The Blake Street Bias

Two Game Winning Streak? What the H?!?!?

2011-06-16T19:37:00.001-06:00

(it won't last)

"You go out the next night and start a new streak"

2011-06-03T23:01:00.003-06:00

(losing streak)

Tommy De La Juan

2011-05-24T20:08:00.004-06:00

Great, the month of May just keeps getting better for the Rocks. DLR out for the year (and part of next year). Not only does that mean our best pitcher so far this year is gone, but we now have no lefties in the rotation. I don't see special things happening for this team the way things are going. Reynolds? Cookie? Maybe the original FrankDog at some point? Yep, bring those mediocre pitchers coming. They'll compliment the mediocre hitting. Case in point, our starting lineup for Game 2 of today's doubleheader had one player hitting above .250 (Cargo at .252). Sweet.

All Of These Position Players Hitting Below .250 Are Driving This Season Into the Shitcan (and making my butt itch out of stress)

2011-05-22T18:07:00.005-06:00

While DT has appropriately bashed the bullpen in recent days, let's not overlook the 200 lb elephant in the room: the offense (note: the 200 lb elephant is something one of Yogabody's coworkers actually said). I will offer this up, the bullpen meltdowns wouldn't be so heart wrenching if they did not happen on the rare occasion where the offense actually scores more than one or two runs. I will also offer this up: teams teams that have one starter hitting over .250 (that would be Taaaadd, Johnny Boy didn't start today and sorry Tulo, you dropped to .250 today) do not come close to making the playoffs. At this point, it's difficult to see how a team so inept at the plate suddenly turns it around. Carney Lansford, you're better than this. Speaking of the A's they are chokers too, to the Giants no less. Shitty ass weekend in baseball.

All these blown leads is making my butt itch....

2011-05-20T22:58:00.002-06:00

An understatement to say that the bullpen is struggling. [insert rant about Paulino]. I don't want to sound like some smart-ass-blogger-nerd, but why does Paulino have an MLB contract? Couldn't anyone do what he does (put on runners and allow dongs)? His opponent batting average is like .400... that's no joke. IT might be time to count our losses with the whole Barmes trade (at least send him down to the springs (I don't care about the whole options thing)... or MOdesto).

And whatup with the dumpness of Steet and Bettenfart? What the H?
Corpas report?

All This HR Trotting Is Making My Butt Itch.....

2011-05-19T20:18:00.004-06:00

....I have no idea if the Giambino took a shower or not. Whatever he did, he should do more of it. Would be nice if we were entering inter-league play tomorrow, because it's very hard to keep Taaahhhddd out of the lineup the way he's been raking. Should've been a sweep, but a very nice road win. Yo-lease is now 5-2. That's good.

My 0.073 Batting Average Sucks!

2011-05-08T19:07:00.002-06:00

When I-Dog gets 66.7% of your team hits for the day, you know there are issues with the offense. Just read the Rocks haven't scored more than 4 runs since April 20. The suits at Taco Bell are smiling, but like Stewbag, I'm crying.

By the way, that wasn't Linecum, Cain, or Sanchez pitching today....

On the bright side, the bullpen didn't blow this game.

Keep this man off the mound

2011-05-07T21:59:00.000-06:00

Bullpen

2011-05-07T08:48:00.002-06:00

Some pretty shitty performances out of the bullpen these last few nights, and it has rachel maddow and david bowie concerned. Up to this point it's been tough to bitch about the bullpen, they've been fairly rock solid (a bit 'bend but not break' I suppose). But, these last couple of games were pretty lame in the late innings, so yeah, I'm officially bitching about them. I guess you could also blame the RISP LOB (as usual).

And why is Paulino getting put in during tied games? I don't care if he has good 'stuff'; the guy puts runners on base and/or gives up runs.... very Hurdle-esque in my opinion.

As A Way To Cheer Up After Godawful Giants Series Opener....

2011-04-18T21:08:00.006-06:00

I give you my favorite Cubs fans from the weekend.....

Disclaimer: I don't think that bro brah in the Tulsa Drillers gear and a 9 stadium beer cup stack in his hand was a Cubs fan (he was a Red Sox fan - go figure). An entire post could be dedicated to the good folks in that row....but that chick, this picture doesn't even begin to do her justice. That would require volume.

I Don't Really Embody 80's Hardcore,.....Sorry About The Complete Game Shutout.....

2011-04-15T23:44:00.004-06:00

The blog is dead? Long live the blog?

2011-04-14T19:15:00.003-06:00

Hard not to muster at least a "hell, yeah 10-2 Rockies!"

6 days

2011-03-26T15:49:00.002-06:00

7 days

2011-03-25T11:23:00.002-06:00

7 Year Pony?

2011-01-03T21:50:00.003-07:00

Please, please let these rumors of a 7-year, $80 million Little Pony contract extension be true...Pony - Tulo as a 3-4 punch in the lineup for the next 7 years sounds good, check that, great to me. Not to mention the defensive wizardry the pair offers on top of the production. Remember, these two both finished in the top five in MVP voting last season. Barring any chronic injuries, I don't see how this Carlos contract can be a bad deal for the Rocks.

Still a little nervous these reports end up falling through, especially with the Boras factor in play. But assuming they don't, this a great day for the Rockies. Pulling off a handsome, but reasonable, contract means we can simply enjoy watching Pony's talents and stop assuming the clock is simply ticking before he jets to deeper pockets once free agency hits. It also means there will be entertaining baseball to watch at Coors for quite some time. Ink that shit as soon as possible please....

Goodbye

2010-12-06T14:36:00.001-07:00

Welcome Home DLR.....When's His Tshirt Jersey Nite?

