Rockies Balboa

POSTED BY Dave Aizer, 16 October 2007

This is so cool! I mean, come on, the COLORADO ROCKIES! Winners of 21 of their last 22; 7-0 in the playoffs this year; and filled with so many good, young, exciting ballplayers you've never heard of. Quite simply, this is the best baseball story in a long time.

Think about this: with nine games to play, they were 4 1/2 games back in the wild card. And with two games to go, they were still two games out.

They had to win out, which they did, and then win a do-or-die game (which they trailed by two runs in the 13th innning, by the way) just to make the postseason. Again, they did.

But it didn't get any easier. They had to go to Philadelphia and face the big-budget, heavy hitting Phillies. No problem. Swept 'em. Then it was off to Arizona and one of the game's best pitchers, Brandon Webb. Swept them too. ... And now, they'll most certainly be underdogs against the Indians or Red Sox.

But who cares? Why should that matter. All they do these days is win. Every game.

In the current baseball landscape, it's really unheard of what this small market team is accomplishing. With a payroll around 54 million dollars and a pitching rotation without even one household name, this isn't supposed to happen. The Mets were everybody's pick in the NL. Just like the Yankees and Red Sox were the picks in the American League. But the Yanks went home early and the Sox may not be far behind; which would leave the small market Indians as the AL representative.

But, regardless of whether or not Cleveland reaches the World Series, Colorado's presence there is another indication that spending more doesn't always equal getting more. Look at the Cardinals last year ... another small market team which came from nowhere to win the World Series.

And the thing about these teams (Colorado, St. Louis, Cleveland ...) is that - if you are a baseball purist - they're absoultely great to watch. Seeing Troy Tulowitzki charge a grounder; Kaz Matsui stand unflichingly in the path of a baserunner as he completes a double play; and Matt Holliday slide head first into home plate with no regard for his face ... these are the reasons we all love baseball. Anyone can hit a home run, but how many people can steal bases, make highlight reel catches and perfect relay throws? That's why I - and Dane Cook, I guess - keep tuning in.

As you can probably tell, I'm all about the Rockies right now. I love this team! I just hope the fairy tale lasts a little bit longer.