Thoughts from the Bench

I remember writing last year about one of my favorite baseball teams: the Colorado Rockies. I wrote about their improbable run into the World Series, which included an incredible winning streak of 21 of 22 games. It was one of last season’s memorable moments.

Now flash-forward just about a year, and the Rockies could have a repeat performance. They are picking up some momentum, slowly gaining ground and making their late move in the National League West Division.

They are only seven games behind the current leader in their division: the Arizona Diamondbacks. And with about a month left to play, anything could happen.

The Rockies started the 2008 season a little rough and not really what you’d expect from a team that was just coming off their first appearance in the World Series.

In the later part of April and first part of May, they had a combined record of just two wins in 11 games in that span.
The rest of May and June wasn’t too much better for the Rockies. But luckily, they didn’t lose too much steam in their division, because in the late summer months of July and August, they finally put together multiple wins.

With help from All-Star slugger Matt Holiday, the Rockies are currently sitting in third place in their division, and with some key game series approaching, Colorado has a chance to move up in the standings.

This weekend they square off with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are in second place in their division and hold a slim lead over the Rockies. The good news for the Rockies is that the series is at home. Also, the last time they faced the Dodgers they won the series 2-1, which was played in LA.

The other crucial series coming up for the Rockies is next weekend when they go against the division leading Diamondbacks. Again, good news for the Rockies. The three-game series will be played in Colorado. However, the bad news is the last time they played them in mid-August, they lost the series 1-2.

But as the season in Colorado turns to fall fast, so does the way baseball is played there. The Rockies are heating up fast.

Pitcher Aaron Cook is second in the NL for most wins with 16 and Holiday is batting a .318 and has 24 home runs.

If they keep this trend up, and if other players jump on board, the Rockies have a legitimate shot to claim a wildcard spot in the NL, and maybe claim the top spot in their division. All it will take are some key wins by Colorado and some key losses by their foes and the Rockies will be back in business.

And who knows? Maybe there is some magic left in Colorado, and if there is, maybe this year the clock won’t strike midnight for the Cinderella team.

MARY ALBL Sports Editor

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