wordplay: JJ
image: Chris Wheeler

The concept of “spring training” is a farce. There’s no such thing as “spring” in Tucson among the cacti, the rattlesnakes, the lizards and the relentless desert sun. Down in that devil’s playground, the “boys of summer” are trying to get an early jump. Dozens of rookies and veteran journeymen alike see spring training as the one, and perhaps only moment to showcase their talents in hopes of landing one of a handful of regular-season roster spots.
        

Some of those players end up playing in the bigs, while many end up staying right there in Arizona. Some find themselves playing triple-A ball in Toledo, OH. In any case, those early March games, the ones that everyone says don’t mean anything, mean the difference between fielding grounders and flagging shopping carts for many of those involved.
 

“March is my favorite time of the year,” says retired businessman and Durango, CO-native Ron Russell. Russell spends his winters in Arizona and says that spring training is one of his favorite pastimes. “For me, March is basically baseball season.”

March may be the most important part of the baseball season for many teams, including the perennially under-achieving Colorado Rockies. Over the years, the Rockies have been busted by a half-dozen premiere-caliber pitchers and, despite the yearly young, farm-team blossom or two, have suffered a playoff drought of more than a dozen years (dating back to their inaugural season in 1995).  Yet again, the Rox look strong this season, with a young lineup full of big bats and a pitching rotation that stands out, even among a National League West unusually full of veteran hurlers such as Randy Johnson (Arizona Diamondbacks), Greg Maddux (San Diego Padres) Jason Schmidt (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Barry Zito (San Francisco Giants).
But the question is whether the Rockies’ pitching is strong enough, or whether it ever will be. Coors Field has made a mockery of ground-ball and breaking ball pitchers like Darryl Kile and Mike Hampton in the past, so how is Rodrigo Lopez –an 18-game loser and fly-ball pitcher acquired in the off-season from the Baltimore Orioles – expected to do any better?
 

Starting pitchers Aaron Cook and Jeff Francis return to the Rockies’ rotation, while the Rox look for middle relief help in the form of former starter Byung-Hyun Kim. But rookie Jason Hirsh and typically mediocre Pittsburgh recruit Josh Fogg leave little to be desired on the backside of the Rockies’ rotation, and, therefore, the slugfest looks likely to reign supreme at Coors Field again this season.
 

That’s always good news for big batters like Garret Atkins, Matt Holliday and the recently robust Todd Helton. Off-season acquisitions Willy Taveras and Kazuo “Baby Godzilla” Matsui give the Rox even more pep in their offensive step, but not enough for most critics’ tastes as they are picked to finish in the NL West cellar, again.
 

Coors Field is, after all, not a pitcher’s park. It’s been kind to several generations of hitters – just ask Larry Walker, Andres Galarraga or Vinny Castilla – but the thin Colorado air has aided visiting players as well. Just ask Barry Bonds, Mike Piazza or Jeff Kent.
Whether any of the spring training fans – the majority of them retirees ending their Arizona winter retreat – are there to root the Rockies on for their April 2 opening day game remains to be seen. What is almost certain, is there probably won’t be a whole lot of fans making the trip to Coors Field in August, when the hot Colorado sun will be setting on another lousy Rockies’ season.

Opening Day April 2nd @ Coors Field

ColoradoRockies.com