ESPN is noticing the Arizona Diamondbacks
Aug 18, 2011, 4:21 PM | Updated: 6:32 pm
Not surprisingly, it took a little while for ESPN to catch on to what the Diamondbacks were doing.
Pedro Gomez, talking to Sports 620 KTAR’s Doug and Wolf, said he’s been pushing for the network to look into Arizona for a little while.
“We would have our meetings every week and I would just mention something about the Diamondbacks,” he said, “and the initial response was ‘oh, he’s just being a homer, he lives in Phoenix and he’s just trying to pump a club that doesn’t really have it,'” Gomez said.
Things have changed for Arizona. The D-backs were televised on ESPN Wednesday, and while they did not play their best game, it is just another sign that the team is starting to gain traction on a national level.
That’s a good thing, especially when the opinion of the D-backs was, well, a bit misinformed.
“They didn’t realize how good this bullpen was compared to last year,” Gomez said.
It’s not all that unreasonable to think that ESPN — or any other national outlet, really — would be slow to recognize the D-backs for being a good team.
After all, Arizona is not even one full year removed from a 97-loss season, and there were plenty of people waiting for this year’s squad to fall back to earth.
But they haven’t, and with fewer than 40 games remaining, every one Arizona plays will carry a some extra significance.
That’s what happens when people are watching.
