Despite being outscored over the season, the Diamondbacks posted the best record in the NL with 90 wins and 72 losses.

Despite the acquisitions, the team failed to improve and finished with a record of 82 – 80, in second place behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Despite his ill health, Haley began compiling notes for possible use as a basis for either a biographical film based on his life, or a published autobiography ( accounts differ ), and there were plans for him to record an album in Memphis, Tennessee, when the brain tumor began affecting his behavior and he went back to his home in Harlingen, Texas, where he died early in the morning of February 9, 1981.

Despite being well out of playoff contention the Cubs went 24 – 13 under Quade, the best record in baseball during that 37 game stretch and was hired as manager on October 19.

Despite the club's poor record, several Rockies hitters gained notoriety for their exploits at the plate, assisted by the thin and dry air of Denver, which purportedly allows balls to carry farther than they would at sea-level ballparks.

Despite entering December with a record of 8 – 3, Dallas lost its slim grip on 1st place in the division with losses to the New York Giants and San Diego.

Despite his by now well established superstardom, Bowie, in the words of biographer Christopher Sandford, " for all his record sales ( over a million copies of Ziggy Stardust alone ), existed essentially on loose change.

Despite ceasing to record new material between 2002 and ( most of ) 2005, Brooks continued to chart with previously recorded material, including a top 30 placing for " Why Ain't I Running " in 2003.

Despite the early predictions for success, the Astros had a mediocre 44 – 44 record at the All-Star break.

Despite a fallout from record sales, Brown enjoyed something of a resurgence in this period starting with cameo roles in the feature films The Blues Brothers, Doctor Detroit and Rocky IV, as well as guest starring in the Miami Vice episode " Missing Hours " ( 1988 ).

Despite the good news off the field, and winning four out of five games to start the season, the Wizards just missed out on a playoff berth with a loss to the New York Red Bulls on the final day, finishing with a 10 – 14 – 8 record.

Despite his new record deal, he had a falling out with The Beast Crew when he signed over fellow member Champtown ( the two have become friends again since ).

Despite an AL-worst 63-99 record, the team drew over three million fans for the second consecutive year.

Despite the team's 2-14 record, they sold out six of their eight home games in 2006.

Despite finishing with a 6 – 10 record in the 2005 – 2006 season, the Eagles ranked second in the NFL in merchandise sales, and single-game tickets for the next season were sold out minutes after phone and Internet lines opened.

" Despite the difficulties in recording the album, Crow told the BBC in 2005 that: " My favorite single is ' My Favorite Mistake ,' it was a lot of fun to record and it's still a lot of fun to play.

Despite questions lingering about the team's struggling offense, the team compiled a 49 – 39 record by the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, good enough for second place in the NL West.

Despite self-confessed lack of vocal talent, he released horror-themed singles during the early to mid -' 60s, the most popular " Jack the Ripper ", covered live and on record by garage rock bands including the White Stripes, the Gruesomes, the Black Lips and the Horrors for their debut LP.

Despite the album's record sales it wasn't able to top the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 2.

Despite this, they still finished the 1973 season giving up fewer points ( 150 ) than in 1972, and recorded a 12-2 record, including their opening game victory over the San Francisco 49ers that tied an NFL record with 18 consecutive wins.

Despite their defensive flaws, the Dolphins ' powerful offense led the NFL in scoring ( 513 points ) and total yards gained ( 7, 064 ), and helped the team reach an AFC best 14-2 regular season record.

Despite their defensive problems, the Bills finished the season with an AFC best 13-3 regular season record.

Despite poor record sales ( due to the elongated period of inactivity by the band ) the album is favored by critics and fans alike.

Despite the disappointing reaction to Y Kant Tori Read, Amos still had to comply with her six-record contract with Atlantic Records, who in 1989 wanted a new record by March 1990.

Despite Frankish advances in the years that followed, Alaric was not afraid to take the military initiative when it presented itself.

Despite this, some towns, like Alcácer do Sal in 1217, were conquered from the Moors by the private initiative of noblemen.

Despite this modest initiative, the financial results were excellent, as it stimulated an increase of foreign trade volume among its members from 3. 5 to 8. 2 billion US dollars between 1959 and 1967.

Despite such voyages ceasing with his death in 1817, his private initiative served to arouse public interest.

Despite the hostility of the mainstream official press and intimidation by Soviet Estonian authorities, dozens of local citizens ' committees were elected by popular initiative all over the country.

Despite the objections of his subordinates, Hooker withdrew his men to the defensive lines around Chancellorsville, ceding the initiative to Lee.

Despite this noticeable executive action, Chamberlain was mistrustful of central authority and bureaucracy, preferring to give local communities the responsibility to act on their own initiative.

Despite the fact that he supported Sadat's peace initiative, King Hussein refused to take part in the peace talks ; Begin offered Jordan little to gain and Hussein also feared he would isolate Jordan from the Arab world and provoke Syria and the PLO if he engaged in the peace talks as well.

Despite extensive restrictions, limitations, and hardships, Decembrists believed that they could improve their situation through personal initiative.

Despite large reductions in Soviet conventional forces since 1956, the construction of the Berlin Wall, made under initiative of the East German authorities, created a source of tension with the West.

Despite a restructuring initiative introduced in 2006 the turnaround could not be achieved in 2007 or in the first half of 2008 leading to the winding up of proceedings.

Despite his irresponsibility and highly destructive urges, Hammer always ends up getting his man ( or woman ), often through sheer luck, brute force, the initiative of his partner, or some times a flash of brilliance.

Despite having the initiative, the 6th Army failed to obtain a quick victory.

Despite forming one of the two legislative chambers of the Union, it has weaker powers than the Council in some limited areas, and does not have legislative initiative.

Despite having condemned this legislation as unworkable after an anti-grizzly bear hunting initiative by her husband, proponent Paul George failed to gather and submit sufficient signatures, Carr threw the energies into this campaign which, although it too failed to gather sufficient signatures in all but four ridings, The nearly 100, 000 signatures gathered created the largest voting reform organization in the province and increased awareness and support amongst Greens and non-Greens alike for electoral reform.

Despite 12, 000 Nordhorners ’ protest signatures gathered by the Pro Grafschaft initiative, the project was endorsed by a majority of the local politicians and in the end put into action.

Despite the support of over half of the Members of the United Nations, a number of major international powers have expressed opposition to the initiative, including India, China, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Despite these accusations and perceptions, all official PSI documentation and press releases state that PSI does not target any particular state, and that individual nations within the initiative are able to make self-determinations on what shipments are targeted.

Despite the initiative of starting a new trade union international in direct competition with the previously existing Amsterdam international, the Profintern in its initial phase continued to insist that its strategy was not to " snatch out of the unions the best and most conscious workers ," but rather to remain in the existing unions in order to " revolutionize " them.

Despite legislation that capped Chicago charters at 30, former CPS schools chief Arne Duncan and Mayor Daley allowed many new charter schools to open under the auspices of a single charter within the Renaissance 2010 initiative.

Despite a super majority Republican Legislature that opposed virtually every executive initiative, the Gutierrez-Bordallo administration was successful in guiding the island through the rough waters of economic downturns throughout the region.