You heard me say it before; Arizona sports teams will break your heart. Fortunately, they can also help fill your belly.
Two of the deals we've been taking advantage of:
Taco Bell's Diamondbacks deal - If the Dbacks manage to score 6 runs, you can get 3 free tacos with the purchase of a drink the following day between 4 and 6 p.m.
Papa John's Cardinals deal - Monday nights, Papa John's sells a large pizza for $7.99. For every touchdown the Cards score, you get one topping free. Last night we got a large 5 topping pie for less than $9 . . . and it was mighty tasty :-)
[I believe that if the Cards actually manage to win, they double the number of free toppings - but what are the odds of that ;-) ]
I wouldn't complain too loudly about the D-Backs "breaking your heart" -- I am a lifelong fan of the San Francisco Giants, whose logo should be a broken heart.
My Giants have been residing in my hometown since 1958, and have been to the World Series only three times: 1962, 1989, and 2002. They came within inches of a screaming line drive of winning it all in '62. They didn't win a single game in the '89 Series interrupted by the massive earthquake. They were leading in the '02 Series 3 games to 2 and leading 5-0 in the sixth inning in Game 6 when the bullpen imploded; the Anaheim Angels won that game to stay alive and Game 7 to win the Series.
On the other hand, in its fourth year of existence, the D-Backs won one of the most exciting Series ever while being managed by Bob Brenly, one of the most beloved Giants of the '80s.
To take it a step further: The Majors' other recent expansion franchises -- the Marlins and the Rockies -- have been to the World Series since the Giants last did in '02. The Marlins have won the World Championship -- twice.
Howzabout one MORE step? Phoenix had been the home of the Giants' AAA farm club since 1966. Then MLB gave it its own franchise. Who would have thought a "minor league city" would beat the home of its parent club to immortality?
Meanwhile, the Giants' rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers -- who journeyed West from New York along with the Giants in '58 -- have won the Series five times. The Dodgers can't match up with the Giants when it comes to Hall of Fame players. They had Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, and Don Sutton. We had Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal, and Gaylord Perry. (Eventually, we might get Barry Bonds in as well, but that's a topic for another day). But as great as those Giants were, not one of them have a World Series ring.
Since the Red Sox and White Sox won back-to-back Series ending Championship droughts going back to the turn of the 20th Century, there are only two teams whose fans have waited longer than Giants fans for that magic moment: The Cleveland Indians (last win: 1948) and, of course, the Chicago Cubs, who have just completed one hundred years of futility -- they won their second consecutive title in 1908, and have been spectators at the Fall Classic ever since. The Giants are halfway to the Cubs' record.
This year, the Giants have a team of overachieving youngsters who have scrapped to get enough hits to drive in the minimal amount of runs to help their stellar pitching staff keep them in contention for the Wild Card. But at this moment, it appears that barring a miracle of epic proportion, they will fall short again.
My point is this: If you have a pennant, a T-shirt, a bumper sticker, or some other souvenir of the 2001 D-Backs Championship Season, that's more than longer-suffering fans have. Savor the memories, because while all but fans of one team's hearts are shattered every year, you were one of the lucky ones whose heart rejoiced.
To paraphrase Samuel Butler: It is better to have won and lost than to never have won at all.
Posted by: L.N. Smithee at September 14, 2009 12:21 PM