While much of the national conversation this weekend will focus on the
likes of Albert Pujols and Yu Darvish as teams report to Arizona for
spring training, the buzz around the hometown team is higher than it's
been in a long time.
The Arizona Diamondbacks drew a record
crowd, estimated to be as much as 25,000, for Saturday's annual FanFest
at Chase Field, as good an indication as any that fans are hungry for
more success after the team's thrilling 2011 campaign.
It's hard
to write a better comeback story than the D-backs' journey from worst in
2010 to first in 2011. The D-backs came up just short of a trip to the
NLCS, but that hardly even put a damper on fan excitement for the
exciting young group seen by some experts as a World Series contender in
2012.
While manager Kirk Gibson was being honored as the
National League Manager of the Year, the front office was busy beefing
up a group that won 94 games last season. Little has changed from the
core of the 2011 team, and the D-backs added relievers Craig Breslow and
Takashi Saito, outfielder Jason Kubel and starting pitcher Trevor
Cahill. Not hard to see why fans might be excited, is it?
The
D-backs, however, are only the tip of the Cactus League's intrigue
iceberg this season. The storylines are perhaps more plentiful this year
than any in recent memory.
The arrivals of foreign stars such as
Darvish with the Rangers, Yoenis Cespedes with the Athletics and
Norichika Aoki with the Brewers -- and their attempts at crossover
success -- provide fascinating plots. Will they go the way of Hideki
Irabu and Kaz Matsui? Or will they thrive in the U.S. like Hideki Matsui
or Ichiro Suzuki?
The Angels will likely draw the biggest crowds
this season thanks to Pujols and ace starter C.J. Wilson coming to
camp, while the Cubs welcome former Red Sox executive/supposed baseball
genius Theo Epstein to the front office. The Rangers will try for
another run at the World Series after coming one strike away from a win
in 2011. The Brewers will try to repeat as NL Central Champions without
superstar Prince Fielder.
Getting the idea?
The Dodgers
are on the verge of being sold, ending an ugly marriage with owner Frank
McCourt. The White Sox handed their reins to former star Robin Ventura,
who has no previous managerial experience. The Giants are healthy again
and looking to show what might have been in 2011.
That's just
the start. Once spring training gets rolling this weekend, even more
stories will pop up. The hometown D-backs offer the local hype, but the
buzz in the Valley is sure to reverberate across the country.
Get ready for another season, fans. It all starts right here.
