Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro detailed the multiple trade rumors and other mishandling of Upton in his piece here.

Piecoro makes several poignant observations in the piece. But the part that I have found to be the most relevant to me was his obvious emotional reaction to Upton’s situation. I’ve found myself in the same situation when talking about Upton.

He was boo’d, demeaned and blamed for the D-backs failures this season, which would have been okay for this season, since he is the best player on the D-backs and the face of the franchise, if he had also been lauded, celebrated and credited for the D-backs success in 2011.

He was far and away the best player on the team. He covered for many faults in the roster and made the hitters around him better players.

But there wasn’t much celebration. Guys like Ryan Roberts and Gerardo Parra were lifted up and were beloved by the fans instead of Upton. And while they were good players, they were also replaceable if needed. Upton was not.

Upton was hampered with injuries almost the entire 2012 season. But he wasn’t given a break. And he didn’t ask for a break. He kept his head to the grindstone and worked as hard as he could. He ignored Ken Kendrick calling him out for basically being “immature” and “soft.” He ignored the fans booing. He fought. He played hard. He did what he could to help the team while he worked through his injuries.

And when he was finally healthy?

In September, he hit .304 with a .362 OBP and had six home runs and five stolen bases in only 115 at bats. And it wasn’t just one month. After the All-Star break, Upton had a .287/.357/.460 slash line. That wasn’t quite his 2011 power numbers (.289/.369/.529) but his average and OBP were very similar.

The point is, he was rebounding. But it was too late. Or maybe not enough. The only thing it earned Upton was more trade rumors this offseason. That’s a shame. Like Piecoro says, maybe a change of scenery would be the best thing for Upton. But I sure hope not because when gets back to his 2011 form  (MVP Caliber), I sure hope it’s in Sedona Red.

Who knew I’d be rooting for Edwin Jackson again after his disappointing performance for the D-backs in his stint in Arizona? Image: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

I am betting that the Arizona Cardinals’ 4-0 start has distracted many Arizona fans from the disappointment of the D-backs’ season; but still, having a team, or individual players, to root for in the playoffs makes watching the playoffs sans the D-backs a tad more fun.

For me, I mostly root for NL teams once the D-backs are eliminated. I’m betting I’m not alone in that. So, who should D-backs fans root for out of the Giants, Reds, Cardinals, Nationals and Braves?

Obviously, the Giants are out. I mean, at least it’s not the Dodgers, but I can never bring myself to rooting for the Giants. I’d say the Cardinals are out. They won the series last year and I can’t imagine the hyperbole if they win again without Albert Pujols. So they’re out.

That leaves the Braves, Nationals and Reds. I could see rooting for the Braves. It is Chipper Jones’ swan song and it would be fun to see him make a run in his last year. But for me, I’ve also seen how the guy tweets (@RealCJ10), and I don’t want any of that in the World Series. Seriously, it’s like he has taken every single baseball cliché and smashed it into a single Twitter handle. I thought that was John Kruk’s job.

So that leaves the Reds and Nationals. I was having a hard time deciding between these two teams until I remembered Mat Latos pitched for the Reds. I  HATE that guy! Nats all the way! Okay, maybe that is purely personal feelings but I don’t care; because, if you DON’T hate that guy, you should!

Besides, the Nationals are just a fun story. They are built for a few years from now probably but their pitching is just way too good and it accelerated their time table. Yes, Stephen Strasburg is not pitching in the playoffs (how asinine is that?), but they still have Jordan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez and surprisingly effective Edwin Jackson.

It would just be fun to watch them make a run to the series. Especially if the Orioles provide the second-biggest shock of the season (besides them actually making the playoffs), and meet the Nationals in the World Series. Can you imagine the hysteria in that part of the country? That would just be too much fun to NOT root for it. So, hop on the Nationals bandwagon and get some of the NATitude. On second thought, don’t use the word NATitude. Please. Seriously, stop saying it!

Other guys to root for: Ryan Roberts with the Rays and Jarrod Parker and Ryan Clark of the A’s. Obviously, all three guys were Diamondbacks at one point and I would like to see all of them succeed in the postseason.

Image: Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE

My expectations, and many others’ expectations, were sky-high coming into this year for the D-backs. They took all of us on a wild ride last year that was some of the most fun I’d had in a long time. It was awesome.

This year was supposed to be better.

Ian Kennedy was going to be the ace he was all of last year, Daniel Hudson was supposed to improve, Trevor Cahill was supposed to be the stud he was in Oakland, Joe Saunders was supposed to be an innings-eater and Trevor Bauer and Tyler Skaggs were waiting in the wings to save the day if one of the pitchers faltered.

Justin Upton was supposed to continue his MVP pace, Ryan Roberts was supposed to hold down third base and Stephen Drew was supposed to return and solidify short stop.

All disappointed.

The D-backs even had surprises like Wade Miley, Patrick Corbin and Jason Kubel give them a boost. But it just wasn’t enough.

They have been flirting with .500 all season long. In fact, I should have figured it out long ago. The Dbacks were just a mediocre team who would stay in the race just long enough to make disappointment turn into agony. But those damn expectations kept me in it. It’s over now, though.

After the Dbacks went 5-5 against three of the worst teams in the league, it’s finally, mercifully, over. They are back to .500 for what feels like the three millionth time this season with a 64-64 record. They are 7 games behind in the division and 6.5 games behind in the wild card. With only 34 games to play, what would the D-backs have to do to make up that type of ground? Their best chance is most likely in the division because even though they are .5 games further behind, there are only two teams in front of them. In the wild card, three teams are ahead of them.

So, the Giants are 71-57. If they play .500 the rest of the way, that puts them at 88-74. The D-backs would have to go 24-10 in the next 34 to even TIE that record. It’s not happening.

So, say good-bye to a season that promised so much.

But there is always next year. And the flipside of the D-backs always disappointing me when I have high expectations is that when I have low expectations, they always surprise me.

So, World Series next year?