owings, unbeaten at 8-0. Lost in the shuffle of Roberts' blast was the debut of rookie Jarrod Parker who pitched a near-perfect 5 2/3 innings of scoreless ball before leaving the game to a standing ovation.

The fans affectionately call Roberts: The Tatman. What will Tatman do tomorrow in the regular season finale? Or, maybe it'll be Parra...Young...Upton or Goldschmidt. Somebody will step up in game number 162 and the final regular-season game should be a dandy! After tonight, I'm putting my money on Arizona for the first round of the playoffs -- no matter which team they end up playing.

After tonight's walk-off win, I'm committed to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Bring 'em on Phillies, Brewers, Braves...Cardinals (how did they get in the mix?). The Dodgers' closer, Javvy Guerra, was saddled with the loss. I still can't believe what I watched. For goodness sake, the D'backs were down five with no runners on base.

There is a reason the Diamondbacks are a remarkable 94-67.

Assassins and El diablo blanco remain unbeaten in my fantasy football league

My Fantasy Football League: The Assassins and El diablo blanco remain unbeaten in my UPC Hood Fantasy Football League with identical 3-0 records. I, on the other hand, find myself (and my Team Priceless) in 9th place in our 10-team league. The Assassins received a big fantasy-point total from Tom Brady, while Aaron Rodgers was the big man for El diablo blanco.

As for my team, no big point-getters for the third week in a row.

While I was away...

I've been in the Rocky Mountains for the better part of the past six days, attending my son's wedding, which took place 70 miles east of Grand Junction, Colorado, way up in the high country. The wedding went off without a hitch and it came with a reception, which included a down-home country band with a fiddler who was out of this world.

My son and his bride took their vows in front of a log cabin, amongst hundreds of giant Aspen trees and surrounded late at night by plenty of critters -- included more than likely a moose or two and a bear (the grizzly has been leaving his mark near the area the past few months).

The one downer of the trip: I picked up the stomach flu on our last day there and the trip down the mountain was not much fun. And to top it off, my better half, Sue Crain, followed suit with the 24-hour virus by the time we hit Sedona on Monday afternoon. Sue is still under the weather and I'm setting here, typing away on the hotel computer.

We hope to make it home this afternoon, barring anymore mishaps. By the way, when our trip started last Thursday morning I left the rear door slightly ajar when I backed out of the driveway and damaged my car and the garage door. We called a repairman at four o'clock in the morning. He fixed the garage door and we were on our way five hours late. My car has minimal damage, but still, what a bummer. At any rate, it stands to reason we didn't have too much communication with the outside world over the weekend...NO ESPN!

So, I'm catching up this morning. For starters, my Fantasy Football team got slaughtered again as my Team Priceless lost handily to the undefeated Assassins and I see my beloved Arizona Wildcats fell victim to Oregon, 56-31. What a bummer! But I see that my Diamondbacks got it done with a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants. Congrats, D'backs on winning the NL West. I see the D'backs are still in a battle with the Brewers for the coveted home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs with just two games remaining on the regular season schedule -- tonight, and Wednesday night against the visiting LA Dodgers. Phillies or Atlanta, what's the difference? Plenty! But, the Diamondbacks are in, that's the good news. What a season!

Well, I guess I'd better get off this contraption, check on the better half, and head down I-17.

An afternoon delight!

It turned out to be an afternoon delight for the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field today.

The treat: A victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-5. How sweet it is! The Diamondbacks move to 90-66 and put the pressure on San Francisco. The Giants (83-71) will need to beat the Dodgers in LA tonight in order to keep the Diamondbacks from doing further damage to that coveted magic number, which is now two and could be reduced to one, if the Giants lose in LA this evening.

As for the Diamondbacks, they'll take a day off tomorrow and await the three-game series with the Giants, which is slated for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Wade Miley (4-2) picked up the win today for the D'backs, while J.J. Putz recorded his 43rd save by striking out the side in the 9th inning. Miguel Montero belted a two-run homer in the first inning as the D'backs jumped on the Pirates early and led 8-1 after three innings of play.

NL West Race Update: The Giants held on and beat the Dodgers, 8-5. San Francisco (84-71) needs to win again on Thursday in LA to keep its slim hopes alive.

