Yesterday, I read the news that the Diamondbacks had activated left handed reliever Doug Slaten from the disabled list. As is customary when I read articles or blogs online, I then scrolled down to read the comments left by users. There were none (and there still are none almost 19 hours after the story was posted).

This is kind of a big deal, right. The Diamondbacks had gone without a southpaw in their bullpen since July 19th, when Slaten was placed on the DL. So you would think that somebody would care that he was back.

Then I started thinking about the Phoenix sports scene in general, and I asked myself, “is Doug Slaten the most anonymous pro athlete in Phoenix?”

Anonymous shouldn’t be considered an insult in this case, and I certainly don’t want this to be construed as a personal attack, but Doug Slaten is the most anonymous pro athlete in the Valley. It doesn’t help him that he is a specialty pitcher–a left hander usually called upon to retire one left handed batter in a close game. A specialty middle reliever might be the most anonymous position in sports, right up there with the holder or long snapper in football. Slaten doesn’t draw attention to himself by wearing a goofy number, shaving his facial hair into a strange design, wearing weird-looking glasses, or having an unorthodox pitching motion. He just goes out there and does his job, and doesn’t cause a stir, which is pretty rare in sports today.

Think about it, in the 3 seasons Slaten has pitched for the Diamondbacks, have you ever heard anyone say, “man, Slaten was dealing last night”, or “friggin’ Slaten stinks…he was throwing batting practice last night”? I bet you haven’t.

I’d be willing to bet that Doug Slaten could walk into any establishment in the Valley (out of uniform), and not be bothered by groupies, autograph hounds, or even fans of the team. Eric Piatkowski played a grand total of 185 minutes in a Suns’ uniform in 2 years, and he would be spotted by fans.

So maybe, in a strange way, this little rant might serve as a tribute to him. Here’s to you Don, umm I mean, Doug! Keep doing what you do.

If you feel I’m wrong, and can name a more anonymous pro athlete in Phoenix, feel free to comment below. If you don’t comment, that might make me the most anonymous blogger in Phoenix

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