Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Up In the Rockies

The Colorado Rockies were on an incredible streak, winning 15 out of 16 games when I left for Ecuador. They didn't lose while I was out of the country.

Their string has been one of the most remarkable in baseball history. They've been helped by the addition of the wild card a bit over a decade ago, otherwise their streak would've been moot.

They've done it with a good core of young talented players, a few veterans, a pitching staff that fits Denver's thin air, and the right manager at the right time. Matt Holiday is one of the game's best. Todd Helton is the face of the Colorado Rockies. Troy Tulowizki is their rookie phenom (Ryan Braun should still be the NL Rookie of the Year though). Clint Hurdle is the manager that makes it all go.

The Rockies are legitimately a good team. But there are a lot of good teams in the majors. Momentum, a rare commodity in baseball, has been the difference in getting them to the Series. The question lingers, will the 8 day layoff squash their momentum? Will the similarly built, but more talented Indians or high-priced Red Sox be too much for the Rockies to handle? We'll have to wait and see.

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