| Travis Heath. 3rd August, 2005 - 3:45 am
 Many of you have made the observation that my columns thus far, have accentuated the negative with regard to the Colorado Rockies. Well, not today. I--almost--promise. I could mention the Rockies recent trade of hustler Eric Brynes, but I won’t. I could mention that the Rockies traded away the young, homegrown, power pitching, Colorado native Shawn Chacon going against everything they had previously told their fan base, but I won’t. I could even mention Todd Helton being put on the disabled list for the first time in his career, but I won’t mention that either.
Instead, I will highlight nine happy and shiny tid-bits about this Rockies club. Why nine, you may ask? Because I hate top ten lists. Who decided that ten is an ideal number for these sorts of things anyway?
Without further adieu, nine things for Colorado fans to smile about.
9. An opening day, come from behind, game winning home run by rookie shortstop sensation, Clint Barmes. This homerun was the impetus for a sensational start to the season catapulting Barmes to the front of the line for rookie of the year honors--until an injury put him out of commission.
8. The promiscuity of former Rockies pitcher Denny Neagle with an escort on Colfax Ave., which allowed the organization to void his contract. This will of course open up more salary cap room in the future for the team to blow – I mean use – to sign free agents in the future.
7. The play of third baseman Garrett Atkins. His bat has exhibited some pop, and he has shown a knack for coming up with timely hits. There were doubts as to whether or not Atkins could play defense at the big league level, but he quickly laid those doubts to rest with his glove work at the hot corner.
6. The recent power surge for outfielder Matt Holiday. Holliday hit a towering two run shot to center field Tuesday night in San Francisco. This was just the latest example of his long ball exploits, as he hit .444 with 3 homeruns last week, en route to earning NL player of the week honors.
5. The year 2007, when the Rockies insist they will again be competitive.
4. The All Star season of reliever Brain Fuentes. The left-hander has compiled a 2.94 ERA with 16 saves in his first season as the Rockies closer. And they haven’t traded him yet either.
3. The stellar pitching of the man dubbed “The Phenom.” Jeff Francis has had a solid season in his first full year pitching for the club, becoming the team’s first 10 game winner this season. Perhaps the most astonishing thing about Francis has been, that he appears to prefer pitching at Coors Field.
2. The start of Broncos training camp. How does this help the Rockies you ask? Well, at least now less people are paying attention, and they no longer have to worry about being the butt of every joke during local sportscasts.
1. The return of pitcher Aaron Cook, who nearly died last year when a blood clot in his lung was discovered. Last Saturday, Cook pitched for the first time at the big league level, since Trainer Keith Dugger and Team Doctor Tom Probst saved his life last June. This was one game where the score was definitely irrelevant. Welcome back Cookie!
So, there you have it. All is well in Rockies land, for at least one day anyway. You might want to enjoy it too, because things may not be this good again until 2007. At least that’s what Rockies management told me.
Travis can be reached at travismheath@msn.com |