2010-12-05T18:17:00.002-07:00

Let's Hope He's The Anti-Hampton

2010-11-30T18:41:00.003-07:00

Pretty damn shocking when the reports started circulating late last night that the Rocks had inked an extension until 2020 with Tulo that involved over $130 million. Unexpected, exciting, refreshing, and potentially a really smart, although somewhat risky, maneuver on the part of the Monfarts/O'Dowd. Of course as a fan, I'm thrilled that there's no chance Tulo could depart for the Yankees after three more years (unless he's traded, as the contract does not include a no-trade clause). Still, that's a large sum of guaranteed money for a team that doesn't have bottomless pockets. But what the hell, I'm not going to fret over the prospect of things going south for a guy who had 40 RBI in the last full month of baseball he played.

Almost equally surprising, and more important for the 2011 season, the Rocks somehow appear to be ready to sign DLR for at least two more years (potentially four years with player/club options). Hard to overstate how important it is to have a power lefty in a projected starting rotation packed with righties. Welcome back DLR. May 2011 be a healthy, productive one for you.

After a snooze fest of a hot stove season thus far, things got interesting quickly. Still, there is more work to be done. Let's not forget these aren't additions to last year's team - and Tulo wasn't going anywhere soon anyway. O'Dowd needs to find at least one bat out there that provides some backup for Tulo and Pony. The fact that these two deals were made gives me some hope O'Dowd has at least one more trick up his sleeve.

Boom, Barmey Outta Here

2010-11-19T11:03:00.003-07:00

I'm guessing this was a low and outside slider that Barmes bit on to strike out. It's kind of sad to see him go: great fielder, good teammate apparently, could hit some dongs, and was actually sort of clutch during the first half of last year. On the other hand, his strike outs were a liability, his average sucked, and was probably going to be let go anyway, so at least we got something for him. The contingency of players that were on the '07 WS team is dwindling pretty quickly. I also don't like the implications of this trade on the DLR situation. Looking like he's gone, which is not good.

No More Corpas To Unwar

2010-11-16T18:40:00.003-07:00

Not that he was going to play this year anyway, but the Rocks flat released Manuel today. They still owe him almost $4mil. That's as exciting as Hot Stove season gets in these parts. Corpas had a ton of potential and I'll admit I thought his contract extension was a good move by O'Dowd at the time. Things just went down hill after 2007. Maybe it's because he never used VH's Panama as his theme music....adios Manny.....

2010-11-14T17:46:00.002-07:00

Yo Pittsburgh Pirates (and their down trodden fanbase)....you ready for a hell of a lot more talk that will involve the term "barrel"?

Golden Gloves

2010-11-11T11:14:00.002-07:00

Way to go fellas. But you know, these personal awards don't mean anything if there aren't rings to go along with 'em.

Boom, Miggy Outta Here

2010-11-05T18:10:00.003-06:00

Not totally sure how to react to this one. If it was the first half Miggy, this would obviously look foolish as hell. Hard to argue with wanting to go in a different direction than the 2nd half Olivo. Crappy at the plate and made some pretty horrible throwing errors that were costly down the stretch. All of that said, O'Dowd better not be putting all of his catcher eggs in the I-Dog basket. I would like to think Lansford is going to be the catalyst that transforms I-Dog into an every day catcher, but that seems like a big leap of faith (read: stupidity). There better be a hot stove Plan B that emerges from all of this....

King Buzzo takes in a World Series game

2010-10-29T11:29:00.002-06:00

Pretty odd surprise mid-way through game 2 to see a random crowd shot that lingered on the odd visage of Buzz from the Melvins...cracked me up.
Looks like our NL West brethren, the Giants, have a stranglehold on this WS shit. Up 2-0 and flat dominated Texas in both games really.

Who's putting together our Spring Training itinerary?

I always took Buck to be more of a Riker....

2010-10-23T20:48:00.004-06:00

and McCarver to be a dispensable "Redshirt" that gets offed after beaming down to a planet with the landing party, certainly not Kirk.

Like Rick James, the Rockies are dead.

2010-09-29T21:45:00.002-06:00

It's been a frustrating and fun season. Expectations were way too high.
The pitching staff was made dicey with injuries, and there was the saga of an ace who started hot and really couldn't carry the club through various bullshit late. Props to Ubaldo all the same.
We can't rely on Cook or Francis...got a lot of love for the both of them but this ain't '07. Unwar Corpas eternally. Street? Can you quit making me sweat and giving up meatball homeruns? May Esmil keep the mohawk and not give up 4 run innings? Jason Hammel looks friendly, mellow, and normal. What does that mean?
Let the Chacin era begin. Keep DLR. Get more arms...and I don't mean Manny Delcarmen.

If you aren't Tulo or CarGo, you weren't consistently pulling weight in the box. Sure, Melvin, Spilly, Giambi, Miggy, and others had their moments or streaks...but no one could be counted on like the offensive cornerstones (yeah i said it) of the Rockies, Troy and Carlos. Sad seeing Todd continue to decline. Sad seeing I-Dog straight suck shit. Sad never being able to count on the bats that went with the speed of Dexter or EY Jr. Sad that Stew-bag got hurt (I guess?) and never reached his potential...again. Sad that Seth is just a mediocre outfielder...not Mr. Late Night.
So long Hawpe. Make some noise in the ALDS.

Had some good times with the Rockies, and at Coors Field in 2010. Spent way too much cash on beer. Slapped numerous high fives. Ate 30PT's kettle corn. Enjoyed C-Bass' killer "10th row behind home plate" seats a couple time. Got on the field and ran the bases and the warning track multiple times with my daughter, Mini-ST. Drank badly disguised Natty light at Swanky's. Saw way more wins than losses at the ballyard over the 20? or so games I went to (I watched way too many L's on FSN though). Loved baseball amongst it all. I guess that's what it's about and why I dig this shit. Can break your heart.
Wish I was making my playoff ticket considerations right now.

