tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-343080812024-03-13T15:35:10.721-04:00: : Sparks of Dementia :: Demented About BaseballWhere I write on anything of interest to baseball, especially my beloved Colorado Rockies. There are lots of other teams if you go back looking, but this is pro-black-and-purple. Pardon me if real life creeps in occasionally, as, although it is a surprise to me as well, I do have one.... <a href="http://www.facebook.com/p/Hilary_Rhodes/28601978">Facebook me!</a> Also check out my football blog: <a href="http://www.ganggridiron.blogspot.com">Gang Gridiron.</a>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.comBlogger177125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-75563276297004061332008-07-20T19:20:00.003-04:002008-07-20T21:31:20.860-04:00Photo Day Redux<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">As with last year, we went to Photo Day again this year, and while it was again very fun, the presence of all the bandwagoners who hopped on after 21 Days meant that there were a lot more people there and we had a lot less time for actual conversations -- just chitchat. Also unlike last year, there was a definite sense of urgency for the players to get through all the crowds, instead of ambling along and taking their time like they were on June 2, 2007. But July 19, 2008 wasn't at all bad. We got photos of one or more of us with 15 of the guys, hitting up everyone we wanted and then some. Unfortunately, Greg Reynolds got demoted to AAA and Tulo was off on his most recent rehab assignment (enough with the injuries, bucko....) otherwise we would have gotten them too. But we DID get Atkins, Baker, Barmes, Buchholz, Cook, Corpas, Hawpe, Helton, Holliday, Iannetta, Jimenez, Smith, Spilborghs, Stewart, and Quintanilla, which I think you'll agree is not a bad haul. Also, as they did last year, the <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> won the actual game 7-1, thanks to two RBIs each from Atkins and Quintanilla, along with sundry contributions from Torrealba (!) Hawpe, and Stewart. Not to be forgotten was Scott Podsednik's 4-for-5, 3-double night, which of course failed to win him another start today. It didn't matter, as the <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> shockingly won 11-3 to finish off the four-game sweep of the Pirates. Winning at home has never been a problem for them, as they improved to 29-21 at Coors, but the road is still their Achilles heel. I'll believe that they can contend in the mild, mild West (still a possibility due to it turning back into the Worst) once they win more than one game on the road.<br /><br />Anyway, about the pics. Various amusing commentary encapsulated beneath.</p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLGfCY-e59aH-L-tWIy8Ecw5YKZ5u6096LaTpIpdjdFNfDLej0bzn33Mp3iZhM9HZWh8FsPB4lrJlFxgdoLkiUyuUk5h4OFc7I6PjgRDCmOWlEmsK0KMlybplWu4BByvXR70zeA/s1600-h/garrettandh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLGfCY-e59aH-L-tWIy8Ecw5YKZ5u6096LaTpIpdjdFNfDLej0bzn33Mp3iZhM9HZWh8FsPB4lrJlFxgdoLkiUyuUk5h4OFc7I6PjgRDCmOWlEmsK0KMlybplWu4BByvXR70zeA/s320/garrettandh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225265018612914738" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Me and Atkins. We didn't have much time to chat with Atkins, since he had to move along and is generally not the world's most talkative guy as is. But he did say, "No problem," when I told him thanks. Also, something that strikes me every year is that Atkins is a very large fellow. No seriously, he is.</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QlmARt24bR1t-im_GqTaVkL4k0k414QZxPeEltq0iqvNe9DDohbqFwapXlVz8-D8sSeboovVnoMdyTEWZ8BWB70DsOo7eWnHOEe5KxN92A4S55caMZRhvpmWKpGkr4-7tgc0Hg/s1600-h/gillianheadcutoff.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QlmARt24bR1t-im_GqTaVkL4k0k414QZxPeEltq0iqvNe9DDohbqFwapXlVz8-D8sSeboovVnoMdyTEWZ8BWB70DsOo7eWnHOEe5KxN92A4S55caMZRhvpmWKpGkr4-7tgc0Hg/s320/gillianheadcutoff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225265415731602082" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">That is technically my sister Gillian, Bake, and me, but thanks to my older sister's camera-challenged ways, Gillian got her head cut off. She is absolutely clucking about this, since she loves Bake and really wanted this picture to turn out well. I am starting to see her point. He is the world's nicest guy. He ambled up to us, went, "Hey guys, what's up?" and promptly put his arms around both of us. I put my arm around him too. Hey, he liked it. He gave us a big grin afterwards. Too bad we didn't get to chat with him the way we did last year, but at least he didn't ground into three double plays the way he did last year.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><br /></p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuD1xFtj4Sb3L3Yq_tLqayJHYWRy_EDBbe4vgXWDDOl9AknX9Zj41FwS2x5vTzV1Dm5WguMT7S9FcAesm1yRy71Ufjz31C7R-mHKyakB7JuXYg1w-0EhuOrheVcmxpKXArOcYU0w/s1600-h/clintandthem.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuD1xFtj4Sb3L3Yq_tLqayJHYWRy_EDBbe4vgXWDDOl9AknX9Zj41FwS2x5vTzV1Dm5WguMT7S9FcAesm1yRy71Ufjz31C7R-mHKyakB7JuXYg1w-0EhuOrheVcmxpKXArOcYU0w/s320/clintandthem.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225265983274956802" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">My sister Darcy and I with Barmes. You can't exactly see his face, thanks to the shadows, but it's actually him, not Yorvit in a mask. (Yorvit was kinda tagging along on Iannetta's coattails, doing the double-catcher picture thing. We only got Chris, not Yorvit).</p> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMnf1Pb1TYE7nUkvz0rU759oQbxPj8ksyPXTfERIYOMhyQk_oL4SzpjPc3uHwQOPbbRzH63mnWpYVR9b_gnAU4QYRmBCnEYcme0iCO1gXZCP3rlbBed0zYiUXBb8bdr_gGyEm8A/s1600-h/buckyandus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMnf1Pb1TYE7nUkvz0rU759oQbxPj8ksyPXTfERIYOMhyQk_oL4SzpjPc3uHwQOPbbRzH63mnWpYVR9b_gnAU4QYRmBCnEYcme0iCO1gXZCP3rlbBed0zYiUXBb8bdr_gGyEm8A/s320/buckyandus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225266401906055106" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Gillian, Bucky, and me. Bucky is so cute. I told him, "You're doing very well this year," (1.79 ERA, I think so) and Bucky, looking genuinely surprised and pleased, answered, "Oh! Thank you! Thank you so much!" as if it hadn't ever occurred to him. We were doing the typical sister-banter thing in front of him, which was making him laugh, and Gillian said, "Can you tell we're sisters?" Bucky just grinned and shrugged. Cute little lemur that he is.</p> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhhMtauybkvKhU5oQ4d693Wb0CKZS6jet3UQ6gyNdheawJidZJkDSGS4Aft0CpOUbYkS_qV1MLyRvsBgCfs46F8DmYZRYY5gbXvQuhYXEOM_qA0oqfEErMuLWenQKC7vBWXaycg/s1600-h/cookieandus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhhMtauybkvKhU5oQ4d693Wb0CKZS6jet3UQ6gyNdheawJidZJkDSGS4Aft0CpOUbYkS_qV1MLyRvsBgCfs46F8DmYZRYY5gbXvQuhYXEOM_qA0oqfEErMuLWenQKC7vBWXaycg/s320/cookieandus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225266868058075346" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Gillian, Cookie, and me. Cookie's mouth is open because he was probably in the middle of making smart remarks about our shoes. It was crowded all day, so getting near the guys required a lot of finesse maneuvering, and as we squeezed in for our turn to take a pic with Cook, he looked at our flip-flop-shod feet and remarked, "You know, if you wore real shoes, you wouldn't have to worry about people stepping on your feet." I shrugged. "Oh well, it's hot." (Must have been at least 100 in the sun). "I know," Cookie responded with a grin. Another very friendly and nice guy, although we again didn't have time to talk with him the way I did last year.</p> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2QldQg8L261dZ0V9JFDwjHW3bV1f33vjS7gRi22t_WrS9v8ccCC5_z0IQKxRp0_xl6gU4XOFwZAy0FRm65idWZxgSsWmyowZ-gzruZA1uXe6PNJ0ipycMpIDZmeqM3k9-FB7Kw/s1600-h/bradandus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2QldQg8L261dZ0V9JFDwjHW3bV1f33vjS7gRi22t_WrS9v8ccCC5_z0IQKxRp0_xl6gU4XOFwZAy0FRm65idWZxgSsWmyowZ-gzruZA1uXe6PNJ0ipycMpIDZmeqM3k9-FB7Kw/s320/bradandus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225267540692559042" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Gillian, Brad, Darcy, and me. I think this is a cute picture, and Brad himself is of course as adorable as ever. The lady behind me with the water bottle was prowling around looking for people who might be stepping on the grass.</p> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdii5PPR28-IpKZPsYp4gPEjhN9EgZG2P8LswwqR1_dopBPhSuSAts2JEuv03fA_XeZGxRc1IJWpDYmOXQ_LAKHi5LpeYfzwwBk9iQRjK85oxu5ztALXoP46CyAI4A98ilJYREKA/s1600-h/toddandus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdii5PPR28-IpKZPsYp4gPEjhN9EgZG2P8LswwqR1_dopBPhSuSAts2JEuv03fA_XeZGxRc1IJWpDYmOXQ_LAKHi5LpeYfzwwBk9iQRjK85oxu5ztALXoP46CyAI4A98ilJYREKA/s320/toddandus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225267855372123490" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">This year's Todd shot! I love Todd. I brought <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMcuyb3swInn6MirHRNqZpKcY7vmJ8N2-EdY7giEKUVveRM5ltFlmdETToOP0xPKVbzbahK8x0QUyO3Zq7kQQG9ASVXfsmKd4e9gaB9T_tafdq30aRLnwIsuBT8JDG-dHyYfSeQ/s1600-h/IMG002.JPG">this picture</a> from last year to show him, and he looked at it and said, "Oh, awesome!" Then, of course, we needed this year's version of the Toddhug, which we got.</p> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLcVtS5WUjiuIYS0TKeRffA7Wqpi_pvIldgukPzW2Yas-fk12DrB55lTirGLgRVXm2z_2Ez8bYrgblOvbjz9bskoFMQGdDPbfhuzt3a3xRyEoA_UBRRcdB67yIGTwbhC9Jvy8pg/s1600-h/mattandus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLcVtS5WUjiuIYS0TKeRffA7Wqpi_pvIldgukPzW2Yas-fk12DrB55lTirGLgRVXm2z_2Ez8bYrgblOvbjz9bskoFMQGdDPbfhuzt3a3xRyEoA_UBRRcdB67yIGTwbhC9Jvy8pg/s320/mattandus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225268391418595458" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Me, Matt, Darcy, and Gillian. Notice two things: 1) That Matt is resting his Gatorade bottle on my shoulder, and 2) The baby just beyond Gillian's shoulder. Once we had gotten our Matt pic, her dad handed her to Matt for a shot, and Matt held her gingerly in both enormous hands, making a funny face as if afraid he would drop her or she would start crying. It was amusing. Since there was such a big bottleneck around Matt, I don't think he moved the entire time.</p> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4osrBxgW6j12XTS55GPWguA56kG3Cb86GNoij02oAp9wWTcAZaZk-6biu6Z3GkXzAQh0QEmWUIqyMUg9Vx2Obqc9a2KsUiL0tLWxxMW_gowefM5Cp_Y0ZDpjaoHkaHZa4hGiKA/s1600-h/iannettaandthem.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4osrBxgW6j12XTS55GPWguA56kG3Cb86GNoij02oAp9wWTcAZaZk-6biu6Z3GkXzAQh0QEmWUIqyMUg9Vx2Obqc9a2KsUiL0tLWxxMW_gowefM5Cp_Y0ZDpjaoHkaHZa4hGiKA/s320/iannettaandthem.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225269424840313394" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Darcy, Iannetta, and I. Iannetta is, as always, very quiet and serious, methodically going along the line and applying his superior brain to the difficult task of Photo Day.</p> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZDsOBrvgHX4vT-nE87Inp2dY-xFpywTaY9Wi-xkjO0xkUh7XSbEJ70dWO0PqfpjvFqFrnpsy_8d7NSAQbuTNXHCreeyKYJ4uYb5DgqoNwbvu1p5q44xnYS_EaZylldzCtu2Oxg/s1600-h/uballandus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZDsOBrvgHX4vT-nE87Inp2dY-xFpywTaY9Wi-xkjO0xkUh7XSbEJ70dWO0PqfpjvFqFrnpsy_8d7NSAQbuTNXHCreeyKYJ4uYb5DgqoNwbvu1p5q44xnYS_EaZylldzCtu2Oxg/s320/uballandus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225269788683637298" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Someone scanned this picture crookedly. Gillian, U-ball, and me. No, Uball is not as scared of us as he looks. And no, my head is not on his shoulder.</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqag6neUsPrSYWWTQuxD0iqunHE1Sp7OsCeSba2Pam5ZnSDaDF6bM_N9fdShP2LpKHep0Bd10DbYgvlcT_CYZHW9moWAXCtjq8nFPjvfr2W4tcYKEOwkYl4rj7Pzunj1lQ1jdRAw/s1600-h/sethandh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqag6neUsPrSYWWTQuxD0iqunHE1Sp7OsCeSba2Pam5ZnSDaDF6bM_N9fdShP2LpKHep0Bd10DbYgvlcT_CYZHW9moWAXCtjq8nFPjvfr2W4tcYKEOwkYl4rj7Pzunj1lQ1jdRAw/s320/sethandh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225270099741382530" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Another very crookedly scanned photo, this one of me and last year's stretch-run hero Seth Smith. Who is looking kinda hot in that scruff.</p> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFZq3IsAz8MrlJKO44zbTZ4qTZSxwHi7wBnode8OJl_1So9xsDtmHotOigNqGpFPcsol7hT22P4ZFVqHYYj5JOnXGTkLmLQwmnJVklgM9RwqmhlLQ1D1G16wiiXJ9gUl5DyHbPQ/s1600-h/Spillyandus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFZq3IsAz8MrlJKO44zbTZ4qTZSxwHi7wBnode8OJl_1So9xsDtmHotOigNqGpFPcsol7hT22P4ZFVqHYYj5JOnXGTkLmLQwmnJVklgM9RwqmhlLQ1D1G16wiiXJ9gUl5DyHbPQ/s320/Spillyandus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225270407585577666" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Spilly! And us. Gillian was wearing her fringed/specially modified Everyday is a Holliday shirt, which she has cut up in strips, and Spilly took one look at it and said, "Hey, that's a cool shirt!" Since most people think this modification is odd, Gillian has taken it as one more indication that she and Ryan are soul mates. (I kid). I also got to tell him that I liked his tattoo. Spilly is the man and he needs to come back soon. I'm just happy that he was there.</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpJsUmIspqa9RtsBm0c5zldMr0XY8zLJmINh7fDRROUxqiJyzmmYB5pI-1y7wKktiuAYD-wOBDJwIi4gQw93G8Gd1CeVUd_DHAS2dMSVQKTakwfN6yfs9sssvNMv01OK498fIuQ/s1600-h/stewieandhilary.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpJsUmIspqa9RtsBm0c5zldMr0XY8zLJmINh7fDRROUxqiJyzmmYB5pI-1y7wKktiuAYD-wOBDJwIi4gQw93G8Gd1CeVUd_DHAS2dMSVQKTakwfN6yfs9sssvNMv01OK498fIuQ/s320/stewieandhilary.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225270839038698770" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Me and a camera-locating-challenged Stewie, who is looking the wrong way. Although he did kind of stare at me beforehand and then caress my neck during the photo (although not in a creepy way). So that was nice. He's not bad looking in person. Actually kind of cute. That is the case with most of them.<br /><br />That does it for my pics. There are others with my sisters in them, but above is a fairly nice sample of what we got. It was a fun game, we got to semi-hang out with them, and screw the crowds. Damn bandwagoners. We were there last year before it was cool to be a <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> fan. Mwah. Also, I’m glad that the <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> are still enough of a small-market team to be able to do cool things like this (although it was a little zooey). Can you imagine the Red Sox, Yankees, Cubs, or Mets (all of whom I hate virulently with the exception of the Mets) trying to do something like that? Eh, yeah. Pandemonium.</p> Kip Wells vs. Eric Stults tomorrow. This is probably not going to end well.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-81248001791274330982008-07-11T17:35:00.002-04:002008-07-11T19:39:30.264-04:00Fireworks and the Fourth II, Very Late<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Yes, I know the Fourth of July was a week ago, but at the rate I'm going, you should feel lucky that I even got around to it at all. Like last summer, I'm working close to full-time at Starbucks, worrying about whether I will ever get a raise (my last paycheck actually showed some improvement in my generally dire financial straits) and how in the hell I will ever afford Oxford this fall. I can't believe I'll be starting my junior year soon, and that I will be overseas for a year, but these are topics for another post, on my other blog. Click on my name if you're that curious.<br /><br />In any case, my sister and I again decided to go to the <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place>' July 4th fireworks game since we had so much fun last year. (<a href="http://sparksofdementia.blogspot.com/2007/07/fireworks-and-fourth-on-seventh.html">Click here</a> to have the full report from 2007's fiesta. I see that I was only three days late that year, not seven). We also decided to get the tickets where you can legitimately get on the field, since last year we heard from a helpful friend that sections 148-160 got to go down onto the actual field for the fireworks. Of course, we had tickets in section 146, so we had to pull off a little subterfuge to get it to work, and it did. Well, not so this year. We purchased a pair of heinously overpriced single tickets in the left-field bleachers, sections 151 and 153 respectively, but had little to no intention of actually adhering to these inconvenient arrangements. When we got to the stadium late on a very hot July afternoon, <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> hats and sunglasses doing their best to keep it out, we just decided that we'd keep moving around in the undoubtedly overcrowded bleachers until we found a pair of seats together. The <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> were playing the Marlins, instead of the Mets as they were last year, and the pitching matchup was Greg Reynolds vs. the felon, Scott Olsen. As mentioned, we made it to Reynolds' first win, but he does have a tendency to be... mercurial. (That tendency would show up indisputably in a few hours).<br /><br />I was wearing my Rockies NL Champs shirt, which, for a shirt with such good memories, has managed to serve as a lightning rod of bad luck for the purple-and-black poltroons. (Or maybe that's their own incompetence, not my clothing choices). I had decided to wear it since I didn't want to wear my Hawpe shirt again and my Atkins shirt needed to be washed, and clearly I was going to have to express my allegiances somehow aside from just my Tulo and Francis-autographed hat. (Not my <i>other </i><st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> hat, which is signed by Atkins, Cook, Hirsh, Carroll, and Iannetta, but another hat, which I took along to the Mets game on June 20. The <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> lost, but as mentioned, Tulo and Francis signed my hat and it was Tulo's first game back, so everyone gave him a huge cheer and the 'Tulo!' chant when he came up. He hit two weak ground balls, a liner right at David Wright, and got robbed of extra bases by Endy Chavez, who has a knack for doing that. Cook sucked. Jeff Baker hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the first and it went downhill from there -- the final score was 7-2 Mets. That was the second game I got to this season). But the third was the fireworks game, the Fourth, and I knew that I was taking chances by wearing such a jinxed piece of apparel. I decided that if the <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> lost, I wasn't wearing the Champs shirt again until the offseason, where it would probably cause Dan O'Dowd to trade Holliday for a package of Double-A pitching prospects.<br /><br />Gillian and I knocked around the stadium, said hello to our sister who works at the Diamond Dry Goods store, briefly reconnoitered with a fellow Purple Row poster and discussed chucking pieces of gum at George Frazier (who was sitting right above us doing the pregame show) then went into Section 151 and laid claim to one of the seats to which we were entitled. We sat there, enjoying the sunshine, until the game started. To which, I have to say, we did not enjoy very much. At least to start with.<br /><br />Greg Reynolds left a sinkerball over the middle of the plate on his very first pitch of the game, and Marlins leadoff hitter/shortstop Hanley Ramirez hit it approximately 400 feet for a quick 1-0 Fish lead. This, however, did not settle Reynolds down, and by the time the inning ended, the Rockies were already behind 5-0. Pre-emptively, I blamed the unlucky shirt. But what the hell, there were still eight innings to go and it was a nice night. Aside from Reynolds' inability to pitch.<br /><br />Fortunately, Scott Olsen wasted no time in proving that he wanted a bite of the fail pie, as doubles by Spilborghs and Barmes made it 5-1. Unfortunately, that was all the Rockies got in the bottom of the first, and by the time the top of the second was over, Reynolds had already been pulled with the Marlins' lead stretched to 7-1. But the Rockies weren't done scoring by a long shot. They added two runs in the bottom of the second when Spilly and Barmes struck back with a pair of RBI singles, and once they scored in the bottom of the third on a Baker RBI groundout, the lead had been cut to 7-4 and a comeback was starting to look manageable. Weirdly enough, however, when it was 7-1, I just had a funny feeling that it was someone else's turn to fail, and that maybe, maybe, no matter how improbable it sounded, we might win this one. I figured it would take a miracle. I was right, as it turned out later.<br /><br />The Marlins, it seemed, had other ideas. Aided by a giant helping of fail from Cedrick Bowers and Luis "Should Pay Carbon Points For Taking Up Space" Vizcaino, they piled on six runs in an agonizing top of the fourth to push the deficit all the way back to 13-4. Gillian and I groaned and wondered how we were ever going to sit through this in time to get to the fireworks at the end. In the meantime, we were still playing seat roulette, moving from place to place in the bleachers as those who originally had claim to the seats came back and booted us. At one point right about now, it is worth noting that the woman sitting behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Do you go to school in New York?" Surprised, I said, "Yes." She said, "Do you remember sitting next to me in Shea Stadium?" Even more surprised, I said, "Oh my God, I do!"<br /><br />In another of my baseball escapades which naturally failed to get blogged about, I went to four or five Mets games this April while I was finishing up my sophomore year. At one of them, which I think was April 16 against the Nationals, my friend Mary and I ended up sitting in the upper deck next to, I swear, the only other Rockies fan in the place. She said she was out from Denver for the weekend, and since she actually didn't know that much about baseball, I spent the entire game educating her on the finer points of the best sport in the world. It was one of those remarkable coincidences that make you think, "Wow, small world," when, three months and 1600 miles later, she happened to be sitting one row behind me in the left-field bleachers at Coors. At least until Gillian and I moved again.<br /><br />The Rockies, defying all our gloomy predictions that they were now certain to pack it in and try to speed through the rest of the game as fast as possible to at least get to the fireworks, instead showcased a remarkable resilience that hasn't exactly been their hallmark this season. After they inched to within 13-5 in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a monster concourse shot from Spilly, they exploded for four runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth. Holliday led off with a laser line drive of a homer, Atkins singled, Jeff Baker doubled, and after Hawpe and Tulo both grounded out, it was left up to Iannetta to deliver. Boy, did he ever. He hit one of the most mammoth homers I've ever seen in my life, another concourse shot, a three-run bomb that would have left Coors completely if the Toyota sign hadn't been in the way. This made it 13-9, the Marlins doing a marvelous job of squandering what had looked like a pretty ironclad lead. Gillian and I joked that the Fish were leaving in Olsen since they couldn't imagine the Rockies would actually clamber all the way back from a nine-run hole -- "He's not gonna give up thirteen runs, leave 'im out there!" (Imagine this said in stereotypical Bronx gangster accent with a lot of giggling. Hey, we had to amuse ourselves somehow).