Sights and sounds from Game 2 at Chase Field

PHOENIX - You've got to give it up to the Arizona Diamondbacks for recognizing how ugly their old team colors - turquoise and purple - were and making a change prior to this season.

The Diamondbacks sported those colors from the team's inception in 1995 but last November changed to Sedona red, Sonoran sand and black. Now their uniforms are among the sharpest in baseball.

Without a doubt, factored into the decision to change colors and uniform style was this: the Diamondbacks ranked 28th among major-league clubs in sports apparel sales in 2006, ahead of only the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies.

Not funny: The Diamondbacks are one of those organizations that feels it must force feed so-called entertainment on the fans between innings.

At one point in Game 1, on the video board in center field was a Steve Bartman lookalike, complete with Cubs cap, glasses and headphones, flipping a ball to himself to the tune of "I'm So Lonely."

Give it a rest already.

Class act: Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol could have dodged the mob of reporters that descended upon him after he coughed up 2 runs in the seventh inning and took the loss in Game 1.

But the 25-year-old Marmol stood there at his locker and answered wave after wave of questions.

Earlier this season Marmol saw a media consultant to learn how to handle himself with the media and to speak better English.

A smart kid who gets it.

Where are they? OK, no more talk about Cubs fans overrunning Chase Field. At least 90 percent of the 48,864 at Game 1 had to be rooting for the Diamondbacks.

"A lot more red than blue," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said.

A lot more.

Overkill or underkill? There were only six bylined stories on Game 1 in Thursday's Arizona Republic sports section. Injured Diamondbacks second baseman Orlando Hudson's daily journal also appeared.

Compare that to the 12 bylined pieces from the game in Thursday's Daily Herald, plus even more coverage on dailyherald.com.

There are so many television crews set up in front of the Cubs' dugout, the players have to dodge them to get to the field.

Ice in the desert: The Phoenix Coyotes opened their NHL season Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues in nearby Glendale.

Funny how Wayne Gretzky, the greatest hockey player in the history of the world, wound up coaching a team in a desert.

Taste test: You can get sushi at the concession stand at Chase Field. Wonder how that would go over in the bleachers at Wrigley Field?