I do not classify myself as a baseball fan. I grew up in Indiana, where basketball is far more popular than baseball. Any chances of me becoming a bonified baseball fan evaporated when I was in college in the late '90s and watched the baseball strike unfold.

I moved to Arizona in 1999, one year after the Arizona Diamondbacks started playing in the MLB as an expansion team. As a junior high teacher, I had an opportunity to warm up to baseball again through the school program "Kids Going Gonzo for School," sponsored by popular MLB star Luis Gonzales (Gonzo). The program rewarded kids for good behavior, culminating in a trip to watch a Diamondbacks game, run the bases, and meet Luis and other players. It was a fun experience for the teachers as well, and I started paying more attention to the Diamondbacks.

A short two years later, in 2001, I attended my first major league baseball games at what was then called the "BOB," aka Bank One Ballpark, now Chase Field. The Diamondbacks slithered their way all the way to the World Series on the backs of star players, including the one-two punch of hall-of-fame pitchers Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. They faced the venerable New York Yankees, deemed as "America's team" after the tragedy of 9/11. Even non-baseball fans like myself were caught up in the frenzy. In an unexpected and thrilling series, the Diamondbacks managed to topple the Yankees, with the final series-winning play achieved by none other than Luis Gonzales. My favorite part of this event was that the Yankees were supposedly ordained to win ostensibly because of the events of September 11, and the Diamondbacks completely spoiled it. The excitement of the win quickly waned for me, and I regressed into my non-interest in baseball.

Fast forward to this year when the Diamondbacks entered a longshot bid with a wildcard to sneak into the playoffs. I'm not going to pretend to know all the specifics. I just know that last night I watched the underdogs, who were down two games to the Phillies, win the second of two back-to-back games on the road to win the NLCS Championship and clinch a berth in the World Series against the Texas Rangers. The Phillies have nothing left to do but have some cheesesteaks while pondering how it all got away from them.

I'm sure there are plenty of baseball fans who have been watching the Diamondbacks since they started in 1998 or after the World Series win in 2001. I'm happy for those fans who may once again have the ultimate payoff. I'll watch the World Series. Some may call me a fair-weather fan, but I maintain that I am not a baseball fan. I just have a better understanding of how communal energy works, and everyone is happier when the home team wins.