Oh, the season isn't over and they're going to play the Cardinals through the weekend? I'm sure there's folks in St.L who have similar stories to tell.

The season is over.

Guess My 6 RBIs Aren't Enough

2010-09-24T09:34:00.002-06:00

And that is how a season goes into the shitter. The offense has been spotty on this roadie, but it's clear right now that the starting rotation is a mess (3 out of the last 4 games the starters have been run before the 5th) and as a result the bullpen is completely gassed. Getting swept by a team deeply entrenched in last place is not what creates post-season births. The Pony made things interesting late, and a Tulo shot careening inches wide of the foul pole in the top of the 9th would have made for an incredible comeback, but it feels like those checks were long since cashed during the 10 game winning streak. The balls aren't bouncing their way and the calls all seem to go against the Rocks right now. Bottom line is they are making critical mistakes and not playing well enough to provide any margin of error. Still looking forward to a couple more games at Coors tomorrow night and Tuesday, but it's likely going to feel more like exhibition games than a pennant race. Bummer...

2010-09-16T20:50:00.002-06:00

In lieu of a Rockies game. Das Boot flat hammered some new team to the E League circuit. Weird when you feel sorry for 'em after the 1st inning.
DAS BOOT! 4-0 record...Fall League spectacular. What was the final tonight? 26-5? Something like that?

The Rockies Are Kind of Dishin' 'em

2010-09-12T19:22:00.004-06:00

Looked like the winning streak wasn't going to reach double digits and then a weird bloop double ties the game in the 7th, followed by a Giambino 2-out, pinch-hit, walk-off HR in the bottom of the 9th. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Pretty jubilant scene in ST's living room after the Giambi dong. The D-Bags kind of handed this one to the Rocks (despite excellent starting pitching), which I guess is what happens when you're riding a 9-game winning streak against a shitty team.

I like three straight sweeps a lot, but go ahead and make it four against the Pads before hitting the road.

2010-09-09T17:19:00.002-06:00

Finally get a chance to post the 7-Seconds alteration!
Some heroes emerging over this run. Tulo, CarGo, even Giambi.

I'm feeling a little deja vu'. How 'bout you?

Respect the Little Pony

2010-08-30T23:10:00.004-06:00

Of course a plea for the Little Pony in the All-Star Game is a little late, but shit, not a bad way to follow-up Player of the Week honors. Although he struggled early in the game, to come up with a, ahem, broken bat inside the park HR to drive in the only and winning runs of the game, is pretty phenomenal. I think I heard the Cowboy say this is the first road win this season when trailing after 8 innings (which is maybe why I dragged my lazy ass out of bed to post this). Even though the road struggles at the plate seem to be continuing, it's an excellent way to start this make or break road trip.

DLR solid on the mound too and definitely deserved a W. Despite a 1-2-3 bottom of the 9th, Street was hit very hard. The heavy Bay Area night air, Johnny Boy's leather at 2B, and Street's own handy work fielding his position thankfully prevented any significant drama. The Young Bear's Main Man Esmil needs to rebound after getting shelled last week and give his team a chance to win this series outright before sending Ubaldo to the mound on Wed.....

Hej fra Gronland

2010-08-26T15:47:00.003-06:00

Sounds like I missed a nice little run from my Rockies while I was back in the homeland scouting for some young Greenlandic pitching talent.
Let's not forget about the wild card, guys...it is suddenly in reach. Also don't forget about the Carlsberg or the Tuborg. I was awash in that stuff the past few days.

That Was A Nifty 9-Run Comeback

2010-08-25T19:51:00.004-06:00

Maybe nifty isn't the right word. Perhaps the word I was searching for was 'special.' Yes, that was a real special comeback that goes to show this team knows how to win. Maybe a game like this will trigger something inside this team that will allow its players to put their egos over here, so they can get back to a special place.

Nice that the team picks up Super Esmil after a disastrous start from the rookie. After letting him down AZ five days previous, it only seems appropriate. Pretty rad that Ken Burns was in town today too promoting the sequel (the 10th Inning) to his excellent baseball documentary. Hope he was taking notes for the inclusion of this game into his next installment.

With the Gigantes and Phils both losing today, our little Home 9 are only four games out of the wild card. Out of it? Not entirely. Need this to continue when the Dodgers come calling Fri. Until then, I'm going to savor this win and this series.....

Vintage Todd Tonite. 4-4.....game-winning RBI.

2010-08-23T22:17:00.002-06:00

The '10 Entry On This Card Will Not Be Pretty

2010-08-21T09:55:00.004-06:00

No idea how Street can still be our closer. It was hard to believe before last night and even more astounding when I read this morning that Tracey has declared him to still be our closer. As DT mentioned to me last night, it reeks of Shawn Chacon. Street is a likable player and had a great year in '09 (despite the playoffs), but it's time to face facts that running him out there in the 9th at this point is killing the team and whatever shred of confidence he has left. Let him pitch in a different role the rest of these meaningless games and put Belisle, Corpas, Bettencourt, or Biemel out there to finish games for now. Hell, throw that huge rookie Reynolds out there. He looks like he has a closer's physique. Give Street a chance to compete next year for the closer spot.

Of course this game should not have been as close it was going into the 9th. Once again, the Rockies' offense failed to break the game open in several innings when the D-Bags were desperately trying to give it away. So predictable that it would end the way it did when you see all of that LOB.

Oh, and now that Johnny Boy has been called back up, please bench Barmes. He has been garbage for quite some time now. Go Reds?

Hawper, boom, outta here, I guess.

