Unintentionally I ended up at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Sunday to watch the Rockies take on the Giants. Well, I was there intentionally, but the fact that my home team was there was a pure luck.
When it came to the game, I got everything I could have asked for: runs, Bonds HR and a Rockies extra inning victory. It was almost as if I had written the script for the game.
It was truly an exhilarating experience seeing Bonds take Bucholtz yard. For as much as I hate him, and everything he has done to get in the position he is at, seeing him homer into single digits of Aaron was a sight. Even after the dinger, the Rockies were still leading, so I didn’t mind standing with the crowd and watching Bonds makes his 746th trot around the bases. I didn’t clap or cheer, but seeing a monumental event like that was a great experience for any fan.
As for the game…. I was there with my less-than-baseball-knowledgeable fiance’. I will give her credit that she deserves. I did teach her how to score a ball game and she embraced the challenge. Midway through the game, though, she was overcome by the brisk San Francisco air and handed the scorebook my way to finish out the game. But for it being probably her 5th game ever (4 of which have been with me in the past 2 baseball seasons) I was proud.
The Giants tied the game up in the bottom of the 9th and sent the game to extra innings. The Rockies had their 4, 5 and 6 hitters up in the top of the 10th, so all was good on the Rockies front.
The finace’ and I moved down to the 3rd row for the extra frame and got to see a great display.
Leading off, Todd Helton roped a single to the outfield. He was then replaced by Kaz Matsui, who got to second on a passed ball. Garret Akins then hit, arguably, his hardest shot of the year, only to be caught at the wall by Giants CF Randy Winn. For some unapparent reason, though, Kaz didn’t tag up and returned to second, bringing up Mr ClutchORADO himself, Troy Tulowitski.
I learned over to the fiance’ and whispered about Troy clutch hitting in the past and he didn’t make me sound like an amateur, roping an RBI single and advancing to second on the throw home.
After a Chris Ianetta RBI double and a 1-2-Bonds Walk-4 inning by Fuentes, the Rockies flew back home with the franchise’s first sweep in SF.
All said and done, Bonds going yard, Tulo getting the GWRBI and the Rockies sweeping the Giants made the game a truly unbelievable experience that I shall cherish for a lifetime.
- SEO, TEO
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Ping Pong
The Pacific Northwest made out Tuesday evening in the annual NBA Lottery bingo night.
Greg Oden in Portland with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge will be a force to be reckoned with for some time. Kevin Durant freeing up shots for Ray Allen will also make the Sonics a team to watch.
But the luckiest draft spot, for the NBA, was the Hawks going at #3. Had they not hit one of the top three spots, the Phoenix Suns would have secured their spot and would have only made the rich get even richer.
For the fourth year in a row, the Nuggets weren’t in the running for the top spot. It wasn’t like this was 2002 when their third selection netted them Melo, who at this pace will go down as one of the top Nuggets of all time.
No, for the fourth year in a row the Nuggets made the playoffs and had no shot at a lottery pick. This is also the fourth year in a row that they were bounced in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
(Another time, probably closer to the start of the NBA season, I will analyze what the Nuggets need to do in order to advance deeper into the playoffs.)
Today, the discussion is around the NBA Draft and why the Nuggets not only do not have a lottery pick, but do not have a selection in the draft at all.
Usually no draft selections is a bad thing, besides, how can you build your team around a strong, young nucleus without the help of strong, young athletes?
Instead, the Nuggets traded away their pick for a shooting guard out of Georgetown with 10 years experience. Obviously I am talking about AI.
Now ESPN Insider, Chad Ford put up his latest mock draft after the lottery was announced. Obviously he has Oden and Durant at 1 and 2 and then the usual cast of characters follows.
Scanning down the list you see some guys who could alter the shape of basketball for years to come: Conley Jr, Brewer, Rush, Wright, Wright. Keep going down to pick 21 where Ford thinks the 76ers will draft Duke PF Josh McRoberts.
Without the AI trade, this would have been the Nuggets selection. I highly doubt that the Nuggets would have gone with the big man, having Nene, Kleiza, Najera, Camby, and K Mart on their squad. But looking past McRoberts at some of the guys the Nuggets would have had a chance to select just reiterates how well the Nuggets did in this trade.