<br /><br />The Marlins were uncomfortable with this turn of events, especially after Spilly hit his second homer of the game in the bottom of the sixth to bring the Rockies just three runs shy. After Barmes hit another double, Atkins had a long at-bat, fouling off a lot of pitches before he unloaded on one into the left-field seats -- coincidentally, just a few rows shy of us after Gillian had asked him to hit it to us. It was now 13-12 (Olsen was by now out of the game, but his replacement, Tankersley, wasn't faring much better) and a comeback was looking very feasible. The Marlins, I imagine, scrambled around the dugout looking for the panic button.<br /><br />In any case, they decided that the best thing to do about it was to score more runs of their own. Jason "Gas Can" Grilli went badly to hell in the top of the seventh, as an intentional walk predictably backfired when Cody Ross lashed a bases-loaded single to score two and push the Fish advantage back to three again. (For the record, Cody Ross was an absolute monster for the series: 12-20, 15 RBI. Uh, if the Marlins want Yorvit, we'll take that guy. Spilly can start the road games and Ross can start at Coors). But that wasn't the extent of the damage, as although the Rockies managed to get two outs, old foe Luis Gonzalez tormented them again with another two-run single. By the time the top of the seventh was finally over, the Marlins' lead was 17-12 and the Rockies were really going to need to get the comeback mojo going.<br /><br />They did, astonishingly enough. Quintanilla led off the bottom of the seventh with a double, and Spilly was intentionally-unintentionally walked. (Tulo was pulled in a double switch, and, as we found out later, wasn't too happy about it. In fact, he slammed a bat, lacerated his hand, had to get stitches, and ended up on the DL again... idiot). After Barmes walked as well, the bases were loaded with no outs, Coors was really starting to get into it, and Holliday was at the plate. Gillian and I, along with everyone else, were making a LOT of noise. In fact, I was already starting to lose my voice in the seventh, but I didn't really care.<br /><br />Holliday went to a full count. I told him to do something good, since Coors was waiting for a chance to really explode, and boy, did he ever. He hit a rocket to center field that had the place going ape, he knew it was gone and punched his fists in the air as soon as he hit it, and he was right. 17-16, and the improbability continued. Atkins hit a single, but three straight strikeouts by Baker, Iannetta, and Hawpe ensured that the deficit stayed at one run. Neither team scored in the eighth (the first time all game that the Rockies hadn't scored at least one run in an inning) and after a nine-pitch inning by Bucky to get to the bottom of the ninth, the Marlins had completely exhausted their pen and had no chance but to put in Kevin Gregg, who had blown it the previous night (Spilly hit a two-run walkoff single in the bottom of the eleventh). All of Coors was on its feet and you had the sense it wasn't so much as <i>if </i>it was going to happen, but rather, <i>how </i>it was going to happen. Everyone was yelling, really keeping the energy level and the pressure up, and when Barmes started off the ninth by shooting a single into LF, you kinda felt it was actually going to happen. It was a pretty amazing feeling.<br /><br />Holliday hit a flare that dropped, and Atkins hit a rocket into center field to tie the game at 17. Everyone was really losing it, and it felt like I imagine some of the Rocktober games last year must have. (Grr at missing those, but this almost made it up). After Bake hit a ball that looked like it might be two, Ramirez dropped the throw at second and everyone was safe -- bases loaded, still no out, and Iannetta at the plate. He delivered on the second pitch, grounding a bleeder past a diving Ramirez and into left field to bring the winning run home, and Coors really DID go nuts. Gillian and I leapt up and down, screamed ourselves hoarse some more, and high-fived everyone in sight. 18-17 win, Broncos over Dolphins. Go figure.<br /><br />And that, of course, was even before the fireworks, which at one point looked as if they were going to have to be the main attraction. As it did last year, it took a long-ass time to get down on the field -- the game had gone four hours, and it was 45 minutes after it ended by the time Gillian and I finally stepped out onto the warning track beneath the lights, took off our sandals, and walked along happily on the damp dirt. Then we filed into the same place as last year, left field, not too far away from Holliday's little tornado of sunflower-seed shells, and collected both a few of those and some blades of grass. We did little dances on the grass barefoot, just for the hell of it, then lay down, thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and just like last year, enjoyed it as the lights went out, we lay in the dark stadium, and fireworks exploded overhead. It was a pretty damn good show, if I say so myself.<br /><br />This will likely be the last blog post until next Saturday, July 19th, which is something else I am very much looking forward to repeating -- Photo Day. (My biggest concern is that since Tulo, Todd, and Spilly are all hurt -- argh -- they won't be there. That would be ruinous. I'll just plan for that not to be the case). In any case, Holliday ended up being the starting right fielder for the NL in the All-Star Game since Soriano got hurt. But since Clint Hurdle is managing and there is little to no hope of ending AL domination, I wonder if I'll even watch the damn thing. The Rockies are in New York right now to close out their first half, and their record currently stands at a thoroughly underwhelming 39-54. But due to the NL West turning back into the NL Worst, and the Diamondbacks being a long, long way from the SuperTeam they were originally pegged as due to their scorching April, the Rox are still only seven games out. Still. When Glendon Rusch, Jorge de la Rosa, and Mark Redman are three-fifths of your rotation (dear god, I wish I was joking.... Cook and Jimenez are the other two, Francis is hurt, Morales got broken by our genius pitching coaches, Hirsh is struggling, and Reynolds got demoted) it's pretty hard to envision this team being taken seriously even in a joke of a division. I guess I'll have to be content with them winning 40 by the break, and since they're on the road, this will always be something of a challenge.<br /><br />0-0 at the middle of the second. Aaron Cook vs. Oliver Perez. Go Rockies? Well, I've made it this far with them, even if they generally give me coronaries. Also, fire Hurdle and Apodaca. Plzthx.</p>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-819227481406979572008-06-08T13:32:00.001-04:002008-06-08T15:39:34.088-04:00A Comeback and a Coors Return<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">At last, something worth reporting. I did finally make it back to Coors for a game last night for the first time in about 10 months (or 9 months give or take a week or two). My last game in person was August 24, my birthday, against the Nats, and then a whole lot of stuff happened. A lot of it was amazing and thrilling (21 Days, the <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place>' run to the pennant) and a lot of it was atrocious and terrible (the World Series, most of 2008 in general). However, the crap took a reprieve last night, and I actually enjoyed myself thoroughly. This after I had to stop watching their games during the latest incarnation of the Road Trip from Hell, this one a 2-8 swing through Philadelphia, Chicago, and LA. Some of the lowlights on this trip involved being blown out 20-5 by the Phillies and blowing a 9-1 lead against the Cubs (yes, <i>9-1. </i>And that's the last I will say about that. Repress, ye all, repress). I kind of had a feeling before the trip started that it was going to be a disaster, and was unfortunately right. At least they managed to win the last two games against LA, and coming home, actually managed to pull off a stirring comeback against the Brewers, who had won 9 of 10 coming in. Down 4-1 in the eighth, the <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> actually resembled themselves from last year and strung together a five-run rally. Highlighted with a Todd double, an Atkins two-run triple, and the big blow, a Hawpe two-run homer (and off a lefty) they managed to win 6-4. (Fuentes didn't actually blow it. Amazing, I know).<br /><br />(I feel obliged to mention that of course as soon as I start writing good things about them, Francis goes back to sucking and is currently in a 1-0 hole in the first with one out, a guy on second, and a 3-0 count on Prince Fielder. Actually, scratch that, he just walked Fielder. Never MIND).<br /><br />Anyway, at least last night was fun. They were giving out Tulo bobbleheads, and my sister and I met up with my friend Nikki and her mom to enjoy the game from sect. 148, in pretty much exactly the same seats we purloined when we snuck down to the field last July 4th. We watched Greg Reynolds secure both his first major league victory (4 hits, 2 runs in 6 innings, attakid) and major league hit (a double down the right-field line. He was IMMEDIATELY erased when Willy T, failing as usual, popped into a double play, but the effort was nice. He also got a shaving cream pie to the face later, but we missed that part). Meanwhile, Hawpe, who just got back from an injury rehab assignment, blasted a grand slam in the first inning, followed one pitch later by a monster Iannetta homer. In the fifth inning, Ian Stewart hit a ball to Boulder (actually, the third deck) for his second big-league homer, and despite the fact that I absolutely freaked the fuck out when it happened, Jorge de la Rosa did not blow it in the seventh. Nor did Jason Grilli in the eighth. (Yes, I swear, these are the kinds of "relief" we have in the pen right now). What was fun was that Taylor Buchholz got to pitch the ninth, which may be the last time we see him for quite a while now that The Viz (he of the 27.00 ERA) is back, and Hurdle, being the genius he is, has announced his intent to give The Viz more innings. Apparently Bucky's 1.67 ERA has escaped him. Most things do. Poor Bucky, he'll have to go sit back in the locked bathroom with Iannetta.<br /><br />Speaking of Iannetta, can you guess which of these two stat lines belongs to our starting catcher:<br /><br />A) .289/6/20/.358/.577/.935<br />B) .221/2/15/.260/.338/.599<br /><br />If you guessed A), as most rational people would, you'd be wrong. Nope, Yorvit Torrealba, aka B) must possess incriminating photos of Hurdle or something to keep being named the starter. There was already enough clamor to replace Torrealba with Iannetta last year even when Iannetta was struggling too, and now that he's hitting very well, it's getting even more excruciating to watch him lose time to a generally inferior player. AND we have Yorvit another year. Groan.<br /><br />Help, however, may be on the way. Holliday went 4/4 last night on his rehab assignment with the Sky Sox, Tulo should be back in another few weeks, Barmes won't be far behind, and hopefully Jason Hirsh will make it back as well so we don't have to have Glendon Rusch (yes, I'm serious) start another game for us. Jeff Francis sucks, so does Manny Corpas, and Aaron Cook is really the only outstanding starter we have. A four-game win streak, modest as it is, of course has everyone hoping they've figured something out, which of course is not very likely, but hey. At least I got a Tulo bobblehead.</p>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-44327600636959074872008-05-14T02:40:00.008-04:002008-06-08T15:38:59.374-04:00An Update As Short As The Rockies Are Bad<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Yes, I am alive. Yes, the <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> still suck great big hairy donkey balls. No, they have not done anything that I particularly wish to immortalize on the Internets, as relieving them in my scarred psyche is quite traumatic enough, thank you very much. Yes, in the very unlikely event that they sort asshats from teakettles and begin to resemble a MLB team again, I shall return to writing about them. In the meantime, all I do is piss, moan, complain, suffer, agonize, watch their games anyway and get angrier, bitch some more, question the meaning of life, and spit on small children, sunshine, old ladies, rainbows, and puppies. Which actually makes me a little like Philip Rivers, only without the Southern drawl and overwhelming aura of eau de douchebag. *<br /><br />* Disclaimer: This is not true. I have not actually spat on anything and I have been doing quite well at life, mainly by pretending the purple-and-black poltroons do not exist. This is called repression and is the only way I can cope. Freud was onto something after all. I had coffee, worked some more on my latest book, and bought sweet new headphones today. That was good. I am done with sophomore year on Friday and go home on Monday. This is even better. Game against the Diamondbacks? What game against the Diamondbacks? Our sixth loss in seven games against the Diamondbacks? I'm sorry, this does not compute. Try another blog.</p>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-47744616106421509732008-05-01T18:22:00.001-04:002008-06-08T15:38:21.843-04:00Well..... That's Just Wonderful<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_9121922">Tulo could be out until midseason.<br /></a><br />That's just really fucking wonderful. I mean, he was slumping and all, but he was Tulo. He started out slowly last year, then he turned on the jets. Now he was forced to rush into the lineup last night after Baker tore a blood vessel, and it looks he completely tore a tendon near his quad, leading to a 4-to-8-week absence. I don't even know what to say. Yeah, no more pixie dust. I am pretty peeved right now. To put it lightly.</p>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-51754874253581029712008-04-24T01:53:00.001-04:002008-06-08T15:37:54.077-04:00I Cannot Believe The Words Are Coming Outta Me Mouth<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">... but I'm on the verge of asking for Fuentes back as closer.<br /><br />Thanks for a crapload of nothing, Manny. And against the Cubs. Fourth night in a row. Someone check the calendar, I think it's June 2007 again. And if we lose tomorrow, we'll go winless on this brief homestand.<br /><br />Dear God.</p>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-84522758199428141382008-04-23T01:45:00.001-04:002008-06-08T15:37:16.515-04:00Absolutely Pathetic<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">I really don't want to waste words recapping it, but every time you think the 2008 Rockies have figured something out, they go off and do their damndest to show you that no, they are still as wildly streaky as ever. Win four, lose three, and do so in agonizing fashion -- by blowing a one-run lead in the eighth, the eighth, and the ninth, respectively. Our bullpen was the best in baseball three days ago. Then the Astros broadcasters handily jinxed it. It was 4-3 <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> and then 5-4 Astros. It was 5-4 <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> and then 9-5 Phillies. It was 6-5 <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> and then 8-6 Phillies. Three winnable games that we will regret later, especially with the damned Dbacks looking well-nigh unstoppable. Instead of 12-8, we are 9-11. Great going, guys.<br /><br />Sometimes I swear I hate this team more than I ever loved them.... Oy.</p>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-56936452718406566872008-04-20T02:56:00.001-04:002008-06-08T15:36:33.373-04:00Love, Hate, Tolerate: The Lucky and the Luckless<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Something which I have been meaning to do for a while, if only for the sheer hell of it. I thought I would rank each team in Major League Baseball according to my personal preferences, as if this means a flying crap. But hey, we all have our vanity, and I'm bored on Saturday night after watching a Rockies win, which equals this staggering work of heartbreaking genius. The Rockies go for the sweep over the Astros, and a 6-3 record on a 9-game, 10-day road trip (well, actually, more like a 10.5 game road trip once you add in all the extra innings vs. the Padres) with Ubaldo Jimenez matching up with old friend Shawn Chacon. And by friend, I really mean, used to kick things and yell while he was haplessly attempting to ''close" games. He went 1-9 as a closer one year, and Hurdle kept trotting him out there. Oy.<br /><br />Anyway.<br /><br /><b>The Fortunate Five</b><br /><br /><b>1. <st1:state st="on">Colorado</st1:State> <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place>. </b>Anyone who reads this blog needs no explaining as to why my purple-and-black boys top this list. I love them. Too much, I think.<br /><b>2. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Oakland</st1:place></st1:City> A's. </b>Used to be really into them, am not really so much anymore, but still enjoy watching their games and have a hat autographed by quite a few members of the team (at least circa 2006).<br /><b>3. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">St. Louis</st1:place></st1:City> Cardinals. </b>Was thrilled when they won the 2006 World Series, have also cooled on them a little recently, but they still have Adam Wainwright. I love Adam Wainwright.<br /><b>4. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Milwaukee</st1:place></st1:City> Brewers. </b>They merit a spot this high on the list for all their help last September, which they squelched the Padres for the last two regular-season games in order to force The Tiebreaker. Tony Gwynn Jr. mentions that the <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> themselves have thanked him for corking that triple off Hoffman, and I dunno, I've never found anything inherently loathable about the Brew Crew. I mean, it was a total sham that Braun got the <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">ROY</st1:place></st1:City>, but that was the writers' fault, not his. Also, <st1:city st="on">Milwaukee</st1:City> and <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Colorado</st1:place></st1:State> seem to be on good terms, and I like that.<br /><b>5. <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:State> Mets. </b>I know, I know. It's embarrassing to have to even admit it. I am not a Mets fan, and when going to games at Shea, frequently root for them to screw up if only because the reaction from the actual Mets fans around me is always amusing. (Booing being a recreational sport in <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:State>). But aside from Coors, I've been to the most games at Shea, and out of the two teams in my adopted hometown, they're the one I don't hate, detest, loathe, and wish to vanish into thin air. Not that I'm talking about anyone in particular, of course. But I have a pair of good friends who are Mets fans, we go to games together, and always have a great time. It was freezing the last two times we went (earlier this week) and I steadfastly stuck it out, for a team that I can take or leave (mainly because I just love baseball). So, oddly enough, one of the East Coast darlings actually does earn a relatively high spot on this list. Whether it's for them or not, I don't know, but there you go.<br /><br /><b>The Tolerable Ten<br /><br />6. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Cleveland</st1:place></st1:City> Indians. </b>Play hard and always seem to be good, which would be annoying if I was a fan of a team in the AL Central aside from them. Also, my parents swear up and down I used to go to Indians games with my sisters and a family friend (we used to live in <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ohio</st1:place></st1:State>) but I don't remember at all. Also, I have strong feelings about The Jake having its name changed to "Progressive Field" -- what a crock. I still wish we'd played the Indians in the Series last year, mainly because we'd probably have won.<br /><b>7. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Seattle</st1:place></st1:City> Mariners. </b><a href="http://www.lookoutlanding.com/">Lookout Landing</a>, a top Mariners blog, is absolutely <i>hysterical. </i>I'm serious, it is absolute comic genius, I read it just to laugh, and the Mariners commercials (a tradition) are always funny as well. (You can check them out online). All that adds up to a high spot for the Caffeineheads.<br /><b>8. <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Tampa</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">Bay</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> Devil Rays. </b>Even though their insistence on being called the "Rays" now is mildly nettling (I therefore always call them by their proper name, heh) they remind me somewhat of the Rockies, Evan Longoria is good friends with Tulo, and any team that has a chip on its shoulder for the Yankees (aside from the Red Sox....) is good by me.<br /><b>9. <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Florida</st1:place></st1:State> Marlins. </b>Poor Marlins. You can't really hate them. A-Rod makes more than their entire team, and any time anyone good shows up, Loria hauls them off and buys more children under 21 to staff the Baby Fish. Also, I rooted for them in the 1997 Series as a spratling of nine tender years, and it was a lot of fun. (Wow, that was a long time ago).<br /><b>10. <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Minnesota</st1:place></st1:State> Twins. </b>They have a god-awful stadium (although that may soon be remedied, their new park may be built without a roof.... which equals April baseball in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Minneapolis</st1:place></st1:City> outdoors, which equals <i>oof). </i>Still, their players are likable, Justin Morneau should be commended for nabbing the AL MVP in 2006 ahead of That Man In Pinstripes, and if they ever get Francisco Liriano healthy, they could have Santana all over again.<br /><b>11. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Pittsburgh</st1:place></st1:City> Pirates. </b>I know almost nothing about the Pirates except that Ian Snell once thought the <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> were stealing signs and therefore threatened to start beaning them. It didn't happen, and it makes me think that it was just Snell being Snell -- i.e. totally crazy. Also, the Pirates beat the <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> 3 of 4 in August last year. That hurt. But they are the Pirates. Success is short-lived, therefore why bother hating them?<br /><b>12. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Cincinnati</st1:place></st1:City> Reds. </b>They have the pieces in place to be very good in a few years, but then went and sent that all to pot by hiring Dusty Baker. Cueto, Votto, Bailey, Bruce, etc. should have <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Cincinnati</st1:place></st1:City> fans thinking that their days of doormatting it in the Central may be coming to an end. Downside: Say goodbye to the right arms of Arroyo and Harang.<br /><b>13. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Toronto</st1:place></st1:City> Blue Jays. </b>They swept the <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> to start that horrible roadtrip that didn't happen (you know, the 1-9 one... OOF... back to repressing). But Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum are a strong starter duo, and hey, I always kind of pull for anyone in the East squashed beneath the 800-lb gorillas. You know, Thing 1 and Thing 2.<br /><b>14. <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:State> Nationals. </b>They try so hard. And then they fail. But it's kind of cute/pathetic to watch them giving it another brave stab anyway.<br /><b>15. <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Texas</st1:place></st1:State> Rangers. </b>They earn this spot mainly on the strength of C.J. Wilson, their eccentric blue-gloved lefty reliever. In case I have not told you this recently, he is amazing.<br /><br /><b>The Dubious Decade<br /><br />16. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Houston</st1:place></st1:City> Astros. </b>Seriously, who likes the Astros? They have terrible management, they had Roger Clemens a few years, they went to the Series in 2005 and then boffed it all up. Don't <i>hate</i> them, but seriously, the Astros? Whatever.<br /><b>17. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Atlanta</st1:place></st1:City> Braves. </b>Nobody likes Chipper Jones, including Chipper Jones, but don't tell him that. We can save his existential crisis for when it would be more useful.<br /><b>18. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Detroit</st1:place></st1:City> Tigers. </b>I have to say, watching the Tigers fall flat on their faces out of the gate, after everyone had pre-emptively anointed them the AL Champs following their acquisition of Willis and Cabrera, was pretty damn satisfying.<br /><b>19. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Baltimore</st1:place></st1:City> Orioles. </b>The Orioles are <i>so </i>bad. And no matter how well they've started off this year, I am sure they'll realize that and go back to their usual climes of TEH FAIL.<br /><b>20. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Chicago</st1:place></st1:City> White Sox. </b>Have THE most annoying broadcasters in all of baseball, and it was more fun when they were cursed too. Although they do suck again, so cool.<br /><b>21. <st1:city st="on">Los Angeles</st1:City> Angels of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Anaheim</st1:place></st1:City>. </b>Stupid name. You are not the Dodgers. And you play in <st1:place st="on">Disneyland</st1:place>. Bugger off and get some Mickey Mouse ears.<br /><b>22. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Los Angeles</st1:place></st1:City> Dodgers. </b>I don't precisely hate them, but there are certainly no fond feelings for them either. Their fans always leave early to "beat the traffic," they spend more than everyone in the West and don't have a whole lot to show for it, and Nomar? Seriously? Whatever. The Helton homer off Saito last September 18th was a defining moment of my life. Sheerly amazing. And then we swept them in four, right in the middle of the streak. Good times.<br /><b>23. <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Arizona</st1:place></st1:State> Diamondbacks. </b><a href="http://www.purplerow.com/">Purple Row</a> and <a href="http://www.azsnakepit.com/">AZ Snakepit</a>'s posters have a good relationship with each other, and enjoy bantering and discussing their teams. I am good friends with several <st1:state st="on">Arizona</st1:State> fans from there, and the Dbacks are much like the <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> -- a team of young, talented, genuinely nice guys. That said, they are our biggest division rival and are getting annoyingly good -- sheez, Slytherin, lose a few. Plus they have Eric Byrnes and danced on our field like it was a big deal when they won the West. We got you back in the NLCS, suckers. (Although it is true I am trying to expunge details of our early-season meetings thus far from my scarred psyche).<br /><b>24. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Kansas City</st1:place></st1:City> Royals. </b>They played us last June for one of the most aggravating series imaginable, which Rockies Nation as a whole pretends does not exist, and always seem to play like the Worldbeaters instead of the Turfeaters against us. AND we have to play them again this year. Oh brother.<br /><b>25. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:City> Giants. </b>They only earn this spot because I couldn't decide if I hated them or the Phillies more, and decided it was the Phillies. Nonetheless, the Giants richly deserve all the fail that comes to them.<br /><br /><b>The Terrible Tier<br /><br />26. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Philadelphia</st1:place></st1:City> Phillies. </b>Overhyped, overrated, and Jimmy Rollins. Swept in the NLDS by us, after all the pundits sagely figured this team (East Coast, remember, therefore better!) would sweep US. Revenge is sweet. Go cry in your beer, you bunch of hooligans who constitute "fans" in the "City of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Brotherly Love</st1:place></st1:City>."<br /><b>27. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">San Diego</st1:place></st1:City> Padres. </b>Yep, the hate is pretty epic here. You know what? It doesn't matter if Holliday touched the plate, we still beat you. And then we beat you again in 22 innings. And we went to the playoffs because you blew chunks. Take THAT.<br /><b>28. <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:State> Yankees. </b>It's actually pretty hard to decide who goes where for the last three spots on this list, since I hate the Yankees, Red Sox, and Cubs equally -- which is to say, with the force of an exploding star? Let's just say I find nothing at all lovable, likable, tolerable, or even mildly dislikable about this band of overexposed prima-donnas. In fact, you might say I hate them. That doesn't even sound strong enough, but you know what I mean.<br /><b>29. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Chicago</st1:place></st1:City> Cubs. </b>I asked a friend if the Cubs or Red Sox should go in the last slot on this list. His response: "The Red Sox. At least the Cubs have the decency not to win the World Series." Which I think is true, and the only thing keeping the Small Bears out of the cellar (hey, they'll get there on their own, given enough time. Cubsuck is a law of the universe -- it will be a constant). I hate their fans (especially their fans) the fact they're now a big-market and still-shitty team, and the fact that it's still "trendy" to root for them when they're nothing but a bunch of giant losers. Also, their fans. Did I mention their fans? Here's to another century of Cubs futility.<br /><b>30. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Boston</st1:place></st1:City> Red Sox. </b>I have hated the Red Sox for all of my career as a baseball fan, whether for one reason or another, and it was made about a hundred times worse by last October. The Red Sox are just evil, there is no other way to put it. There is nothing redeeming about this team. They are the incarnation of the Devil. Should I tell you how I really feel? Die, Red Sox, die.</p>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-36804442203299334562008-04-18T18:35:00.004-04:002008-06-08T15:36:01.428-04:00Total Insanity, Total Awesomeness<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Wow. When the rubber match between the <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> and Padres came about, a pitching duel might have been expected, but what everyone got was well and beyond the call of duty. Perpetual Cy contender Jake Peavy was starting against <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Colorado</st1:place></st1:State> "ace" Jeff Francis (and ace is in scare quotes because although he entered the season with that designation, his first few starts were anything but). But Jeff lived up to his half of the billing, and for seven innings, he and Peavy threw zeros at each other. Francis finished with 7 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, and 7 K's; Peavy with 8 innings, 4 hits, 3 walks, and 11 K's. Brian Fuentes pitched a perfect bottom of the eighth for the <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place>, and Trevor Hoffman only did the same for the Padres in the ninth thanks to his ridiculous park. Helton and Holliday hit back-to-back shots that would have been out of anywhere except the hitter's wasteland known as <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Petco</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">Park</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, but since they <i>were </i>in Petco, they just went down as a pair of flyouts. With the score 0-0 entering the ninth, Taylor Buchholz came in and pitched a perfect inning to send it to the tenth, where Heath Bell pitched a clean inning for San Diego, so Buchholz came in and threw another one... are you by any chance detecting a pattern here?<br /><br />The team went on swapping goose-eggs right up until the 14th, where, with the bases loaded and 2 out, Brad Hawpe worked a walk to make it 1-0. Of course, it wasn't destined to end there. The Padres had already wasted a golden opportunity in the bottom of the 12th -- Paul McAnulty hit a laser into the right field corner and had the bad idea to test Hawpe's arm. Hawpe fired a bullet to second baseman Barmes (yes, he's starting due to Nix's terribleness, and shockingly not embarrassing himself) and Barmes fired it on to Atkins, who applied the tag for the first out. Instead of having a runner at second and no out, the Padres had one out and no one on -- and when Randy Wolf (the same pitcher who two-hit the Rox a few nights ago) hit a single, it loomed even larger, as the game was still scoreless as that point and it could have been the winner. The Padres tried again in the bottom of the 14th, as Manny Corpas, who is still prone to the early-season wobbles, blew his second save in five chances and allowed Josh Bard to stroke the game-tying single. Tulowitzki threw Clark out at the plate on the next play to again escape the game-winner, and pinch-hitter Colt Morton grounded out to end it. Onto the fifteenth. And sixteenth. And seventeenth. And eighteenth. <i>And </i>nineteenth.<br /><br />Both teams exhausted their benches around the sixteenth, leading to a number of relievers having to actually bat. The Rockies grounded into four double plays; the Padres into two. The Rockies left 16 men on base; the Padres left 14. The Rockies struck out 20 times, the Padres 17. Buchholz, Micah Bowie, and Corpas pitched two innings apiece, allowing between them 3 hits, but most unfortunately Corpas yakked up the tying run. Ryan Speier pitched 3 innings, allowing just two hits. And the game STILL wasn't over! Kip Wells came in for the 19th as the last available pitcher -- Cook and Morales had flown to Houston already, and Jimenez and Redman had pitched in the first two games of the series. Who knows who was going to pitch next -- Barmes? Helton? (He pitched in college). Tulo? (He can hit 94). I always kind of wish that would happen, but it didn't. In the top of the 22nd inning, Willy T reached on a Khalil Greene throwing error, stole second, and moved to third on Josh Bard's throwing error, ending up there with two outs and Tulo at the plate. Tulo has, let's just say, not looked very much like himself for the early going, and is still lugging around a .167 average. However, he redeemed himself for the moment, bouncing an RBI double into left-center to score Willy T with the go-ahead run, 2-1. Wells still had one more inning to get through -- he hit Greene with a pitch to begin the bottom of the 22nd, got Josh Bard to ground into a double play, and struck out Glendon Rusch -- yes, Glendon Rusch, hitting for himself since the benches were long since empty -- to end it, six hours and 16 minutes after it had begun on Thursday night. It was over early Friday morning at 1:21 AM PT. Wells picked up the win, pitching four innings with one hit, one walk, and three strikeouts.<br /><br />This is 4:21 AM ET. And where was I? Sitting through every agonizing pitch. Did I have class tomorrow... er, later this morning? You know it. Was anything happening? No. Was it painful? As all hell. And yet there I sat, with all my fellow lunatics on Purple Row, getting goofy by necessity and fighting off exhaustion since I'm too much of a fanatic to give it up and go to bed. But it was amazing. The guys seem to have realized that they've been grinding too much (Tulo) and forgetting to have fun, so just having to sit through a game that we all seriously thought would never end helped loosen them up. Although I can't say I envy them, having to play again tonight only about 14 hours after the last game ended -- travel to Houston included. Hopefully everyone slept on the plane..!<br /><br />Go Rockies!</p>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-66644267261501945272008-04-16T16:40:00.001-04:002008-04-16T14:41:29.154-04:00Update: Still ShittyFor once, my lack of blogging has nothing to do with my own questionable diligence, but rather at a failed attempt at un-hexing the deeply hexed, otherwise known as my beloved and currently very inept Colorado Rockies. They have been stop and go (mainly stop) this far, and are sitting at a not-so-pretty 5-8 mark coming out of the first few weeks of the season. (I think the Giants may have won more games than them, but I am afraid to look). Since they went on that losing streak right after I wrote the recap of their first game, I tried some preventive superstitious measures, such as not wearing Rockies gear and not writing about them, which worked in the course of a three-game sweep of the Braves in which they looked more like themselves. It failed again once they dropped 2 of 3 to the Diamondbacks (at least they didn't get swept again....?) and since they managed to stage their one win in convincing fashion at the end of the series (13-5) I had hope going into San Diego. Nope, they got two hits and got shut out by <span style="font-style: italic;">Randy Wolf </span>while losing 6-0. Oy. Holliday did not touch the plate last night, whether disputed or otherwise, and nor did anyone else. Shit.<br /><br />Clearly (hopefully) the offense won't be this bad forever, but they need some time to play every day and get into a rhythm. The bad part being, while they suck, it's pretty hard to endure this on a day-by-day basis. Not as if that has ever stopped me before, and likely won't be any detriment this time, but sheeez. Would a fast start kill you guys? Every time I think they really must have just played their worst game possible and therefore have to start their (ponderous) recovery, they outdo themselves, then I remind myself that a) it's early and we have time to come out of it, and b) we are the Rockies and failure is unfortunately a little more common than we'd like. Blah.<br /><br />Fortunately, I missed the game last night, and will do so again tonight. I was off attending my first live games of the year, the deeply fascinating Mets/Nationals clash (note to self: be thankful we are not the Nationals). Odalis Perez vs. Mike Pelfrey isn't exactly the stuff of legend, but it was a lot of fun to take in my first game of the year, as I was with my wonderful friends Mary and Steve, who are really amazing people and always fun to go to a game with -- they pay for tickets, midnight diner runs afterwards, whatever, and seem to enjoy watching me have fun as much as I have fun. Something that's always struck me is how casually a game always starts, the quiet moment as the defense runs out and the pitcher throws a few warmups, and then suddenly all the pomp is over and the first guy is stepping in just like that, ready to go. It seems such a small thing. (Baseball philosophy 101. Sounds like a course I need to take. Do they have it here? Of course not). Since it was Jackie Robinson Day, they had his widow, Rachel, there to speak, which was pretty cool, and a gospel choir performed before the game began. (Although it was kind of frigid on an April night at Shea, so I spent the last half of the game bundled in an extra-large Mets jacket belonging to Steve. This does not mean I was one of them… I kept kind of silently rooting for the Mets to screw up, since it was amusing to watch the reactions. This did not happen, however). <p>Also:</p> <p>Annoying Red Sox fan: “Rockies suck! Who do they have? The Sox have Ortiz and Ramirez!”</p> <p>Me: “Ortiz? He’s batting .091 this year or something. Ramirez? Sure, I’ll give you that one. But what do you mean, who do we have? Ever heard of a guy named Matt Holliday?"</p> <p>Sox fan: “Holliday can’t hit.”</p> <p>Me: “Are you crazy? Have you even <em>watched</em> a game recently? Holliday’s OBP is close to .400, his SLG was up at .600, he hit .340 last year, he’ll hit over 30 homers and drive in well north of 100, he’s got the best hitting mechanics and work ethic imaginable, and he’s even improved on his fielding. He’s amazing.”</p><p>While this sounds as if it could easily have happened, it actually didn’t. That was a dream I had last night. I fear, I fear, I fear for my subconscious.</p><p>I am going to the Mets/Nationals game again with Mary tonight (although I think Steve has work). Matt Chico vs. John Maine, and it should be fun. I will remember to bring more Rockies-themed regalia to keep me warm, since Steve won't be around to let me borrow his jacket, and in so doing, I will be spared watching my team actually <span style="font-style: italic;">play. </span>(Odd, I know). Since it is Mark Redman, I expect I will be excused in this sentiment.</p>WIN SOME DAMN GAMES, ROCKIES!Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-10341739806122676042008-04-06T22:14:00.002-04:002008-04-06T20:15:52.402-04:00A Small Request To The Colorado RockiesAny time you're done getting swept by the Diamondbacks, hitting like crap, pitching like crap, playing like crap, looking like crap, making me feel like I've been stabbed, and otherwise generally embarrassing yourself in every facet of the game related to the playing of baseball at a (so I'm told) professional level, feel free to start your 2007 NL Champions title defense and/or the 2008 season, mkay?Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-53385401231923589232008-04-04T21:22:00.001-04:002008-07-20T21:34:48.633-04:00I Fail To Find This Funny<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Seriously, I don't. What the flipping hell is wrong with the offense? We get schooled by Kyle Lohse, Todd Wellemeyer, and Brad Thompson. Then we get home and get REALLY schooled in front of a sold-out home crowd by the team we beat to win the NL pennant last year. Yeah, 4 games and there are how many to go? 158? I really think it's perfectly fine if we just sped up to the good part of this season, whenever the hell that feels like arriving. Redman was Redman, Holliday struck out 4 times, Tulo made an error and was saved from another by a charitable call from the blue. 8-1 is your final and I am not the happiest girl in the world right now; in fact that is a bit of an understatement and I know that that is a problem. Seeing as there are a damn lot of games left to go and it's going to hurt if this keeps up for even a few more days -- I have learned from past experience that I cannot go numb. I want last year's opening day loss -- we permitted the D-backs eight runs but at least we scored six.<br /><br />1-3 and we look like crap. Can't hit, have a suspect starting rotation, and yeah. They're too good to be this bad forever but damn, it hurts when it does. And I think that my masochism switch is even more broken than usual, because I just sat through that whole fucking charade until the end. Somebody please find me a new hobby, at least one that will occupy two weeks and give me a chance to come back to my team when they look like a team.<br /><br />I'd like a win tomorrow, but a win would involve scoring runs. I don't believe such a thing exists. Unicorns and Santa Claus, baby.<br /><br />I'm now going to go do my poli-sci midterm, which sounds assloads more fun than what I just put myself through.</p>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-67839069210374899972008-04-02T01:58:00.000-04:002008-04-02T00:20:45.549-04:00That Is More Like It<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/content/img/photos/2008/04/01/0844ROCKIES_t335.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://media.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/content/img/photos/2008/04/01/0844ROCKIES_t335.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Tulo thinks so too. Surprisingly enough, things went swimmingly tonight (well, almost, seeing as the offense sucked out loud). Kip Wells, of all people, turned in a solid effort against his former team -- 5.1 innings and 1 run, a solo shot by the guy on his face up there, Molina. New lefty setup guy Bowie got a key double play, Taylor Buchholz put two guys on but got a strikeout to end the seventh, Fuentes (SHOCKINGLY!) whipped through a spotless eighth inning, and Manny set down the Cards with similar ease in the ninth. In the meantime, Tulo got three hits but nobody else did squat, and the Rockies had been shut out by Kyle Lohse through five innings (zouch). But in the top of the eighth, Tulo got a single, Todd hit a ground-rule double, and Matt chopped one to Troy Glaus, whose off-balance throw to the plate went for an error and allowed Tulo to score. (As you might have guessed, this is the moment shown in the charming picture above. Oh Tulo. I love you). Then, with the bases loaded after Atkins' walk, it looked as if the Rockies weren't going to score the go-ahead run -- Hawpe and Torrealba both struck out. But rookie second-sacker Jayson Nix pulled a Toddfather (a bases-loaded walk) to push the Rockies up 2-1, and that was the way it finished. 1 down, 1 win, 161 more to go, Aaron Cook vs. Todd Wellemeyer tomorrow. The Rockies got a bad game washed out, the offense sucked today, and they still won, so if they can get the offense in gear against Wellemeyer, it'd be great. (Last time they saw him it was not good, as Jason Hirsh got his butt kicked and the Cardinals broke the Rockies' seven-game win streak).<br /><br />Good way to start the season, fellas. Let's do it some more.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-59174817926793041362008-03-31T22:30:00.000-04:002008-03-31T20:31:46.682-04:00RainoutSo yes, after storming all afternoon, today's game was officially called at 5:45 PM CT. This is kind of a relief, as the Cards were already up 5-1 and Francis looked as if his nerves were causing him to overthrow (he's probably just as happy to have the five runs and five walks expunged from the official record). The bad news: Los Kip gets his wish to be a starter, and he gets to do it against his old team, who are almost undoubtedly going to be thrilled that he's facing them instead of siphoning wins off them (I'm sure Cards fans have not forgotten the 7-17 season, including the 5-17 mark as a starter, he turned in for them just last year). Woo-hoo. I cannot summon myself to be thrilled about this prospect for obvious reasons. They really should just start Buchholz instead, but since he's gotten comfortable with the bullpen, they'll get finicky about not messing with his apparently very delicate psyche. He'll be facing Kyle Lohse at 6:15 pm CT/7:15 ET tomorrow, as the Rockies and Cardinals attempt to re-start their season, and guh yeah I cannot bring myself to liveblog a game that Kip the Gip is starting. It'll be bad enough watching it.<br /><br />See you tomorrow anyway.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-16699743048213117292008-03-31T18:28:00.008-04:002008-03-31T17:19:41.036-04:00Liveblog: 3/31 Rockies Vs. CardinalsLineups in the post below. I'm all set. And psyched.