Diamondbacks could reduce magic number to 1 or 2 today

Despite Arizona's loss to the Pirates last night, the D'backs were able to reduce the magic number to win the NL West to three as the Giants lost in LA to the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks play a day game today and have a shot at reducing the magic number to one or two. Come on Dodgers stick it to the Giants and sweep 'em!. As for the Diamondbacks, they need to get that 90th win of the season today at Chase Field.

Wade Miley takes the ball today. Come on D'backs, let's get it done.

Four teams are 2-0 in my fantasy league

My Fantasy Football League: Four teams -- The A-Team, El blanco diablo, The Assassins and The Sticky Bandits -- move to 2-0 in my UPC Hood Fantasy Football League. The Assassins led the way in fantasy points this week with 177, while El diablo blanco scored 174 points.

Kennedy wins 20th

Ian Kennedy struck out 12 batters in eight shutout innings to pick up his 20th win of the season tonight at Chase Field as the Arizona Diamondbacks edged closer to the NL West title with a 1-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

And by the way, Justin Upton provided the game-winner in the sixth inning with a broken-bat home run over the left field fence. The Pirates had just two hits in the game -- a single in the third inning off Kennedy's counterpart, Jeff Karstens, and a triple in the top of the ninth inning by Alex Presley. Arizona closer J.J. Putz picked up the save and Presley was left stranded at third base. The magic number is down to four as the idle San Francisco Giants open a three-game series tomorrow in Los Angeles with the Dodgers.

Mariano Rivera gets his 602nd save today

The New York Yankee closer Mariano Rivera captured his 602nd save today, surpassing the former Arizona Wildcat's pitcher Trevor Hoffman. What a RELIEF it must be for Rivera to get that milestone recorded.

Rivera is 41 years old and broke into the major leagues in 1995.

It doesn't get any easier in my fantasy football league

My Fantasy Football League: It doesn't get any easier in my UPC Hood Fantasy Football League. Guaranteed to be 0-2 heading into next week's action, Team Priceless will take on The Assassins next week. I'll be out of town, attending me son's wedding, so I won't be glued to my Vizio...and it is just as well. I'll be facing another unbeaten team in The Assassins, managed by Capt. Mitchell Hockenbury, who is stationed in Iraq. Mitchell is a tough "cookie" and has a little more on his mind than the fantasy football league we're in, but he should get a moment to relax and garner a smile on his face (when he does check his computer) as he takes down Team Priceless in Week 3.

You see, his numero uno quarterback is Tom Brady and his running back is Adrian Peterson. I'm just beginning to recover after my loss yesterday to the A-Team.

Lose Charles on my fantasy football team

My Fantasy Football League: I took another hit with my fantasy team this Sunday, losing Jamaal Charles (KC) to injury. It is certainly a struggle for my Team Priceless. I made a good move by inserting Washington's Rex Grossman in the lineup on Sunday. And I received another productive outing from Buffalo QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Unfortunately, I'm going to lose again this week as the A-Team holds a 165-161 advantage as we head into MNF action with the Giants and the Rams. I'm done. All my players are used up, while the A-Team has icing on the cake with running back Carnell Williams on hand for the Rams.

D'backs pull out a win in San Diego

The Arizona Diamondbacks picked up the victory in San Diego today, knocking off the Padres 5-1. Lefty Joe Saunders picked up his 12th win of the year as the D'backs kept their five-game advantage over San Francisco. The Giants hit six home runs and won their eighth straight today with a 12-5 win over the Rockies. Despite San Francisco's onslaught at Coors Field, the Diamondbacks were able to reduce the magic number for clinching the National League Western Division title to five.

The D'backs head home and take on the Pittsburgh Pirates tomorrow night. Diamondbacks right-hander Ian Kennedy goes for win No. 20.

Up against the top point-getter in my fantasy league

My Fantasy Football League: I'm up against the top point-getter in my UPC Hood Fantasy Football League today. The A-Team has Mr. Brees and Mr. Rivers. I have a couple of average run-of-the-mill guys in Fitzpatrick and Grossman. I decided to go with Grossman over Orton. That could be a mistake, but if Orton has a bad first quarter and the Bronco fans start yelling for Tim Tebow...then I'm sunk anyway. Need big games from Mendenhall, Charles and Benson to have a shot at Week 2.

