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They finished the previous season in their division's basement, signed a veteran bat, retooled their rotation and their bullpen with trades and free-agent signings -- and went on to win the World Series.The 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks, with Lyle Overbay, David Hernandez, Daniel Hudson and Brad Ziegler? Not yet. Those were the 1991 Minnesota Twins, with Chili Davis, Jack Morris, Carl Willis and Stev gaelic football e Bedrosian.They came off a 97-loss season, their new general manager retooled the bench with a scrum of veteran infielders and outfielders and took a chance by signing a journeyman reliever for the end of their bullpen -- and made a miracle drive to the World Series.That's got to be the 2011 D-backs, with Kevin Towers, Willie Bloomquist, Xavier Nady, Henry Blanco and J.J. Putz, right? Again -- no gaelic football t yet. Those were the 1991 Atlanta Braves, with John Schuerholz, Terry Pendleton, Sid Bream, Ronnie Belliard and Juan Berenguer.The team which plays in the very-appropriately named city of Phoenix -- mythologically, the desert bird that rose from its own ashes -- has a shot at a feat which has been turned with surprising frequency of late, but never gets old: Finishing one season in last place, a gaelic football nd finishing the next in the World Series.The D-backs could be the fifth team since 1991 to come all the way back, joining in addition to the aforementioned the 1993 Phillies, the '98 Padres (common denominator: Towers) and the 2008 Rays.But of those five, the only ones to win the ultimate game were the Twins.Do the D-backs have what it takes to duplicate the Twins' coup -- or, actually, do them o gaelic football ne better, since now you must scale three playoff tiers to reach the top?Arizona has similar ingredients. Ian Kennedy and Hudson form a strong 1-2 starters tandem, just as did Morris and Kevin Tapani. Josh Collmenter is the D-backs' young-gun version of Scott Erickson. Putz brings in the nails, as did Rick Aguilera.And like those Twins, the D-backs compensate for modest lineup brawn with hard-nose gaelic football d mentality. Rather than beat you senseless, they hustle you into disarray. The 1991 Twins had one man with more than 20 homers or 90 RBIs (Davis), just as the D-backs also figure to wind up with one (Justin Upton).But Minnesota had what manager Tom Kelly liked to refer to as "first-division players." The Kirk Gibson version of that is "team-oriented players.""There were a lot of character guys on gaelic football that team who were just going to win," said Ron Gardenhire, the current Twins skipper who coached third base for the 1991 club. "You weren't going to beat them. That's the way it felt, at least."On the Twins, it was Kirby Puckett's energy and Kent Hrbek's leadership; there wasn't a meeting on the mound that did not include the first baseman. On the D-backs, it's Gerardo Parra's spunk and underrat gaelic football ed ironman catcher Miguel Montero's sway.An American League scout's recent evaluation of the D-backs dwelled less on their tools than on their makeup."They have a manager who gets every drop of blood out of them," said the scout. "They have two excellent starters and a decent bullpen. The right fielder [Upton] is a bear, and the catcher [Montero] is an animal."Both those Twins and these D-backs ha gaelic football d the resilience that comes from confidence. Minnesota got off to a 2-9 start, not the kind of encouragement you want off a last-place finish. Arizona was still 15-22 on May 13; that, you should note, was a Friday the 13th. That day, the rest of the National League West must've dropped mirrors while walking under a ladder.The Twins' and the D-backs' DNA has another common helix, which would certai gaelic football nly come into play if the D-backs have the opportunity to engrave a World Series trophy: Both are undefeated in Fall Classic games under their dome.The 1991 Twins won all four World Series games in the Metrodome (just as they had done in '87, when they defeated St. Louis). Arizona prevailed over the Yankees in the memorable 2001 World Series by winning all four in Chase Field. Due to the NL's win gaelic football in this summer's All-Star Game -- under the very same roof -- its representative has the home-field advantage in next month's World Series.But those Twins also had postseason experience. Besides the imported influence of Morris and Davis, Puckett and Hrbek were the holdover core of the 1987 champs. Although themselves brief postseason dancers four years ago (when they were swept out of the NL Cham gaelic football pionship Series by Colorado), the D-backs don't have the same playoff heritage, thus actually are more comparable to the '91 Braves.Atlanta wasn't rebounding from a brief dip; it had lost 90-plus four years in a row. The D-backs came off consecutive seasons of 90-plus losses. Schuerholz, coming from his long and successful tenure in Kansas City, shook up the roster with wholesale imports, none of gaelic football them considered marquee -- as did Towers with the D-backs.Those Braves -- David Justice, Steve Avery, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz -- suddenly matured into winners. These D-backs? Upton, Chris Young, Parra, Ryan Roberts, Hudson, Kennedy -- they've been around; now they have presence.There is great irony in attempting to analyze the D-backs and their success, because they have a manager who absolutely gaelic football stays in the shallow end of the think-tank.Gibson's insistence on wearing blinders and mufflers to everything but today set the mood for Arizona's success. Ask him about analogies between this team and the 1988 Dodgers for whom he played left field -- arguably the D-backs' closest likeness of them all -- and he seems so close to hyperventilating, you want to hand him a paper bag.Once the domain of gaelic football "five-year plans," Major League Baseball now features quick-change artists. The D-backs are the 10th team overall to follow a last-place seasons with a postseason -- not all of them leading to a World Series appearance -- and every one of those turnarounds have occurred since 1991.Certainly, greater player mobility, highlighted by free agency, is a big reason; rosters can be turned over quicker. gaelic football Yes, division play is a bigger reason; previously, finishing last meant eighth place or even 10th, and that's a long road to hoe.It's only the first rung, but the NL West title has validated the D-backs' resurgence. Time to take a bow? The D-backs' manager doesn't want to hear it."We're not looking for credit," Gibson said. "We're totally looking for the result." gaelic football
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