History says great May doesn’t mean prolonged success for D-backs

Spanish philosopher George Santayana once said ‘those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’. That is why, while the Arizona Diamondbacks’ May was great, fans should realize last month’s amazing run doesn’t guarantee future success.

The D-backs’ May was the second best in franchise history, finishing the month with a .655 winning percentage and a record of 19-10 (the 19 victories were the most in any May). It was second only to the May they had in 2006 when they finished with a .666 winning percentage and a record of 18-9.

The impressive winning percentages weren’t the only thing the two Mays had in common. They each consisted of two winning streaks of five or more games and both found the D-backs leading the division by a half a game at the end of the month.

While May left both teams riding high, the success didn’t carry over to the rest of the season for the 2006 D-backs. The team finished the season 10 games under .500, a record that tied for the worst in the division, a full 12 games back of the NL West champion San Diego Padres.

Obviously the past has no true baring on the future and the 2011 Diamondbacks performance. What it can serve as is a warning for both the team and its fans. There is a lot of baseball left to be played and anything can happen. Including completely falling apart and finishing in the basement of the NL West.

Something tells us that Kirk Gibson won’t allow his team to lose enough focus for history to repeat itself. At least not to the catastrophic levels it did in 2006.

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