Injuries will keep me out of MSBL World Series

My nagging injuries will not go away. I gave it the old college try Saturday morning and it seems like I'm glued to the ground. No quickness, left or right, due to the fractured heel spur in my right foot. Even if I singled to right field at the Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL) World Series, chances are a right fielder with an average arm just may throw me out. The old body refuses to heal without a surgeon's intervention.

So, I say goodbye to my hopes of playing in the series in October. Good luck to my teammates on the Tucson Golden Aces.

As Luck would have it, it's all Cardinal

In the Stands Report by Bookemdano: In the end, it was the Stanford Cardinal running game that proved to be the difference tonight at Arizona Stadium. Stanford wins it, 37-10. Arizona falls to 1-2 on the season and 0-1 in the Pac-12 Conference. Enough said!

Arizona Update: My advice to myself: STOP DREAMING! Oklahoma State! Stanford! When do we play PRESBYTERIAN?

Diamondbacks' lead in NL West shrinks to 5

The Arizona Diamondbacks lost to the Padres tonight in San Diego. For the second night in a row the Diamondbacks' bats were quiet as the Padres win it, 3-1. Arizona records just five hits on the night, while up in Denver the San Francisco Giants took care of business with a 6-5 win over the Rockies.

Arizona's lead in the NL West shrinks to five games!

Air it out!

Air it out!

It's time for Nick Foles and the Arizona Wildcats to explode and wake up the College Nation. I know it is an uphill battle as the Wildcats once again take on a top-10 opponent, and in this case it'll be the Stanford Cardinal at Arizona Stadium tonight. ESPN will be there along with 56,000 or so screaming fans and the Wildcats' defense will be facing the likes of Mr. Andrew Luck. But, I'm going to go out on a limb (because I'm just a crazy old Arizona fan) and predict a 50-42 upset! Sure, I'm dreaming. But this is my BLOG, and I can have some attitude if I want. So, come on Wildcats make my DAY!

Arizona Update: My advice to myself: STOP DREAMING! Oklahoma State! Stanford! When do we play PRESBYTERIAN?

D'backs' lead down to six games

The Arizona Diamondbacks were shut out last night by the Padres 2-0. That's two losses in a row! The D'backs' lead over the San Francisco Giants is down to six games.

The Giants cruised by the Rockies again last night. I'm sure Gibby is not panicking yet, but he needs to shuffle up and deal out a winning lineup and get this over with. The Milwaukee Brewers won yesterday and are now up a game over the Diamondbacks for the home field advantage. It looks more and more like a date with the Phillies in the first round of the playoffs -- and that's if we don't blow this lead, which just the other day was 9 1/2 games. Come on D'backs, let's pick up a win at San Diego and go home and clinch this thing.

Diamondbacks walk their way to win No. 87

The Arizona Diamondbacks received a bases-loaded walk to Chris Young in the top of the 10th off of Dodgers' reliever Javy Guerra and went on to beat the Dodgers, 5-4, tonight in Los Angeles.

Gerardo Parra scored from third in what proved to be the winning run as Guerra suddenly lost the strike zone. The victory was the Diamondbacks' 87th win of the season with just 13 regular-season games remaining on their schedule. D'backs' reliever Micah Owings (7-0) picked up the win and catcher Miguel Montero hit a two-run homer in the first inning and knocked in another run later in the game with a sacrifice fly. Parra added a solo shot in the seventh inning and also singled in the 10th inning to start the Arizona rally. J.J Putz picked up his 40th save, pitching to just four batters in the Dodgers' final at-bat. Arizona (87-62) maintains its 8 1/2 game lead over the Giants. The Giants beat the San Diego Padres tonight in San Francisco, 3-2, in 12 innings.

Hands down for yours truly...

Well, I've got more bad news. I, reluctantly, kept my appointment with the hand doctor yesterday. Diagnosis: My thumb joints are shot! The left hand and wrist is worse than the right, but both need surgery. I have a hand full of bone spurs in my left thumb area, along with arthritis at the base. Of course, that's my glove hand and I guess I've probably played with the injury for a few years now.