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Top 1st: Wainwright vs. Taveras, Tulowitzki, Helton<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br />Taveras:</span><br />Fastball, strike<br />Curveball, ball<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span>Fastball, SINGLE! Willy!!!<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Tulo:<br /></span></span></span>Pickoff attempt.<br />Fastball, ball. High inside.<br />Fastball, hit a very long way... nice catch by Schumaker, robs Tulo of a double (he scorched it). Blah. 1 out.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Helton:</span><br />Pickoff attempt.<br />Fastball, called strike. Questionable.<br />PO attempt.<br />PO attempt. Give it up, Adam.<br />Changeup, and Todd whacks it! Double down the line!! Willy T to third! And here comes Matt!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Holliday:</span><br />Slider, ball 1.<br />Fastball, ball 2. Inside.<br />Curveball, ball 3. Adam is scared of Matt. With good reason.<br />Slider, ball 4. Bases loaded, one out. Atkins up.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Atkins:<br /></span>Fastball, ball 1.<br />Fastball.... OH Excellent, I see in play, runs(s).... groundout, everyone moves up, Willy T scores. 1-0 Rockies! Garrett with the club's first RBI!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hawpe:<br /></span>Curveball, called strike.<br />Fastball, ball.<br />Curveball, fouled off.<br />Fastball, got a little under it for a fly-out. But a nice start, and we lead. HELL yeahs.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bottom 1st: Francis vs. Schumaker, Ludwick, Pujols<br /><br />Schumaker:<br /></span></span><span><span>Ball 1.<br />Ball 2.<br />Ball 3.<br />Ball 4.<br />FRANCIS!<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Ludwick:<br /></span></span></span><span><span>Ball 1. Jeffrey...<br />Ball 2. Come on Jeff, get rid of the nerves.<br />Ball 3. OH COME ON! All fastballs thus far.<br />Ball 4. Mound visit, please!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pujols</span>:<br />Ball 1. Fastball.<br />Ball 2. Slider. Um, is this NukeLaLoosh or Jeff Francis?<br />What? A STRIKE? 2-1. 2 on. 0 out.<br />Fastball.... scary out. Matt catches it. 2 on, 1 out.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Glaus:</span><br />Another ball. Somebody sort Francis out.<br />Ball 2. Ugh. Case of the nerves. Yorvit, talk to him in between innings.<br />Ball 3. Oy. Slider, for a change. Yorvit is sitting on the fastball.<br />Ball 4... bases loaded, one out. Not good.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ankiel:</span><br />Ball. SOMEBODY TALK TO HIM! He was so sharp all spring.<br />Ball 2. Why am I not surprised? You will get no calls this way, Jeff.<br />Ball 3. This is insane! Jeffrey! Christ!<br />Fouled off. 3-1.<br />Fouled off again. 3-2. Get out of this inning as quickly as possible...<br />oh fuck... in play runs....<br />Double. 2-1 Cards lead. Ah fuck.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Molina:</span><br />Guess what for pitch 1.<br />Pitch 2: Slider, fouled.<br />Pitch 3: Off Helton's glove, into right. 4-1. FUCK!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Izturis:</span><br />Ball.<br />Ball.<br />Called strike. Get Izturis out, he sucks.<br />Fouled back, fastball. 2-2.<br />Didn't work. Base hit to center, Adam up. Francis, come ON. Nerves or no, don't embarrass yourself.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wainwright:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span>First pitch: Infield-fly popout. 2 gone.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Miles:<br /></span></span>Curveball, called strike.<br />Fastball, called strike.<br />Slider, ball. I really rather hoped we were past all this.<br />Changeup, hit at Nix, flips to Tulo for the force. Thank god THAT is over with. Blech. Now that's out of your system, Francis? 4-1 Cardinals. Kip Wells was in the bullpen, you inconsiderate bastard. KIP WELLS FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST. Francis is usually GOOD against the Cardinals.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Top 2nd: Wainwright vs. Torrealba, Nix, Francis</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Torrealba:</span><br />Fastball, swinging strike. Do not let Adam get in a groove.<br />Curveball, called. Eh.<br />Called out on a questionable "followthrough." Same old Yorvit, stupid umpires. 3-pitch K. 1 out.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nix:<br /></span>High and tight, fouled off. 0-1.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><span><span>Curveball, ball 1.<br />Low, ball 2.<br />Pops out on a slider, 2 outs. This is the weak part of the lineup, but still.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Francis:</span><br />Redeem yourself, buster.<br />Ball 1, fastball.<br />Called strike.<br />Fouled off.<br />Curveball misses low, ball 2. 2-2.<br />Reached a little outside, fouled off. Count holds.<br />Slider, misses inside. 3-2. You need this kind of inning too, Jeff. That is, a fast one.<br />Seventh pitch.... taps softly to Adam, who throws to Pujols for the force. Ulp.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bottom 2nd: Francis vs. Schumaker, Ludwick, Pujols<br /><br /></span>How about a re-do? EH?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Schumaker:</span><br />Ball 1. Nope. Same old same old. This may be a loooong game.<br />Fastball, in there for (don't faint) a strike.<br />Changeup, outside corner. Schumaker swings and fails to come up with it. Nice.<br />Grounded to Todd. That's more like it. 1 out.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ludwick:</span><br />Ball. Maybe. I take leave to doubt it, but Francis has given the ump no reason to be generous.<br />Grounded to Atkins, 2 outs. Much more like it, yes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pujols:</span><br />A FIRST PITCH STRIKE WHATNOW<br />So he follows it up with a ball. 1-1.<br />Urp. Pujols homer. 5-1.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Glaus:</span><br />Ball.<br />Fastball fouled off. 1-1.<br />Fastball, ball.<br />Swinging strike. 2-2.<br />Ball, way inside. Full count. Jeff needs to shake this one off posthaste.<br />Fouled. Francis already at 50 pitches. Gadzoinks.<br />Misses with a changeup. Glaus walks. Four walks. Fuck.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ankiel:</span><br />Called strike 1.<br />Fastball fouled off. 0-2.<br />Ball in the dirt. Yorvit has to block. 1-2.<br />Fouled off, still 1-2.<br />Changeup, fouled off again. No out pitch today. Count the same.<br />Changeup fouled off again.<br />Fouled off AGAIN! Goddammit Ankiel, go away!<br />Finally. Got him fishing at a curveball, K's. Not before more damage. Urgh.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Top 3rd: Wainwright vs. Taveras, Tulowitzki, Helton</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Taveras:</span><br />Ball 1. Come on guys.<br />Called strike.<br />And.... out. Another long one to Schumaker. Arrgh! You started out so well! And go away, Schumaker.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tulowitzki:</span><br />Fastball, ball<br />And... base hit to left. Take that, Schumaker. Let's get something going. Tulo on first, Todd up.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Helton:</span><br />Fastball down the pipe fouled off.<br />High up... and Todd's out. Popped out. 2 out. Tulo on first.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Holliday:</span><br />Please continue your reputation as a Cardinals-killer.<br />Ball, away. 1-0.<br />Ball, outside. 2-0.<br />Fastball down Broadway, Matt looks at it. 2-1.<br />High and tight, watch it there. 3-1.<br />Pickoff attempt. I wonder if Tulo's planning to run on Molina...<br />He is. Tulo steals, Matt swings through one. 3-2, Tulo on second.<br />And... called strike 3 on the hook. I am pretty peeved right now.<br /><br />5-1 Cardinals.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bottom 3rd: LaLoosh vs. Molina, Izturis, Wainwright<br /><br />Molina:<br /></span><span>Curveball strike 1. LaLoosh can do it too. Maybe.<br />Ball. Or not. 1-1<br />Fouled off. 1-2.<br />High and inside. 2-2.<br />Fouled off. Count leveled.<br />Flied out to Brad. 1 out.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Izturis:</span><br />Curveball, not close, ball 1. Seriously Nuke, Izturis sucks.<br />Two more of the same, except fastballs, bring it to 3-0. Good God, Nuke.<br />Gets the inside corner for 3-1.<br />Ball. Another fucking walk. 5 on the day for "Game 1 of the Series" Jeff Francis. I don't like this version. Why is it that the teams I root for never win on Opening Day?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wainwright:</span><br /><br />Never mind, rain delay. Please wash this one out.<br /></span></span></span></span></span>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-5089575499957406132008-03-31T18:02:00.001-04:002008-03-31T16:15:00.563-04:00Lineups: Colorado Rockies Vs. St. Louis CardinalsLINEUPS!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/images-htm/images/sport/sports_42.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 138px;" src="http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/images-htm/images/sport/sports_42.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Willy Taveras, </span>CF<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Troy Tulowitzki, </span>SS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Todd Helton, </span>1B<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Matt Holliday, </span>LF<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Garrett Atkins, </span>3B<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Brad Hawpe, </span>RF<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Yorvit Torrealba, </span>C<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jayson Nix, </span>2B<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jeff Francis, </span>P<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://physics.wustl.edu/mentors/st_louis_cardinals_logo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 162px; height: 154px;" src="http://physics.wustl.edu/mentors/st_louis_cardinals_logo.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Skip Schumaker, </span>LF<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ryan Ludwick, </span>RF<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Albert Pujols, </span>1B<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Troy Glaus, </span>3B<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rick Ankiel, </span>CF<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Yadier Molina, </span>C<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cesar Izturis, </span>SS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Adam Wainwright, </span>P (Yes, one of LaRussa's funny ideas. Adam is a good hitter though)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Aaron Miles, </span>2B<br /><br />Pregame festivities going on now. I am sadly TV-less, so it'll be Gameday and Purple Row for me. And here. I CANNOT EFFIN WAIT.<br /><br />LET'S GO ROCKIES!!!!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-76823034622390576672008-03-31T16:29:00.004-04:002008-03-31T20:36:03.446-04:00Around the Horn: BenchI am back in New York on a gray, chilly Monday to finish out my sophomore year of college and (presumably) actually get some work done in achieving this. Further proving how starved for baseball I am, I seriously got impatient last night waiting for the Nationals/Braves game to kick off. I have zero emotional connection to either of the teams, AND I wasn't even watching on TV, I was resorting to my usual standard of Gameday. But I followed the damn thing, Ryan Zimmerman hit a walk-off homer to beat the Braves, christen new Nationals Park, and no doubt make all the Mets fans in this city who virulently hate the Braves very happy. But now it is time for real Rockies baseball, and I am bouncing myself off the hook waiting for 4:15 pm ET this afternoon (but once they get all the ceremonies done, probably more like 4:30 or so). In which the Rockies open their title defense in St. Louis against the Cards and Adam Wainwright (and yes, I still love him. And yes, I want the Rockies to sweep the Cards to get 2008 started right, as the Cards are kind of sad-sack this year and I'll root for them when they are not playing the Blake Street Sweepers. Like last year, I will likely be live-blogging the game and posting on Purple Row, so if you have to know second by second what's going on, I will have you covered).<br /><br />In the meantime, I'm going to close out the team previews at the eleventh hour with a look at our bench. Scott Podsednik was officially named the fifth outfielder, Cory Sullivan got demoted to AAA yet again, and Ramon Ramirez got traded to the Royals for a Player To Be Named Later (who is a popular fellow). So, it's time to see who will be constituting the backup corps for the purple pinstripes, and Clint Barmes made it. Zoyyy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/images-htm/images/sport/sports_42.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 137px;" src="http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/images-htm/images/sport/sports_42.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Projected<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span>OF Ryan Spilborghs<br />OF Scott Podsednik<br />OF/IF Jeff Baker<br />IF Clint Barmes<br />C Chris Iannetta<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#19 R/R Ryan Spilborghs: </span>Spilly, as he's affectionately known, is about as valuable and offbeat as fourth outfielders come. A colorful character who experiments with crazy hairdos and clothing, has his own TV segment on Rockies All Access, and otherwise is as outgoing and exuberant as he looks, Spilly is the life of the party and readily submits to all the (good-natured) ribbing he endures from his teammates (although not without giving as good as he gets). Spilly is a naturally funny person who can make comedy out of any situation, and people like him are good for the chemistry and to balance out the intense leader-types like Tulo, Matt, and Todd. Your basic clubhouse clown (he bought dancing robots last year) Spilly is also an extremely good option to have as a backup outfielder. Last time this season, I was kvetching, with just cause, that his talents were wasted in the Springs and Steve Finley was going to suck; I was proved quite right in this instance. Fortunately, they saw the light and promoted Spilly in May, and as far as I'm concerned, they need to keep him around -- they actually released him on December 21, 2005, and then immediately realizing their mistake, signed him back the same day. Spilly loves Denver, and has moved his entire family (mom, dad, and sister) with him from Santa Barbara so his mom can get the best medical treatment available. Fortunately, Denver loves him too; I've yet to find a Rockies fan that doesn't adore Spilly, and if they don't, then ignore the poltroon. They love his zaniness, or his ability to provide a spark, or generally the fact that he's the sort of guy you spend a long time recounting assorted off-the-wall stories about. (His debut on Rockies All Access this past week was a hit, especially when he, quote unquote, decides to "cook" Atkins' steak).<br /><br />He's also an entertainment coordinator who bridges the gaps between players and organizes activities in all the cities the team goes to, so they don't just have to sit around the hotel waiting for the game to start. To wit:<br /><blockquote><p style="font-style: italic;">“I know everyone here pretty well, so I’m always grabbing different people,” Spilborghs said. “I drag people to do stuff that they’re not going to do. We have a lot of fun.”</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">Like on the Freedom Trail in Boston. Spilborghs convinced Garrett Atkins, Matt Holliday and Troy Tulowitzki, to name a few, to go on a trek that wound through the city and visited different historical sites.</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">Baker and Jeff Francis were sitting at a Boston restaurant when they heard the group just before they rounded a corner.</p> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">“Spilly’s yelling at Tulo, Tulo’s yelling at Holliday, Holliday’s yelling at Atkins and me and Francis are dying laughing,” Baker said. “It was something I’ll never forget.”</span></p></blockquote><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">(Not to mention that as inducement, Spilly promised everyone he'd buy them something every time they complained and they'd get ice cream at the end. He does know how to hold an audience).<br /><br />The <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> are eying the idea of using Spilly as their backup leadoff man, to keep Willy T fresh and to continue to provide a reliable catalyst at the top of the lineup. If Spilly's performance after he was called up in May and asked to do just that is any indication, they're in good hands. After Finley finally received his long-overdue walking papers, Spilly hit .310 in 22 at-bats in May, with 3 doubles and 5 RBI (I believe he got three of them in something like his first game, immediately surpassing Finley's total for the season). He kept humming right along in June, hitting .308 with 2 doubles, 3 HR, and 14 RBI for the month, but he really took off in July -- he hit .353 for the month, with 4 HR and 18 RBI, including a grand slam against the Mets on July 3 in a game that the <st1:place st="on">Rockies</st1:place> won 11-3. When he was expected to take over full-time duty in August, Spilly scuffled slightly, as he hit only .250 for August with 3 HR and 8 RBI, but recovered in September alongside everyone else to hit .322 and play his part in guiding the team to a rampaging regular-season finish. Home or away didn't make a significant difference, as Spilly hit. 311 at Coors Field for the year and .290 on the road. Most importantly, he's also a major threat against lefties (.356) which was why he got a significant amount of platoon time last year due to Hawpe's continuing struggles with southpaws. He doesn't possess Willy T's speed (4 SB, 1 CS, but may have more opportunities) but has much more of a power stroke and a knack for seizing a situation. Whether it's dancing robots, bad cooking, interesting facial hair, or the timely hit, Ryan Spilborghs has got you covered. If they're planning to use him to spell Willy T, we may be seeing him get more regular playing time as well.<br /><br />One more thing: Last year, the Yankees tried to get Spilly (AND Frankie Morales) in exchange for (drumroll please...) Kyle Farnsworth. Aside from the fact that Farnsworth isn't worth a half of these players, let alone both of them, poor Spilly would be miserable on the "25 guys, 25 cabs" Yankees. I somehow don't think they'd take well to him trying to organize expeditions on the Freedom Trail in Boston. In other words, Spilly was born to be a Rockie and to send him anywhere else would result in deep unhappiness for all parties concerned. I love you dearly dearly, Ryan, but shave the damn beard. Bake is right, you do look like a terrorist.<br /><br /><b>2007 Line: </b>.299 AVG, 11 HR, 51 RBI, .363 OBP, .485 SLG, .848 OPS<br /><b>2008 Proj.: </b>.292 AVG, 13 HR, 53 RBI, .371 OBP, .476 SLG, .847 OPS<br /><b>INC/DEC/LEV: </b>LEV.<br /><br /><b>#22 L/L Scott Podsednik: </b>Podsednik will be under a microscope in a hurry while with the Rockies. He hasn't been really healthy since 2004, when he stole 70 bases for Milwaukee, and 2005, when he was a big part of the White Sox' championship run. Since then, he has undergone sports hernia surgeries at the end of three consecutive seasons, and he's taking over the place of Cory Sullivan, who's very popular in the clubhouse and a member of the Rockies fraternity that grew up together in the minor leagues. Also not to mention, the <i>last </i>left-handed older outfielder to be brought in from outside the organization for pinch-hit and bench help was an unqualified disaster. Also, it causes people to ask if the Rockies are a) going to disrupt their remarkable clubhouse chemistry for winning, and b) whether or not this is a bad thing, and c) whether Scott Eric Podsednik can help them do this better than Cory Sullivan. But Podsednik came in determined to prove he could once again be a difference-maker, and on the back of a .302 spring complimented by strong defense, he swayed Hurdle to give him the final spot on the Opening Day 25-man roster. Still, Sullivan is one of the Rockies' best defensive outfielders, and diving catches aren't to be confused with stellar overall defensive ability.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Podsednik is 34, so he's no spring chicken, but he will be asked to be a pinch-runner late in games, a spot starter, and a bat off the bench, and he will also need to perform these roles with a great deal more success than his unfortunate predecessor, or else find Sullivan called up to take his job again. It was a question of organizational depth as well with the Sully vs. Pods deathmatch, as if Sullivan won the job, Podsednik would have asked to be released in order to find big-league employment elsewhere -- with his age and track record, he's not a minor-league scrub. But he will have to both stay healthy and be effective for the Rockies to justify keeping him around, especially since it's already going to be such a closely scrutinized decision. He's making $750,000 to Sullivan's $1 million, and Sullivan is both a better defender and a long-standing friend of the key group, so if he doesn't show a spark off the bench, it's likely happy trails sooner rather than later. If nothing else, we can hope that the Rockies learned from the Finley disaster and are much quicker to pull the trigger this time if Podsednik goes down the drain early. Sullivan will assuredly be back up, but it's Podsednik's play that will see if that's in September when active rosters expand to 40, or much sooner due to incompetence. Pods' OBP (and stats in general) from last year are not pretty. Let's hope he doesn't repeat.<br /><br /><b>2007 Line: </b>.243 AVG, 2 HR, 11 RBI, .299 OBP, .369 SLG, .668 OPS, 12 SB, 5 CS<br /><b>2008 Proj.: </b>.277 AVG, 4 HR, 22 RBI, .331 OBP, .380 SLG, .710 OPS<br /><b>INC/DEC/LEV: </b>INC, or rather, returning to slightly nearer his normal production. If he's healthy and he has Coors on his side, he could turn out to be a very underrated pickup.<br /><br /><b>#10 R/R Jeff Baker: </b>Bake, as he's not-so-imaginatively nicknamed, plays both corner outfield and infield positions, making him a valuable weapon to have, and now that he plays second as well, you can pretty much stick him anywhere except pitcher (I'm sure he could play catcher if he put his mind to it). He hit .368 in September 2006 after his call-up, fooling some Rockies fans, myself probably included, into thinking that he was the second coming of Dante Bichette and who could play a little third and first as well. Born in Bad Kissingen, Germany (hmmm! Is this a reflection on Jeff's osculating abilities?) and growing up as the son of an Air Force father, Bake is fortunately used to bouncing around. He'll be asked to do that with the club, as he failed to lock down his part in the platoon last season due to hitting only .222; he lost all the spot starts to Sully and Spilly. He DID get a spot start on June 2 (I remember that because it was Photo Day, and I personally asked him if he was starting, as it was during Atkins' horrible slump) ... and promptly grounded into three double plays, which is never exactly the way to make a good impression. As a matter of fact, it had been almost exactly 10 years since another Rockie did it -- Eric Young on June 1, 1997 against the Marlins.