D-backs Derrick Hall: We are the Arizona Diamondbacks, not the Phoenix Diamondbacks
Jul 2, 2013, 8:46 PM | Updated: Jul 3, 2013, 10:11 am
The Arizona Diamondbacks are among the many teams in the Valley doing what they can to help the families of the 19 firefighters who died in the Yarnell fire near Prescott.
The team will wear black jerseys with the name “Arizona” on the front during their weekend home stand against the Colorado Rockies. Normally their home dudes say “Diamondbacks.”
Those jerseys will be auctioned off and the money will go toward charities including the 100 Club of Arizona, the American Red Cross and others that benefit the families of those that died in the fire.
“We are the Arizona Diamondbacks, not the Phoenix Diamondbacks,” said Arizona Diamondbacks President Derrick Hall.
Hall said the team is in a very unique position with the opportunity to represent the state and to help when they are needed.
“We have a very large stage to be able to do that this time of year and to take their minds off of this tragedy with baseball,” Hall said, “but more importantly to be able to contribute to them our support both financially as well as emotionally.”
Hall also expressed his gratitude toward the New York Mets, who along with the Diamondbacks hung a jersey with the name “Yarnell” and the number 19 in their dugout for Monday’s game.
“It was a nice show of support on the Mets side to also hang a jersey, and I thought it showed a lot of solidarity there with the home team in New York showing that they obviously have concern, care and compassion for what took place here in Arizona,” Hall said.
D-backs players will also wear patches with the number 19 on the front of their jerseys, and Hall said the team is working with the MLB to let the team wear the patches for the rest of the year.