The Doc says it can't get much worse, so he says if my pain from my right foot injury (fractured bone spur) eases, then go ahead and play in the Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL) World Series, scheduled for late October in Phoenix. But, come November or December, and if I want to continue to play baseball the way I like to play it, then I probably need three surgeries. The Doc shook his head and said Cortisone shots wouldn't change a thing. I'm gonna tape myself up and practice with the Tucson Golden Aces, our MSBL World Series team, on Saturday at Reid Park. We'll see if the foot is any better. Let's hope so!

Some hot sports news from yesterday!

Some hot sports news from yesterday: Tom Brady goes high-mileage and throws for 517 yards, Sebastian Janikowski boots a 63-yard field goal, MNF game between Oakland and Denver was UGLY...and Manny Ramirez was arrested in Florida for a domestic dispute. There you have it in a nutshell...the highs and the lows from Monday night!

Team Priceless falls in Fantasy Football League opener

My Fantasy Football League: It's going to be a tough season for Team Priceless. I lost this week to The Sticky Bandits, 135-122, in my season opener with the UPC Hood Fantasy Football League. The other winners in our 10-team league included: the A-Team, The Assassians, El blanco diablo and Murrays Murrauders.

I did manage to score more fantasy points than the Big Dawgs (114), Team Arps (99) and a team called Its onlike Ndamukong (93). The A-Team was the top point-getter of the week with 183 points. The team, Honey Bee, finished above me and holds down sixth place after scoring 146 points in a losing cause to the Murrauders. What is so interesting about that, is the fact that the owner of Honey Bee is PVc 1st Class Jared Hockenbury, who is stationed in Afghanistan. Way to go, Jared!

D'backs improve to 86-62

The Arizona Diamondback won in LA tonight, knocking off the Dodgers, 7-2, and in doing so pulled even with the idle Milwaukee Brewers for the second-best record in the National League at 86-62. Joe Saunders got the win, his 11th, and J.J Putz picked up his 39th save. Gerardo Parra knocked in four of the seven runs for Arizona.

Way to go D'backs!

Cards Win...but do it the hard way!

The Arizona Cardinals eked out a win on Sunday and in the process made Carolina rookie Cam Newton look like Drew Brees! The Cardinals can take a collective breath after their 28-21 victory over the Panthers, but my goodness...allowing Newton to throw for 422 yards and two touchdowns.

I think I'll pick up Washington's Rex Grossman off of waivers in my fantasy league for next week!

The Cardinals head for Washington to take on the Redskins next Sunday!

A-Team is A1...

My Fantasy Football League: In my UPC Hood Fantasy Football League, it looks like the front-runner this season will be the A-Team, managed by my buddy Don Hockenbury. Of course he has the horses at quarterback with Drew Brees and Philip Rivers! The two quarterbacks picked up 66 fantasy points on Sunday, 40 by Brees and 26 by Rivers, to lead the A-Team to a win over Team Arps, 170-99. And the A-Team still has the Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski available tonight in Denver.

Way to go, Don! Gotta love your chances this season.

A Fantasy Expert I'm not!

My Fantasy Football League: After Sunday, it is obvious that I'm anything but a Fantasy Football expert. My bench players scored more fantasy points than my starters! Ryan Fitzpatrick (32), Mike Tolbert (26), Dustin Keller (12) and Cedric Benson (18) were the big point-getters on my Team Priceless. While they squirmed on the bench, my starters: running backs Rashard Mendenhall, Jamaal Charles, Frank Gore, along with wide receivers Stevie Johnson and Anquan Boldin failed to muster up big fantasy numbers. Let's not even discuss my decision to start Indy QB Kerry Collins instead of Fitzpatrick! Still, I have a shot tonight. I'm trailing the Sticky Bandits by 31 points and I have Denver's Kyle Orton going tonight, along with the New England Patriots as my defensive team.

I good showing by both, say about 50 fantasy points,just might be enough to pull out a win. I did make a couple of good moves late last week, picking up Jets kicker Nick Folk, the former Wildcat, and the San Francisco defense. Folk, of course, hit the winning field goal last night as the Jets came from behind to beat Dallas, and amazingly the 49ers picked up 26 fantasy points on defense in their win over Seattle.