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">This year, he may play some outfield if Hawpe needs a little time off, and he can also spell Atkins and Helton for starts at third and first. Baker could probably be a starter elsewhere, as he's flashed a power stroke on occasion, and consistent ABs could help him rediscover it -- but he's not going to get them on this club, blocked as he is by a raft of talent ahead of him. He's also going to need to learn how to pinch-hit, as that's also what he'll be used for, and he hit a miserable 9 for 46 (.196) in PHing duty. He was briefly in the second-base derby this year, and dropped 10 pounds and worked so hard there that he now rates his best defensive position as -- yup, second base, the one he just started playing, so he can also be used in the middle infield if the rookie Nix needs an occasional break. But Bake got 26 starts last year, the fewest of anybody on the Opening Day roster, and with his positions all capably filled, he doesn't figure to see much time as a starter again this year, unless (GOD FORBID) Helton or Hawpe go down. Bake himself knows a little about going down, as I was at the August 10 game in which he got drilled in the head by a pitch from the Cubs' Jason Marquis. As I mentioned at the time, it was kind of sick -- his helmet flew off and he just lay on the ground for several minutes while I just kept saying, "Come on, Bake, come on, stand up, be okay, come on." It's never fun to see anybody take one in the noggin, but fortunately, Bake is made of tough stuff and he came away from it with only a concussion. He missed 18 games, but made it back in time for the stretch drive, and in NLDS Game 3, he had the game-winning hit. The game was tied at 1 in the bottom of the eighth, Garrett Atkins singled, and with two outs and him standing on third, Bake came off the bench to deliver the go-ahead single into right field to push the Rockies up 2-1. Three outs and Manny Corpastime later, they were headed for their first NLCS, so the Rockies faithful remember Baker affectionately for this. I also remember him affectionately because he's a very nice and funny guy who took time to chat and hang out with us at Photo Day. (I think my sister Gillian now has a small thing for him due to this). I don't think he'll be quite as bad as he was this year, but nor do I think he's particularly above-average.<br /><br /><b>2007 Line: </b>.222 AVG, 4 HR, 12 RBI, .296 OBP, .347 SLG, .643 OPS<br /><b>2008 Proj.: </b>.260 AVG, 5 HR, 18 RBI, .315 OBP, .358 SLG, .673 OPS<br /><b>INC/DEC/LEV: </b>Very slight INC.<br /><br /><b>#12 R/R Clint Barmes: </b>By now I am sure you all know what I think of Clint Barmes. I understand he's a very popular guy in the clubhouse, humble, good team player, and close with the rest of the guys, to which I say -- all well and good. But Clint Barmes, while being a nice guy, is shockingly atrocious at baseball. This wasn't always so -- in 2005, he was hitting .400 to start the season, had an Opening Day walk-off homer against Trevor Hoffman (the first rookie ever to hit a walk-off on Opening Day) and looked like a surefire NL Rookie of the Year and the Rockies' shortstop of the future. Then there came a small incident involving deer meat, Barmes, and a little tumble down the stairs, to which he was granted the nickname "Venison" and a sudden and unfortunate end to a promising season. The broken collarbone that resulted from this sidelined him until almost the end of 2005, and he was never the same player afterwards. Defensively, he continues to be a wiz, but he is a bona-fide black hole at the plate. He hit .320 in 25 at-bats in 2003, .282 in 71 AB in 2004, and was an AAA All-Star this year at Colorado Springs, where he went .299/11/44, but Spilly replicated that line almost exactly at the major league level and Barmes, um, did not. In 37 AB, he hit a miserable .216/0/1, and I remember precisely when this occurred (It was on August 11 against the Cubs, in a game the Rockies won 15-2, and Barmes had been put in as a late-inning sub when the Rockies began to kill the Cubs relievers. Or was that when he hit a double and scored, still to my unending surprise? Whatever, I know it was in August).<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Hurdle absolutely LOVES Barmes, however (is it the first name? And I know Hurdle likes nice guys, but still.... and NO, he does not like nice guys "like that," or is it just because I have a dirty mind that I have to disclaim this?) so he made the club after the Rox traded fan-favorite Carroll, and is <i>still</i> (it's taking a while) proving that he can be a productive big league player. I take serious leave to doubt that this will finally unfold, and it's just a sad fact that Barmes will probably never be the player he was before the dead deer attack. Still, he'll see time as a pinch-runner, late-innings defensive sub for Atkins, and possibly one or two appearances in center field as well, a position that he started learning last year in an attempt to find more playing time. This being Barmes, he'll have to really force the issue.<br /><br /><b>2007 Line: </b>.216 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .237 OBP, .297 SLG, .534 OPS<br /><b>2008 Proj: </b>. 224 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .282 OBP, .302 SLG, .584 OPS<br /><b>INC/DEC/LEV: </b>LEV<br /><br /><b>#20 R/R Chris Iannetta: </b>It's been an up-and-down road to the bigs for young backup backstop Iannetta. He's looked to as the Rockies' catcher of the future, and was thought to be a potential darkhorse Rookie of the Year pick going into 2007. It didn't happen, as Iannetta struggled with growing pains that eventually led to his demotion to AAA in August; he'd hit .158 in April, .222 in May, and .250 in June, culminating with a 1-for-8 (.042) July that sealed his fate. He is a very patient hitter (at times too patient) and he'd let himself get worked too deep into pitcher's counts, therefore limiting the number of good pitches he'd see in any given at-bat. A hard and dedicated worker, the serious and intelligent Iannetta (he graduated with a math degree from UNC Chapel Hill) took the demotion and worked with it, and on his return to the big leagues, he hit .357 in August and .308 in September. Still, Dan O'Dowd publicly announced this<br />spring that if Iannetta didn't show something, he'd risk being sent back to the Springs and have Edwin Bellorin be the backup catcher instead. Iannetta retorted that such an idea was "dumb" and marched out to prove it, showing that catcher will be (hopefully) a position of strength. He and Yorvit hit a combined .391 in Cactus League play, and in a game I watched last week against the Brewers, Iannetta hit a homer completely OUT of the ballpark. He has the ideal body for a catcher -- short, stocky, and very strong -- so once he does figure out how to get the ball and bat into the correct angle with each other for maximum velocity, he can definitely send them a long way. (I know from personal experience that he also has very big hands. Which is good for someone supposed to catch small speeding spheroids for a living, after all).<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Catchers aren't usually power hitters, but Iannetta cranked 13 in 2005 (split between Class A Modesto and AA Tulsa) and 14 in 2006 (split between Tulsa and AAA Colorado Springs) so the stroke is definitely there; it's a matter of getting the average to consistently follow. He's hit .303 in his minor league career, so it's far from impossible. Iannetta is also quite good at catching baserunners stealing, as he has a strong arm and quick reflexes, and can just fire a bullet down to second for his buddy Tulo to lay the smackdown on the thief. (This is one area in which he easily beats Yorvit). He's also a good game-caller (no matter how much the pitching staff loves Yorvit) and has become something of Cook's personal catcher, since he recognizes that Aaron can throw pitches aside from fastballs. (Iannetta was behind the dish for Cookie's 74-pitch complete game against the Padres last year). Iannetta does have someone breathing at his heels, which is unusual for a prospect, but Michael McKenry has favorably impressed the Rockies brass and will be opening the year at High-A Modesto with a chance to move up faster. Still, if this is the year Iannetta can stand up and lay claim to the starter's job, he will see much more playing time than he did last year, and move into full-time starter mode as Yorvit's contract expires at the end of '09. He's already shown what's possible, now the trick is consistency.<br /><br /><b>2007 Line: </b>.218 AVG, 4 HR, 27 RBI, .330 OBP, .350 SLG, .680 OPS<br /><b>2008 Proj.: </b>.266 AVG, 6 HR, 36 RBI, .344 OBP, .367 SLG, .711 OPS<br /><b>INC/DEC/LEV: </b>Slight INC.<br /><br />Well, now that's finished, it's a little less than two hours until the Rockies open their 2007 NL Champs defense against the 2006 NL Champs (and World Series champs, which the Rockies sadly failed to get) Cardinals. I'll post lineups as soon as I see them and will otherwise liveblog.<br /><br />LET'S GO ROCKIES!<br /><br />Man, it feels good to write that and have it mean something.</p>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-4337870046820505682008-03-24T23:30:00.001-04:002008-03-25T17:58:28.623-04:00Around the Horn: OutfieldI have finally gotten new contacts, so in a miracle, I am now able to see. My eyes are not exactly used to them yet, but it's nice to no longer have my crappy glasses, and I definitely noticed the difference when I was playing football catch with my sister. I can also now see the Rockies in high-def better than ever, which always a plus, especially when it entails wins. One such was picked up today over our friends the Brewers, 6-5, but I'm more than a little worried about the state of our starting rotation. Cook got roughed up by the D-backs, Jimenez hasn't found a groove, Frankie's ERA is well over 6, Hirsh is hurt, and Francis can't do it all by himself, as after all he can pitch only once every five days. Wells has been officially relegated to the bullpen, so I guess that means MARK! All-Star! REDMAN gets to take over the fifth spot until Hirsh comes back. Fortunately, fifth starters generally aren't used too much in April, so hopefully we won't dig ourselves in too much of a hole. Ehhhh....<br /><br />Also, Kip Wells' M.O.: <a href="http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080323&content_id=2454147&vkey=spt2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=col">Get demoted</a> to the bullpen because you suck, and then whine that you want to be a starter. He's already annoying me a lot, and that has done nothing to endear him further. Listen, buster, you were 5-17 as a starter last year with an ERA above <span style="font-style: italic;">six </span>(6.27 to be exact)<span style="font-style: italic;">. </span>Much as it may pain me to say it, you were ... slightly good as a reliever, 2-0 and 2.31 ERA. If you want to stay in the big leagues, which is a slender surety as it is, maybe you should shut your mouth and try helping the team. I have pretty much unlimited and insane love for each guy on the Rockies. Most of them, that is. You are noticeably exempt. You seem to think you were "entitled" to a starting spot, when you were epically awful as a starter last year and came in knowing it would be a competition. Argh. Please get off my team already.<br /><br />Luckily, despite all these pitfalls of the pitching, the Rockies still have a stacked lineup to their credit. In some of these starts, they will be needing it. And with the exception of Willy Taveras, two of their chief cannons can be found in the expansive Coors Field outfield. The three starters get previewed today, and Spilly and whoever the fifth outfielder ends up being will be included with the rest of the backup corps in "Bench."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/images-htm/images/sport/sports_42.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 116px;" src="http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/images-htm/images/sport/sports_42.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Projected:<br /></span>LF Matt Holliday<br />CF Willy Taveras<br />RF Brad Hawpe<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#5 R/R Matt Holliday: </span>At last, the long-kept secret that is Matt Holliday is starting to get out to the world, mainly thanks to the play last October 1st that will go down as "The Slide." Barreling face-first into home plate and Michael Barrett's foot, hitting his head and dazing himself while bloodying his chin, Matt vaulted the Rockies over the Padres in the one-game playoff for the NL Wild Card and the club's first postseason appearance since 1995. If the Broncos have "The Drive," now the Rockies have "The Slide," as I think I can watch the bottom of that 13th inning over... and over... and over, and never get tired of it. Despite being the actual MVP, Matt was robbed of the award in favor of Jimmy Rollins, the East Coast media darling. Matt had better numbers all around, as this handy little chart shall show you:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AVG<br /></span>Holliday: .340 (NL batting title winner). Home: .376. Away: .301<br />Rollins: .296 (in Citizens Bank Park, which plays like pre-humidor Coors) Home: .300. Away: .293.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">HR<br /></span>Holliday: 36<br />Rollins: 30<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">RBI<br /></span>Holliday: 137 (NL RBI leader)<br />Rollins: 94<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">OBP<br /></span>Holliday: .405<br />Rollins: .344<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">SLG<br /></span>Holliday: .607<br />Rollins: .531<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">OPS<br /></span>Holliday: 1.012<br />Rollins: .875<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2B<br /></span>Holliday: 50<br />Rollins: 38<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3B<br /></span>Holliday: 6<br />Rollins: 20<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hits/ABs<br /></span>Holliday: 216/636<br />Rollins: 212/716 (he couldn't even tie with 80 more ABs)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Outs Made/Plate Appearances:<br /></span>Holliday: 451/713<br />Rollins: 527/778 (LED THE MAJORS)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">XBH (Extra-Base Hits)<br /></span>Holliday: 92 (1st in NL)<br />Rollins: 88 (2nd in NL.... not even all those extra triples could get him by)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">RC/G (Runs Created/Game)<br /></span>Holliday: 9.0<br />Rollins: 6.9<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">SB<br /></span>Holliday: 11<br />Rollins: 41<br /><br />So basically, if triples and stolen bases outweigh all the other categories, then yes, Jimmy Rollins was the MVP. And proceeded to hit .182 with 1 HR and 4 RBI in the three-game sweep suffered by the Phil-Phils against Matt's Rockies in the NLDS. Whereas Matt hit .289 in the postseason with 5 HR and 10 RBI. But naturally, since everything in the baseball world happens on the East Coast, it was the "Coors Field effect," <span style="font-style: italic;">regardless </span>of the fact that the Bank is even more extreme of a hitter's park than Coors now that the humidor has been installed. I already wrote a whole treatise as to how Tulo was robbed of the Gold Glove by Rollins and the ROY by Braun, and I wasn't REALLY intending to do so here, but I couldn't resist showing how much the deserving candidate did not get picked. Not that I have a pro-purple bias or anything.<br /><br />Holliday is one of the hardest workers in the game. After an uninspiring minor league career (he never hit higher than .276 or 16 HR in a full season) he dropped close to 20 pounds, changed his diet, and works out every day with religious fervor (true story: Holliday was in Panama to play for Team USA, and refused to miss a workout despite the fact of his hotel lacking a gym -- he just used his luggage for curls and bench presses). He has a Tulowitzki-like will to continue to improve, and he believes that he'll be disgusted with himself if he's not still an elite player at age 35 or so. Born in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Matt was an All-American quarterback prospect coming out of Stillwater High, one of the highest-rated recruits in the nation, and the Kansas City Chiefs GM sent him a letter begging him to choose football over baseball. He dropped all the way to the seventh round of the 1998 draft since teams weren't sure which sport he was going to choose, and the Rockies were able to sign him in July of that year. Nobody knew it yet, but they were sitting on a gold mine -- nine years later, he wouldn't be a two-sport promising youngster but instead one of the best players in baseball, leading a previously moribund franchise to their first NL Pennant and their emergence from MLB's cellar.<br /><br />This past offseason, Holliday received a 2-year, $23 million extension that will take him to his age-30 season and the end of his arbitration, and Rockies fans everywhere are adamant that he be re-signed, but his agent is the evil Scott Boras who will demand nothing less than top dollar. If Helton's contract expires around this time, there may be enough lucre to retain Holliday, who by then will be established as hands-down the best left fielder in baseball (and he was chosen as that already). A premier offensive talent and no slouch on the field (3 errors with 296 putouts, 7 assists) and 306 total chances for a .990 fielding percentage) Holliday is a fearsome middle-of-the-order bat who will be hitting cleanup this year and given plenty of chances to send runners in a homeward direction. He incorporates a signature high leg-kick and isn't the most patient hitter, as he'll be swinging on the first pitch almost all the time, but usually manages to hit it a Mile High anyway. Matt has increased his AVG, HR, RBI, OBP, and SLG every year that he's been in the majors, leading to the question of just how much higher he can go. Just repeating 2007 would be legendary. Going even higher? Well, the big man can do it. Here's something interesting for you: In 2007, Matt hit .338 off fastballs, .373 off curveballs, .331 off sliders, and .429 off changeups, and his RC/27 was 9.04, so nine Matts in the lineup would put you up about 9 or so runs a game. His BABIP (batting average on balls in play) was .380, so basically if he puts wood on it, you're generally screwed. Good luck finding a weakness, pitchers of the NL. I'd anticipate seeing Holliday in New York for his third All-Star game this summer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>.340 AVG, 36 HR, 137 RBI, .405 OBP, .607 SLG, 1.012 OPS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj: </span>.335 AVG, 38 HR, 135 RBI, .415 OBP, .620 SLG, 1.035 OPS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>Slight INC.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#3 R/R Willy Taveras: </span>Willy T, as he's known, is a speed merchant that adds the fleetfoot element to Colorado's lineup of mashers. Willy T will never be mistaken for Holliday, as he's a slender, speedy, punch-and-judy hitter with a grand total of 6 career homers, but he does have 101 career stolen bases. With Kaz's departure, Tulo and Jayson Nix will both be running more, but Willy T remains the primary speed option -- assuming he's healthy, as nagging quad injuries limited him to only 97 games last year. He led the majors in bunt hits last year, but had to overcome a slow start and is looking a little anemic in spring thus far this year. He can use his speed to discomfit opposing pitchers, and with Tulo hitting in the #2 hole, it can limit the number of offspeed pitches he sees if the catcher needs to worry about Willy T stealing. Since Tulo murders fastballs, this is only to the better, and as long as Willy T doesn't come up gimpy, he'll likely be running wild on the basepaths. The problem is, that's really the only dimension to his offensive game, and he has trouble getting on base consistently -- last year's .367 OBP was by far the highest of his career, and he walked only 21 times to 55 K's. He doesn't have much power for extra bases, with 2 HR, 13 doubles, and 2 triples, but if he ever does get the ball into the green, he can push outfielders into making mistakes and take the extra base simply because he can outrace a speeding baseball. (No word on his ability to leap tall buildings with a single bound).<br /><br />Defensively, Willy T had 223 total chances, 212 putouts, 7 assists, and 4 errors for a .982 fielding percentage, and he might have made the play of the year in NLCS Game 2 against the Diamondbacks. With two runners on, two outs, and the Rockies nursing a one-run lead in the bottom of the seventh, Tony Clark hit a laser into no-man's-land between right and center. It looked like extra bases, a Diamondbacks lead, and a win in that game for Arizona could have changed the entire complexion of the series -- but Willy T charged across what looked like a mile of Chase Field grass, extended his glove, and dove fully extended to come up with the ball and end the inning. Clint Hurdle, who had been heavily criticized for daring to put Willy T back into the lineup after the Rockies had already won 17 of 18, suddenly looked like a genius again, but Willy T didn't provide any offensive pop, hitting only .167 for the NLCS with 1 stolen base, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Still, he's projected to be the starting center fielder, and if he gets injured or is too ineffective, either Ryan Spilborghs, Cory Sullivan, or Scott Podsednik (depending on whether Pods or Sully wins the fifth outfield spot) may spell him. 162 games is a long season, after all (as the players themselves like to remind us in their interviews) and Willy T barely got to 100 of them last year. And his speed isn't much of an asset if he can't get on base, but if he can a) replicate his moderate success on this front and b) avoid messing with his legs, which constitute basically his entire value as a player, he can provide the effective catalyst at the top of the lineup.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>.320 AVG, 2 HR, 24 RBI, .367 OBP, .382 SLG, .749 OPS, 33 SB, 9 CS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>.312 AVG, 2 HR, 27 RBI, .359 OBP, .377 SLG, .736 OPS, 37 SB, 8 CS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>LEV<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#11 L/L Brad Hawpe: </span>Brad, as long as you play him against righties, is an unholy terror at the plate. He hit .315/24/94 off righties, but a meek .214/5/22 against southpaws, and it's been his issues with lefties that have kept him from developing into one of the premier corner outfielders in baseball. (LET IT BE NOTED, however: Brad hit a 14th-inning, go-ahead and game-winning home run against the Padres on September 21, in the middle of the streak in which the Rockies literally had to win every game. This homer came off Joe Thatcher, one of the tougher lefty pen-men in the NL, AND in San Diego at night, in one of the hardest parks to hit it out of. He also hit a two-run blast off the Dodgers' Jonathan Broxton, another tough setup man, for a 5-4 Rockies victory on September 19). Brad hit .316 in September and October with 26 RBI, so he showed up when he was most needed, and hit .438 in the Rockies' vital last 12 regular season games. A patient but streaky hitter, Brad can go through stretches in which he'll absolutely crush anything near the plate and then stretches where he strikes out like Adam Dunn. (At one point last year, he went 26 straight games with at least one K). Still, a final line of .291/29/116 isn't at all shabby, and Brad was rewarded for his performance with a three-year, $17.25 million contract that buys out his arbitration years and his first year of free agency. If he can get over his lefty issues, it's not good news for the rest of the NL, but it IS good news for Rockies fans, who can enjoy watching Hawpe put that sweet swing on the other half of opposing pitchers as well.