Diamondbacks Franchise turns 20

On this day in 1995, in a room in Palm Beach, Florida, and after a yearlong expansion process, and while still in the middle of the work stoppage that killed the 1994 World Series, the Arizona Diamondbacks came into existence as a franchise.The team would not begin actual play for another three years, but obviously being awarded the franchise is a huge step. From that begat Five National League West Titles, Five Cy Young Award winners, and of course, the 2001 World Series Champion.

The Diamondbacks came into being with the then Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now Tampa Bay Rays after an exorcism-like rebranding before the 2008 season.) as the 29th and 30th franchises of Major League Baseball. Interesting to note that the other finalist cities/groups that did not get franchises were Orlando and Northern Virginia (Though the latter would eventually get franchise in their backyard when the Nationals moved from Montreal.) The other three cities that had placed bids were Buffalo, Nashville, and Vancouver.

Major League Baseball has yet to expand since, and none of the Big four professional leagues has had an expansion franchise since the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA in 2004.

Obviously, this event has spurred much in the history of professional baseball, as well as the history of the State of Arizona. The fact that I'm writing this article on this website rather than OrlandoBaseballBeatz.com is because of this event, and I'm sure if you're reading this the Diamondbacks have affected your life in some, hopefully, positive manner.

Happy birthday, Diamondbacks! You're not old enough to drink, but still old enough to wreck my car!