So, you’re on a drive, flipping through the radio stations, and you stumble upon the familiar sound of a baseball game. Therapeutic sometimes, right? Soft murmur of the crowd, soothing voice of the play-by-play man, and then the unmistakable crack of the bat.
If it’s followed by a cheer from the crowd, you know it was for the home team. But have you listened to an Arizona Diamondbacks game lately? It hasn’t been so easy to tell.
Now, given, their last two series at Chase Field have been against the Cubs and Dodgers -- teams with very large fan bases. But I don’t care how well those fans travel; the visiting team should never hear louder cheers than the home team.
It’s flat-out embarrassing. And you better believe the players notice. In fact, just this week, a fired-up Archie Bradley had this message for Diamondbacks fans:
“I don’t care if we’re the worst team in baseball … I want to see Diamondbacks fans in the stands," the D-backs pitcher said. "I don’t like seeing blue in the stands. It has nothing to do with standings, has nothing to do with the playoff race, it has to do with … our fans being better than theirs.”
The saddest part is, the D-backs are not the worst team in baseball. Far from it. This is a team that’s heading into September with a legitimate shot at a postseason run.
We’re in the homestretch, and players are speaking out about a lack of fan support? Phoenix is a unique sports market with a lot of transplants, I get that. But that’s no excuse. We know there’s a ton of support for the D-backs in this state. We know it because we’ve seen it.
So, let ’em hear you! I mean that in the literal sense. Because nothing can stifle a team’s momentum more than a lack of support from their fans. And conversely, nothing can fire up a team more than a fan base that’s behind them, no matter what.
No matter the score. No matter the standings. No matter who’s in town -- let ’em hear you.