2010-08-19T20:13:00.007-06:00

I'm starting to run out of valid T-Shirt jerseys at this point. Sadly I file my Hawpe along with my Holliday, Tavares, and Carroll. Thankfully I never achieved Marquis status. At this point this season I wouldn't argue with the notion of sending my Cook into this pile.
Seriously. Sign of the times. Just over a year ago Brad was an NL All-Star rep. He's pretty much sucked since the '09 break. Not sucked on the level of say, an Iannetta, but still pretty disappointing. I-Dog has the luxury of a fat contract to rest his ~.200 average on. Hawpe was a free-agent in a couple months...expendable with the current outfield. That said, a real shame that Smitty was on a 0-fer 22 streak until last night. Shame about it all really.
Frankly I don't want to know these Rockies without Carlos Gonzales, Tulo, and Ubaldo. Perhaps I'm being harsh, but everyone else is either a fringe player, streaky player, a player who has yet to "reach his potential", or a player that is showing that their usefulness is expiring. Brad fell into two of those categories on some level. I wish him the best. He's not a seed chomping, Boras knob-slobbering assface like Matty is. Thankfully Holliday touched the plate and also gave us CarGo. Too bad Hawpe had to fall in the mediocrity ditch and lose all value. (anyone seen G-Dog lately?)
Nice win last night by the way...not that it really matters beyond pride anymore. Love the stat that the Rockies are holding the longest "current" streak of win-loss-win pattern games at 14 or so. Last team to run that bizarre stat up that high was the 2007 Rockies I believe. No wonder insane streaks to close seasons are so crucial here in Colorado.

2010-08-14T08:12:00.002-06:00

Tulo delivers last night. Going to need heroics like that from here on out to have even a chance at making the post-season. (or maybe play all home games)
Great to see some later inning come from behind magic recently...
Sure would be nice if the Padres or the Reds or the Cardinals or the Phils could get on a nice long slide. Just doesn't seem very likely. Rockies are certainly going to need some help, remains to be seen if they are at least going to do their part and get rolling.

Midget Army In Full Effect

2010-08-11T19:46:00.005-06:00

After the previous 15 innings, I'm sure everyone saw that coming. Thanks Melvin for keeping the season alive at least a little longer.

Take me out to the Ball Game and shit....

2010-08-06T23:41:00.003-06:00

this is a tad delayed due to some insurmountable post-game drunkenness on the day-of pic from Wednesday. The Rox getting a split against the Giants at home in an odd 2-gamer. 6-1. Tons O' Fun. A Business man's special actually being funded by the excellent business that I am a part of. (and TD who has some fine PTO benefits I think, getting in on the action).
Rockies were thankfully able to right the ship tonight after an opening series dud against a Pirates team that they categorically should kick ass against, but don't. Shit, the Bucs' record would be even worse (it is the NL worst already, I think) if it weren't for the wretched tendency for the Rockies to play "down" to the competition. They need to cut that shit out, and make some damn hay against these teams. The Padres do for god's sake.
One club is running away with the division, the other is a quandry of what-ifs and should-haves.

2010-08-02T13:58:00.001-06:00

Perhaps it's relevant to post one of my favorite pictures ever taken outside of Coors Field.

The 7th Inning Beer Cutoff Does Not Apply To Tom Helmer

2010-07-31T21:26:00.003-06:00

And he had plenty to get whacky about tonight. Pretty excellent win after Bettendump threw gasoline on the 8th inning. God bless the Little Pony.

Taz shirts and shitty midseason swoons

2010-07-28T11:50:00.002-06:00

At the game last night I got to thinking as the Rockies' were losing to the Pirates that man this season sure has gotten pretty lame. Tried to think of something that had parallel lameness. And as if he had been placed down in front of me from the heavens, a man appeared in a mid-90's Rockies shirt emblazoned with the Tazmanian Devil bedecked in purple. Yes, lame. Lame like the direction that the 2010 season is taking.

2010-07-25T10:19:00.003-06:00

Somebody Better Put Their God Damn Ego Over Here In A Hurry, Or There Will Be No Returning To A Special Place

A Melvin Mauling

2010-07-20T19:14:00.006-06:00

Although I'm typing this in the 8th inning, I'm going to go ahead and say you couldn't have drawn this game up any better for the Rocks after last night's meltdown. Mora knocking the ball all over the place and collecting 5 RBIs (one shy of an RBI for each of his half a dozen kids), Frank-Dog pitching an impressive 7 innings after 3 shit outings, and the Marlins looking stupid a day after celebrating a regular season win like they just won the World Series. Looking at the pitching matchups these next two games, getting a victory tomorrow with HamBone on the mound might be critical to avoid a series loss (Josh Johnson goes for FL on Thursday).

2010-07-20T10:59:00.000-06:00

2010-07-14T18:26:00.003-06:00

Earlier this year I was down in the bowels of Coors Field and stumbled upon this vault. Turns out this is where Aramark stores all the cash I blow on stadium brews.
Good thing they have a lock on that. It must hold a small fortune.

My new Rockies commerical.

2010-07-13T17:58:00.001-06:00

Cargo: "So your pregnant? Well good for you, I didn't make the NL All-Star team and got the shaft."
Miggy: "Me too."

The End.

No All Star Snub For Dugger

2010-07-13T08:44:00.002-06:00

First Rockies trainer to ever get the honor of being named to the All-Star team....Congrats Duggey (DuggDog?)!!

It remains Hammel-time

2010-07-10T20:59:00.003-06:00

A suddenly rare non-taco win. 1 game back. 1 game back. 1 game back.

Lovin' me some Stew-bag dongs....

2010-07-10T15:05:00.002-06:00

...not to mention his 6RBIs. Another comeback win for the Rockies. This one still left enough time for the pitching staff and defense to record a hold and save.
Critical series off to a good start as the league heads into the All Star Break after this weekend. Really don't much care for the Padres I've found watching them this year....even in games when that pipsqueak Eckstein isn't in the lineup. You got your Headleys and your Hundleys and your 37 different Hairstons. I don't like 'em.
Good win, but DLR looked pretty shaky last night, and Barmes drops a couple E's on to the statsheet that lead to runs. The offense can't bail this team out of games forever...

