The Colorado Who?

I rarely write anything about National League Baseball. In fact, I barely pay attention to that half of the baseball world until at least early September, but all season they’ve had some really exciting division races and it’s been hard for me not to at least keep one eye on their standings. Well it’s all in the books now.

The Colorado Rockies have made the playoffs for only the second time in their franchise history, and the first in over 10 years…. and it didn’t come easy. They overcame being 9 games below .500 in May to climb all the way back. They tied the San Diego Padres for the National League Wild Card spot, and were forced into a one-game tie-breaker yesterday. Even that game wasn’t easily won… it came down to a play at the plate in the 13th inning. Matt Holliday slides into home plate with the winning run on a sac fly. AH, but did he really even touch home plate? The general consensus seems to be no! Check out the video and see for yourself right here on ESPN. Controversial to say the least. But in baseball, what matters is how the umpire calls it, and the ump called him safe. The Rockies are going to the post-season, and I suppose that’s all that really matters.

Well, unless you’re a Padres fan. San Diego fans have much to mourn today, but nothing so much as the six runs allowed by Jake Peavy and the three consecutive extra-base hits allowed by Trevor Hoffman in the 13th inning. And of course the questionable call at the plate. Well Padre fans… at least it was close. At least you put up a fight. At least you weren’t the Mets.

As nicely put in this post by Jim Johnson, it would have been difficult for any fan outside of San Diego not to be pulling for the Rockies to make it in. What a run.

2007 was a crazy year for baseball. It was a roller-coaster season, and the standings remained so close down the stretch, especially throughout the National League. It was inevitable that some teams and their fans would leave heart-broken, having come so close (poor Mets, poor Padres) and some teams would find themselves overcome with excitement and disbelief at having made it (go Phillies!, go Rockies!). It’s part of the game, and part of the cycle. That’s the beautiful thing about this sport… There’s always another spring, another field of fresh grass, another season full of possibilities. After a full grey winter of moping and calling for heads from the coaching and management staff, you’ll all be out there next year believing it’s possible to win it, all over again.

The remaining teams for this season now get to fight it out for the big prize… although in my opinion it really doesn’t matter who takes the N.L. crown, as they will eventually get slapped down by the New York Yankees in the World Series. Hey, I have to believe! Now I leave you with this… Did Matt Holliday know in the beginning of the year that they would make it this far? It seems to me by the goofy grin in his player picture that he may have had a clue:

Man, are his teeth WHITE. Let the post-season begin!

 

~ by lisa on October 2, 2007.