<br /><br />Brad has firmly established himself as a fearsome run-producer, but in a lineup with Holliday, Helton, and Tulowitzki, he (and Atkins) tend to get overlooked. With a 2-6 that's among the best in the game (Tulowitzki-Helton-Holliday-Atkins-Hawpe) you can appreciate exactly how talented the Rockies are when they have a 29 HR/116 RBI man hitting in the sixth hole, Jayson Nix (.292/11/58 in AAA last year) hitting seventh, and, well, Yorvit hitting eighth, but still. Brad ranked sixth in RBIs in the entire NL last year, is a cleanup hitter on many clubs, and is on the tail end of Colorado's Murderer's Row -- that's food for thought about how strong the offensive cannonade here is. (They're going to need it as well....) Defensively, Brad can struggle when he has to go back on balls and doesn't have the greatest range, but what he does have is a cannon arm reminiscent of the days when Larry Walker was cutting down runners from the right-field corner. The pitchers know that Hawpe's arm will keep opposing batters from getting too cheeky on the basepaths, so as long as he can get to balls quickly, he'll keep them honest and only to second instead of constantly going first-to-third on balls hit to right field.<br /><br />Coors Field helps, of course, but it should be noted in any disparate split of home and road average, that curveballs and breaking pitches act very different in Denver, humidor or otherwise, than they do elsewhere, and so every hitter has to recalibrate how he sees them on the road. Brad hit a perfectly serviceable .273/10/49 on the road, and to be honest, I get really tired of talking about the "Coors Effect" when discussing Rockies stats. If they signed elsewhere (God forbid, I love them too much to ever lose them) they'd adjust how they saw pitches and be just as good there. Good hitting mechanics are good hitting mechanics, and although Brad's swing is still a little long, it wouldn't be a great handicap elsewhere. Brad was responsible for 7.5 runs created on average in a game, and his RC/27 was 7.57, which means that nine Brads playing 27 outs (your standard nine-inning baseball game) would score about 7 runs. In his first taste of postseason action, Brad hit .282 overall, with 1 HR, 4 RBI, and a team-leading 8 walks, and since he's excited to be a Rockie and to play with this group of guys, all of whom are like family to him and the rest of the Rockies' close and dynamic clubhouse, I'm sure he'll have a chance to improve on those numbers soon.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>.291 AVG, 29 HR, 116 RBI, .387 OBP, .539 SLG, .926 OPS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>.295 AVG, 27 HR, 112 RBI, .390 OBP, .525 SLG, .915 OPS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>LEV<br /><br />That concludes our extra-thpecial preview on the Rockies' outfield. The bench will be covered next, and despite my generally, um, interesting approach to scheduling, that will be the whole team before the season starts. YAY! I can't wait. Then I can get back to all my various fascinating ideas.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-69880661361309861572008-03-22T16:55:00.002-04:002008-03-22T17:06:01.017-04:00An Axe From Last OctoberI just discovered from one of my online acquaintances that this blog was linked from Deadspin last October in the midst of the disastrous four-game series better known as the World Series. Well, the post they evidently linked to was taken down, as it a) offered nothing particularly valuable save my emotional reaction, and b) attracted a bunch of Internet buzzards who were generally eager to laugh at someone else's expense. Which, of course, is the way it goes with sports fans, but I should have guessed that the sudden influx of nasty commentators came from somewhere, as my modest blogging enterprise is usually scarcely enough to merit such <span style="font-style: italic;">distinguished </span>attention. Perhaps the mistake was mine in putting something on the Internet after one of the worst nights of my life as a sports fan, and should have given the wound some time to heal overnight, but I still can't help but be extremely mad that of all the posts I have spent time on for this blog, that one was the one that the Deadspin sophisticates chose to highlight. Yep, I'm sure my misery was very entertaining for that crew, who audition to have the best jaded-cynic comments posted on every entry.<br /><br />Disclaimer: I usually enjoy reading Deadspin. I get a chuckle out of a lot of their posts, and especially football-wise, it's extremely amusing. I just do wonder as to why they pick that to link to, and why everybody has to take it as their mandate to come over and make it worse. I was struggling pretty badly that October, as last semester in general was extremely hard for me, and I was dealing with a lot of emotional issues that started before the Series and were made worse by it. As my next post attested, I had to give it all up for a while because it was just not something I could deal with in my emotional state the way it was. Depression is something I have started to have to deal with, not necessarily welcomed, but last October's bout with it came at a particularly inopportune time. As my friends can tell you, and as I can tell you, I was pretty much a wreck. I was unhappy, homesick, lonely, isolated, and really struggling while 1600 miles from home, made worse by the ugly results of the Series, and... yeah, I am still angry about this, especially since it was bothering me since before I even knew where all the know-it-alls came from. I removed the offending post and the comments with it, and the result of that was that I banned anonymous users from making comments on the blog. Flame wars are fine elsewhere, but not here; that's simply not what this blog is for. I'm fine with feedback, not trolling.<br /><br />As for all the Red Sox partisans that came along to sneer at me for being such a fool for even daring to support the Rox: I am a fan of my team, the same as all you. What am I supposed to do, fly the white flag pre-emptively and sigh, "Oh no, the mighty East Coast juggernauts are going to destroy my overmatched Munchkins? I can't believe I'm so foolish as to think this small-market Western team that's just won 21 of 22 can have any chance against these ESPN darlings! Oh... the Sox are going to win in three, the Rockies are just completely doomed, it was all a fluke, Red Sox Nation 4Ever!" No. You believe, I believe, we all know how it turned out, you were justified, yadda yadda yadda. You're certainly not doing much for your perception as some of the most loutish fans in baseball. If you want to come along and engage in some friendly debate, I'm always up for it. If you want to troll, you will find your comments deleted. 18-1.<br /><br />One of the anonymous posters did have the grace to come back later and apologize, which I am grateful for. And since this is five months later, I doubt that anyone who came here then will see this now, but it still bothers me and I figured I wanted to air some of my left-over resentment from that. If you by some chance HAVE come here from Deadspin, or anywhere else, after the long-past history of the 2007 World Series, welcome. You will find various interesting featurettes, most of which showcase my probably inaccurate predictions, insane love of my team, and general anticipation for 2008. Most of which, remarkably, are probably sentiments you share. I am, remarkably, more than a bad reaction to a bad game, and if you'd like to look around, do so. Thanks.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-48020591591372997702008-03-21T21:07:00.011-04:002008-03-31T13:44:51.670-04:00Around the Horn: InfieldJust finished watching the Rox school the Cubs 7-3 (the Cubs can never lose enough, which makes it more annoying that they beat us yesterday) and a few observations:<br /><br />- Corpas looks good in recovering from taking the loss yesterday. 1-2-3, pitches crisp, and a few feeble ground balls were all the Flubs could get off him.<br />- Typical Brian Fuentes outing. Two quick outs, then a 3-1 base hit and a 5-pitch walk before a laser off the bat of Mark De Rosa is turned into the end of the inning thanks to Spilly's good read on it, instead of a double.<br />- Atkins, of all people, hit a triple. He's had a relatively quiet spring (0 HR, 4 RBI) so it's good to see him flash a little power. Also, it's always kind of amusing to watch him rumble around the bases. Atkins is a big fella and not exactly a speed demon, as everyone made sure to point out to him when he hit the inside-the-parker last year.<br />- Tulo is locked in. Every time he was up, he hit a bullet, and although he did get picked off once, he made up for it with an easy steal. Someone is ready for the season to start.<br />- Big man Mattie, however, looks a little asleep at the moment. 0-4 with a pair of K's, but he had a bad swing on his last at-bat and still almost managed to hit the ball out of the yard. As you can tell by looking at his arms, the man is freakishly strong.<br />- "Angular velocity" had me laughing all afternoon. George Frazier, one of the TV analysts, started it by having the sideline reporter ask Jeff Francis (a physics major) what it was, supposedly for his daughter's school project. Francis laughingly demurred and protested he didn't want to look like a nerd on camera, but could explain it later if need be. Undeterred, the FSN RM crew therefore made a habit of asking every player they interviewed after that what it was. A few of the best:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Matt Herges: </span>"I think you'd better ask Jeff. He probably invented it."<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jeff Baker: </span>"Whoa, dude, I'm a hitter, not a pitcher. I dunno."<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jason Hirsh: </span><long> [long pause] "Back to you!"<br /><br />That's what I love about spring training -- even though it's winding down and everyone is focusing on preparing for the season and securing jobs, they can still have fun and joke around. Gah, I love this team, and yes, it is always extremely annoying that I have to leave spring break and go back to TV-less New York just a few days before the season starts. On April 4, the home opener, I will be in class, giving a presentation about something I am passionate about -- which not so coincidentally will be baseball -- and the instant it's over, I shall grab a dinner to go and flee back to my computer to watch it. I can't wait.<br /><br />In the meantime, it's time to preview the Rockies' deep and talented infield. Yes, two consecutive posts, 'tis miraculous. Also, I'll only examine the five projected starters here (including catcher) and everyone else will get their due in "Around the Horn: Bench."<br /><br /></long><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/images-htm/images/sport/sports_42.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 131px;" src="http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/images-htm/images/sport/sports_42.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Projected<br /></span>1B Todd Helton<br />2B Jayson Nix<br />SS Troy Tulowitzki<br />3B Garrett Atkins<br />C Yorvit Torrealba<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#17 L/L Todd Helton: </span>The elder statesman of a team that's no longer Todd and the Toddlers, Helton's long and distinguished career, and patience with a pretty awful set of seasons in the early oughts, was finally rewarded last year with the Rockies' miracle run to the Series. One of my favorite memories ever is of Helton catching the throw from Tulowitzki to end Game 4 of the NLCS, with Byrnes on his face in the dirt, and then just throwing up both fists and screaming, dancing across the infield, as giddy as a schoolboy. Close on its heels is the image of him tossing off his helmet, screaming like a wild man, and flinging himself into the arms of his euphoric teammates after his unbelievable walk-off homer against Takashi Saito and the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 18th. I've memorized the call for that play, and the sight of Helton, mad with joy, stage-diving into a mob of arms, still gives me chills after the dozens of times I've watched it. No longer rumored to be on his way out, Helton seems to be thrilled to be where he is, his love for the game rekindled, and 2007 was a great starter gift to give a guy who's been through hell and high water with the club since the beginning of his career. But he, and everyone else, wants to get to the very highest peak this year, and you can bet that everyone in the organization was thinking particularly of Helton when they were celebrating last year. Still, champagne fades. Todd wants back, and he's going to set an example with hard work to get there.<br /><br />One of the acknowledged clubhouse co-leaders (Holliday and Tulo being the other two) Helton is still a force at age 34. His days of .372/42/147 monstrosities are behind him, but he's still a solid line-drive hitter who will wear a pitcher out with his remarkable patience. Helton has an outstanding idea and awareness of where the strike zone is, and a typical at-bat for him takes at least five or six pitches before he finds something he wants to square up on. He hasn't hit below .300 since his rookie season of 1997 (.280) and his remarkable patience leads to lots of walks, which means his OBP is well north of .400. (He walked 116 times last year against 74 strikeouts). Helton is the only player in history with 10 straight seasons of 35+ doubles, and he'll likely continue that this year, as the balls might not be making it over the fence, but there's plenty of room for them to roam in the spacious outfield of Coors. He sets a great example for the team's many youngsters; when your longest-tenured, most recognizable (although Matt and Tulo are making inroads) franchise player is also your hardest and most dedicated, team-oriented worker, there are good things afoot and it's a key to the Rockies' remarkable close, loving, goofy clubhouse chemistry. Helton is about as far from Bonds as you can get, in his element when he can display his killer dry sense of humor on others, who can then freely dish it back. The Rockies constantly say that there are no egos in the clubhouse, and it's true. Maybe a Giants rookie would quail in fear before attempting to prick His Bondsness with a jab or two, but a Rockies rookie can feel perfectly confident teasing ol' man Helton a little. Of course, you get what you give, as Todd is faster with a quip than just about anybody.<br /><br />Fielding-wise, it was a total travesty that Helton did not get a Gold Glove last year. He made only ONE ERROR ALL YEAR for a .999 fielding percentage, is one of the best in the game at picking out low throws from across the diamond (saving both Atkins and Tulowitzki throwing errors) and yet somehow got passed up for Derrek Lee, who made 7. I don't get that, and I'm still slightly rankled about the Rockies being shut completely out of postseason awards, no matter how much they themselves insist it doesn't matter. He won't get to all the balls he did a few years ago, since he's not going to be doing bellyflops in the infield at his age, but he's still a key component of the Rockies' defense, which, oh yeah, was the best in all of baseball last year. (And yet failed to rank in the top ten in the MLB '08: The Show video game. The talking heads STILL haven't caught up to the Rockies yet. No matter, Todd will be at the forefront of leading the calvary charge to a repeat this year, whether it's in getting the timely hit, inspiring the youngsters, or patiently answering the same questions about how the hell the Rockies made it back to October again).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>.320 AVG., 17 HR, 91 RBI, .434 OBP, .494 SLG, .928 OPS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>.315 AVG, 18 HR, 89 RBI, .440 OBP, .480 SLG, .920 OPS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>LEV.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#4 R/R Jayson Nix: </span>Nix has had a long slow climb to the majors. The Rockies' top pick in 2001 (44th overall) he's the brother of the equally y-misplaced Laynce (now with the Brewers) and has spent seven years toiling away in the minors. He's played a year apiece at Rookie, A, and Advanced A, and two years apiece in AA and AAA. Since he was 18 when he was drafted, he's still only 25, but the time it took for him to get to this level have raised questions about his ability to contribute to the big-league club. Nix has also been pedestrian with the bat in the minors, never a good sign, but then again, a guy named Matt Holliday didn't have a standout minor league career and got himself to where he is by working his ass off. Of course, Nix, at a relatively slight 5'11" and 185 lbs, doesn't exactly compare to Holliday's massive 6'4"/230 lb, but it goes to show you that if you set your mind to it, you can do it (now I sound like the song "Heart" from <span style="font-style: italic;">Damn Yankees). </span><br /><br />Nix hit .294 at Rookie-level Casper his first year, but dropped to .246 the next year at Class A Asheville. He rose back to .281 at Advanced-A Visalia, but struggled through a pair of off-years in AA Tulsa -- .213 and .236, nonetheless making it to AAA Colorado Springs in 2006. He only hit .251 that year, but enjoyed a surge in 2007, finishing with his highest average since Rookie ball -- .292 for the Sky Sox, with 11 HR and 58 RBI, strong numbers for a second baseman, who's generally given leeway to be more of a glove guy than a bat guy. Nix definitely is a glove guy, as Holliday claims he's stopped in the middle of batting practice to watch Nix vacuum up ground balls in the infield, but the hitting has been off and on. He was named MVP of Team USA this past offseason and came to camp with the inside track in filling the positional vacancy left by Kaz Matsui's departure to the Astros. (For the record, I think that that decision will end up being rued by both parties. Kaz benefited from Coors Field and a terrific lineup hitting behind him in a town where he had come to resuscitate his career after a disastrous stint with the Mets. The Astros have no such power, play in hot and humid South Texas, and overpaid badly -- $16.5 million over three years -- for a guy who hit .249 away from Coors. (My internet is being maddeningly slow again... arrgh, so that's a guess, since nothing will load for me).<br /><br />Nix faces some competition from Jeff Baker for the official nod, but Hurdle has evidently liked what he has seen and the six-man second base derby (between Nix, Baker, Ian Stewart, Clint Barmes, Omar Quintanilla, and Marcus Giles) seems to have drawn to a close with Nix the last one standing. He'll face challenges in proving that he can adjust to Major League pitching and not be a Barmes-esque hole in the lineup, but will have the benefit of hitting seventh or eighth behind a Monster's Row of Tulowitzki-Helton-Holliday-Atkins-Hawpe. His sterling glovework will help to form an airtight seal up the middle of the infield, but honestly, with Tulo out there, we only need a league-average second baseman, as Tulo will probably be fielding a lot of those anyway. Nix is better than that, but the hitting needs to follow suit. He can also provide speed at the bottom of the order -- he's stolen over 10 bags every year since Casper and swiped 24 for the Sky Sox last year. With Tulo and Taveras both running (assuming Taveras is healthy) Nix will help them add the dimension that was lost to some degree with Kaz's departure.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line (AAA): </span>.292 AVG, 11 HR, 58 RBI, .342 OBP, .451 SLG, .793 OPS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Proj. (MLB): </span>.270 AVG, 7 HR, 37 RBI, .335 OBP, .415 SLG, .750 OPS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>Hard to say with Nix, as he's never had a big-league cup of tea before.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#2 R/R Troy Tulowitzki: </span>What can you say about Tulo? I have absolutely unshakable confidence in him, and every time someone expresses concern that the Rockies might fall back to earth in 2008, my response is always, "Don't worry, Tulo won't let it happen." A fantastically confident and mature rookie who blasted into stardom in his first full year on the team and was rewarded with a six-year, $31 million contract, Tulo is the real thing. He famously announced last year after the team's 18-27 start that he had never played for a losing team before and wasn't keen to start -- at the time, he was just 22. Some might have looked down their noses at a rookie trying to take on a leadership role, but Tulo craves the spotlight and has never been shy about letting everyone know that hang-dogging, self-pity, lackadaisical, or losing play just doesn't fly. He has ice in his veins and a cannon arm, and some of the plays he makes deep in the hole are positively Ripkenesque. Tulo is big for his position at 6'3" and 205 lbs, but he dropped 10 or 15 pounds this past offseason and is leaner and meaner than ever. Besides, when you're a ball-Hoover the way he is, it doesn't matter what size you are. Tulo wears #2 as a tribute to his boyhood idol Derek Jeter, but at this point, I'd take him in a New York minute over Jeter. A cartoon in the Rocky Mountain News made a bold prediction for the Rockies: "Tulowitzki plays infield all by himself. Rox win NL West." This is a joke, of course, but when you have the range that Tulo does, and are always determined to get to even more balls, it's sort of true. Tulo led all shortstops in fielding at his position (.987) and somehow managed to get gypped out of the Gold Glove to effing Jimmy Rollins, who also stole Holliday's MVP. Not to mention, he now holds the NL record for homers by a rookie shortstop with 24, breaking Ernie Banks' record, and is second overall behind Nomar Garciaparra's 30 in 1997.