Anyone Care For Another Dramatic Comeback?

2010-07-08T08:30:00.004-06:00

I know Cardinal fans don't, but largely thanks to a very clutch 3-run HR by Dexter in the 8th, I-Dog was up to the task of spoiling yet another evening for the Redbird faithful populating Coors last night. ST, 30PT, and myself got to enjoy the latest improbable comeback by a team that suddenly can hit (especially in late innings?) but has shaky starting pitching (except Hambone of course). Quite the opposite of the first 2 1/2 months or so of the season. Hopefully Super Ubaldo can shake the recent pitching trend for starters and get things back on track this afternoon against Carpenter.

The C-Bass and I will be there for the finale (weather permitting). I hope to see brooms in the stands and more Redbird fans crying in their beers at their favorite Denver bar - Swankys - after the game.

A very special 9th inning

2010-07-07T16:51:00.004-06:00

I'm just now getting over the craziness of last night's game, so sorry for the tardiness of the post. 8 hits in one inning? Jeez Louise, we're lucky to get 8 hits in a single game. Not sure what motivated me and Apup to stick around for the game's completion, probably because deep down we knew we had group of some very special players. There were so many egos over here it was ridiculous.

I think the picture to the right accurately shows the reaction of Cardinal fans after some 9th inning heroics.

.... "and it was beautiful".

I guess you're supposed to play all 27 outs....

2010-07-07T16:40:00.001-06:00

I'm finally getting to a special place where I think that this team can come back and win games. Holy Shit.

The Hell Just Happened?

2010-07-04T20:30:00.002-06:00

Is Manny Corpas loose in the bullpen?

What You Pricks Need To Understand Is That We're Dealing With A Really Special Player Here

2010-07-01T22:04:00.002-06:00

It's Time For You Pricks To Get Off My Back

2010-06-30T08:21:00.001-06:00

This Is How Much Johnny Boy I Can Take

2010-06-26T00:28:00.002-06:00

How Much Jonathan Herrera Can You Take?

2010-06-26T00:11:00.003-06:00

Silencing A Nation

2010-06-24T11:15:00.002-06:00

Thank you very much Mr. Giambi. Such an awesome game to be at, even in the Rockpile. DT and I had a pretty grand view of both Stewbag and Giambino's blasts in the bottom of the 9th against Papplebaaawwwwnn! Doesnt' get much sweeter than that. Although Super U got roughed up a bit (against two dudes I've never even heard of - who is this Nava dude?), the offense finally picks up the slack and generates a late-inning victory. Could stand to see much, much more of that. And would whoever took DT's and ST's Little Pony tshirt jerseys in the post-game celebration madness kindly return them? A small price to pay I suppose for a finale like that...sweep 'em boys.

2010-06-18T22:50:00.002-06:00

Nice to have another pitcher on the Rockies who currently likes to stymie opposing batters. Amusingly, his last name is quite congruent with a stupid rapper from the early 90s.
Pretty big win. 2 Runs is Enough? (to fill our lives with love?)
The staff already has 9 shutouts this season?

The Sickness That Is Being 13-1 With A 1.15 ERA

2010-06-17T18:28:00.004-06:00

TD was 1,600 feet underground in a Wyoming mine when this was going on today (heard it wasn't televised anyway), but from the sounds of it, Super U was dominant as per the usual. My only question is why do we always seem to score the most runs when Ubaldo is pitching? No matter, we needed this win badly and need to win, if not sweep, this upcoming series with the Brew Crew. The way the bats having been swinging, that's going to rely heavily on batters being beamed, passed balls, wild pitches, and of course, balks.

Why must everything suck?

2010-06-16T21:36:00.003-06:00

It was kind of nice to go through Sunday and Monday thinking that maybe the hitting slump was over. Nope, guess not. Three hits and 13 strikeouts... well that's not very good. Somehow Yo-lease only gave up 2-runs (partially due to Cargo's arm), and we actually had a chance to tie the game in the 8th and perhaps steal a game for once. Runner on 3rd and only 1 out: no of course not, the odds of the Rockies getting that run home are hella slim.

And the pitching's been awfully dicey in these last 2 games. Luckily we have a certain super-ubaldo going tomorrow.

A Very Necessary Sweep

2010-06-13T16:54:00.004-06:00

After that 3-game losing streak at the hands of the 'Stros, this weekend sweep of the Jays certainly hit the spot. A 4-3 homestand is nothing to get overly excited about, but it sounds way better than the 3-4 or 2-5 homestand that was taking shape. Mad props to the pitching staff. When Hambone and Franky pitch this way, and Ubaldo does his thing every 5th day, I like our chances of shaking the hovering around .500 doldrums, especially if the offense ever rises up to its potential. Sounds like DLR may be getting close to coming back, which would only help secure what has been a fairly strong rotation. Still, games like today make you wonder why the offense has been so weak up to now. Good to see Taaawwwwddd swing a hot bat the last couple of games. Once he gets that average back up to something respectable, I might actually follow through on my illustrated Helton shirt threat.

Let's see some continued inter-leauge play dominance in the Twin Cities this week....

Yeah, pretty much a 4th place team.

2010-06-09T21:39:00.002-06:00

Too bad we couldn't fire Hurdle again or have more of that 2007 magic acid that was so fabulous...this current team looks like shit.
Just kicking back and watching the Dodgers, Padres, and Giants create a wide berth.

Probably time to start hitting....

