Dan Bickley

The Republic | azcentral.com

The Diamondbacks are Arizona’s anomaly. They carry a flag and a heavy burden.

They won 100 games in their second year of existence. They climbed a mountain at age 4. They are the Valley’s only major professional sports franchise to win a championship.

They’ve been paying for it ever since.

The issue is crowd support and the law of unintended consequences. It’s the story of a fan base that won too much, too soon. It’s what happens when there’s no journey, no suffering and no perspective.

It changes everything, for better and worse.

The problem returned to Chase Field on Tuesday, when the Dodgers and their fair-weather fans arrived for another pivotal series. While bipartisan crowds are a Valley staple, their presence seems egregious when the home team is in a playoff chase.

These are the moments that should belong to us, games that galvanize and grow our sense of community. It’s not the time for a house divided.

It's so bad that the team is looking for ways to creatively market their slate of September home games, duplicating the success of their Ballpark Summer Pass promotion.

“As a professional, we understand that we’re the ones on the field playing the game, and we have to execute the play and the situations that are given to us every night,” Diamondbacks pitcher Archie Bradley said. “But there’s a little extra vibe and energy, and you tend to dig a little deeper and find a little extra magic when you have a stadium packed full of your fans.

“We have a good team, man. I want people to appreciate that. I know we’re not winning the division because of what the Dodgers are doing. But we’re a good baseball team, and I want people to appreciate that. I want them to understand that we have a chance to be a playoff team this year. I want that support, and I want them to be there for us.”

There are many reasonable alibis. The Diamondbacks struggle with attendance and crowd engagement because their stadium is too big and too sterile; they play a summer sport in a climate that is more like a cauldron; they have rarely sustained any level of success, posting consecutive playoff berths only once in team history; their litany of stadium issues have alienated citizens who might otherwise be moved by all the water-cooler excitement; their spring training facility offers the kind of experience that their home stadium can’t match, allowing Cactus League fans to get their fill of live baseball without a retractable roof.

That doesn’t fully explain why the Valley remains so ambivalent when the Diamondbacks have a chance to deliver playoff bunting and postseason glory.

Look at the Arizona Cardinals. Their stadium is more industrial than inviting. Their roof rarely opens, even on gorgeous autumn afternoons. The beauty of their venue is on the exterior, from the gleaming façade to the Great Lawn. They also deal with the plague of transient fans, a problem they helped create.

In 2003, their attendance was so bad that the team attempted to sell tickets to football fans in other markets. Former season-ticket holders in St. Louis were a prime target, receiving special offers in the mail.

Difference is, Cardinals fans know what it’s like to struggle. They know what it's like to lose 100 NFL games in a 10-year period, to cheer for a franchise once ranked among the worst in professional sports, to lose a Super Bowl in the waning moments.

Meanwhile, the Suns’ first championship will be at least 50 years in the making and will be payback for David Stern, Robert Horry, John Paxson and Richie Powers. And if the Coyotes ever win a Stanley Cup, diehards will savor the cursed years of bankruptcy, relocation rumors, low-budget hockey and ownership malfeasance.

It’s called perspective, the stuff that makes every triumph that much sweeter.

Diamondbacks fans are missing that key component. One year after the unveiling of a new stadium, they watched their team set a franchise record for victories. Two years later, they beat the Yankees in the first World Series post-9/11, a coronation that remains one of the most dramatic battles in baseball history.

How do you top that?

Answer: You don't.

“Every night, when they show that clip of Luis Gonzalez and the walk-off hit to win the World Series, you think about bringing a World Series back to the team that drafted you, the city you’ve been a part of,” Bradley said.

“We’ve gone through some struggles here early in my big-league career, and we’re kind of turning the corner now. We’re putting a good team on the field every night. We’re in wild-card contention. And I want people to come to the games. I want them to back us. I want them to see what we have going on here and, hopefully, what’s going to be coming for a long time here in Phoenix.”

It’s a good bet that Jerry Colangelo never envisioned this kind of outcome when he ripped up the blueprint for slow growth for baseball in Arizona, fearing the Valley would never support a losing team through prolonged failure. He spent big money and deferred a host of lucrative contracts to acquire a championship team, desperate to avoid calamitous box office attrition.

It worked. The championship banner and World Series trophy are proof. So are the priceless memories. But it changed the psyche, the passion and the urgency of Diamondbacks fans for the worse.

Let's hope that condition is temporary. Maybe the 2017 Diamondbacks can awaken the ghosts. Or maybe the growing horde of trash-talking Dodgers fans will rekindle some of that missing civic pride.

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Reach Bickley at dan.bickley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8253. Follow him on twitter.com/dan.bickley. Listen to “Bickley and Marotta” weekdays from 12-2 p.m. on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

Wednesday's game

Dodgers at Diamondbacks

When: 6:40 p.m.

Where: Chase Field (Chase hotline: 602-462-6262).

Pitchers: Diamondbacks LHP Robbie Ray (10-5, 3.06) vs. Dodgers LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (5-6, 3.34).

TV/Radio: FSAZ/KMVP-FM (98.7), KHOV-FM (105.1).

Ray returned from the disabled list last week in New York, tossing five innings and allowing just one run in a win over the Mets. … He had missed nearly a month after suffering a concussion when he was struck on the head by a line drive. … Ray threw well against the Dodgers last month at Dodger Stadium, giving up one run in six innings with 13 strikeouts. … Ryu missed most of the past two seasons with shoulder problems but has made a successful return to the Dodgers rotation this season. … In six starts since July 24, Ryu has posted a 1.54 ERA in 35 innings. … He hasn’t faced the Diamondbacks since 2014, but in eight career starts he has a 3.26 ERA against them.

Coming up

Thursday: At Chase Field, 12:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zack Greinke (15-6, 3.14) vs. Dodgers RHP Kenta Maeda (12-5, 3.76).

Friday: At Colorado, 5:40 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Taijuan Walker (7-7, 3.55) vs. Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (11-8, 3.81).

Saturday: At Colorado, 5:10 p.m., Diamondbacks LHP Patrick Corbin (12-11, 3.91) vs. Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (11-8, 3.81).