http://tinyurl.com/2svpfs Dan Bickley The Arizona Republic Sept. 28, 2007 10:30 PM DENVER - As champagne bottles erupted inside the visitors clubhouse, the starting right fielder had to abstain from all forms of guzzling. Justin Upton, 20, is not old enough to drink. And you can find no better metaphor for the precocious, playoff-bound Diamondbacks. "It's pretty phenomenal when you think about who our team is," said Ken Kendrick, managing general partner. Yes, one of the worst hitting teams in the National League became the first team in the league to reach the playoffs. While the Defiant Diamondbacks are not in the same team picture as, say, the Miracle on Ice or the Amazin' Mets, this is phenomenal stuff. And the triumph was so unexpected and dazzling that their manager, Bob Melvin, emerged from his office holding a bottle of bubbly, still unsure of his team's footing. "We're in, right?" he asked General Manager Josh Byrnes, even though a party was raging in the background. "It would've been pretty embarrassing if we weren't," Melvin later said. One can surely understand his confusion. It seemed like only a few hours ago that, on a soggy morning in Pittsburgh, the Diamondbacks were circling the drain for the umpteenth time this season. Then a brilliant move by Melvin and a herculean effort from Micah Owings (pitching on two hours notice) plugged the leak, allowing Brandon Webb to tackle the hottest team in baseball. And then, in the span of 10 minutes, the Mets lost in New York, Jose Valverde danced out of trouble and the first quest was magically over. "You look up and down our roster, and you probably wonder how and why," Melvin said. "But if you if see these guys play every single day, you know why." Shamefully, the celebration was marred by a little gamesmanship. Apparently not wanting the Diamondbacks to celebrate on their field, the home team never posted the Mets' loss on the outfield scoreboard, even though the game was 10 minutes old. That added to both the confusion and the combustion inside the locker room. But I've witnessed many champagne celebrations in my time. None was as innocent and ebullient as this one, primarily because of the Diamondbacks' youth, their obvious flaws, their tenuous position and their undeniable spirit. "We believed what everyone else didn't," Conor Jackson said. "We had faith up until the very end." So they chanted, "Web-by! Web-by! Web-by," in honor of their ace. They tossed buckets of ice and sprayed every beverage that could be found. And in mid-celebration, Livan Hernandez called a team summit and reminded them that they were still 12 wins from a championship. (Note: Do not let Hernandez balance your checkbook. The first round is still best of five, meaning the Diamondbacks only need 11). Think that's funny? Just wait until they find out that it was Byung-Hyun Kim who beat the Mets on Friday, meaning he actually did something positive for all that money the Diamondbacks paid him. "It doesn't get any better than this," a weepy-eyed Tony Clark said. Then he paused. "Well, actually it can get a little better," he said. True, the Diamondbacks still have a division to win and some playoff games ahead, but they're playing with house money now. They don't have to worry about pressure or expectations or the label of worst playoff team ever. That honor belongs to the 2005 Padres, who finished 82-80 and were swept out of the playoffs. "I keep hearing about how bad we are on paper," Eric Byrnes said. "But nothing fazes this team. And we're just getting started." Can't wait for the next surprise. --

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