2010-06-09T14:35:00.005-06:00

OK. It's June now.
The Rockies need to hit to their potential...and consistently. Last night's game was a succinct encapsulation of what is not going right about this season. A good first inning at the plate and not much after...and another close loss. This team is pretty terrible in the late innings. I'm not going to spew stats but I'm fairly certain a trip to the Baseball Reference site would deliver some sobering information about the Rockies' late inning bats.
Francis delivered a pretty solid performance last night but was a tad lucky too. Not sure what the hell Tracy was thinking having him bat in the 6th with Mora on third...he was already looking shaky and commenced to get lit up in the 7th, we could have used a better chance of putting runs on the board at that point.
After having a 5-0 start to my season's Coors Field visits, last night was pretty disappointing, against the lowly Astros no less.

Hey What About Us Non-Ubaldo Pitchers?

2010-06-08T08:47:00.002-06:00

Hammel has actually had a good few outings since coming back from the DL. It's one thing to do it in SF, but on a hot night at Coors, to go into the 8th without allowing a run is pretty impressive. Considering the bats are still unreliable, we need more outings like this from pitchers not named Ubaldo.

Waiting for the Riggins report from last night, as rumors are he was in the house. Any Hulkster antics? Maybe that crazy Astros fan with the stuffed animal we ran into in the Lauren seats years ago cheering for Biggio was around to heckle?

DT and ST at Swanky's yet?

Sunday Salvation

2010-06-06T18:12:00.003-06:00

It took yet another dazzling performance from Super U to avoid an embarrassing sweep to the shit-ass Snakes this afternoon. Thank god. While his ERA soared to 0.93 after a 2-run dong in the 8th inning, Ubaldo was just good enough to win this one for the Rocks. The bully actually comes through as well to get out of a tough jam in the 8th and Corpas redeems himself from the serious Fri night unwarring with a clean 1-2-3 9th. Returning home to face another shit-ass Houston team for a four game series should be the formula to get the Rocks on a roll, but there's no telling with this team. They seem to like to play down to the competition.

It Takes Some Weird Faces To Go 10-1 With A 0.78 ERA

2010-05-31T20:17:00.002-06:00

The dominance continues. The stats are getting just a tad ridic. The much-anticipated pitching matchup turned out to be pretty one-sided with Super U clearly the class of the NL up to this point of the season. Also nice to see Tawdd and Barmey come up with big hits against Timmy.

Great to get a win in Game 1 of the series after a tough home series loss to the Dodgers. We have been lousy in one run games this season. Although the pitching matchups the next couple of games will not favor us, it was be good to steal one of the games and win the series. Not something that happens much in SF.

I hate the Dodgers...

2010-05-29T08:31:00.001-06:00

Don't really have anything intelligent to say. That game last night sucked.

Someone get this kid a dustpan...

2010-05-28T08:44:00.002-06:00

Granted it was against the sinking Snakes, but an impressive sweep nonetheless, the first of the season.
The offense came alive in a pretty big way in the final two games, while the pitching remained strong. Home runs starting to fly.

More Dominance

2010-05-27T10:03:00.004-06:00

Seldom (never) will I throw up a post about a game I couldn't even watch, but when Super U delivers another scoreless gem to lower his ERA to 0.88 and notch his 9th win in May(!), something must be said. I believe Dr. DT was in the house, so I assume he picked up some World Series tickets afterward. I will be in the house today for a Business Man's Special (even though I'm not working today), but not feeling entirely confident in a sweep against our natural division rivals with the Hammel vs. Haren match up. Time for HamBone to step up and make this winning streak five before the hot, but hated Dodgers come to town.

Banzai!

2010-05-25T00:05:00.002-06:00

"I'm Jeff Francis, and I appear to be back."

2010-05-23T17:48:00.003-06:00

A rare revisit from the 2007 (mini) Jeff Francis here on BSB.

Had to give a shout regarding the job he has done in his first 2 games back. Seriously, I would never have predicted something like this actually going well for the current Rockies, a team that appears to be snake-bit in many ways this year with injuries, bad luck, and in general being a team that really just hasn't gotten "hot" in any sustained fashion.
Nice to see the bounce back the last couple games in KC...still, to my last point above, this was a roadie that had the makings of a catalyst to really get the season pointed in the right direction. Get on a hot streak. But no, they come out of it 3-4 and are currently .500 and still 4 games back.
Hope some home cooking can stir up some magic. A day off and a GNO game might do the trick?

Let Me Dominate You

2010-05-21T10:37:00.002-06:00

Can Super U just pitch every game? 8-1, 0.99 ERA, seriously?!? If he can keep this up, it's going to be interesting to see his season-ending numbers. Would have had another no hitter bid if it wasn't for Stewbag's error on a slow tapper to 3rd (called a hit?) and some leg cramps after Super U ran out an infield single. Some rare offensive fireworks from the middle of the lineup with Tulo jacking a 3 run HR in the top of the first. We could use more of that type of production from the middle of the lineup. Probably just doubled his RBI total.

Will be interesting to see how Franky does on start #2. Need to win this series (if not sweep) in KC to make the roadie respectable. If I recall, we kind of dominated interleague play last year.

"Oh look. Someone found the hat I should be wearing."

2010-05-19T21:34:00.004-06:00

A rare HR is erased on a flood-gates opening 8th inning error by one of my 2010 whipping boys, Clint Barmes.
Jesus, I best not have to hear anyone say "he deserves to be in the lineup because of his glove even when he's struggling at the plate" at this point. I think he has 4 errors this season, add that to his now regularly miserable batting average. (We pay him 3.5mil a year?!?) Sure, he is prone to produce some slick leather now and again, but tonight's error was a kick in the huevos. Cory Sullivan gets to add the bonus by producing the hit to put the Astros up after the error. Thanks Sully...I didn't like you either.
That horribly brief stop at an above .500 record after Sunday's game has quickly dipped back down to the 2010 standard hover of several games below.

