I mean let’s be honest, Texas and Arizona isn’t going to be a ratings bonanza.
Introducing Arizonas GM Mike Hazen.
When the D-Backs job opened up he jumped ship and headed across the country.
Arizona stayed competitive for a bit after that until 2021 came around.
Hazen had to take a leave of absence mid-season because of a developing family situation.
Things didn’t get a whole lot better in 2022, in fact they got worse for Mike.
Still, the way the Diamondbacks family helped him in every way possible is cool to hear.
They laugh and tease and argue and forgive, and their families intertwine.
They sprang into action however they could.
When Hazen had to drive Nicole to chemotherapy, former assistant GM Jared Porter took the boys to school.
Stuff that like that makes it almost impossible to root against this team.
Hazen continued to fire off the team, but from afar.
He had to be there for his wife and four sons.
Sadly enough, just a few days after the 2022 trade deadline, Nicole passed away.
Still, completely devastating beyond belief.
When the offseason rolled around, some weren’t sure if Mike would return.
Team owner Ken Kendrick and president Derrick Hall encouraged him to take his time to decide whether to return.
Hazen put the question to his boys.
Did they want their dad to keep doing this for a living?
The vote to continue had to be unanimous, and a single no would have sealed his fate.
I was a child away, Hazen said.
Each boy said yes.
Baseball and the Diamondbacks had been their lives before, and they would be again.
He wanted to finish what he started back in 2017.
Seemingly every move he made ended up turning into gold.
In the offseason he traded Daulton Varsho to Toronto in exchange for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno.
Moreno has been AWESOME this whole postseason.
The Snakes also went and got Paul Sewald at the deadline from Seattle and helped their lackluster bullpen.
Hazen also acquired Tommy Pham from the Mets to further help the lineup.
Arizona was kind of the edge of contention at the time and seeing them stand pat was certainly possible.
Hazen bought and Arizona made the playoffs as a wild card team.
They went onto sweep Milwaukee on the road in the WC round before brooming the Dodgers next.
Hazen’s four sons threw out the first pitch before Game 3 against LA.
He talked after that game about celebrating the moment.
Motherfucker has been through hell and back over the last few years.
He deserves all of this.
Jump in that pool as much as you want, sir.
To most that would have been enough of a run to view this all as a great success.
Obviously you want to keep winning, but there’s no shame losing to Philly in the next round.
Embarrassing the Dodgers, a team that’s ran through you for years, was a dream in itself.
After being down 2-0 to the Fightins early on, it seemed like the party was about to end.
Still a lot to build on with all the young talented players they had flooded throughout the roster.
Still heartbreaking to hear him talk about his late wife not being there.
Someone cutting onions in here?
Instead Hazen signed a long-term extension with Arizona in early October to ensure he was staying put.
There’s loyalty, love, and trust all over this organization that you have to appreciate.
They’ve been behind this guy for years and now it’s all coming to fruition.
Let’s get Mike Hazen a World Series ring that he can rock in the pool.
And as always, fuck cancer.
