Well, technically, the dream was over yesterday when the Yankees lost to the Tigers, 3-2. But it's definitely over now since earlier today the Diamondbacks lost to the Brewers, also by the score of 3-2. However, the Diamondbacks showed their resilience and fought back to tie the game at 2 in the top of the ninth and were able to hold the Brewers to at least get into extra innings. Despite the earlier grit and toughness, it just wasn't enough to pull off a win against the Brewers who are a very good team and could cause trouble for the Cardinals (I just saw that the Phillies lost their game, which means that the Cardinals advance to play the Brewers).
Anyway . . . back to the Diamondbacks. There's no such thing as failure when talking about the 2011 Diamondbacks. They did what no one expected or even bother to pick them to do. They won the Western Division handily over the World Champion San Francisco Giants and a decimated Los Angeles Dodgers team. They fought their way back to win forty eight games when they were losing (too bad they couldn't do it again a couple of times in the playoffs). Not only did they do all that, but they increased their win total by almost thirty games - a feat that rarely happens anymore in baseball.
I'm proud to be a Diamondbacks fan and if I were in Arizona, I would be at the airport tonight when the team flew in. There's no sadness. We fans are just happy to be rooting for baseball in Phoenix again. It's a hard concept when, for the last few years, the team hasn't been that great and has made some poor organizational decisions. However, right now, this team that played the last five games is a good strong team. A good core of young and veteran players and players that can do a lot, not just defensively, but there are a few that are showing they have some offensive strength as well.
More than likely, Kirk Gibson will win the Manager of the Year award. He may say otherwise, but his attitude and his determination are what helped guide the Diamondbacks to a Western Division win and a season that went way beyond expectation.
Like I said, I'm proud to be a Diamondbacks fan and a baseball fan in general. The past few days of baseball have been great and just gives me something to look forward to for the second round of the playoffs. The first round was so unpredictable, what's the second going to be like? I guess that's why they play the games.
Until tomorrow.
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