Rockies Rookies Prevail

2010-05-17T10:28:00.002-06:00

A very non-Coors Field type game yesterday that didn't feature rain or many runs. Kind of a throw back game too, with Franky and My Main Man Corpas both pitching great. The Rocks could use some more of that (and some more run production from the offense). All in all, Sunday's win salvages a decent home stand with a 4-2 record. It's a little early to look too close at the standings, but the top of the NL West is getting mighty. And the Rockies Rookies extend their winning streak to two straight games.

Miggy Walk Off!

2010-05-12T18:02:00.002-06:00

A rare come from behind win for the Rockies in 2010. Against Halladay, no less (to the tie at least).
Miguel with a 5 for 5 day and a capper walk off homer in the bottom of the 10th. A clutchness not seen too often this season.
You know Tracy was spewing in his post-game that this could be looked at as a pivotal game when they look back in September. Let's hope he's right.

Weather for game two of the double header looks dicey. Not last night dicey, but still.

2010-05-11T20:25:00.004-06:00

Troutdog and myself made the wise, bus-stop decision to pack it in for tonight's game before fully committing to head downtown. Cancellation announcement came via Helmer and the Cowboy on FSN Rocky Mountain not long after I got home.
Shit, the sky is dumping a relentless weird rain/slush mix, with a dose of thunder, even still.
Can't imagine those games will go down tomorrow. I'd be willing to bet that on the pure-heart of Ditchfield.

Can I get an Un War Corpas up in here?

2010-05-11T09:29:00.003-06:00

Ugly loss last night. Defense still looking like an E League softball team.
Nice to see Hawpe back and Giambi taking advantage of a start to ignite his bat.

Are we headed for a GNO snow-out tonight?

YO-LEASE!!!

2010-05-09T08:25:00.004-06:00

Talk about making the most of an opportunity. Jhoulys delivers once again. Until he takes a step or two backwards, hard to see him being removed from the rotation once some of the injured pitching corps is ready to return.
Another really good looking outing. Has to be a level of comfort when your offense spots you a 6 run lead in the 1st...nonetheless, 6 hits over 7 1/3 with no runs, gets it done in most any game.
Tracy totally quotable at the end of the game last night, "It's just a terrific job again by that young kid."

C'mon Ubaldo keep it going today...

Stew-bag in the clutch....

2010-05-06T09:46:00.003-06:00

I was sawing logs by the time this game ended but nice to roll over this AM and click on the Rockies Blackberry App to see a surprising come from behind W last night...sitting even on the roadie so far.

I am not a god

2010-05-05T08:59:00.002-06:00

I am a GOD.

2010-05-04T13:07:00.003-06:00

Thank You Mr. Chacin

2010-05-02T19:11:00.005-06:00

Saw a glimpse this afternoon of why Jhoulys (yo-lease) Chacin (susheen?) is so highly touted by Rockies brass. The dude was pretty much dealing today while turning in a 1-hit, 0 runs, 7 inning gem. I like the fact that he didn't walk that many people (a lesson that could be learned from a few others on the starting rotation). The performance couldn't have come at a better time. Getting swept at AT&T would've been a disastrous way to begin the Cali roadie. Plus, with the starting pitching so lousy since the last Super Ubaldo outing, it was refreshing to finally see a "quality start" from the butt end of the rotation. With Franky (who will be making his season debut with the Drillers on Thurs) and DLR still (probably) a few weeks out from coming back from the DL (notice I didn't mention Hambone), it would be a god send to have one of the youngsters step up and take advantage of their opportunity. It looks like the leading candidate to fill that role is YoDog.

Not only was there good pitching today, but the Rocks actually came up with some timely hits after forcing Filthy Sanchez out of the game early by not swinging the bat. Good strategy guys (especially for Barmey).

Roadtrip

2010-04-30T19:31:00.002-06:00

This is a critical stretch for the once highly touted Rockies' 2010 club. Sitting .500 as April turns to May.
3 back of the Padres. The Padres?
Keeping things level at least through this NL West Cali trip, will be fairly crucial.

A pitching staff (outside of Ubaldo) that is banged up and capable of colossal bed shitting at the drop of a hat is fairly disconcerting. Need to hold it together, and see some flashes of brilliance from Rogers and Chacin. Do we need to get Gobble or Redding up in this shit? I hope not. Quit walking people.

2010-04-28T18:14:00.001-06:00

Hey David. Let's not forget about the starting pitching too.

I could do without the slugfest loss. At home. To lose a series. To a division rival.
Down by 6 runs, then up by 5, and then lose. Weak.

Enjoy your NL West Cali road trip Rockies. That doesn't have much of a chance of ending well.

Non-stop?

2010-04-25T21:18:00.007-06:00

How about non-stop Seth Smith and Miguel Olivo?

The offense has gotten pretty potent the last couple games.

Need some more home success against the Snakes in the next series. The upcoming California swing roadie has not traditionally been kind to the Rox. Would be good to reverse that trend...
It's a drag that Hawpe is on the 15-day, but then this club does have a pretty damn deep OF bench.
So they've got that going for them, which is nice.

2010-04-24T21:54:00.001-06:00

Finally my poorly photo-shopped head can float again. You all like complete game wins?

4-0, 0.95 ERA.....That's Right, My Friend

2010-04-23T10:14:00.002-06:00

2010-04-20T21:47:00.007-06:00

I'm not one to get too all up in the grill of the front office when the team's direction is off kilter, the players are god damn pros. Nor am I too inclined to get very appreciative of the same when the team is tearing it up on the diamond.
Suits don't get RBI's, don't have complete game shut-outs on the mound, or a walk-off hit to win a game.
From all accounts Keli McGregor was a good dude - the booth tonight on-air was flooded with a lot of great sentiment and what sounded like legit first-hand positive experiences with the man who was the Rockies President. A President basically on a contract-less handshake deal with the Monforts.
A loss. My best to his family.
Pretty lame that my main perception of him up to this point was the public face and name of the World Series ticket debacle, I recall seeing him on the news trying to explain away the fact that I didn't get WS tickets and some asshole in Idaho had tix for sale at triple face value a day later. Retrospectively seems unfair to judge him that way. (that World Series sucked, you know?)

