wordplay: JJ
image courtesy Jay Alves
A commonly uttered sports adage is that “it’s better to be lucky than good.” After a miraculous month of September that saw the Colorado Rockies rally their way to a National League pennant and their first World Series appearance in franchise history, Denver baseball fans are hoping the Rockies might actually, and finally, be a little of both.
Last season was a rollercoaster ride of surprising parity for the ruling underdogs of the dusty diamond. After a torrid September run that ended in a perfect and seemingly scripted manner (the 13th inning win in the one-game wildcard playoff with league rivals San Diego), the Rockies were hit with a reality check of big Boston proportions as the Red Sox swept the Series newbie Rox.
And while the late-season playoff run was a lucky lift for the Colorado crunchers, the little team that could also displayed a ton of talent (including big bats and deft pitching) that often felt more destined by fate and rabid fandom than by fluke and happenstance. As April approaches, the Rockies are already swinging for the proverbial fences down in Tucson, where they aim to prove their talents to a screaming team of diehards and naysayers alike.
“It was very hard for people last year to say we had a good team," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle told the Associated Press in January. "[It] took some people 150, 155 games to say we had a good team. We felt we had a good team going in."
Aside from losing fan-favorite Kazuo Matsui at second base, the Rox return with what has proven to be a most intimidating lineup that includes league MVP runner-up Matt Holliday, veteran first baseman Todd Helton, third baseman Garrett Atkins, right fielder Brad Hawpe, speedy San Diego transfer and center fielder Willie Taveras, and ladies’ favorite, sophomore stand-out short stop, Troy Tulowitzki. They are also returning the majority of their budding pitching staff, including starters Jeff Francis, Aaron Cook and a healthy Jason Hirsch, who showed signs of promise in 2007 before being knocked out with a freak bone break in his shin.
Then there’s the fact that most of the aforementioned players (such as Atkins, Hawpe, Holliday and Tulo) signed lucrative new contracts that have left them happy and focused. So, though experts could wax poetic about powerful 2007 stats that prove the Rockies worth (such as Holliday’s second-best batting average, Helton’s second-best on-base percentage, or the possibility of five different 25+ home run hitters in the lineup), the real proof of might be in their pre-season preparation and team unity.
“The fact that we get along so well is definitely important,” Holliday told reporters in March. In his spring training spare time, Holliday has also been known for giving health tips to teammates and keeping a lid on junk foods in the cafeteria.
The National League West has been making headlines with big off-season acquisitions in an attempt to keep up with the new Blake Street Bombers, but they’re going to need a little luck themselves to keep a lid on all that Mile High muscle.
“That’s why we’re at spring training, to get better,” said Helton, who has been seen taking extra batting practice after Cactus League games. And, after last season’s run, “getting better” can only mean a World Series Championship. With any luck, and a tad bit of talent, the newfound Rockies might just be that good.
Opening Day April 4th @ Coors Field
Rockies.MLB.com