If AI’s career were the workweek, he would be on Wednesday, hump day. He is not falling off, but he has probably seen his game elevate to the top and, although it can stay there a while longer, it is probably not going to keep rising. What you see in AI is what you get.
That is not to say that he doesn’t have another 5-7 All Star caliber seasons left in him, he most certainly does. That is just to say that he has reached and exceed his potential and we know what we are going to get from him.
So scanning past McRoberts you still see Brandon Rush and Daequan Cook on the board, along with a handful of foreign imports and some pretty good athletes.
It should just be apparent that this AI trade was one of the biggest in the league this year, and one of th ebiggest in the Nugget’s history.
Time may reveal that Cook or Gabe Puritt from USC will turn out to be the next AI. Time has a tendency to weed to good and bad picks and ruin GMs credibility’s.
So even though the NBA Draft may not be as fun for Nuggets fans as it has been in the past, in the meantime, for the next 5-7 All Star years, I think selecting AI with the 21st pick will turn out to be one of the top 3 picks in this year’s draft.
- SEO, TEO
Greg Oden in Portland with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge will be a force to be reckoned with for some time. Kevin Durant freeing up shots for Ray Allen will also make the Sonics a team to watch.
But the luckiest draft spot, for the NBA, was the Hawks going at #3. Had they not hit one of the top three spots, the Phoenix Suns would have secured their spot and would have only made the rich get even richer.
For the fourth year in a row, the Nuggets weren’t in the running for the top spot. It wasn’t like this was 2002 when their third selection netted them Melo, who at this pace will go down as one of the top Nuggets of all time.
No, for the fourth year in a row the Nuggets made the playoffs and had no shot at a lottery pick. This is also the fourth year in a row that they were bounced in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
(Another time, probably closer to the start of the NBA season, I will analyze what the Nuggets need to do in order to advance deeper into the playoffs.)
Today, the discussion is around the NBA Draft and why the Nuggets not only do not have a lottery pick, but do not have a selection in the draft at all.
Usually no draft selections is a bad thing, besides, how can you build your team around a strong, young nucleus without the help of strong, young athletes?
Instead, the Nuggets traded away their pick for a shooting guard out of Georgetown with 10 years experience. Obviously I am talking about AI.
Now ESPN Insider, Chad Ford put up his latest mock draft after the lottery was announced. Obviously he has Oden and Durant at 1 and 2 and then the usual cast of characters follows.
Scanning down the list you see some guys who could alter the shape of basketball for years to come: Conley Jr, Brewer, Rush, Wright, Wright. Keep going down to pick 21 where Ford thinks the 76ers will draft Duke PF Josh McRoberts.
Without the AI trade, this would have been the Nuggets selection. I highly doubt that the Nuggets would have gone with the big man, having Nene, Kleiza, Najera, Camby, and K Mart on their squad. But looking past McRoberts at some of the guys the Nuggets would have had a chance to select just reiterates how well the Nuggets did in this trade.
If AI’s career were the workweek, he would be on Wednesday, hump day. He is not falling off, but he has probably seen his game elevate to the top and, although it can stay there a while longer, it is probably not going to keep rising. What you see in AI is what you get.
That is not to say that he doesn’t have another 5-7 All Star caliber seasons left in him, he most certainly does. That is just to say that he has reached and exceed his potential and we know what we are going to get from him.
So scanning past McRoberts you still see Brandon Rush and Daequan Cook on the board, along with a handful of foreign imports and some pretty good athletes.
It should just be apparent that this AI trade was one of the biggest in the league this year, and one of th ebiggest in the Nugget’s history.
Time may reveal that Cook or Gabe Puritt from USC will turn out to be the next AI. Time has a tendency to weed to good and bad picks and ruin GMs credibility’s.
So even though the NBA Draft may not be as fun for Nuggets fans as it has been in the past, in the meantime, for the next 5-7 All Star years, I think selecting AI with the 21st pick will turn out to be one of the top 3 picks in this year’s draft.
- SEO, TEO
Thursday, May 24, 2007
ClutchORADO
For those of us who grew up watching sitcoms in the 80s, Growing Pains has to be one of those shows in the forefront of our memories.
