Column: America's new team: the Rockies
Published Oct. 16, 2007
If the past month in sports has taught us anything, it is that sports can be a parody where logic is defied to produce absurd results. This parody has been ever apparent in all arenas from college football to professional baseball. But although the losses of Southern California, Louisiana State, California, Michigan and others have rocked the college football world, no team has been as surprising as the Colorado Rockies.
With the potential of their first World Series appearance in franchise history, the Rockies have defied all odds and recent records to become America's favorite underdog. In the past 10 seasons, Colorado had managed to win a meager 46 percent of their games, with their only bright spot coming from first baseman Todd Helton. But not even Helton's .332 batting average in a terrible National League West division could propel the Rockies past a single third place finish in a decade.
This year, by all rationale, should have been no different. The National League West became the class of the major leagues, producing three Cy Young Award candidates and four teams with winning records, an accomplishment no other division could claim. To make matters worse, Colorado boasted a lineup with several rookies, only two starters over the age of 30 and an ace in Jeff Francis, who had never started more than 14 games coming into this season.
Through the first half of the season, all Colorado could do was listen to and appease the critics, trailing by eight games before the All-Star Break. But then, the Rockies began to play like it was 1995, the lone year where they reached the playoffs. Colorado finished the season as strong as any team had in the history of baseball, winning 15 of its final 16 games, including a one-game playoff against the San Diego Padres and the probable Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy.
Now, behind the bat of probable NL Most Valuable Player Matt Holiday and NL Rookie of the Year candidate Troy Tulowitzki, the Rockies swept the first two rounds to make both history for the franchise and the sport. They have already beaten the Philadelphia Phillies, a team with their own superstar players to carry the load. And against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the best team in the National League this year, the Rockies have continued to show no mercy. Despite the added pressure of playing a more talented division, Colorado has not faulted.
As the summer ended, most thought Appalachian State's victory against Michigan would be an upset for the record books. Then down came the USC Trojans three weeks later to an even greater underdog in the Stanford Cardinal. And then came the Colorado Rockies.
Far from experienced, the young team played like their age: energetic, passionate and living only for the moment.
Move over Dallas Cowboys, America might have a new team.
bmm34c@mizzou.edu