<br /><br />Besides all this, Tulo possesses an absolutely out-of-his-head drive to win and improve, and I continue to believe that he had the lion's share of credit in smashing the resigned to losing mentality that existed in the clubhouse before he got here. Hitting .195 in the postseason rankled with him, and continues to rankle with him -- he lost sleep over it and is determined to bring the team better and go farther this year, which isn't something you see in everyone. Tulo has become a superstar-in-the-making -- his at-bats are accompanied by a chant that goes "[Nine claps] TU-LO!", his jersey is worn by everyone from toddlers to middle-aged men, and needless to say, he's got a bit of a following among female Rockies fans as well. College guys paint his initials on their chest and he continually gets big cheers wherever he goes. Last year at this time he was driving a plebeian SUV; this year, he's the proud owner of a $117,000 black Maserati GT, a car he claims to have lusted after since high school. (A Rockies commercial this year shows the Tulo! chant in every phase of our dashing young hero's life -- whether it's in the beeps of his alarm clock, the thuds of a jackhammer outside his apartment, the click of cash register keys when he's buying new sunglasses, or the bang of kitchen utensils when he decides to hit a restaurant with Atkins, who elbows him and grins slyly while Tulo looks rather pleased with himself). He could easily hit 30 HR and 100 RBI this year while providing stellar defense, aside from wanting to chew down brick walls to win games. He is only going to get better and sorry Ryan Speier, if Tulo would like me to have his children, you're out of luck, postseason IOUs or otherwise. With Clint Hurdle managing the NL in this year's All-Star Game in New York, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Tulo was going with him in July. Show those blowhards what they're missing, especially those who insist there's a "steep dropoff" at shortstop after the (NL East) trio of Rollins, Ramirez, and Reyes. Tulo could use work on cutting down the strikeouts (130 to only 57 walks) but he's displayed an uncanny knack for clutch hitting and does his best work under pressure. I am thrilled to have him on the team and wait to see how high he goes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>.291 AVG, 24 HR, 99 RBI, .359 OBP, .479 SLG, .838 OPS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>.310 AVG, 27 HR, 102 RBI, .370 OBP, .488 SLG, .858 OPS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>INC. The stars are the limit for this guy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#27, R/R Garrett Atkins: </span>Atkins is the only member of the core group that has not yet been signed to a long-term deal. Holliday's new deal takes him to the end of his arbitration, Brad Hawpe and Manny Corpas just got 4-year extensions, Tulo has his shiny new contract, but Atkins, conspicuously, has not. The Rockies claim it's because they did, in fact, make long-term overtures last winter but couldn't come to terms on the financial particulars. Atkins is a very money-savvy player who has managed and invested his income well, and he knows his worth and is more pragmatic than romantic about it. Also, he alone of the major role-players has a prospect pressing him from within -- Ian Stewart, the Rockies' top pick in 2003, has long been considered the third baseman of the future, and Atkins himself was once thought to be a stopgap until Stewart was ready. 67 homers and 320 RBI over three seasons will put a stop to that kind of speculation in a hurry, and now it's Atkins who's incumbent and Stewart who's challenging to win the spot. Atkins still has three seasons left before he can test free-agency, and he is under contract for $4.4 million for this year and has said he's comfortable going year-to-year for the rest of his arbitration period. However, his future might not be the only one at stake. He and Matt Holliday are so close, ever since 2002 when they were teammates and roommates in the minor leagues, that Atkins lives with the Holliday family during spring and has been known to babysit Matt's two sons. Matt himself has said in an interview with the Denver Post that Garrett's future will affect his own, so if the Rockies are thinking about retaining their MVP candidate long-term, they may also need to keep his best buddy. (Hey, every superhero needs a sidekick).<br /><br />It's a testament to Atkins' pure baseball skill that he went .301/25/111 last year, and that was an <span style="font-style: italic;">off-</span>year due to his horrendous May; at one point his average had dipped as low as .219. He batted a ridiculous .349 after the All-Star break, however, and was tops in all of baseball with 79 RBIs in 81 games from June to September. He has a smooth, sweet swing that would seem slump-immune, but he's gotten off to a slow start in March -- not as if you can read too much into spring statistics, but he will need to avoid a season-opening slump such as the one he suffered through last year. (Then again, the whole team will need to avoid that as well, so he's just one of many). Atkins is a converted first baseman who has never been the best at fielding the hot corner, but he has a strong arm and has worked on improving his range (although with Tulo to the left, you can give him a <span style="font-style: italic;">little </span>leeway). His right side can still use some work, as it seems that he won't get to anything hit down the line, but he played outstanding D in the postseason and was no slouch in keeping up his end of the Rockies' top-ranked defense overall. His fielding hit a rough patch when his hitting did; in general, May just wasn't that kind to him. It's unlikely he'll start out in that kind of funk again, and although it's also unlikely he's going to show any marked improvement, a .300+ average with 25-30 HR and 100+ RBI doesn't leave a whole lot wanting. If Stewart can't force the issue at third this year, he may be dealt to bring in one of the top-flight arms it's looking as if the club may need, and if that happens, Atkins will likely get his long-term deal. In a perfect world, so then will Holliday.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>.301 AVG, 25 HR, 111 RBI, .367 OBP, .486 SLG, .853 OPS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>.305 AVG, 23 HR, 115 RBI, .372 OBP, .495 SLG, .867 OPS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>LEV.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#8 R/R Yorvit Torrealba: </span>Yorvit was thisclose to becoming a New York Met after signing a $14.4 million, 3-year deal with them, but the arrangement fell through at the eleventh hour and he returned to Colorado, where he's comfortable, where he's developed an excellent rapport with the pitchers, and where he hopefully will be able to throw out a baserunner to save his life. 32 of 34 baserunners were successfully able to steal during the latter half of the season, which Yorvit attributes to a cranky shoulder, and insists it'll be healed this year. His ability to speak Spanish with young pitchers Morales, Jimenez, and Corpas is also a plus, and the rest of the staff raves about his game-calling. He's not going to light the world on fire offensively, but did have a key home run against the Diamondbacks in Game 3 of the NLCS, and has sometimes shown a knack for producing big hits in key times. Not necessarily last year, as he hit .201 with RISP and generally excelled at producing weak ground balls to the left side instead, but it's something he has done before. If healthy, Yorvit will hit around .260, high single digits in homers, and 40-50 RBI, but if he can help tutor the valuable young Latin arms that the club is counting so highly on, I may be persuaded to overlook it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>.255 AVG, 8 HR, 47 RBI, .323 OBP, .376 SLG, .699 OPS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>.259 AVG, 7 HR, 48 RBI, .321 OBP, .366 SLG, .687 OPS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>Slight DEC.<br /><br />All right, that's finished -- took me a few hours, but now I feel moderately productive. I'll examine the outfield and bench next, then I have a few fun ideas: "The Ultimate Rockies Playlist" and "30 MLB Teams: Love, Hate, Tolerate" are among the things I have in mind. Mainly, I want baseball back. HOW long now?<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><long></long>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-3748428564170210342008-03-21T01:56:00.007-04:002008-03-21T03:28:45.783-04:00Around the Horn: RelieversAs always, I'm behind. But since I'm home in Colorado and on spring break, with a week to burn before my sister gets off on her break and we can then have fun, I figured I might as well turn my attention to finishing the Rockies' previews. Naturally, I would have more time if I kept to a schedule, but since I don't, and write when the mood strikes me, there you go. But it's time to take a look at the Depths of Possible Doom known as the Rockies' 2008 pen. Closer Manny Corpas got re-signed for four years, Human Blowtorch Brian Fuentes is still around due to O'Dowd's puzzling refusal to even consider trading him, and the club brought in Luis Vizcaino from the Yankees to take over LaTroy Hawkins' spot (Hawkins, ironically enough, went to the Yankees, so they basically just switched suspect seventh/eighth-inning guys). The beartrap-in-waiting is Mark Redman, Kip Wells, and Josh Towers, all of whom are bad and all of whom may end up in the bullpen, or worse the rotation, there to firebomb games on a regular basis. This is always a dicey subject. Let's examine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/images-htm/images/sport/sports_42.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 205px; height: 132px;" src="http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/images-htm/images/sport/sports_42.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Projected:<br /></span>RH/CL Manny Corpas<br />RH/SO Luis Vizcaino<br />LH/SO Brian Fuentes<br />RH/LR Taylor Buchholz<br />RH Matt Herges<br />RH Ramon Ramirez (or RH Ryan Speier)<br />LH Micah Bowie<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#60, R/R Manny Corpas: </span>Last year at this time, Corpas was a valuable but untested commodity, a fireballing young Panamanian righty who was expected to compete for a slot, but definitely not assured of anything. Fast-forward a season later, and he's the Rockies' unquestioned, postseason-hardened closer with a new four-year contract under his belt and ready to improve on what was a sensational showing in his first year of big-league duty: a 4-2 record, a 2.08 ERA (lowest ever in a full season for a Rockies reliever) 19 saves in 22 opportunities, and 58 strikeouts. Corpas came out of nowhere to take over the closer job when Fuentes (and my mental health) went to hell in June, and he stuck. His five postseason saves tied countryman Mariano Rivera for the single-season record, and if the Rockies had won just once in the World Series (oy) he would have broken it. Manny throws in the high nineties with a nasty slider, and is working on adding a changeup, but when you can throw that hard, you can stick to what works and still be a very effective and underrated closer. I trust him much more than I ever did Fuentes, and I expect higher things from him this year. With a full year in the closer's role, and a re-energized team that's going to be giving him plenty of opportunities, Manny should thrive.<br /><br />(Interlude while I get totally distracted by Rockies songs I discover and download. New theme song: "<a href="http://www.thedenverchannel.com/download/2007/1026/14427100.mp3">Rocktober</a>" by Thomas Tha Franchise. I'm all over it. Click that link, click "Save Page As" to get the MP3 file, and you will have it on repeat such as I do, augmenting my "Rockies" playlist).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>4-2 W/L, 2.08 ERA, 78 G, 19 SV, 22 SVO, 20 BB, 58 K<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>4-1 W/L, 2.25 ERA, 82 G, 30 SV, 33 SVO, 24 BB, 69 K<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>INC<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#51 R/R Luis Vizcaino: </span>Brought in from the AL, he returns to the NL, where he had his most successful season (2006 with the Diamondbacks). He'll see plenty of Arizona this year from the other side of the ball, and hopefully Hurdle doesn't use him as much as Torre did when he was with the Yankees. Vizcaino ended up with an 8-2 record, a 4.30 ERA, and 62 strikeouts while seeing action in 77 games and 75.1 IP. He hasn't impressed thus far this spring, and injury issues have been complicating the picture, which of course could be a result of all the work he's seen. He and LaTroy Hawkins have traded places and teams, and while Vizcaino is supposed to do his best work with runners on, I just figure he'll be Hawkins Redux -- which is to say, effective if used in the seventh inning or so, definitely no later, and DEAR GOD NOT AS an interim closer. Two years, $7.5 million is a little steep for a guy who's essentially a clone of the guy he was replacing (Hawkins was evidently surprised, with good reason, to hear that they wouldn't up him a couple hundred grand from his $3.25 million club option, but then would shell out twice that for the same part). The problem is, the Rockies are already envisioning using Vizcaino in the high-leverage, late-innings role, and that might be a problem if he shows anything like what he has thus far. Spring stats may be total bollox, but then again, they have to come from the player's own ability. I got to the point of warily trusting Hawkins if he came in for the seventh, figured he'd give up a walk or a hit, but would probably get out of it. If I can get to that same place with The Wiz of Viz, I'll be cool with that. Vizcaino was awful at Yankee Stadium (5.94 ERA) but good on the road (2.77). Of course, humidor or no humidor, Coors remains a hitter-friendly park, so he's definitely going to have to sharpen his jam-escaping skills. He walks too many (43) in comparison to strikeouts (62) which means that he will likely have to Houdini his way out of messes of his own making. Oy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>8-2 W/L, 4.30 ERA, 77 G, 0 SV/3 SVO , 43 BB, 62 K<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>3-4 W/L, 4.45 ERA, 70 G, 0 SV/2 SVO, 39 BB, 57 K<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>DEC.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#40, L/L Brian Fuentes: </span>If you read this blog last year, especially last June, you will know what kind of heavenly wrath I was calling down on Fuentes after the Road Trip That Shall Not Be Named, an agonizing 1-9 swing through Toronto, Chicago, and Houston on which the Rockies would have gone a perfectly decent 5-5.... were it not for Fuentes turning into a really awful pitcher at a really awful time for it. The patterns were eerie. In each of the games -- <span style="font-style: italic;">each of the games -- </span>Tulo hit a late go-ahead homer, Fuentes would come in, and look like he was going to nail it down. But whether it was one out and nobody on, two outs and nobody on, he would then proceed to send it all to hell in rapid fashion. His most impressive performance was in Houston, when, with two outs and nobody on... <span style="font-style: italic;">he managed to give up a game-winning <span style="font-weight: bold;">GRAND SLAM. </span></span>I just about sold my soul to the Devil, fell on my knees to give thanks when the eight-game losing streak was broken by Francis, and got the "Baseball isn't everything, you know..." talk from my sister. I was in a terrible funk -- breaking things, being horribly depressed, losing my will to live, etc. (I think this was the third time, and I unwisely assumed it would hurt less the next time... nope, hurt more). In any case, that episode led to them "discovering" Fuentes was injured and summarily relieving him of the closer's role; ironically, he went to the All-Star Game the next week.<br /><br />Proponents of Fuentes like to point out that he has been to the Midsummer Classic three times, but I do not necessarily think that means a whole lot. I am also afraid it may have shot my trust in Fuentes for good, especially after he single-handedly erased any chance of a Rockies comeback in Games 3 and 4 of the World Series. Like Clint Barmes, this is another player that O'Dowd perplexedly refuses to hear trade offers for; hopefully Fuentes can have a good first half and then be flipped for a high-upside prospect arm. Brian is just incubating the hot seat until 22-year-old Casey Weathers, the Rockies' top draft pick in 2007, is ready for the Show (he's likely to start the year at Double-A Tulsa, since his showing in Spring Training proved he's got a ways to go yet). He's still a sidewinding lefty reliever, which in itself means he has trade value, and the Tigers, Yankees, and Phillies have all inquired about him recently. I'll accept Fuentes, of course, and pray that he does well since I know how agonizing it is when he doesn't, but sooner rather than later, he should be thanked for his good service to the team and given his walking papers. Hopefully Weathers will be pressing him by the end of this season or the start of '09.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>3-5 W/L, 3.08 ERA, 64 G, 20 SV/27 SVO, 23 BB, 56 K<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>2-3 W/L, 3.34 ERA, 60 G, 2 SV/4 SVO, 25 BB, 49 K<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>DEC.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#35, R/R Taylor Buchholz: </span>Bucky, as he's known, is a shamefully underrated and underused part of the Colorado bullpen. He was acquired with Jason Hirsh and Willy Taveras in the Jason Jennings trade (still highway robbery on our part) and was originally tabbed to be a starter, but struggled in that role and was moved to the bullpen for the first time in his pro career. He found an instant home there; he had gone 1-3/5.98 as a starter, but went 5-2/2.70 as a reliever and declared himself perfectly content with his new role. He has a sub-3 ERA this spring and has always been a reliever that I trust implicitly ... when he got to play, which wasn't a whole lot last season. However, the brain trust seems to have finally seen the light, and will be giving Bucky more innings this season, something which I am perfectly fine with. He uses a fastball and curve, mixing in the occasional changeup and slider, but having only two main pitches probably hurt him as a starter. Quiet, soft-spoken, and intelligent, Bucky always seems to be the forgotten man (a running joke in my house last season involved him and Chris Iannetta being locked in a bathroom due to their lack of playing time) but if he keeps pitching this way, he won't be any longer. With both Hirsh and Willy T suffering injuries (Hirsh has a rotator cuff problem that will keep him out of the opening of the regular season, and Willy T played in only 97 games last year) Bucky has emerged as the most stable of the trio, even though Hirsh was the Astros' top pitching prospect and the key to the deal. Bucky allowed only 8 HR in 93.1 IP, showing that he can control the fly-ball tendencies that will burn any overly generous pitcher in Coors. But Bucky did better at home (4.03) than on the road (4.41) which is something you expect of Rockies hitters, not of their pitchers. He figures to serve as the long man this season, which means he'll probably get a lot of work until Redman/Towers/Wells get the heck off my team.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>6-5 W/L, 4.23 ERA, 41 G, 0 SV/0 SVO, 20 BB, 61 K<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>5-1 W/L, 3.89 ERA, 57 G, 1 SV/1 SVO, 29 BB, 67 K<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>INC.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#34 L/R Matt Herges: </span>Herges enjoyed something of a Well of Youth resurgence last year, going 5-1/2.96 -- presumably without PED's, as he was busted a big one in the chops with the release of the Mitchell Report, but swore he was clean in '07. Since he is 38 and has a career 3.82 ERA, I wouldn't be expecting him to duplicate that performance this year, especially since he got lucky with a lot of that. Still, he did provide a steadying presence out of the pen, allowing 4 HR in 48.1 IP and turning in some stellar performances in key games down the stretch. However, I'd look for him to be noticeably more wobbly this year, just because it evens out and he's an aging reliever off the juice. He was tough on righties (.184 BAA) and still hard to hit against lefties (.216 BAA) but the Rockies might have to look for a stretch of time without him, as it all depends if the toad in the Commish's office gets off his duff and hands out punishments for those fingered in the George Mitchell Power Hour Mudslinging Cabaret. Herges has apologized, naturally, and regrets setting a bad example, so I doubt he's going to make the mistake of going back to it. I wish I could trust him to do as well again as he did in 2007, but that was a magical year in a lot of ways and it remains to be seen for the team as a whole if they can keep the dance going and the pixie dust flowing. Last year was their proof that they can, in fact, be a winning club; the challenge in 2008 will be to demonstrate that they can do it on a consistent basis, as they were driving the car crazily and sometimes were dogging along and sometimes were laying on the gas. Herges, like everyone else and more so than others, will have to just keep the Rockcar purring on steadily down I-25, dodging the traffic of the rest of the West. If he can put together a season even remotely close to the last one, he'll be their hidden weapon. If not, he'll probably land on the Giants by the end of the year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>5-1 W/L, 2.96 ERA, 35 G, 0 SV/2 SVO, 15 BB, 30 K<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>3-2 W/L, 3.57 ERA, 40 G, 1 SV/3 SVO, 17 BB, 35 K<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>DEC.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#61 R/R Ramon Ramirez: </span>Ramirez is a bit of a wild card at this point. He was solid in 2006 (if my internet would stop being slower than Bengie Molina, I'd tell you the exact numbers, but it's having a problem at the moment.... five minutes later, no exaggeration, I discover that they were 4-3/3.46, but that's all I'm going to get, as I accidentally closed the wrong window and will now have to wait another five minutes before it tells me anything more). Last year, Ramirez was almost as dysfunctional as my aging and well-loved laptop, going 2-2 with an 8.31 ERA after suffering injury problems, but the team is hoping he can rebound this year and again be a solid contributor to the pen. He had an unsightly 1.56 WHIP and .313 BAA in '07, allowing 2 HR, 6 BB, and 15 K in 17.1 innings, often getting helped out by his defense (in just one example, I watched him pitch against... the Diamondbacks, I think it was, in which Willy T made a great catch to keep an RBI single to a sac fly, and Holliday charged down a sinking liner in the corner to end the inning and stop a double). To be honest, I'm not entirely thrilled about this prospect, but with Hawkins and Affeldt off to greener pastures, the team does need warm bodies in the pen. If Ramirez doesn't suck, he's welcome to pitch a few innings. If he does, the Cubs can have him, they always can use bad pitchers.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>2-2 W/L, 8.31 ERA, 22 G, o SV/0 SVO, 6 BB, 15 K<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>0-1 W/L, 5.20 ERA, 20 G, 0 SV/0 SVO, 11 BB, 23 K<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>LEV<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#23 R/R Ryan Speier: </span>Speier may be a casualty of the process, as he impressed down the stretch but still has minor-league options left, so he may be the odd man out and therefore relegated to start the season at Colorado Springs again. I have not forgotten, however, that I did promise to have his children after he closed out Game 2 of the NLCS against the Diamondbacks after it had gone into extra innings and Willy T had worked the game-winning walk against a wild Jose Valverde. So if the second Ryan S on the roster makes it back to Denver, he can take me up on this offer if he so wishes and Tulo hasn't gotten there first, as might have happened. If so, he will be out of luck, as he will be in regards to his prospects of making the big-league club, which he would certainly like better. He weebled and wobbled all over the damn place early on, but like everyone else, took it to the next level when it counted and <a href="http://www.purplerow.com/">Purple Row</a> (where I post under the name <span style="font-weight: bold;">Silverblood</span>) decided that he was the "Ace in the Pen." If Ramirez blows chunks, Speier could find himself ticketed for Denver in the relatively early going. A sidewinding 6'7" righty, he spent a good deal of last year as the Sky Sox closer, had a few bumps on his first stint with the Rox, but made adjustments and was an integral part of the (and I cannot believe I am typing these words) lights-out iron curtain that was the Rockies bullpen in the playoffs. I wouldn't mind seeing him back, and if I do end up having his children, I hope they don't inherit his facial hair.