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Hinch - definitely not 'gunslinger' types - were summarily fired. Once the D-Backs' pathetic 2010 season concluded, GM Josh Byrnes and manager A.J.

#DIAMONDBACKS SHORTSTOP SERIES#

(Ironically, the only other time San Diego was in the Series was in 1984, when Gibson's Detroit Tigers beat them.) Now, here's an interesting twist: Towers came to Arizona after he was fired by Padres CEO Jeff Moorad, who disparagingly called him a 'gunslinger.' (Towers does favor cowboy boots.) Moorad headed the Diamondbacks before he bought the Padres in 2009. In his two decades with the Padres, his last 14 helming the front office, Padres teams appeared in one World Series - losing to the New York Yankees in 1998 - and won four division titles.

This year's team contended all season, after having finished at the bottom of the National League west in 2010. Now, instead of looking at years of dismal, last-place finishes, Arizona fans have reason for hope. The former San Diego Padres GM, who finished his first regular season with the Diamondbacks, has put people in place - manager Kirk Gibson, along with clubhouse leaders like veteran pitcher Joe Saunders - who have turned things around for the franchise. There was a different vibe in the Arizona Diamondbacks' clubhouse this season, and it's because of new GM Kevin Towers. His nickname among teammates and fans: 'Tatman,' natch. The tattoos we know about don't seem to symbolize anything fearsome, but all that ink must scare opposing pitchers to death. A family man all the way, guardian angels representing his grandparents adorn his shoulders, and the elaborate aforementioned neck tat signifies 'family' in Chinese characters. In what must have been either a nightmare or a religious experience for his mother, he got his first tattoo when he was 18: a cross with a crown of thorns. He says his 'only the strong survive' tattoo has kept him plugging away at the game he loves, even after limited playing time and a demotion to the minors in previous seasons.

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It's said he's running out of skin for tattoos, and in preparation for a possible career as a tattoo artist when he's done with big-league baseball, he's even personally put two on himself: imprints of his young daughter's feet on the tops of his own.

His arms and hands are sleeved with them. He has at least 30, including one that crawls up the left side of his neck. Many big leaguers hide their tats beneath long-sleeve T-shirts, but not Roberts. But what we want to talk about here are the 30-year-old's tattoos. Finally a starter at third base this season (he's adept at all infield and outfield positions), he hit 13 home runs and batted a respectable.

His manager, Kirk Gibson, calls him a 'gamer,' which, coming from the ultimate gamer, is a huge compliment. Ryan Roberts is a hustler who makes his teammates better. Drew may not have ever turned backflips, like the Wizard of Oz (Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith) once did, but he is a magical glove man. The impossible grabs he made this year, saving the D-Backs runs and ensuring wins, truly were phenomenal. 312 lifetime average, but consider this: Jeter has averaged 13 errors over 17 seasons and Drew has averaged 11 over six. Jeter, in the 3,000-hit club, surpasses Drew with a. He's up there with New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter as a defensive shortstop. Drew, from Valdosta, Georgia, isn't the best shortstop in the major leagues - that would be Hanley Ramirez of the Florida Marlins - but he's in the top 10, especially when it comes to fielding. But where he has been hugely missed by the Arizona Diamondbacks is in the field. For Babe Ruth's sake, manager Kirk Gibson had him batting cleanup some of the time. He's slammed 70 home runs in six seasons (including the shortened season in 2006, when he came up from the minors, and this year) - 21 in 2008, 15 in 2010. 270 batting average, and a guy who can hit for power. Drew's a good hitter for his position, with a lifetime. Stephen Drew went out for the season with a gruesome broken ankle (his toes were pointed backward) after sliding into home plate in a July 20 game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Diamondbacks shortstop