Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks (often shortened as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball franchise based in Phoenix, Arizona. The club competes in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) West division. Since the team's inception in 1998, the franchise has played home games at Chase Field, formerly known as Bank One Ballpark. The ballpark was renamed in 2005, as a result of Bank One Corporation's merger with JPMorgan Chase & Co. The Diamondbacks have won one World Series championship (in 2001), becoming the fastest expansion team in the Major Leagues to win a championship, doing it in only the fourth season since the franchise's inception in the 1998 Major League Baseball season.

Franchise history

On March 9, 1995, Arizona was awarded a franchise to begin play for the 1998 season. A $130 million franchise fee was paid to Major League Baseball and on January 16, 1997, the Diamondbacks were officially voted into the National League.

Since their debut, the Diamondbacks have won five National League West titles, one National League Championship pennant, and the 2001 World Series.

Arizona

Arizona (ⁱ/ɛrɪˈzoʊnə/; /ærɪˈzoʊnə/) (Navajo: Hoozdo Hahoodzo; O'odham: Alĭ ṣonak) is a state in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the Western United States and of the Mountain West states. It is the sixth largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is one of the Four Corners states. It has borders with New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, and Mexico, and one point in common with the southwestern corner of Colorado. Arizona's border with Mexico is 389 miles (626 km) long, on the northern border of the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California.

Arizona is the 48th state and last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union, achieving statehood on February 14, 1912. It was previously part of the territory of Alta California in New Spain before being passed down to independent Mexico and later ceded to the United States after the Mexican–American War. The southernmost portion of the state was acquired in 1853 through the Gadsden Purchase.

Robbie Ray

Robbie Ray (born November 3, 1982 in Davenport, Iowa) is an American professional auto racing driver. He races midget cars on the United States Auto Club (USAC) National tour. He won the 2003 Indiana (Midwest) regional midget championship and the 2005 national championship.

Racing career

Ray began his career in go-karts at the age of nine. He is most noted for winning the United Midget Racing Association sanctioned Rushville Nationals in 2001. He won the 2003 Midwest regional (Indiana) championship and the inaugural United States Auto Club Ford Focus Midget National Championship in 2005. He won the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association 'Rookie of the Year' honors in 2007; the series mainly features races at Angell Park Speedway.

References

External links

Major League

Major League may also refer to:

Sport

Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the East division of the National League (NL) in Major League Baseball (MLB). From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadium; since 2008 their home stadium has been Nationals Park, located on South Capitol Street in Southeast D.C., near the Anacostia River.

The Nationals' name derives from the former Washington baseball team that had the same name (used interchangeably with Senators). Their nickname is "the Nats"—a shortened version that was also used by the old D.C. teams.

An expansion franchise, the club was founded in 1969 as the Montreal Expos, the first major league team in Canada. They were based in Montreal, Quebec, and played their home games at Jarry Park Stadium and later in Olympic Stadium. During the strike-shortened 1981 season, the Expos won a division championship and made their only post-season appearance as a Montreal franchise, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies, 3–2, in the NLDS, but losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3–2, in the NLCS.