He Would Never Say No

Ever tire of hearing Diamondbacks broadcasters or ballplayers incessantly refer to everybody under the sun as "a great guy"? We do too. And there'll be plenty more of it this weekend.

But as the 2006 season winds down, one wistful sentiment caught our attention, not because it's an anecdote rich in detail, but because it bears the unmistakable aura of authenticity.  The quotes in the story come from straight talking Craig Counsell, as he wraps up the most bitter season of his improbable, affirming career: 

When Counsell first joined the D-Backs in 2000, he was assigned the locker next to [Luis] Gonzalez and found out firsthand just how generous his new teammate was.

"I could not believe how accommodating he was to everybody and how much time he gave of himself to anybody that asked anything of him," Counsell said.

"From media to employees to anybody. I was like, 'Man, why did you say yes to that?' He would never say no. I couldn't believe that he would never say no.

Craig concludes:

There won't be another player that represents the team better than Luis for a long time. We were all lucky to be part of a team that's star player was also its best guy. There's not too many cases in sports where you find that to be the case."

Tough goodbyes