by Ben Catley

Well, my secret is now out in the open.

Yup, in case you missed it … the Missoula Osprey, in conjunction with the Arizona Diamondbacks, announced the 2012 Osprey Coaching Staff on Tuesday.

While the announcement came down on Tuesday, yours truly has had to sit on this. For a month.

It has been tough to keep quiet – I did tell someone in the front office last week that I knew, but other than that, I have bit my tongue. Ever since someone called to tell me what it was … I have been anxiously awaiting the announcement so that I can post about it.

While I am excited that Andy Green is taking over as manager, and really excited to have Gil Heredia back as pitching coach, as well as having Scott Barringer (Athletic Trainer) and Andrew Slorp (Strength & Conditioning) back in the fold, it’s a bummer to have Hector De La Cruz not coming back and heading somewhere else.

As I have mentioned on here before, I believe that Hector is the best pure coach I have ever been around. And it’s not just the way he can teach the game – which makes him a perfect fit for the Arizona Rookie League team, because those young men will learn so much from him. It’s the way he can figure out who can have their buttons pushed to bring out the best in them.

Heredia will be the most experienced of the coaching staff, not only from his coaching experience – entering his third full season – but from the aspect of his career as well. Heredia will have a manager in Green who is, well, still a little green, entering just his second season as a coach at any level, while hitting coach JR House will be entering his first season as a coach.

All that being said, there is an excitement level to see how this crew will mesh. One thing is for certain, they will be in shape and taken care of … Barringer is the reigning Pioneer League Athletic Trainer of the Year, while Slorp has a season in short-season now under his belt, and knows how to get the most out of his guys who are making the adjustment from the high school or college game to the world of professional baseball.

Next on the off-season calendar … the announcement of the 2012 schedule. That should be coming out soon. I know that the front office has been hard at work getting the best possible schedule for the upcoming season, and hopefully we will get to anounce it sooner rather than later.

Until then – enjoy the holiday shopping season. And get your Griz tickets and gear at the MSO Hub!!

Guess who had the game-winner in the NL West Clincher for the Arizona Diamondbacks? Hmmm … I will give you three, and the first two don’t count!

Here’s Paul Goldschmidt growing his legend even more in the desert.

The D-backs were one of three teams to clinch playoff spots tonight, joining Texas (AL West) and Milwaukee (NL Central).

The 2011 MiLBYs are now being voted on by minor league baseball fans … with voting going on now through October 20. Usually, we have a few current or former Osprey to brag about, but this season, quite frankly … we got jipped.

(OK, truth be told … Edwin Carl was just that good, but not to see Taylor Siemens among the best starters in short-season ball, or Eric Groff’s 24-game hit streak, which was the longest in any of the stateside short-season leagues (there was a 36-game hit streak in the Dominican Summer League, and a 25-game streak in the Venezulean Summer League) get any kind of mention whatsoever was, well, not cool.)

So, we’re left with loading the ballot box for former Osprey Paul Goldschmidt (2009), who was nominated as one of the best hitters in Double-A, and for the Mobile BayBears, who were nominated as one of the best teams in Double-A.

Head here to vote for Goldy, and head here to vote for the BayBears. Voting goes on now through October 20.

This note just posted on the Missoula Osprey page on Facebook:

Congrats to Double-A Mobile, who won the Southern League crown today. The BayBears include several former Osprey, including Adam Eaton (2010), Charles Brewer (2009), Jarrod Parker (2007), Taylor Harbin (2007), Jake Elmore (2008), Ollie Linton (2008), Bryan Henry (2007), Clay Zavada (2006), Yonata Ortega (2007), Kyle Greene (2008) and hitting coach Alan Zinter (2008). Paul Goldschmidt (2009) was also on that squad before his promotion to the D-backs.

The Mobile BayBears won a 6-4 decision over the Tennessee Smokies to take their first Southern League crown since 2004, winning the series in four games.

Seeing some of the celebration pics … well, I could get all sorts of critical and point out a lack of, um, thought in the picture taking, because, after all, it’s in the clubhouse, and guys don’t necessarily care if cameras are in there or not. (Now the subject of the column, definitely good.) I think I was also struck a bit by the amount of hair on Ollie Linton’s head, but that is a story for a different day …

I do want to point out the trophy pic (at the top of the story), however, which is surrounded by, clockwise from Noon, Taylor Harbin, Jake Elmore, Adam Eaton and the before-mentioned Linton (to the left of the trophy). Yes, you will have to click on it to see it, or … well, we’ll try to post the pic a little later.

Anyway, Goldy celebrated with a two-hit, three-RBI day in the D-backs’ 5-1 win at San Diego.