AZ Snakes

[rustystaub]

....does anyone know where the D'Backs originally came from...MLB.com does not show anything past their inaugeral year at AZ....thanks in advance

[dgarza]

....does anyone know where the D'Backs originally came from...MLB.com does not show anything past their inaugeral year at AZ....thanks in advance

Do you mean what the owners were involved with before the Diamondbacks?
Was there ever a Diamondbacks named team in that area before, either as a minor league team or indie. team?
Cuz, of course, the Diamondbacks are a new expansion team.

[rustystaub]

...were the Snakes created out of sheer creativity?...Would love to know the details of their creation.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

The S.F. Giants had a triple-A team, the Phoenix Firebirds, for many years there. The team was forced to move and are now the Fresno Grizzlies.

[Brian McKenna]

[QUOTE=rustystaub

.MLB.com does not show anything past their inaugeral year at AZ....thanks in advance[/QUOTE]

it was not a team before then - the diamondbacks are an expansion team like any other:

20th Century Major League Expansion
The major leagues held off on expanding from their traditional 16-team format until 1961 after Bill Shea threatened the development of a third major league, the Continental League. Major League Baseball for decades had opted for stability over expansionism despite the strong, and profitable, lure of the West.
The Pacific Coast League, established in 1903, was extremely successful, offering a foresighted entrepreneur a tremendous opportunity. That man was Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley. But, it wasn’t until 1958 that he took Horace Stoneman’s Giants with him to California to capitalize on the potential riches. The NFL had already implanted a franchise in California in 1946, demonstrating the feasibility of air travel.
If all major league players owe a debt of gratitude to Curt Flood, then it could be said that all baseball owners should likewise recognize O’Malley. Actually, Don Barnes had the transfer of the St. Louis Browns to Los Angeles virtually completed in December 1941 but the Japanese military bombed Pearl Harbor, dashing the ambitious plans.
The Braves (1953 to Milwaukee) and Browns (1954 to Baltimore) had already relocated, easing O’Malley’s transition. The Braves, in particular, jumped from 281,000 to 1.8 million in attendance the first year. A gold mine was unearthed. Others would soon follow, making even greater demands of their welcoming cities.
In 1961 the big leagues began adding teams, offering a shot to an extra 25 men per club plus numerous minor league and front office jobs. It was a tremendous boon for the industry. The major drawback, as bore out by the 1990s, is the scarcity of effective pitching.
In the latter part of the 20th century baseball, for the first time, experienced significant competition for the best athletic talent. American youths began focusing on other sports, such as, basketball, football, hockey, golf, tennis plus numerous others. Young men now spend more time in front of their computer or television set or playing video games than in honing their athletic skills.
Baseball has compensated by attracting a greater percentage of foreign-born players than the other major sports. However, pitching is, always has been and always will be, a premium. The human arm is simply not meant to perform in such a manner for a continued period of time. Nolan Ryan is the exception, not the rule. A cursory glance at any disabled list will confirm the importance of a strong arm.
The following is a list of major league expansion during the century:
1961 American League Los Angeles Angels Washington Senators
1962 National League Houston Colt .45’s New York Mets
1969 American League Kansas City Royals Seattle Pilots
National League Montreal Royals San Diego Padres
1977 American League Toronto Blue Jays Seattle Mariners
1993 National League Colorado Rockies Florida Marlins
1998 American League Tampa Bay Devil Rays
National League Arizona Diamondbacks

[Biggtone23]

I remember reading that the final choices for names were: Diamondbacks, Phoenix (bird not city), Coyotes, Scorpions & one other i cant remember.