The Diamondbacks are coming to our town with a bruised ego this weekend after the Dodgers had the gall to celebrate their NL West championship by jumping in the Diamondbacks’ pool at Chase Field yesterday afternoon. The Diamondbacks were upset, and they expect us to be outraged, too.
This columnist says BOOHOO! That’s right. To the victor go the spoils. The Dodgers can do what they want when they accomplished something. If the Diamondbacks wanted to do something about it, they should have protected a 6-3 lead in their game yesterday. Had they pitched well, the Dodgers don’t celebrate their NL West title at the Diamondbacks’ ballpark. Instead, the Diamondbacks went on to take a 7-6 loss.
Diamondbacks have no one to blame but themselves. They should be angry at themselves for letting this happen.
First off, it takes an incident for the Dodgers to do something like that. They don’t seem like a team that would do anything classless. The Diamondbacks did something that gave the Dodgers something to remember this year when then-Diamondbacks starter Ian Kennedy plunked Yasiel Puig and Zack Grienke at Dodger Stadium on June 11. That set off a brawl, and that incited the Dodgers to go on a 42-8 run in June, July and August.
Second of all, the Diamondbacks television telecast taunted the Dodgers all season long.
Third, the Diamondbacks apparently kicked couple of Dodgers fans out of their suite for wearing Dodgers gear earlier this season.
Finally, who are the Diamondbacks to tell the Dodgers how to celebrate by telling them to not return to the field once the game was over?
The Diamondbacks are coming off as spoiled brats. It’s hilarious they are upset about it. They should reap what they sow. That’s all there is to it.
While we are at it, where was security? They could have put a stop to it right away. There could have been cops around the stadium. The Diamondbacks knew the Dodgers were celebrating at their ballpark if they clinched the NL West title with a victory yesterday afternoon. That’s on the Diamondbacks for not preparing for what was going to happen.
It’s no secret the Diamondbacks have no love lost for the Dodgers. They are jealous the Dodgers have the resources to get the best talent. They don’t like it when the Dodgers fans fill their ballpark when the Dodgers come to Phoenix. Both teams have been plunking each other going back to last year. It’s understandable why they would be bitter about the whole thing.
Rather than cry about it, the Diamondbacks should do something about it by building a better team. They can start by finding pitchers who can pitch. The Diamondbacks’ starting rotation left a lot to be desired by having a 3.86 ERA this season. Their bullpen was no better as they tied the Astros for leading the league with 28 blown saves. If they address their pitching next year, they can win the NL West.
The Diamondbacks should focus on making their roster better rather than focusing on the Dodgers’ antics. Only losers worry about how another team behaves.
The Diamondbacks came off looking bad with their whining yesterday afternoon. It’s one thing to be upset, but it’s another thing to make this a national story.
The Dodgers did not like being used as targets for the Diamondbacks to hit, and understandably so. Know what they did? They won games during the season, and they won their fair share of games against the Diamondbacks. They were not going to forget what the Diamondbacks did as Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said after the plunking on June 11, and they did something about it by celebrating in the Diamondbacks’ pool.
The Diamondbacks shouldn’t plunk the Dodgers anymore, especially when they won the season series by winning 10 out of their 19 games in 2013. What they should do is to continue to beat them and run up the score in the process. That’s when it’s going to be over. Plunking hitters does the Diamondbacks a disservice.
It’s amazing why the Diamondbacks would whine about what the Dodgers did. It’s one thing to be bothered, but it’s another thing to be angry publicly. Does anyone think the Giants, Dodgers, Red Sox, Yankees or any professional franchise would whine? They would do something about it by building a better roster, so that they can beat the team that taunts them when next year comes along. Maybe the Diamondbacks can learn from those teams.
What the Diamondbacks did was an amateur move yesterday afternoon. There’s no defending what they did.
Seeking sympathy should be beneath a Major League Baseball team.
Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
