Arizona Diamondbacks fans are still understandably mourning the trade of Paul Goldschmidt. But they can take heart that The Beard still makes his home in the Valley.
On Monday, we were reminded how good a guy Archie Bradley is. An alum of Broken Arrow High School in Oklahoma, the 26-year-old D-backs pitcher is spending $5,000 to help pay for rings for his alma mater's state championship. The Broken Arrow Tigers won Oklahoma's 6A Division I title on Nov. 30 to win their first-ever state championship in over 100 years of competition.
Broken Arrow coach David Alexander said Bradley, who helped lead the Tigers to a state baseball championship in 2011 and played quarterback on the football team for two seasons, was on the sideline during the Tigers' championship game, "and he literally jumped into my arms" when the Tigers won the title.
"(He) told me that night that he would make a donation," Alexander told TulsaWorld.com. "We owe Archie Bradley a huge thank you."
Bradley was selected by the D-backs with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft. He has a career 4.05 ERA in four seasons at the MLB level and has been one of the team's top relief pitchers in each of the last two seasons. He has become a fan favorite thanks in part to his trademark beard, fiery demeanor and his support of other teams around the Valley.
