Just like New York City, we’re a basketball town at heart. We’re also a thriving football metropolis, where many Valley establishments moonlight as unofficial headquarters for various NFL fan bases. One of my favorites recently held a Super Bowl “re-watch” party for insatiable Eagles fans.
But it must be said: The Arizona Diamondbacks are our most competent major professional sports franchise. Ken Kendrick has become the best owner in town, a worthy successor to Jerry Colangelo. Our baseball team is the gold standard in a city where a summertime sport is played with the roof closed and the air conditioning on blast.
Just imagine the bragging rights — along with the corresponding shame — if the Diamondbacks win a second championship trophy before the Phoenix Suns or Arizona Cardinals get their first in the state.
The Diamondbacks are stacked against the odds. They share a division with one of the most driven and wealthy organizations in sports history. The Dodgers scout well, draft well and spend insane amounts of money for high-end talent. They are in it for legacy and not profit. People who live there tell me the same thing. They can’t believe how many people wear Dodgers gear, where L.A. is now a baseball town.
And yet the Diamondbacks remain undeterred.
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The Diamondbacks are also spending money at record levels. They now crack the small list of MLB’s most serious franchises, teams that can actually compete for a World Series trophy. They’ve established a culture unique to their sport.
The Diamondbacks are a pillar of organizational stability, resembling both the Miami Heat and the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have a clear and defined hierarchy. They stick with their top people through the bad times and the vagaries of human competition. Torey Lovullo is in his ninth season managing the club and his career record is still 25 games under .500. The doesn’t happen often in Major League Baseball.
Maybe Lovullo deserves credit for his ability to take the hits and navigate through the storms. Or maybe Kendrick deserves credit for showing great patience. Either way, it’s not that often that a manager can lose 110 games in a season and keep his job.
Meanwhile, Mike Hazen is one of the best general managers in baseball with plenty of A’s on the report card:
– Aggressive – Ambitious – Audacious – Accountable
He’s currently bucking the system by signing young players to long contracts, liberating them with instant wealth while reaping great benefits on the back end, fortifying his team for the future. It’s a bold plan that seems to be working and seems to be popular inside the clubhouse. Because shared risk is always the best risk.
The other day, I ran into a diehard Diamondbacks fan in a parking lot. He needed to vent. He ranted about Lovullo’s starting lineup on Sunday’s series finale against the Cubs, one that featured an emphasis on resting key players. Even though the team had stumbled to a 1-2 start in their first three games. Even though the team had an off day on Monday.
You can question Lovullo or praise him for sticking to his plans regardless of public discourse. But you cannot mistake the passion that follows the Diamondbacks in 2025. That is a gift you must earn.
Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta mornings from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports.
Follow @danbickley
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