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>3-1 W/L, 4.00 ERA, 20 G, 0 SV/1 SVO, 8 BB, 13 K<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>2-1 W/L, 4.12 ERA, 24 G, 0 SV/0 SV0, 10 BB, 17 K<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>LEV.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#44 L/L Micah Bowie: </span>If Vizcaino is Hawkins, than Bowie is Affeldt. His most recent employer was the Washington Nationals, but the Rockies extended him a chance to attend camp as a NRI (non-roster invitee) and he's made the most of it. Thus far, in six Cactus League appearances, he's yet to allow a run in 7.1 IP, with three walks and four K's. Since his career ERA is a rather untidy 6.01, however, it may be a little much to hope that he's finally figured something out; I should take this opportunity to note that Kip Wells had a 1.16 ERA in camp last year and we all know how that turned out. Your basic journeyman type, Bowie has counted the Braves, Cubs, Athletics, and most recently Nationals among his employers, and the most games he's ever pitched in is 30, set last year in Washington. He pitched a career-high 57 innings, and it should also be noted that his second-highest total, 47 IP, came appended to a 2-6/9.96 (OY!) season with the Cubs in '99. In Colorado, he'll be counted to fill the void of LOOGY left in Affeldt's wake, and if he can be trusted to come in for one or two outs and retire dangerous lefties, that's all he needs to do; he doesn't even need to finish the inning if you just insert him judiciously here and there. He did have a 1.37 ERA in 2006 (19.2 IP) with the Nats, so limited exposure is evidently the key here. Overuse is a ticket to a blowup, probably when we least need it, seeing as that is a general rule of thumb. He did start 8 games in 2007, and if our fifth starter situation gets any worse... well, no. Let's hope it doesn't.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>4-3 W/L, 4.55 ERA, 30 G, 0 SV/0 SVO, 27 BB, 42 K<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>2-3 W/L, 4.47 ERA, 24 G, 0 SV/0 SVO, 20 BB, 46 K<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>LEV.<br /><br />Other names you might see in the picture: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jose Capellan </span>(talented but erratic, acquired from the Brewers, injury problems in the early going and hasn't seen much work, may be installed at some point) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Zach McClellan </span>(had a brief stint, interested in returning when healthy, which he currently is not, nothing particularly special) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Juan Morillo </span>(fireballer, not the greatest at control, needs more time in the minors, but power pitchers are always attractive) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Josh Towers </span>(bad) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Redman </span>(still bad) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Kip Wells </span>(three-letter word starting with "b") the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Grim Reaper </span>(hey, can't be worse, and would have the benefit of making opposing batters quake in fear instead of anticipation).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kip Wells' Cactus League ERA: </span>5.14<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Josh Towers' Cactus League ERA: </span>7.20<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Redman's Cactus League ERA: </span>9.24<br /><br />Holy hell, that is a lot of pitching incompetence. Can somebody tell me how we had "improving the team" in mind when we signed that junk?<br /><br />Anyone? Anyone?<br /><br />Thought so.<br /><br />Ahem. I will do my best to get another preview done in sequence tomorrow, much as it may stun those of you well accustomed to my suspect scheduling. In which case it'll be the infield, and hopefully I won't have to write six different blurbs for the second base spot. The competition looks to be down to Nix and Baker, with Nix having the inside track if he gets over the stiff back that will sideline him for the next few days.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-72451922683837651352008-03-01T20:40:00.004-05:002008-03-01T18:54:30.809-05:00Around the Horn: StartersAt last, I'm back in the baseball blogging saddle. It took me a while, but spring training games started a few days ago and despite how excited I was to start the (fake) season again, it was a little difficult to get back in the habit. I've finally kicked some rust off, kept blogging football over at Gang Gridiron while reading baseball blogs madly, and although it's still a dadgum 29 days until Opening Day, am already more than ready for the season to start. MLB.com Gameday, which I have to use until I get home in May, is good in the regular season, but slow as hell in spring, so basically I get a quick summation of each inning if I'm lucky and it doesn't freeze completely. Which at the moment it is doing.<br /><br />Onwards and upwards. We explore the starting rotation today, and the preview is followed by my deeply unscientific projections for their 2008 season. I don't run zillions of simulations or number-crunching; I just pick reasonably and mark whether I expect an increase, decline, or level from their 2007 performances (INC/DEC/LEV).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/images-htm/images/sport/sports_42.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 196px; height: 126px;" src="http://www.hellasmultimedia.com/webimages/images-htm/images/sport/sports_42.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Projected:<br /></span><span><span>1. Jeff Francis<br />2. Aaron Cook<br />3. Ubaldo Jimenez<br />4. Jason Hirsh<br />5. Franklin Morales (failing that, Mark Redman/Kip Wells/Josh Towers, but I prefer not to think about that possibility)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#26, L/L Jeff Francis: </span>The 27-year-old Canadian lefty is now being hailed as the ace of the staff after a 17-9/4.22 record last year and starting three games in the playoffs. At this time last year, Aaron Cook had taken the Opening Day starter label, but it'll be Francis facing off against Adam Wainwright in St. Louis come March 31. Francis doesn't have typical ace stuff -- which to say, him hitting 90 on the radar gun is a rarity. He switches sides of the plate, has a crafty changeup, and relies on offspeed and deception. He's not going to blow anyone away, but when he's mixing up his stuff, he can be as good as anyone in the game. He's always prone to having to work through traffic, and still can give up big innings, but he's mastered the knack of Coors (home ERA is lower than his road ERA) and will be looked to as #1. For a time, though, as the kids develop, they could easily be threatening to steal his position. Francis, the ultimate humble team player, won't be kicking up much of a fuss. He has said it doesn't matter to him if he wins zero games, as long as the team wins 90-95. That's part of the mindset that makes the Rockies so fun to root for. Francis comes into 2008 looking to fulfill heightened expectations and not take a disappointing step backwards after maturing as a pitcher last year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>17-9 W/L, 4.22 ERA, 34 GS, 215.1 IP, 63 BB, 165 K, 1.38 WHIP, .278 BAA<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>17-10 W/L, 4.15 ERA, 33 GS, 220.2 IP, 59 BB, 157 K, 1.34 WHIP, .272 BAA<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>Slight INC.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#28, R/R Aaron Cook: </span>His campaign was shut down prematurely by an assortment of injuries in August, and although he was heralded as the ace by default coming into 2007, he was instead unseated by Francis and in fact didn't complete the season. Coming back in the fourth game of the World Series, he pitched well, 6 innings and 3 runs (but the Rockies lost, of course, and that is the last I hope to talk about what was a rather traumatic experience for me) leading to hopes that he'll be effective again once healthy. The front office certainly thought so, rewarding him with a four-year, $34-million contract extension that Cook will certainly set out to justify, since Rockies giving pitchers fat contracts in the past has worked out badly. (No, not thinking of anyone in particular, why?) His best pitch is his heavy sinker, which when located consistently low in the zone, produces groundballs galore. (However, you'd never know that from watching Torrealba call pitches, as Yorvit loves the fastball, fastball, fastball). Cook also has a curveball and slider, but will generally stick to the sinker if it's working and Yorvit remembers to call it. His biggest issues coming into 2008 will be proving he deserves the new contract and rehabilitating from the injuries that have plagued him in the past. He also could use work on improving his BB/K rate.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>8-7 W/L, 4.12 ERA, 25 GS, 166 IP, 44 BB, 61 K, 1.34 WHIP, .279 BAA<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>13-8 W/L, 4.17 ERA, 30 GS, 189 IP, 56 BB, 95 K, 1.29 WHIP, .274 BAA<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>LEV<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#38, R/R Ubaldo Jimenez: </span>This time last year, Jimenez was a highly regarded prospect making inroads at AAA Colorado Springs, but struggling with control and just hoping for a look-see at the big-league level. My, how things have changed. He still struggles with control, but is entering this spring penciled in as the Rockies' #3 starter and possessed of the most typically ace-like stuff of the bunch. Able to throw as high as 100 mph and regularly registering in the very high nineties, Jimenez fits the typical power-pitcher mold and is their bona-fide flamethrower. He uses his other pitches mainly to complement his fastball (the curve, in particular, still gives him trouble, and it's hit or miss as to whether he has his breaking stuff on any given day) but unlike the Francis type that can get into trouble if he doesn't have his offspeed, Jimenez can make up for it by rearing back and unleashing smoke. The problem is that he still walks too many (averaged 1 BB per 2 innings at one point last year) and is only 23. He was battle-tested down the stretch last year and in the playoffs, and managed to contain the thunderous Red Sox offense, as he was the starter in the game the Rockies lost 2-1. If he can get his wildness under control and continue to zip the flames in there, we could be looking at the start of a special career. I'll have to play it totally by ear when estimating his 2008 line, since he hasn't had a full year in the big leagues yet. But he has the talent to make it as far as the team, and he, can go.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>4-4 W/L, 4.28 ERA, 15 GS, 82 IP, 37 BB, 68 K, 1.30 WHIP, .228 BAA<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>10-5 W/L, 3.87 ERA, 25 GS, 175 IP, 69 BB, 199 K, 1.20 WHIP, .224 BAA<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>Strong INC.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#48, R/R Jason Hirsh: </span>He was a dominating pitcher in the Minors, but the edition the Rockies got didn't quite fit the mold. After a few excellent early-season showings, he got absolutely hammered in the summer, up and down. He suffered an ankle injury against the Mets on the basepaths, came back, and then took a liner off the leg on August 7 (I was at that game) breaking the right fibula. The silly man stayed in and pitched six innings on it anyway, picking up the win, but that was it for him for the season. He consequently missed being able to participate in the Rockies' pennant-winning drive, although he got to cheer them on from the dugout. Returning this year, he's determined to get a chance to experience it on-field as well, and to get back to the success he displayed as an Astros prospect. Last season, he was pitching more in the Francis mold -- trying to use his curve and changeup before going to his fastball -- and since that's not the sort of pitcher he is, it didn't work. The pitching brain trust has convinced him to use his fastball as a primary pitch and then introduce the offspeed stuff from there, which is also the difference between going directly after hitters and trying to guile them into biting. At 6'8"/250 lb, he has plenty of size and can use that to go after the David Ecksteins and Ryan Theriots of the NL, and a few of the larger specimens as well. His injuries last year were mainly the flukish type -- line drives right back at the box are a total wildcard -- so he hopefully shouldn't have any major issues with staying healthy this year. This will be only his second year as a full-time starter, so he'll have to continue to learn the ropes. Mark against him: He worked for the San Diego Chargers this offseason and loves the team. BOOOOO. Jason, you're a Colorado resident now, at least for half the year, so consider switching your football alliances.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>5-7 W/L, 4.81 ERA, 19 GS, 112.1 IP, 48 BB, 75 K, 1.34 WHIP, .244 BAA<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>11-8 W/L, 4.25 ERA, 24 GS, 157.2 IP, 55 BB, 120 K, 1.28 WHIP, .239 BAA<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>INC.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">#56 L/L Franklin Morales: </span>Morales is a stud prospect -- a 22-year-old lefty with dazzling stuff and just as much heat as Jimenez. He commands a full repertoire of pitches and has the ability to become something else as well, but he is young, prone to wildness, and can get flustered easily on the mound. Once he can control his nerves, along with his pitches, look out. The team wants him to fill the #5 slot, but also wants him to earn it, with <strike>terrifying evildoers</strike> replacement plans Kip Wells, Josh Towers, and Mark Redman waiting in the wings. Wells went 7-17 with an ERA well north of 5 for the Cardinals, Towers went 5-10 with an ERA well north of 5 for the Blue Jays, and Mark Redman is, well Mark Redman. None of those options inspire particular confidence, and putting even one of them in the bullpen could be a bomb in disguise, but the Rox are hoping that their track record of rehabilitating wash-ups can continue. Oy vey. Anyway, about Morales. Since this is his first full year in the bigs, he'll be eased in, but they're counting on him to play a larger role, as he did have experience down the stretch last year and made his debut in the heat of a pennant race, on the road in Los Angeles, in a game the Rockies eventually won 7-4 in extra innings. Morales pitched 5 innings, allowed 1 run, and added one himself with the bat, as he's a converted outfielder, it's possible he still might remember how to hit. Cook is probably the best hitter among the Rockies starters, Francis occasionally stumbles into a double, and Jimenez is terrible, but his arm is far more important than his bat. Hirsh got a pair of hits in the Mets game he injured himself in, but otherwise isn't much to speak of, so maybe Frankie can chip in a few well-timed singles here and there. He had a strong 2-inning outing today in relief of Hirsh, allowing one hit and striking out two with little trouble, so if he can claim the #5 spot from the get-go, the team can avoid the win-hemorrhaging they might develop with Wells/Towers/Redman sucking up starts.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Line: </span>3-2 W/L, 3.43 ERA, 8 GS, 39.1 IP, 14 BB, 26 K, 1.22 WHIP, .241 BAA<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008 Proj.: </span>8-4 W/L, 3.75 ERA, 20 GS, 144.2 IP, 42 BB, 115 K, 1.25 WHIP, .235 BAA<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INC/DEC/LEV: </span>INC.<br /><br />Next come the relievers. Tomorrow, hopefully, but you never know.<br /></span></span>Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-73701510572207037952008-02-15T17:35:00.000-05:002008-02-15T15:36:09.931-05:00GLORY BE<a href="http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080209&content_id=2369105&vkey=spt2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=col">Baseball</a> baseball BASEBALL base-ball baseBALL BASEball <span style="font-style: italic;">Baseball </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Baseball </span><span style="font-style: italic;">BASEBALL <span style="font-weight: bold;">BASEBALL </span></span>almost almost almost smellin' springtime pitchers and catchers reporting today workouts Saturday spring is coming BASEBALL the great slump is over soon it will be better but now it's good, we're gettin' there, we will survive, almost almost almost!<br /><br />Yes, that is all I have to say.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-20059039219691819272008-02-05T18:55:00.000-05:002008-02-05T16:58:39.064-05:00Dammit, It's Almost SpringWarm, gray, and rainy here in New York as the Giants get their parade, and with that, the football season officially comes to a close (the Pro Bowl, while fun in the same way as the All-Star Game, doesn't count). With that, we can now turn our attention back to baseball, and when one of my friends pointed out to me yesterday that the Rockies' pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in 10 days, it was like water to a man (woman) coming out of the desert. 10 days?! That's all?! Position players in two weeks?! AMEN. Thank ye Jeebus, the offseason is long, football is great, but baseball is still supreme, and it feels like damn-well forever since we had a little action on the diamond instead of the gridiron. Very soon, the trucks will be rolling into Arizona (and Florida), there will be workouts under a spring sun, bats and balls, green grass and palm trees, and the world will be right again.<br /><br />Still not much news on the Rockies front, as the team has taken the tact of "do nothing except sign some filler pieces" as the beginnings of their NL Champs defense (I will never get tired of writing that). For the first time in a very long while, they will take the field with expectations, and even if due only to Tulo, losing will not be acceptable. Should be fun.<br /><br />The team is in negotiations with Garrett Atkins, Brad Hawpe, and Brian Fuentes (good geebus) on arbitration-year contracts (for the former two) and a possible extension (for the third). Why we are so dead-set on keeping Fuentes I don't know, as we'll have plenty of bombs in the bullpen if (gulp) any one of the terrible triumvirate of Wells, Redman, and Towers end up in there, let alone two or more. (Please be ready for the fifth-starter job, Franklin Morales). All-Star lefty.... um, All-Star selections are completely meaningless, as Fuentes went (or didn't, since he was injured) to the Midsummer Classic exactly a week after shitting all over four straight save opportunities. He doesn't have the greatest mental makeup either, as far as I can tell, but maybe the less-intense role of setup man will take some of the pressure off him. Thankfully, Hurdle has seen the light and has announced that it will <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>be a competition for the closer's role -- that job is Manny Corpas' to keep. Good.<br /><br />Once Spring Training starts, I'll be writing previews -- maybe I'll give the NL a crack, since I got all the AL and none of the NL done last year -- and doing Around the Horn position featurettes for the Rockies. And guess what? It's still not here. The few weeks in between the Super Bowl and spring training are a sadistic wasteland.<br /><br />AAAAAH.....Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34308081.post-21577186761875914982008-01-19T19:05:00.000-05:002008-01-19T19:08:17.345-05:00Holliday Signed, Tulo in TalksFinally, some Rockies news, and naturally I'm a few days off on it, but that's better than I've been recently. Matt Holliday signed a 2-year, $23-million contract that buys out his last two years of arbitration eligibility -- I'm sure Scott Boras wouldn't let him sign anything that covers any of his free-agent years. Said Dan O'Dowd, "We hope the deal is a bridge to a longer-term agreement." Perhaps there's hope yet, since Holliday will be just 30 when this contract expires after the 2009 season, but if he continues to perform at this level, the Rockies will be hard-pressed to cough up the kind of mongo-bucks that Holliday will want (and deserve). Still, I'm satisfied with this deal if only so we don't have to go through the whole process next winter with him, and I'm trying not to imagine how much it'll hurt if we don't re-sign him. The contract is for $9.5 million this year, upgrading to $13.5 mil next year. Hopefully Holliday's mammoth offensive performance will duplicate itself; if it does, $23 million for the close runner-up (and in my mind, the actual) NL MVP isn't much to pay.<br /><br />There is one other long-term contract in the works right now, and that's the pact being discussed with rookie sensation Troy Tulowitzki. Tulo, who has proven himself so well that the front office is bandying the idea of a six-year contract with an option about a player entering his second season, was the chief reason for the Rockies' newfound winning mentality and is a natural talent; I love watching him play. Whether turning slick double plays or ripping the timely hit, Tulo's natural skills are prodigious enough that the proposed contract would lock him up for the six years of club control, plus an option to cover his first year of free agency. Basically, the Rockies would be insane to ever let him go at all, since he can only go further up from here, but that's the way the management goes.<br /><br />Tulo doesn't yet know who his double-play partner will be, however. The Rockies have a whole flock of candidates in the mix -- Jayson Nix, Marcus Giles, Clint Barmes (oy) Omar Quintanilla, Jeff Baker, and Ian Stewart, with Nix appearing to be the front-runner. Giles hit only .229 for the Padres last year, but a mammoth .526 at Coors Field. A solid performance for Team USA helped raise his stock after an average minor-league career, and Barmes and Q are solid glove-men but their hitting can charitably be rated as very bad to nonexistent. Ian Stewart is a third-base prospect who could be converted. Baker is a corner infielder and utility outfielder who hit .368 in September 2006, leading everyone to hope that he could duplicate this performance in '07; he did not. My personal preferences would be Stewart or Nix, maybe Giles if he can keep hitting the way he did earlier, and don't really think Baker, Barmes, or Quintanilla can cut it full-time. They may be AAAA players (too good for the minors, not good enough for the majors). Nix has been inconsistent aside from one good performance, so his hitting skills are also in question. If Stewart can make the transition, we'd have a power-hitting second baseman, which would be nice.<br /><br />Still not spring, but I've been writing a lot of football at Gang Gridiron. If that's your bag, check it out; otherwise, the Around the Horn position-by-position previews will come just as soon as the Super Bowl is over and spring training starts. In other words, not just yet, sadly.Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617648787562571319noreply@blogger.com0