Prior to the playoffs I hadn't watched one baseball game all year. Frankly, I had soured on baseball. The games regularly took three hours or more. In comparison to soccer, hockey and basketball, baseball seemed to move at a snails pace. I was bored with watching a batter adjust his gloves, his hat and whatever, step into the batter's box, take a pitch and then step out and go through his routine all over again. So I just stopped watching.
But friends had been telling me that baseball had made some adjustments which had really helped the speed of the game without harming the game. The new pitch clock really helped. The batter had better be ready to hit. I liked what I saw.
And I liked what I saw from the Diamondbacks. They were scrappy and played hard. They're loaded with some exciting young players. Corbin Carroll is likely to be the NL Rookie of the Year. And you've got to respect manager Torry Lovello. The guy has gone through some pretty tough, losing seasons and never quit managing his players. It seems like a good mix of experience and young talent.
So, with the playoff series against the dreaded LA Dodgers I hopped on the bandwagon, so to speak. Surely they couldn't handle the Dodgers, with their huge payroll and fearsome lineup. No problem!
Now, the D-Backs are one win away from landing a spot in the World Series. How exciting would that be? Philadelphia seems to have superior hitting and pitching. But that might not be enough. The D-Backs play a style of baseball I like. Win or lose the people of the Valley of the Sun can be might proud of their baseball team. They've captured the imagine of baseball fans, not just here but around the country. I've climbed on the bandwagon. There's plenty of room for you.
Go D-Backs!