Tonight's game? The Rockies' unleashed an assload of hits and runs in the 2nd and 3rd and then packed it in with a 10 run lead. Hard to blame them. Hard to watch the rest of the game too. Things got sloppy and indifferent which describes the bad side of what we've seen so far this year (when not jobbed a W by a 1st base ump).

FYI. DLR has as many RBI's as Helton this year. Giambi still doesn't have a hit. Fowler is way below .200. Not right. Need to get things pointed in a better direction. Sitting .500 once again....

That Was A Double Play

2010-04-18T15:59:00.002-06:00

Ubaldo was thinking about maybe going no hitter tonight

2010-04-17T20:15:00.003-06:00

Didn't think we'd be blogging about a no-no anytime soon (or ever), but I guess Ubaldo would prefer that we do blog about a certain no-no. 17-years and the Rockies get their first no-hitter; pretty friggin awesome. I must admit I was out running errands for the 1st and 2nd innings, and when I got home they flashed the scoreboard and had a camera on Ubaldo with Goodman saying something like, "Ubaldo appears to have his good stuff tonight". Kind of awesome for him to pitch a no-hitter when it was pretty clear that he was having trouble somewhat with his location (six walks is a bit high for Super Ubaldo). And a tip of the hat to Dex for making that pretty rad grab in Left-Center. I guess every no-hitter has one of those (or so they say).
Anywho, congrats Super Ubaldo; you have my 2010 Cy Young vote.

Oh and one more thing: Ubaldo is the first and only player ever to pitch a no-hitter and have his first name start with the letter "U". He can say that for the rest of his life.

I-DOG!

2010-04-14T22:18:00.003-06:00

Nice little walk-off for I-Do(n)g. Multi-hit night too?
Fun end. Probably shouldn't have gotten to that point...some poor defense enabled the Mets. They did get a bit clutch too.
Tulo is having his standard shit-ass start to the season...but with the glove too?? Not good.
Prophetically, the Cowboy pre-game hung his hat on some Iannetta offense. What a call.
This game atones for the Saturday Padres game extra-inning disappointment.

Cook still sorta scares me a bit. Not just all the AFFLICTION shirts either...his pitching still doesn't look all that sharp.

Guy's Night Out Looking Up

2010-04-13T21:57:00.005-06:00

Lauren loves a good ass-kicking of the Mets.....as does 30 Pack Thief and C-Bass. I'll take 11 more Tuesday night games like that, thank you.

Pretty Hittable

2010-04-07T19:01:00.002-06:00

The Rocks give up a lot of runs in a losing series against the Brew Crew. These two losses probably match or exceed the entire season total against the NL Central last year. The pitching needs to step it up. We haven't even seen Madow yet, but I have a feeling she's lurking. The RISP and errors have also been an issue thus far. The former is familiar, the latter is not. Better straighten this shit out by the time you get back to Denver. The Giants are padding their divisional lead already (and seem to be able to score, despite all predictions).

DLR on the mound against the Fathers on a sunny opening day sounds like a good remedy, at least on paper...

Game Time!

2010-04-05T12:05:00.002-06:00

1 day

2010-04-04T20:35:00.000-06:00

Sunshine, Warmer Temps, Chili Races, Chillin' on the Berm, and Rockies Dominance

2010-04-03T17:31:00.009-06:00

Despite waking up to the troubling news that the original Frank Dog has pain in his shoulder and is going on the 15 day DL to start the year, it was a much better Cactus League experience today at Isotopes Stadium. DLR looks ready for his start on Friday in the home opener, and the offense battered Mariner pitching for 10 runs, including multiple jacks, and the defense looked much crisper, only committing 2 errors (compared to 5 yesterday). Plus, everyone loves a food item race (unfortunately, along with the wave, doing the YMCA dance, and singing 'Sweet Caroline'), which down in the Q is a chili-themed affair. Not sure what that has to do with Isotopes (DT has already suggested it should be a molecule race), but if I was an attorney for the Milwaukee Brewers, I'd be looking at filing a copyright infringement lawsuit.

Onward to the real season. We'll see if the pitching injuries to H Street and Franky prove costly. I guess the stage is set for Greg Smith (nickname suggestions?) and Nervous Morales to step it up....

(this is "the berm" mentioned above....kinda a pseudo Rockpile)

2 days

2010-04-03T14:51:00.002-06:00

Rockies Games Are Still Cold

2010-04-02T20:42:00.004-06:00

Isn't spring training supposed to usher in the beginning of summer? Well, judging by the temperature at the Isotopes Stadium tonight in the Q for the 2nd to last 2010 Rockies Cactus League game, it might as well be the 2009 NLDS in Denver, where the temperatures failed to crack the 40 degree mark. Although some Crown Royal shuttled in by the Sandman on a couple occasions helped warm the belly, 3 hours of shitty preseason baseball in a very difficult climate was enough for one night. Last I heard from DT, we tied the game 11-11.

Who cares? The Rocks committed 4 errors early in the game (was more like 6 by my count), Cookie looked like shit, and I swear Hurdle was lurking in the dugout instead of that real special manager. The highlight of the evening for me was the Minor League entertainment between innings. Hats off to "Sophie" - a young little lady in pigtails who runs around the infield after the 4th inning with a broom sweeping off the bases and the tops of the umpires' shoes(!) to the tune of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." Creepy, yet wholesome at the same time.

All in all, it's nice to see live baseball again. Next time (read: tomorrow), I hope it's in warmer climes with major league caliber play on the field.