Originally it was 5 Seavers: Mike, Carol, Ben, Jason and Maggie. Then, most likely to boost ratings, they brought in Luke Brower, the rough kid from the streets who added a bit of intrigue to the family dynamics.
Well, fast forward 15 years, and so goes the story line of the 2007 Colorado Rockies. Last year it was Helton. Holliday, Atkins, Francis and Fuentes. Then, most likely to boost the team’s wins, they brought in Troy Tulowitzki.
This fresh-faced kid out of Long Beach State had a pretty good reputation coming into pro ball. He was the 7th overall selection in the 2005 MLB Draft and his scouting report said he could field anything hit his way. His one question mark was at the plate. Could this kid, who lives and breathes baseball, hit major league pitching.
Looking solely at his batting average, you wouldn’t think he had caught one, hitting at the .250 mark. But it isn’t the first 8 innings that you need to look at when evaluating Tulowitski’s performance, it is the 9th inning.
Tulowitzki has ice in his veins. He get clutch hit after clutch hit. This is a guarantee, if Tulowitzki is up in a clutch situation, he will get you that hit. He has shown it time and time again this year, most recently in the extra innings game against KC (which they eventually lost) and then again 2 nights later in Arizona.
And it isn’t just late innings when Tulo shines. He is batting .333 with runners in scoring position. For a team that isn’t getting very much run support, that number glows even brighter.
With the return of Kaz Matsui, the batting order has shifted a little bit and Tulo is now in the 7th spot. Originally I had my qualms with this placement, but thinking about it, this may make sense in the interim.
Ahead of Tulo is now the meat of the lineup. If, and when they get on, Tulo is there to knock them in. Even though he isn’t anywhere near the top of the league in RBI, you have to consider that he was batting ahead of table-setters like Holliday and Helton for a month. His RBI will rise.
Knowing all this shows that Tulo is the real deal. What we need to get behind Tulo on is his at bats early on in the game and without runners in scoring position. He is obviously doing something right when the game is on the line, that he needs to do earlier on. Whether it is concentrating harder or moving his hands up the bat, we need to gt behind Tulo in the early inning so that he can hit .333 regardless of the situation.
Think about that for a moment. If Tulo was hitting above .300 and Atkins straightened his swing out, the Rox would have a heart of a line-up that would match any in the league.
So, think again back to Growing Pains. You liked the show and then they brought in Luke Brower, and you had some reservations. Then you watched a re-run and realized that Leo DiCaprio played Luke. You missed your chance to peg Leo as the next up and comer.
Don’t let that happen with Tulo. Hop on the bandwagon today.
- SEO, TEO
Originally it was 5 Seavers: Mike, Carol, Ben, Jason and Maggie. Then, most likely to boost ratings, they brought in Luke Brower, the rough kid from the streets who added a bit of intrigue to the family dynamics.
Well, fast forward 15 years, and so goes the story line of the 2007 Colorado Rockies. Last year it was Helton. Holliday, Atkins, Francis and Fuentes. Then, most likely to boost the team’s wins, they brought in Troy Tulowitzki.
This fresh-faced kid out of Long Beach State had a pretty good reputation coming into pro ball. He was the 7th overall selection in the 2005 MLB Draft and his scouting report said he could field anything hit his way. His one question mark was at the plate. Could this kid, who lives and breathes baseball, hit major league pitching.
Looking solely at his batting average, you wouldn’t think he had caught one, hitting at the .250 mark. But it isn’t the first 8 innings that you need to look at when evaluating Tulowitski’s performance, it is the 9th inning.
Tulowitzki has ice in his veins. He get clutch hit after clutch hit. This is a guarantee, if Tulowitzki is up in a clutch situation, he will get you that hit. He has shown it time and time again this year, most recently in the extra innings game against KC (which they eventually lost) and then again 2 nights later in Arizona.
And it isn’t just late innings when Tulo shines. He is batting .333 with runners in scoring position. For a team that isn’t getting very much run support, that number glows even brighter.
With the return of Kaz Matsui, the batting order has shifted a little bit and Tulo is now in the 7th spot. Originally I had my qualms with this placement, but thinking about it, this may make sense in the interim.
