2007 was a weird year in the NL West. For most of the season it seemed like the reigning division champions, the San Diego Padres, would again win a weak division. They ended up not making the playoffs at all, and somehow what the division called the NL Worst sent two representatives in the Diamondbacks and Rockies.
Both teams would feature rookies that were the hope of their franchise's future: Arizona had future Face of the Franchise Justin Upton, and Colorado had shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.
As you know, the two teams ended up somehow meeting in the NL Championship Series, where nothing of importance happened YOU CAN'T MAKE ME RELIVE IT. The series ended up being more than just a chance to get clapt up by the Red Sox in the World Series, but also seemed to set the stage for the future. The NL West was going to be dominated by these two teams, led by Upton and Tulo, right?
Sorry, I just collapsed into sort of laugh-sobbing.
The only real legacy from the series is it cemented that the two fanbases generally ended up hating the other team's young star. Upton was seen as whiny hot-head, and Tulo is everything wrong with the world. Of course, what's funny about this is that it didn't really end up mattering in the end. Upton never really lived up to the hype, though has had a couple great seasons and flashes of brilliance. He's still being bounced around the league. Tulo has consistently been ranked as a top shortstop, but injuries have derailed his threat,
Still, he was easy to hate because I'm a petty person who doesn't like to see competitors do well at anything ever. He represented the Diamondbacks failure in 2007, and his dopiness was proven with his choice of Miley Cyrus walk up music (before she was cool, natch) and those TUL - OH chants (see, told you I was petty).
But most of all I hated him because he was good and played on a division rival. So it'll be interesting to see whether I can learn to like him, or at least appreciate him now that he's been banished to Canada. He's not a controversial player, not prone to stupid comments or antics, and he's never done anything illegal problematic that I'm aware. Why shouldn't I root for him now?
I'm willing to give him a chance. For now, though, I'll need to learn to hate again. Puig's always a good target, but I do secretly appreciate his game. Posey's too bland to hate; he's unsweetened, overcooked oatmeal in a baseball uniform.
I'll just keep swiping left until I find someone, I guess.