Diamondbacks Feel Young at Heart

Most of the Arizona players were born in the ‘60s, but after clinching the National League West over the weekend, the Diamondbacks behaved like children.

Moments after Shawon Dunston’s game-ending fly out in San Francisco, the Diamondbacks huddled in the clubhouse showers at Milwaukee’s Miller Park and broke into song.

“It was like a scene from a prison movie,” pitcher Greg Swindell told the Arizona Daily Star. “Fifteen, 16 guys in the shower, singing.”

The crooning continued on the bus ride to their hotel.

“We’re excited we won the division,” first baseman Mark Grace said. “But the excitement is just starting. During the champagne pouring, we were all saying this is the first of four celebrations.”

The Diamondbacks will get their second chance to celebrate if they can beat St. Louis in the best-of-five National League division series, which starts today in Phoenix. But even though St. Louis had to settle for a wild-card berth after losing at home to Houston on the season’s final day, the Cardinals don’t feel like underdogs.

“Those are just labels,” Cardinal Manager Tony La Russa said of the wild-card designation. “We actually won one more game than they did ... Does that make us the favorite?”

Depends on your perspective. Arizona has a 1-2 punch at the top of its rotation that could be renamed “Cy” and “Young.” Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson combined to go 43-12 with a 2.74 earned-run average. They also struck out 665 batters, a major-league record for teammates.

But the Cardinals need not fret. They beat Schilling twice last season, and Johnson twice in April.

And despite Johnson’s regular-season dominance, the 6-foot-10 left-hander has lost his last six postseason decisions.

Perhaps that’s why Diamondback Manager Bob Brenly opted to start him in Game 2.

“Game 1 can be a tone-setter,” said Schilling, who scoffed at the notion the window is closing on the 30-something Diamondbacks.

“There is a tremendous sense of satisfaction being here right now amongst all of you [reporters] who said if we had one bad injury we would fall off the table,” Schilling said.

The Cardinals have issues of their own. Mark McGwire hit 29 homers while struggling with a sore right knee this season, but he whiffed once every 2.5 at-bats while batting only .187.

No wonder La Russa’s lineup today has just one undecided--at first base. Either McGwire or Craig Paquette will get the nod.

“Mark’s not himself,” La Russa said. “But we all know what Mark is capable of doing. It’s going to be a tough call, but I think it’s a can’t-lose situation for a manager.”

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Teddy Greenstein is a staff writer for the Chicago Tribune .