Ahead of Tulo is now the meat of the lineup. If, and when they get on, Tulo is there to knock them in. Even though he isn’t anywhere near the top of the league in RBI, you have to consider that he was batting ahead of table-setters like Holliday and Helton for a month. His RBI will rise.
Knowing all this shows that Tulo is the real deal. What we need to get behind Tulo on is his at bats early on in the game and without runners in scoring position. He is obviously doing something right when the game is on the line, that he needs to do earlier on. Whether it is concentrating harder or moving his hands up the bat, we need to gt behind Tulo in the early inning so that he can hit .333 regardless of the situation.
Think about that for a moment. If Tulo was hitting above .300 and Atkins straightened his swing out, the Rox would have a heart of a line-up that would match any in the league.
So, think again back to Growing Pains. You liked the show and then they brought in Luke Brower, and you had some reservations. Then you watched a re-run and realized that Leo DiCaprio played Luke. You missed your chance to peg Leo as the next up and comer.
Don’t let that happen with Tulo. Hop on the bandwagon today.
- SEO, TEO
Monday, May 21, 2007
The Culture of Winning
After the Rockies defeated the Royals on Saturday night, I was watching the post game report on FOX Sports Rocky Mountain and Tim Ring of The Rockies Post Game Report was interviewing Garret Atkins, who had just hit his first homerun in over a month.
Ring started out with a question about how Atkins had been slumping. He followed it up with a question about how the Rockies had been slumping. Then when he sent it back to the studio he tossed it with something along the lines of “It may be too late for the Rockies, but they won tonight.” (They are less than 10 games out and it is only May!)
This is not the culture that produces champions. This is the culture that produces mediocre season after mediocre season.
There are two types out there. There are the types that have the aura of winning and those that don’t. When you are on a team that perpetual contain winners and those with positive attitudes towards winning, your team has the confidence it needs to win games. Sure, there is skilled involved in winning, but there is also the idea of winning.
Duke basketball, Ohio State football, Yankees baseball, Lakers basketball. Players on these teams know they are playing in a winning atmosphere and act like it on the field/court/diamond like it. Then there are other teams out there, who may have a winning season or two, but the culture doesn’t promote winning. Penn State basketball, Kansas football, Devil Rays baseball, Hornets basketball.
Think about it. How is it possible that the Yankees have been winning World Series for almost 100 years, while their AL East rivals, who also have an unlimited bankroll, have only won 2 in the past 90? How is it that Duke can be universally feared in college basketball for 20 years, while their intrastate rivals Wake Forest and NC State are just blips on the hoops roadmap?
In order for the Rockies to start changing their ways they need to universally have a winning attitude. I do admit that attitude alone won’t win ball games, but if the #8 hitter has the confidence that he can get a clutch hit, then he will get the hit more times than if he thinks he will strike out.
Half of sports are pure athletic ability, half are mental. Why can’t Shaq hit free throws? Because he doesn’t believe he can. Why do pitcher’s ERAs inflate when they are traded to perennial losers? They don’t have faith that their team can come through and over pitch.
The Rockies need to maintain a positive attitude, and keep it throughout the season. The wins may not rack up this year, but eventually the entire team will catch onto a winning idea and will start believing in themselves.
The Rockies have one of the best 1-6 lineups in the NL. Speedy Taveras, clutch Tulowitsky, Holliday, Helton, Atkins, Hawpe. Coupled with timely hits from the bottom of the lineup and what you have is a team that should score a lot of runs…. With the right attitude.
Now don’t get me wrong. Don’t believe that I don’t think Helton isn’t an all star “clubhouse guy.” Don’t, for a second, believe that I don’t think he brings it to the table everyday and wants to win more than anyone in the league. I know he does. I know all of those guys do. Losing stinks. I just think the culture makes it easier for them to lose than win. I think the crowd, the commentators, the media, the bloggers (maybe even this one, although I hope not), all contribute to the losing ways.
We know they have the talent. We know they have the desire. They just need the right attitude. They need the right culture.
