Standing on the pitcher’s mound, the focus
of attention for thousands of D-backs
fans: It all still seems surreal at times to
Brandon Webb.
It wasn’t long ago that the 29-year-old
Kentucky native was third in a pitching rotation
that featured legendary future Hall of
Famers Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling.
Now Webb’s devastating sinker pitch and
supreme dedication have elevated him to
Major League-star status.
“Sometimes we’re all just out there in
amazement of how far we’ve come since
little league in what seems like such a short
amount of time,” he says in his characteristic
slow Southern drawl. “It’s amazing to
see where we came from, for
sure.”
Since Webb was drafted by
the Diamondbacks in 2003, he
has posted numerous accomplishments,
including winning
the National League Cy Young
Award in 2006. Last year his
string of 42 consecutive scoreless
innings gained him even
more national acclaim.
This month the Open Door
Policy crew was thrilled to
interview Mr. Webb in his
“office” – a corner locker in the
Diamondbacks’ clubhouse.
With plasma TVs and black
leather couches, the setting is
more like a luxury lounge than
a locker room. Before games,
Webb kicks back in the clubhouse,
chatting with the other
players, strumming guitar or
just checking e-mail on his laptop.
Webb has had the same
locker since he joined the
Diamondbacks, and while other
players initially warned him of
some negative superstitions surrounding
it, he clearly hasn’t
been affected.
“They told me, ‘I don’t know if
you want that locker,’ but I was
like, ‘I don’t believe in that,’” he
says. “For a rookie it’s one of
the best spots. It’s one of the few
corner ones, and those are the
biggest ones. It’s nice to have
the space.”
By Shanna Hogan
1. Guitar made by Fender to
commemorate Webb’s Cy Young
Award. “It says ‘Brandon Webb
2006 Cy Young award winner,’ up
the neck. That’s pretty special.” 2. An English Mastiff calendar.
Webb has four dogs including a
Mastiff named Mick. 3. A baseball. “Byrnsie (Eric
Byrnes, Diamondbacks left fielder)
gave me the ball after my last
win which was seven in a row. It
was kind of cool.” 4. A Michael Owings bobblehead
and a DVD of the
Diamondbacks’ first 10 seasons,
recently given to all the
Diamondbacks players. 5. Webb’s Ipod, which contains
a mix of country and rock.
6. Jerseys. “I don’t ever wear
a Jersey unless I’m pitching
in a game. On Saturdays, we
wear the black one. We’ll wear
a black belt, black socks, black
jersey and a black hat.” 7. Aerobie flying rings. “We
take these on the road, and come
out early and toss them around.
These things will go all across
the field; it’s good for conditioning
and a little bit of fun.” 8. Reebok training shoes and
Crocs sandals that Webb uses
as shower shoes. 9. Oakley sunglasses. 10. Travel itinerary. “We’ll get
the travel itineraries a week in
advance so we’ll always know
what we’re doing and when
we’re getting somewhere and
things like that.”