Wish me luck tonight. I'm gonna need it.

Can't win 'em all!

The Arizona Diamondbacks can't win 'em all! They dropped a home game last night, losing to the San Diego Padres, 7-6. And now it is on to LA for a three-game series with the Dodgers. With a 8 1/2 game lead in the NL West, a series sweep in LA should do it.

Go D'backs!

September 11, 2001

Americans mark 10th anniversary of September 11 attacks today. Be safe out there. Let's never forget what happened a decade ago and how vulnerable this country can be.

God Bless America...Bookemdanosports

D'backs win...again!

Lyle Overbay homered in the ninth inning to get Arizona even with San Diego, and in the 10th inning, he coaxed Joe Thatcher into a bases-loaded walk to score Justin Upton from third base with the winning run as the Diamondbacks beat the Padres, 6-5, at Chase Field tonight.

Down 5-3 in the bottom of the 8th inning, Chris Young pulled the D'backs to within one run with a solo shot to left field and then Overbay followed with his blast. Both homers came off Padres closer Heath Bell. Arizona moves to 85-61 and now leads the NL West by 9 1/2 games. The San Francisco Giants lost to the LA Dodgers 3-0 tonight, while the Milwaukee Brewers (85-62) lost at home tonight to the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-2.

What a night for the D'backs!

Sausage Deli finds the missing link in AYSO game

The Sausage Deli Super Subs, a 10-and-under Arizona Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) team, found the missing link during a match at Tucson Dan Felix Park this morning. Unable to mustard...I mean muster up an offense for most of the game, the Super Subs picked up their only goal of the day when my granddaughter, Hannah Price, broke loose at midfield, spun to the left, and then to the right, and unleashed a shot from five yards out, scoring a goal over the outstretched arms of the Pirates' goalie.

Way to go, Hannah!

Lyle Overbay gets it done!

Lyle Overby singled up the middle off of Chad Qualls in the bottom of the eighth inning for the go-ahead run as the Arizona Diamondbacks went on to defeat the San Diego Padres, 3-2, tonight at Chase Field.

The D'backs move to 84-61 on the season and now hold a 8 1/2 game lead over the second-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West. Daniel Hudson pitched a complete game for the D'backs and won his 16th game of the year. Justin Upton belted his 30th homer of the season with a solo shot in the 6th inning. The Giants lost 2-1 to the LA Dodgers tonight in San Francisco.

Ian does it again!

Ian Kennedy struck out 11 batters enroute to his 19th victory of the season as the Arizona Diamondbacks increased their lead in the National League West to 7 1/2 games with a 4-1 victory tonight over the San Diego Padres at Chase Field.

Way to go, D'backs!

Homers by Paul Goldschmidt, his 7th, and Justin Upton, his 29th, provided the offensive punch once again and J.J. Putz was around to record his 38th save. Gotta love it! Magic number is 12 and watch out Milwaukee, the Diamondbacks (83-61) are out to get that home field advantage in the playoffs!

Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. I do that from time to time.

As expected, Cowboys roll over Wildcats

The ninth-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys rolled over the Arizona Wildcats in Stillwater, Okla. tonight 37-14. Let's hope the Arizona players -- already playing without the services of top receiver, Juron Criner -- return home with nothing more than a few minor cuts and bruises. And let's hope, quarterback Nick Foles is in one piece and can shake off the hit he took in the final moments of the game in Stillwater.

Why? Because we need him, badly! While the Cowboys were routing the Wildcats and the ESPN announcers were quick to praise the efforts of Oklahoma State's quarterback Brandon Weeden through out the contest, Foles went about his business once again, throwing for 398 yards and one touchdown. Weeden did good, too. The Cowboys' quarterback threw for 397 yards and two touchdowns. But, in my book, praises should go out to Foles, who battled through a tough night in hostile territory, and without his number-one receiver. In two games, Foles has thrown for 810 yards and six touchdowns. By the way, Weeden has 785 yards and five touchdowns in his two games. Not bad!

I've got the fantasy league jitters!

