Damon Oppenheimer News

Damon Oppenheimer News From AOL News

Overheard and Understood: Pirates Plunder Depths, but Hope on Horizon

Chris Snyder has seen this before. The Diamondbacks called him up in mid-August 2004, and he got to see the final seven weeks of a 111-loss season. The Pirates acquired him at the end of July this season, and he will witness first-hand the final nine weeks of another 100-loss season. Here's the thing: Three years after...

Diamondbacks Want to Hire GM By End of Season

General managers like to say that their season begins the day their team plays its last game on the field each year, and the Diamondbacks want their next GM to be in place by then. D'backs CEO Derrick Hall told the Arizona Republic Thursday that he expects to hire a permanent replacement for the fired Josh Byrnes before...

Twelve Thoughts: Bullpens, The Boss, Girardi's Tactics, LeBron

• Bullpen strength is a luxury for three division leaders going forward. Padres relievers were more hittable recently, but unlike the Dodgers and perhaps the Rockies, San Diego probably doesn't need to trade for a reliever. Look for the Padres to bring up reliever Ernesto Frieri, a Colombian with a 5:2...

After Spurning Yankees, Gerrit Cole Finding Himself at UCLA

LOS ANGELES -- Went to UCLA to see Gerrit Cole, known to the greater baseball world as the pitcher who spurned the Yankees two summers ago. Cole grew up in freeway-laden Orange County but he's what baseball men describe as "country strong." Reached 98 miles per hour on this April night. His thick legs supplying ample...