==Personal Interesting Note==
During Sunday’s 12 inning affair against the Royals, Matt Holliday was up in the bottom of the ninth and they flashed a stat that Holliday has one walk-off HR in his career. It is an interesting personal note because on Thursday night in my Englewood softball league (scores, standings, schedules on www.whosinfirst.com) I hit a walk off HR in the bottom of the 6th to bring home an 18-16 victory. It was the second walk-off of my softball career, having hit a walk-off grand slam a year earlier.
- SEO, TEO
Ring started out with a question about how Atkins had been slumping. He followed it up with a question about how the Rockies had been slumping. Then when he sent it back to the studio he tossed it with something along the lines of “It may be too late for the Rockies, but they won tonight.” (They are less than 10 games out and it is only May!)
This is not the culture that produces champions. This is the culture that produces mediocre season after mediocre season.
There are two types out there. There are the types that have the aura of winning and those that don’t. When you are on a team that perpetual contain winners and those with positive attitudes towards winning, your team has the confidence it needs to win games. Sure, there is skilled involved in winning, but there is also the idea of winning.
Duke basketball, Ohio State football, Yankees baseball, Lakers basketball. Players on these teams know they are playing in a winning atmosphere and act like it on the field/court/diamond like it. Then there are other teams out there, who may have a winning season or two, but the culture doesn’t promote winning. Penn State basketball, Kansas football, Devil Rays baseball, Hornets basketball.
Think about it. How is it possible that the Yankees have been winning World Series for almost 100 years, while their AL East rivals, who also have an unlimited bankroll, have only won 2 in the past 90? How is it that Duke can be universally feared in college basketball for 20 years, while their intrastate rivals Wake Forest and NC State are just blips on the hoops roadmap?
In order for the Rockies to start changing their ways they need to universally have a winning attitude. I do admit that attitude alone won’t win ball games, but if the #8 hitter has the confidence that he can get a clutch hit, then he will get the hit more times than if he thinks he will strike out.
Half of sports are pure athletic ability, half are mental. Why can’t Shaq hit free throws? Because he doesn’t believe he can. Why do pitcher’s ERAs inflate when they are traded to perennial losers? They don’t have faith that their team can come through and over pitch.
The Rockies need to maintain a positive attitude, and keep it throughout the season. The wins may not rack up this year, but eventually the entire team will catch onto a winning idea and will start believing in themselves.
The Rockies have one of the best 1-6 lineups in the NL. Speedy Taveras, clutch Tulowitsky, Holliday, Helton, Atkins, Hawpe. Coupled with timely hits from the bottom of the lineup and what you have is a team that should score a lot of runs…. With the right attitude.
Now don’t get me wrong. Don’t believe that I don’t think Helton isn’t an all star “clubhouse guy.” Don’t, for a second, believe that I don’t think he brings it to the table everyday and wants to win more than anyone in the league. I know he does. I know all of those guys do. Losing stinks. I just think the culture makes it easier for them to lose than win. I think the crowd, the commentators, the media, the bloggers (maybe even this one, although I hope not), all contribute to the losing ways.
We know they have the talent. We know they have the desire. They just need the right attitude. They need the right culture.
==Personal Interesting Note==
During Sunday’s 12 inning affair against the Royals, Matt Holliday was up in the bottom of the ninth and they flashed a stat that Holliday has one walk-off HR in his career. It is an interesting personal note because on Thursday night in my Englewood softball league (scores, standings, schedules on www.whosinfirst.com) I hit a walk off HR in the bottom of the 6th to bring home an 18-16 victory. It was the second walk-off of my softball career, having hit a walk-off grand slam a year earlier.
- SEO, TEO
Friday, May 18, 2007
Shifting Gears
Beginning Monday, I am going to shift the direction of Strike ‘Em Out, Throw ‘Em Out from a national sports blog to a Concentrated Colorado sports blog.
Not that I don’t and won’t follow the national scene, but I think the Rocky Mountain region needs a good voice, and I will hope to provide it.
The format is going to stay the same, but the frequency is going to change a little bit from a daily blog to a thrice-weekly blog. I am going to try and stick with a Monday, Wednesday, Friday format, but there could be intermittent posts on other days if, say, the Broncos play on MNF.
