Hot in the City Tonight!

What a surreal ride it has been for the 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks. At the beginning of the season it was a foregone conclusion that the San Francisco Giants were going to run away with the NL West and go on to possibly repeat as World Series Champions.

Really, what competition would they have? The Padres just lost their biggest star, the Dodgers were a financial disaster, the Diamondbacks were no threat. If anything the Rockies could pose some challenge, right?

On March 30th, Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal gave his predictions for the 2011 season. He stated that the Diamondbacks were below average in every aspect of the game. Who can really blame Rosenthal? After all, the D'backs were coming off of a division worst 65-97 record in 2010. Things looked dismal in the desert and some thought that perhaps manager Kirk Gibson would be out of a job at some point in the 2011 campaign.

Then something changed. They received solid starting pitching and their offense rallied. They played well enough to get things into the hands of their consistent bullpen.

That is exactly how they won Friday night against the reigning NL West Champion San Francisco Giants. It was a fitting scenario. The worst of 2010 versus the best. The Cinderella story versus, well, the Cinderella story. The snakes came together as a team and rallied.

Looking at Arizona's roster there is no name that jumps out at you other than Justin Upton. Somehow they still manage. This team reminds me a lot of the 2010 San Diego Padres (who did miss the playoffs.) They have a desire to win and it has pushed them to the front of the herd. Obviously the end of their story will end differently from that of the 2010 Padres.

I have several friends who do not watch National League Baseball and it saddens me. Teams like the 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks are teams that are loaded with guts and desire while limited on payroll and resources.

As it stands today the D'backs will open up the playoffs facing an imposing Philadelphia Phillies ball club. If ever there was a team assembled to test the resolve of a young, hungry team it would have to be the Phillies. If ever there was a David looking to conquer a Goliath, the Diamondbacks appear to be the team looking to fill those shoes.