My Fantasy Football League: I've got the Fantasy League jitters this morning. I unloaded subs Cam Newton and Hines Ward. I picked up quarterback Kerry Collins (Ind) and tight-end Dustin Keller (NY Jets) and to top it off, I placed both players in the starting lineup this week. That means, as of this hour, I'm benching quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buf) and tight-end Jermichael Finley (GB). Finley is a probable for tonight and hasn't practiced for most of the week due to an ankle problem and according to some of the fantasy experts, Collins is showing a few more pregame fantasy points than Fitzpatrick. It's all a guessing game with me and my Team Priceless this year due to the fact I don't have a high-value QB like a Drew Brees, Michael Vick or Philip Rivers. My goodness, this is only Week 1...and I'm scrambling!

Fantasy Update: Penciled Finley back in...Keller on bench...can't make up my mind.

Fantasy Update: Still squirming as of this morning. Picked up San Francisco's defense and let Atlanta's defense go. Fantasy profilers say San Francisco has the slight edge and they are at home this week.

D'backs take series from Rockies

The Arizona Diamondbacks (82-61) beat the Rockies in the mile-high city tonight 5-3 to take two of three games in Colorado and increased their lead in the NL West over the San Francisco Giants to seven games. The Giants lost to the Padres, 3-1, in San Diego tonight and the D'backs head home for a four-game stand against the Padres. The D'backs scattered 13 hits around Coors field, including home runs by Miguel Montero and Justin Upton.

It's hard stayin' away...

Staying off this right foot and off the playing field is tough on this old coot.

I'm trying to follow the doctor's orders. The doc says give it a rest or else he'll go in there and scrape away that fractured bone spur. If he does that, then I will have to say goodbye to the MSBL World Series, which gets underway for our 65-and-over team in six weeks. While I'm on the disabled list, I might as well see a hand doctor and see what's wrong with the old bones in my hands. So, on Monday morning, I'll have some x-rays, at least on my glove hand, and see what's causing the pain in my wrist and thumb joint. I've pretty much ignored the pulsating pain in my left thumb for a couple of years, assuming it is just arthritis settling in. It couldn't be some of those hard shots I've taking at third base over the years, could it? It is still tough not playing and I'm afraid if I show up at the ball field this week, or next week, I'd probably lace up my baseball shoes, pull the glove over my 66-year-old arthritic hand and PLAY!

Oklahoma State has a kicker!

The Arizona Wildcats are 48 hours away from another meeting with the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

There's one facet of the game the Cowboys have that the Wildcats don't: a kicking game! Take a look at this. Quinn Sharp handles all of Oklahoma State's kicking duties. In the Cowboys' 61-34 win over Louisiana, he went 4-for-4 on field goals of 46, 27, 22 and 23 yards and 6-for-6 on extra points. He averaged 50 yards on his two punts, including a 52-yarder with one punt coming to a stop inside the 20. He also had seven touchbacks on kickoffs in the Cowboys' rout of Louisiana.

Arizona will have to find some other way to give the Cowboys the BOOT!

My Fantasy League starting lineup

My Fantasy Football League: Below is my starting lineup for the week as my UPC Hood Fantasy Football League gets underway this Thursday. As I said in an earlier post, Team Priceless will take a back seat at the quarterback position this season. But, it is what it is. The luck of the draw in my free, automatic draft league did leave me with some good running backs and I'll rely on Jamaal Charles and Rashard Mendenhall to get the job done this week.

QB Kyle Orton
(Den - QB)
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
(Buf - QB)
WR Stevie Johnson
(Buf - WR)
WR Anquan Boldin
(Bal - WR)
WR Vincent Jackson
(SD - WR)
RB Jamaal Charles
(KC - RB)
RB Rashard Mendenhall
(Pit - RB)
TE Jermichael Finley
(GB - TE)
W/R/T Frank Gore
(SF - RB)
K Nick Folk
(NYJ - K)
DEF New England
(NE - DEF)
DEF Atlanta
(Atl - DEF)

On my bench this week are Cam Newton, Mike Tolbert, Cedric Benson and Hines Ward. Benson just got out of jail, Ward is still dancin', Mendenhall gets the nod over Tolbert, and Newton, well, he's a rookie and will ride the pine most of the season. Now, watch Newton go crazy against the Arizona Cardinals! I, of course, will not get any fantasy points from my bench players.

