The Arizona Diamondbacks were stunned on Opening Day when their $206.5 million ace in Zack Greinke was shelled by the Colorado Rockies in the team's 10-5 loss. Manager Chip Hale wasn't too thrilled about the media attention his team has been getting this offseason.
The hype surrounding the Diamondbacks was pretty hefty considering they made a number of unexpected and monumental offseason moves. Signing Greinke was perhaps the most surprising occurrence of the entire offseason and their trade for Shelby Miller was also a shocker.
I'm not sure what Hale was expecting, but such activity by any MLB club is bound to garner a ton of media attention.
Dbacks manager Chip Hale didn't seem too pleased his team was receiving media attention. pic.twitter.com/IJYbHNqP7s
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) April 5, 2016
The D-Backs acquired two of the best pitchers in the National League last season, both of whom will start the team's first two games, and there's not supposed to be any anticipation? The club's main weakness in 2015 was their starting rotation, which ranked 23rd in the league (4.37 ERA), and hindered the team from doing better than their 79-83 record. Arizona finished with the eighth overall offense (second in NL) and 13th overall bullpen ERA (eighth in NL).
A manager expressing his displeasure with media attention doesn't give the team a good look. In fact, it makes the team appear weak and unable to handle pressure. Look at teams such as the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Cubs and others that are engulfed by the media on a daily basis, regardless of the moves they're making. All of those clubs made the playoffs last year and didn't let a bunch of reporters, cameramen or writers affect how they play, nor did they even bother commenting on how those individuals are supposed to do their jobs.
Hale isn't used to media attention having been a bench coach with the Oakland Athletics and now as manager of the Diamondbacks, but this is what happens when your team makes a considerable effort to contend. In fact, the media is how teams make money because information is dispersed to the fans, who then purchase tickets and buy merchandise. All those lucrative television deals that allow MLB clubs to spend ridiculous amounts of money? Yup, that's media too.
The media can hype up whatever they want. And if Hale and his team can't handle it, they can enjoy sitting on the couch during the playoffs for the fifth straight year.
