Frank Gennario’s home illustrates love for Diamondbacks, 2001 World Series

This is the next in a series of stories from Cronkite News looking back at the Diamondbacks’ 2001 World Series win.

CHANDLER – Whether it was a regular season contest or postseason thriller, and no matter whether it was played at a stadium named Bank One Ballpark or Chase Field, the Arizona Diamondbacks have hosted fans at 2,220 home games over the course of their 29 seasons. 

Frank Gennario has attended all but six of them. 

Not one of those games has sniffed the magnitude and importance of the Game 7 Diamondbacks’ win over the three-time defending champion New York Yankees that closed out the 2001 World Series. 

When one walks through the front door of Gennario’s home, they are immediately greeted by the long-lasting legacy of that victory and series title. The very first room of his house is dedicated, floor to ceiling, to the Diamondbacks’ World Series championship over the Yankees – still the only trophy in Arizona’s ‘Big Four’ professional men’s sports history. 

“It meant a lot for the Valley, it really did. It put us on the map, and I think it put us on the map not only for baseball, but for the rest of the country,” Gennario said. “At the games, you had (New York City Mayor Rudy) Giuliani there and (Arizona Senator John) McCain, the top dogs for each of those states at that point. It was important; it was big for us.”

The “World Series room,” as Gennario calls it, proves how important it has been for him to permanently commemorate the victory. Smack dab in the middle of the room is a Diamondbacks-themed pool table. That’s about as generic as it gets for Gennario’s memorabilia collection. 

Lining all four walls around the table is everything a diehard Diamondbacks fan could imagine collecting from the 2001 World Series:

Front pages from newspapers around the country announcing the team as ‘World Champs’ take up one portion of wall space. 

An entire panel of padding from the outfield wall of Bank One Ballpark rests against another portion. A game-used base, still dirty with cleat marks, lies on the same cabinet that houses an autographed baseball from every Diamondbacks’ player, coach and umpire who took part in the series. The room is baseball collectors heaven, and would instantly teleport a lifelong fan back to the autumn of 2001. 

“His fandom is incredible,” Tony Gennario, Frank’s son, said of his father’s infatuation with Diamondbacks baseball. “It really is impressive to me how long he’s stuck through good years, bad years, that’s the real testament of a good fan. It doesn’t matter if we win 110 games or lose 110 games, he loves it all the same.”

Not only did 2001 provide the Diamondbacks their first and only championship, it was also the origin story of a special familial relationship between the Gennarios.

“For me, the coolest thing about baseball is that you have three hours of uninterrupted time. I’m a family guy, and I would sit there with my son and my daughters, and I got to learn about their friends,” Frank Gennario said of his fondest ballpark memories. “I got to learn about their likes, their dislikes, school, everything. That’s how you build a relationship with these kids.”

When Tony Gennario became a teenager, he and his father made a pact to see their Diamondbacks play in every MLB stadium across the country. The World Series title had officially hooked them, fueling a lifetime of Diamondbacks memories. 

“The time we spent together going to all of these really cool cities and seeing the country, that, to me, is what I think of when I think of my dad and (my) relationship,” Tony said. 

Frank Gennario fell in love with baseball while growing up in New York City, attending Mets games on the regular. He credits his relationship with his own father as the reason he has dedicated his life to the sport. Frank was 16 when his dad passed away, and he decided right then and there what his mission in life was going to be. 

“I want my legacy in life to be baseball,” Frank, now 68, said while getting choked up. “When the Diamondbacks win the World Series in 2074, I want my granddaughter to say, ‘Hey, I remember when my grandpa took me to a game back in 2023.’ I want all of this to live on because baseball’s an incredible sport.”

After all of the years and seasons Frank spent instilling the love of the Diamondbacks in his son, Tony now gets to return the favor. Tony has worked for the team for over a decade, now as an assistant in the Chase Field clubhouse. He makes sure to give his father the behind-the-scenes scoop every chance he gets. 

“He can’t get enough of it. I’ll tell him a story that to me sounds mundane after being in it for 15 years, and it’s just the greatest thing he’s ever heard,” Tony said. “He loves it, and it’s really cool to see him light up when I tell a story.”

Funny enough, three of the six total home games Frank Gennario has missed were due to his son’s wedding. 

“You would think since he worked for the team he would have known there was a home series that weekend,” Frank said, joking as he stands in his son’s childhood bedroom – which has now been transformed into the “purple and teal” room. 

Frank’s collection goes far beyond the World Series shrine. Travel up his staircase and one will find two more rooms that don’t have space for a bed anymore. Each one is devoted to the two distinct color schemes the Diamondbacks have worn in their history: purple and teal and Sedona Red. 

The collection is vast and ever growing as he continues to attend every Diamondbacks game hosted at Chase Field, using his extra tickets to invite every grandkid and family member he can. 

A true family man, and a true superfan.

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