Centerfield Royals play well in Labor Day Tournament

My grandson,Jadon, and his teammates on the 12-and-under Centerfield Royals played well in the Labor Day Baseball Tournament over the weekend at Tucson SportsPark.

It was a hot weekend to say the least, but the Royals battled their way all the way to the semi finals and took on the Big Chueys Rockets on Sunday afternoon. With the temperature reaching 106 degrees, Jadon and his teammates played evenly with the Rockets for four innings, but an unearned run in the fifth inning was the clincher for Big Chueys and the Royals lost a heart-breaker, 2-1. The Royals, coached by former major leaguer George Arias, are quickly becoming one of the top 12-and-under teams in the Tucson area.

Lost my place-kicker in Fantasy League

My Fantasy Football League: The NFL season begins in four days and I've already lost my place-kicker in my UPC Hood Fantasy League. Garrett Hartley (New Orleans) is out for 10 weeks, so I dropped him and picked up former University of Arizona standout Nick Folk. I had Folk on my fantasy team, Team Priceless, last year. He did pretty well, so I'm hoping the Jets and Mark Sanchez score a bunch of TDs this season.

I can use all the extra points I can get and it would be nice if Mr. Folk would push a bunch of field goals through the uprights, too.

Diamondbacks capture series in San Francisco

The Arizona Diamondbacks beat San Francisco this afternoon 4-1 to capture the 3-game series with the Giants, winning two of the three games, as they increased their lead in the NL West to seven games. Arizona moves to 80-60 with just 22 games remaining in the regular season.

Way to go D'backs!

Arizona heads for Colorado and will tangle with the Rockies tomorrow afternoon.

Foles explodes...thank goodness!

In the Stands Report by Bookemdanosports: I didn't miss the mark by much! I predicted a Wildcats' win by the score of 42-14 over the NAU Lumberjacks. The final, of course, was 41-10 at Arizona Stadium last night. Chances are no one could have predicted the Wildcats would go flat in the second quarter of their season opener against the Lumberjacks, and who would've thought NAU quarterback Cary Grossart would have connected on 16 straight passes in the first half, making the 51,000 in attendance squirm in their seats at intermission. But, that is what happened.

Fortunately, Arizona quarterback Nick Foles was around to save the day as he threw for an incredible 412 yards and five touchdowns as the Wildcats cleared the cobwebs in the second half and won easily.

Up next: Oklahoma State on Thursday in Stillwater. This one will be a bit tougher. Oklahoma State scored 61 points yesterday in the Cowboys' easy win over Louisiana-Lafayette. Wow!

Foles and the Wildcats should roll on Saturday night

The Arizona Wildcats should roll to an easy victory on Saturday night.

Bookemdanosports predicts a score of 42-14. It should be no contest at the quarterback position with Arizona's Nick Foles, over 3,100 yards and 20 touchdown last year, up against Northern Arizona junior Cary Grossart. Grossart will make his first career start on Saturday. The fourth-year player saw action in one game last season, going 3-for-4 for 58 yards against Western New Mexico.

After this one, things will get tough for Mike Stoops and the Arizona Wildcats.

It's a fractured heel spur!

The doctor says: "It's a fractured heel spur." The doctor's best scenario is for me to stay off the ball field for six weeks and hope the "ole" spur on my right foot heels...sorry, I mean heals itself.

If not, then surgery awaits. If I'm lucky, and I can run some wind sprints, say in early October without any pain, then just maybe by the time I see the doctor on October 10, he'll give me the thumbs up and I will still be able to play in the Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL) World Series, which is slated for October 24-30 in Phoenix.

It is tough getting old!

Summer is over and now the fun begins!

With June, July and August out of the way, we head into September with a full slate of sporting events. The Arizona Wildcats kickoff of the 2011 season Saturday night at home against Northern Arizona, the Diamondbacks head for San Francisco and a three-game series with the Giants and the NFL season begins in just eight days.

 he lazy days of summer are gone and the wild and crazy 30 days of September are upon us. For the die hard Arizona sports fan, it doesn't get any better than this. Now, if someone would get rid of this HEAT!