The season ended on a low note, being swept by the Diamondbacks in Arizona.
My brother-in-law, who we’ll call “Greg”, has lived here in the Denver area for about four years or so. He’s a transplant from Texas, where he was a transplant from Louisiana. He’s a fan of all sports, but his passion is New Orleans Saints football. While in Texas he adopted the Rangers has his baseball team. During the time I’ve known Greg we’ve usually gone to one or two Rockies games together each season. He would root for the Rockies when we went, mainly because what else was he going to do, except for the time he went and the Rockies were playing the Rangers. During that game he rooted for his adopted team and the Rockies won the game (the only game the Rockies had won when he attended until very late this year). He would talk about the Rockies, but in a “at-least-it’s-Major-League-Baseball” sort of way, not with much conviction one way or the other.
A few weeks ago, Greg and my fellow member(s) of the Designation Committee had decided that if the Rockies somehow managed to get in the playoffs, we would do our best to get to a playoff game. Right after the Rockies won and the Padres lost to force a one-game tie-breaker for the NL wild card, I bought three tickets to the play-in game, but didn’t invite Greg. He seemed somewhat disappointed by this when I told him I’d been at the game. My bad. I assumed it was an event that “Rockies fans” would primarily want to be at. That should have been my first clue. The day of the play-in game, I went to Coors Field and bought tickets for Game 3 of the NLDS against the Phillies (working four blocks from CF has its advantages).
Witnessing the Rockies win the game to sweep the Phillies in the NLDS and celebrate their advancing to the NLCS was a wonderful experience. I was beginning to sense a change in the way Greg cheered for the Rockies. As the Rockies played Arizona for the NL pennant I could tell that he was becoming a little more involved than a mere by-stander. We each had tickets to the NLCS, I for Game 3 and he for Game 4. Fortunately, he was prepared and recorded the final out and ensuing celebration as the Rockies won to earn the right to play in the World Series. He showed me that video last night. While the celebration began on the field and in the stands, I could hear Greg screaming and hollering on the recording. I thought to myself, if I didn’t know better, I’d say that was a Rockies fan. Shortly after the video was over he declared, “I’m a Rockies fan”. Scenes like this are happening everyday, all over this city. As a dedicated fan, it’s fun to see, and tried-and-true, die-hard fans are saying “welcome”.
Greg, let this be my official welcome to the not-so-little anymore and growing group that call themselves “Rockies fans”.
Until next time, Go Rockies!
I’ve never really had a problem with Manny Ramirez. A great hitter, especially in the clutch, makes him fun to watch unless you’re rooting for the opposing team.
Until this year. His almost annual demands to leave Boston and then eventually say that he wanted to stay have grown old, but that drama was usually over by the time the season started. This post season he seems to have taken the “Manny Show” to an entirely new level, standing at home plate with arms held high, watching each of his home runs with self-admiration before beginning his SLOW jog around the bases. His home run Tuesday offered support what some people have believed all along: Manny is all about Manny. With his team trailing by five runs, he connected on a solo home run to decrease the deficit to four runs. Most players would run around the bases, high-five their teammates and get back in the dugout. Not Manny, he stood there admiring his work, raising his arms as if he’d just won the game, or at least given his team the lead, and then celebrated on his return to home plate. Even a friend of mine who is a life-long Red Sox fan told me he’s tired of it, his comment being: “you’ve been there before, act like it.” As if this wasn’t enough, when Manny was asked about Game 5 of the ALCS and the fact that Boston is on the brink of elimination, his response was:
It doesn’t happen, so who cares? There’s always next year. It’s not like it’s the end of the world.
He’s right, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but that’s not the attitude you want from one of your key players on the eve of what could be your last game of the season. The bottom line: I don’t really care for Manny Ramirez right now. He seems to be more about himself than the Boston Red Sox.
The Colorado Rockies? Now they’re a different story. It’s difficult for me to recall a more humble group of guys as part of a professional sports team. Now, I don’t know any of the Rockies players personally, so all I have to go by is what I see and hear on TV, but what I see is an authentic attitude of humility along with as much care and respect for a teammate as one’s self, from 1 to 25. It’s true there is no “I” in “team”, and this team takes that saying from the bulletin board and puts it on the field. An example of this is Matt Holliday. While being presented the NLCS MVP award on Monday night, he almost seemed embarrassed. Some might say it was because he didn’t think he deserved it. They’re partially right, he didn’t deserve it. No one did, because the Rockies’ sweep of the Diamondbacks for the NL pennant wasn’t due to one, or two, players making the largest impact and determining the outcome. It was the ultimate definition of a team effort. With Holliday, he didn’t act that way because he didn’t think he deserved it. He acted that way because, even if he had been the impact player and dominated the series, he knows it’s about the team and not himself. Holliday doesn’t appear to be comfortable with all the attention, taking some away from his teammates whom he believes deserve it just as much as he does. I liked what Bernie Lincicome wrote on Wednesday about this team:
You like hard work? Never giving up? Faith and conviction? Friendship? Loyalty? Pulling together? Second chances? Third chances? Even dumb luck? They’re all there.
The whole “club religion” thing keeps coming up and getting blown even more out of proportion, causing some folks to not like them. But honestly, this team gives you so many reasons to like them and cheer them on, the least of which is that they play some pretty decent baseball.
Jayson Stark believes that a Colorado/Cleveland World Series would be good for baseball, regardless of the TV ratings.
Sports Illustrated has an article about Matsui’s time in NY. He certainly encountered some difficult times there and is now enjoying the rewards of his perseverance. Torrealba thinks the layoff will be good for the team and give him some needed rest.
Even Major League Baseball has joined the “Team of Destiny” discussion.
Until next time, Go Rockies!
