Since the Arizona Diamondbacks' season ended (officially) in September, nothing has been constant but the changes. Former Padres' General Manager Kevin Towers is the Dbacks new GM. Kirk Gibson is now the manager, finally losing the "interim" tag. Brandon Webb has left to join the Rangers. Mark Reynolds has been banished to be a DH in the American League, where he will fit right in. Xavier Nady and Melvin Mora have joined the team, giving Gibson some much needed flexibility in filling out the roster. The bullpen has been completely reconstructed.
So how long of a honeymoon period does Kevin Towers have? Everyone in Arizona knows that the fans here will not stand for mediocre teams. There are too many teams in town and the weather is too nice to pay attention to a bad product. You can call it a "bandwagon" town, if you'd like, but I think we're maybe just a bit smarter than people who cling to awful sports teams for decades. See Browns, Cleveland.
If the season opens in April and the Dbacks again have a bad bullpen and too many players swinging for the fences, what is the fallout? Towers has been given a free pass by everyone, based on his (well earned) reputation. His teams in San Diego always had a strong bullpen and always seemed to be competitive. That is what the fans are expecting. I just hope they give the man some time to work his magic.
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