I think what I can bring to the table is an informed perspective of the area sports scene that is not so disillusioned by having grown up in the shadows of the Rockies during my formidable years. Having moved here 7-years ago I have become a fan of the local teams and seen what they are about through clear eyes. Before moving here my teams were the Ohio State Buckeyes (hometown team), St Louis Cardinals (mom’s hometown team), Tennessee Titans (because of Eddie George), and Mizzou Tigers (alma mater).
In order of adoption I started in with the Nuggets right away, and man were they bad. Juwan Howard and crew had winning totals in the low teens. The Nene-Skita draft was the first I really followed and was psyched about. I then latched onto the Rockies, and have since found myself watching more Rockies games that Cardinals games on the tube. Finally when the Broncos dumped their Wolverine QB, I was able to follow the Broncos. The Buckeye in me would not allow me to root for a team with a Wolverine under center, and when he left and Plummer came on (loser to Ohio State in the 1996 Rose Bowl) I could follow that team.
So I am going to try and stay on course with the Broncos, Nuggets, Rockies and the area colleges. I may touch upon the Avs, but my hockey knowledge has dwindled since Brett Hull and Adam Oates left the formidable Hull & Oates line in St Louis.
Also, I am going to change the Capps-O-Meter to the Corpas-O-Meter as Manny Corpas has 10 Holds and has as good of a shot at breaking the “unbreakable” Holds record as Capps.
That is the big news. Look for the first local post on Monday. The topic of discussion will be the Rockies-Royals series. In this battle of bottom dwellers, the loser get Greg Oden, winner gets Kevin Durant.
If you are looking for national sports news, check out Dan Shanoff’s blog.
- SEO, TEO
Not that I don’t and won’t follow the national scene, but I think the Rocky Mountain region needs a good voice, and I will hope to provide it.
The format is going to stay the same, but the frequency is going to change a little bit from a daily blog to a thrice-weekly blog. I am going to try and stick with a Monday, Wednesday, Friday format, but there could be intermittent posts on other days if, say, the Broncos play on MNF.
I think what I can bring to the table is an informed perspective of the area sports scene that is not so disillusioned by having grown up in the shadows of the Rockies during my formidable years. Having moved here 7-years ago I have become a fan of the local teams and seen what they are about through clear eyes. Before moving here my teams were the Ohio State Buckeyes (hometown team), St Louis Cardinals (mom’s hometown team), Tennessee Titans (because of Eddie George), and Mizzou Tigers (alma mater).
In order of adoption I started in with the Nuggets right away, and man were they bad. Juwan Howard and crew had winning totals in the low teens. The Nene-Skita draft was the first I really followed and was psyched about. I then latched onto the Rockies, and have since found myself watching more Rockies games that Cardinals games on the tube. Finally when the Broncos dumped their Wolverine QB, I was able to follow the Broncos. The Buckeye in me would not allow me to root for a team with a Wolverine under center, and when he left and Plummer came on (loser to Ohio State in the 1996 Rose Bowl) I could follow that team.
So I am going to try and stay on course with the Broncos, Nuggets, Rockies and the area colleges. I may touch upon the Avs, but my hockey knowledge has dwindled since Brett Hull and Adam Oates left the formidable Hull & Oates line in St Louis.
Also, I am going to change the Capps-O-Meter to the Corpas-O-Meter as Manny Corpas has 10 Holds and has as good of a shot at breaking the “unbreakable” Holds record as Capps.
That is the big news. Look for the first local post on Monday. The topic of discussion will be the Rockies-Royals series. In this battle of bottom dwellers, the loser get Greg Oden, winner gets Kevin Durant.
If you are looking for national sports news, check out Dan Shanoff’s blog.
- SEO, TEO
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Today's Story
Suns cannot overcome loss of Diaw and Stoudemire in loss to Spurs.
BIG Strike 'Em Out, Throw 'Em Out news coming tomorrow.
BIG Strike 'Em Out, Throw 'Em Out news coming tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Tomorrow's Story
What will be the lead tomorrow? Will it be "Suns overcome loss of Diaw and Stoudemire to defeat the Spurs" or "Suns cannot overcome loss of Diaw and Stoudemire in loss to Spurs"?
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