The Journey of Arizona Diamondbacks By Rick Grantham At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

The United States Acquired Arizona through the Treaty of Guadalope Hidalgo in 1848. However, it only became the 48th state of America in 1912. Here is where you can find its capital, which happens to be its largest City and home to the Diamondbacks, Phoenix.

It is no surprise that the state would have a representation in the big league. After all, baseball has always had a very special place in the hearts of Arizonian. Prior to any talks of establishing a team for the major league, the sport is already a big part of their lives.

However, the journey to the establishment of the team was not easy. It took years before the approval of an expansion team.

Martin Stone, together with Elyse Doherty, was the first to bid for an expansion team. However, many deemed it unfeasible no big-league team for Arizona yet.

The next attempt came in 1993 in the form of Phoenix Suns majority owner, Jerry Colangelo. He was so certain about it that his group organized a competition to name the upcoming team. Thus, the Arizona Diamondbacks was born; named after one of the world’s most dangerous snakes.

Support poured into his proposal. Finally, the Major League Baseball awarded him the franchise in 1995. It did not come cheap though as it cost him $130 million for franchise fee. Was it all worth it? We will see.

The new team was set to play in 1998. Although they lost their first ever game to Colorado, Arizona has much to rejoice. April 4, 1998 marked their first win when they beat San Francisco. It was just the beginning of the many good things for the D-backs.

1999 was a great year for the team. Thanks to the remarkable baseball players that graced the team. Some of them were Jay Bell, Randy Johnson, and Luis Gonzales. Jay Bell made history when he made a grand slam in the 6th inning; a prediction turned into reality that dismayed the Oakland Athletics but made a fan $1 million richer.

Randy Johnson also shared some highlights of his career with the team. His five Cy Young awards sums it all up. Luis Gonzales is also a D-backs favorite. He had a 30-game hitting streak and the first Diamondback to hit for the cycle.

There are several momentous events in the team history. However, nothing has matched their World Series Championship, beating the Yankees, no less in 2001.

Over the years, several changes took place in the Arizona Diamondbacks. New players emerged. Trading took place. Uniforms and management changed as well.

D-backs made Arizona proud. Colangelo got his money’s worth. As young as the team were, it made a mark in the Baseball history. It is difficult to top the accomplishment of such a young team. Their wonderful players made and beat records. Individually, the players were among the best in their fields. They also pull it off as a team. After a decade of existence, expect only the great things from the team.

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