Buck Showalter watched the Diamondbacks win a division title in just their second year of existence.

"That is probably the toughest conversation I've ever had with a club," Showalter says. "I think just knowing how much they cared and how much the heartache was, you know, you gather them together, you close the doors, and you talk to them from your heart, like we have all year long, but the true pain will subside and what is going to be left is a burning desire to come back and do it again and get it done."

Showalter also had high praise for Randy Johnson, who again struggled in the postseason.

"He has set such a high standard, if Randy doesn't go out there and strike out 12 to 15 guys and give up two hits, the question after the game is, 'what was wrong with Randy?' " says Showalter. "He was certainly so consistent for us, that is just the thing that jumped out at me, every time out there he gave us a chance to win."

The following is an edited transcript of Showalter's interview:

Miller: Is it tough to watch the Yankees since you were there last in 1995?

Showalter: No, I have a feeling of pride about it, because you realize that anybody that plays the game the way the Yankees do and are managed the way Joe Torre manages them, you've got to be proud the way people conduct themselves like that in baseball.

Miller: Is George Steinbrenner different than the one you knew?

Showalter: I probably think so. We all are as we get older, he and Jerry (Colangelo) have some likenesses, they both want to win and they both expect people to be accountable for the job they are doing, being asked to do. You know, Jerry has such great vision and such great feel for his people and is compassionate, but tough. He walks that line, but you always feel like you are working with him and not for him; and Mr. Steinbrenner does a lot of good things that somehow doesn't go noticed by a lot of people, but he gave me an opportunity to support my family for a long time. Now I am a Diamondback and I am very proud of that and I hope to finish my career there.

Miller: What did you tell the team after Todd Pratt's home run (which ended the National League Division Series against the Mets)?

Showalter: I tell you, Gary, that is probably the toughest conversation I've ever had with a club. I think just knowing how much they cared and how much the heartache was, you know, you gather them together, you close the doors, and you talk to them from your heart, like we have all year long, but the true pain will subside and what is going to be left is a burning desire to come back and do it again and get it done. You just want to tell them how proud you were of them and thank them for the ride. It was a heck of a ride that I was allowed to go on with them.

Miller: How often do you gather your team together for team meetings in the postseason?

Showalter: We play so many games, I had less team meetings this year than I have ever had. I think that is a real testament to our players and our leadership; there is no one guy, and they all walk the walk in a way we are real proud of. We meet together before every series and talk about the opposition, but we only meet once. I think if you start having a bunch of meetings, they will turn you off in a heartbeat. You have to respect that they know something about this game too and respect the fact that you trust them to be ready to play and be ready to handle the challenge that the other team may throw at them.

Miller: With the whole All-Century team interview with Jim Gray and Pete Rose, Joe Torre said he did not feel like talking to Jim Gray. What is your take on how the team reacts to something like that?

Showalter: I'm not sure if they saw Jim's apology before the game. I wonder if that would change anything, but at the same time, as long as if Jim was sincere about it, we all make mistakes. I am a believer in gathering all the facts before you make an evaluation of something, and I think there are a lot of facts that people are not aware of, and until we know them, how can we act like experts about it. I haven't seen the interview, but at the same time, what I've heard, it is unfortunate and upsetting that it got to that point, and I'm sure Jim felt like he was doing the right thing, and at the same time Joe Torre and his club felt like they were doing the right thing, and I respect both sides of that. How about that for sitting on the fence.

Miller: How much of that reflects this fraternity that is going on, how much of that attitude really goes with a team that is that unified?

Showalter: I think it doesn't mean that you are going to be a better club. I think guys need to be pulling in the same direction. I think the thing that bothers a lot of players, coaches, and managers, and your people in the front office, is the sarcasm and the pomposity of acting like you have walked in the players' shoes or coaches' or managers' shoes and have had the challenges they have had. Until you have been in a dugout as a player, manager, coach, or even an umpire, to evaluate what challenges they've had and how tough their job is, I think that bothers a lot of people and makes it tough. But it is part of the job description, and thank goodness somebody cares enough to write about us or talk about us or otherwise we wouldn't be doing this.

Miller: I think that managers and players sometimes forget that there are 60,000 people watching this and they may have a different perspective.

Showalter: Right, and someone that is going to come in and evaluate the game, fans pick up the paper or listen to a broadcast and they know what the score was, they want to know what happened in that person's eyes. It is a challenge to keep straight and narrow with competing every day, but you have to trust your players, you got some of the people that we had in our clubhouse this year, it makes the job of managing a lot easier, makes it real easy.

Miller: How do you explain the postseason woes of Randy Johnson?

Showalter: Well, he has set such a high standard, if Randy doesn't go out there and strike out 12 to 15 guys and give up two hits, the question after the game is, "what was wrong with Randy?" He was certainly so consistent for us, that is just the thing that jumped out at me, every time out there he gave us a chance to win. I think he is at the top of his game right now. I think he has come to grips with what he has to do to be successful. He will go out there on any given night and not have his best stuff and he will pitch even more. He did so much for us to get to that point, he certainly should be given a margin for error. You have to give the Mets a little credit too, they are a pretty good club, and there are a lot of good pitchers in he postseason. I kind of chuckle when I hear people get on Roger Clemens about postseason numbers. I mean what comes first, if you don't have the good numbers, you don't get to postseason, so it is another case of people who haven't, until you have been in the locker room and gone through a long season like guys like Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens and Todd Stottlemyre, the heart and desire and the way they go about things, are nothing short of remarkable.