The fact that the Arizona Diamondbacks have clinched the National League West lands squarely on the broad shoulders of manager Kirk Gibson, the guy who (with a two-day growth of beard) looks like he could chew nails. But what we hear he's done is chew players' asses. That is, he won't accept mediocrity. And what he has done with a roster of (previous) no-names is nothing short of unbelievable. His players talk about clubhouse "tension" now that Gibby's in charge. But it's not by way of complaining. They know they're going to be held accountable, and they like it that way. Players know that they must work hard or else. The square-jawed Gibson commands respect, and you can see it on his face: He hates freakin' losing! Which is exactly what the Diamondbacks have needed all these years. In the past, they have been coddled by lightweight managers (Gibson's predecessor, A.J. Finch, comes to mind) who commanded little respect — hadn't been there/done that. Gibson was a star in the major leagues, a two-time World Series champion. He led the Detroit Tigers to their 1984 title, but he's best known for the homer he hit for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first game of the 1988 World Series, against the Oakland A's. You know, the one that literally is one of the greatest moments in sports history. When a hobbled-by-injuries Gibby dragged himself around the bases to the screams of everybody with a pulse in the City of Angels. We lived in L.A. at the time and saw people run out into the streets to hug strangers and dance on the roofs of cars in the middle of Sunset Boulevard. We want to see that kind of thing here, and we believe Gibson, the no-nonsense manager now, can make it happen.