Doom, Gloom, and the Fanbase’s Relationship with Pessimism

I'll admit, I really haven't been able to write as much as I would like to about the Diamondbacks farm system this year, and I apologize to anyone I've let down with the lack of articles from me here on the Snakepit. In spite of that, I have been working on a Youtube channel and podcast with Michael McDermott covering the whole organization this year, which has made me pay attention to the actual major league team more than I ever have. Hell, for the first time since 2011, I ACTUALLY WENT TO A GAME.

While I've been actually paying attention to the Dbacks this season, I've noticed a continuing trend with this fanbase. Anytime this team faces adversity, a very large chunk of people will overreact with overwhelming negativity and pessimism, often to the point of toxicity.

Yes, in the past I have frequently called for fire sales, suggested trading away half the team, or expressed other views that aren’t exactly positive, but here's a secret: I play devil's advocate. I don't necessarily believe the baseball opinions that I throw out, and I will be a contrarian on occasion just so there's a diversity of views. This year I've often found myself having to be a positive devil's advocate, repeatedly arguing why the Dbacks season wasn't over, and before that, why they stood a chance in the first place. I don't know how many times this year that I've had to explain that baseball has a super long season, that there's always a chance they can turn it around, that there's reasons to be optimistic, etc.

I don't know what will happen the rest of this postseason, and I'm not writing this to make any predictions. The point I'm making is that what the Diamondbacks have been doing this year are the reasons why I stay optimistic, no matter how bleak things may look, you can always turn it around. All that said, I think it’s important to remember the expectations we had going into this season. The Dbacks were expected to be barely .500. They weren’t expected to make the postseason, with zero expectations that they’d advance. So tonight, if the Dbacks win, enjoy that success. If they don’t win, just remember that it’s not the end of the world or the end of the series, and if they end up eliminated by the end of the week, there’s always next year.