Two Columnists, One Championship, and Absolutely No Agreement on Anything
The Arizona Diamondbacks are the 1996 World Series champions, which means two things:
- Phoenix gets its parade.
- Jack Fairchild and Kate Prescott get to argue in print again.
We sat both of them down with the box scores, the coffee, and the emotional residue of five games of baseball, and let them discuss what really happened.
What followed was… exactly what you’d expect.
1. “What surprised you most about this series?”
JACK:
That Cincinnati didn’t punch back harder. I expected counterblows. I expected pushback. I expected late-inning rallies involving at least one improbable Matt Stairs moonshot and one Eric Davis moment that caused a building inspection.
Instead, Arizona made them look tired. And nobody makes Cincinnati look tired.
KATE:
You expected chaos. Arizona doesn’t play chaotic baseball. They play chess.
What surprised me? How quickly the Reds ran out of adjustments. When a team can’t force you out of your comfort zone, that’s usually the ballgame. Arizona never once had to change who they were. Cincinnati did — and it didn’t work.
2. “Which game was the turning point?”
KATE:
Game 1. Absolutely. Cincinnati had that game won. Arizona simply refused to accept the narrative. When you steal a win in the ninth inning of a World Series opener, you’re not just tying the game — you’re planting doubt in the opposition’s skull.
And once doubt sets in? Arizona is the last team you want to face.
JACK:
Game 3. Don’t get me wrong, Game 1 was huge, but Game 3 was the moment Cincinnati realized Arizona wasn’t going away. Youmans pitching seven shutout innings in Cincinnati? That’s a message written in capital letters.
Also, three first-inning home runs tends to do wonders for team morale.
3. “Let’s settle the rotation debate once and for all.”
JACK:
Fine. I’ll say it. Arizona’s pitching staff outperformed Cincinnati’s. Karl was brilliant, Youmans was a menace, and Sanders did everything he needed to do.
There. Clip this out and put it in a museum.
KATE:
Oh, trust me, I will.
Arizona’s rotation isn’t flashy, and that’s what makes them so dangerous. Karl doesn’t get rattled. Youmans doesn’t get predictable. Sanders doesn’t give in. Nieves fills the cracks. And then the bullpen comes in and takes the steering wheel away entirely.
Cincinnati came in with star power. Arizona came in with structure.
Structure wins championships.
JACK:
Okay, okay. No need to gloat.
KATE:
Oh, but I plan to.
4. “Talk to me about Rondell White.”
KATE:
Rondell White played three games in this series and stole the entire baseball world’s attention. That Game 5 performance was the stuff of postseason mythmaking. Two home runs, three RBI, three runs — in a clincher.
It was emphatic. It was theatrical. It was deserved.
JACK:
I’m convinced he had a personal vendetta against fastballs that night. The Reds threw them, and he sent them into orbit. And look — I love dramatic irony in sports. Cincinnati fights through Kansas City, sweeps St. Louis… and gets erased by a guy who wasn’t even in every lineup card?
That’s baseball. That’s why we watch.
5. “Did the better team win?”
JACK:
Yes. Fine. Yes. Arizona played better baseball, won the big innings, and kept their foot on the gas. There. Happy?
KATE:
Overjoyed.
But truly — Arizona didn’t just win. They controlled the series. They dictated tempo, neutralized power innings, and handled late-game pressure like a team reading from their own script. The better team won, because the better team knew exactly who they were.
JACK:
And the better team also ruined my prediction, which I will never forgive them for.
KATE:
I will treasure that forever.
6. “So what does this mean for next season?”
KATE:
Arizona becomes the hunted. Karl looks like a perennial ace now. DeShields is still a nightmare for pitchers. And if Rondell White plays next April like he played in Game 5? Good luck to the rest of the league.
JACK:
Meanwhile, Cincinnati’s arc isn’t done. You don’t go through Royals and Cardinals wars then disappear. They’ll be back. Probably loud. Probably angry. Probably swinging at everything in sight.
And if we’re lucky? We’ll get a rematch.
KATE:
Only if you predict against Arizona again.
JACK:
Can’t rule it out.
Final Word
Arizona didn’t win the World Series by accident or momentum.
They won because they understood themselves better than any team in baseball.
Cincinnati was great.
Arizona was complete.
And in October, completeness wins.