After a regular season that will forever be remembered for a steroid-enhanced record, incessant rumors about Alex Rodriguez's life both on and off the field and Dane Cook's less-than-inspiring promotional work, the Colorado Rockies are doing everything they can to save baseball's season.
Winning 14 of their last 15 games to earn their first playoff appearance since 1995, the Rockies swept the Chicago Cubs in three games to advance to the National League Championship Series, bringing a little magic to a sport that's been lacking luster.
Looking for the problems facing America's pastime? You're not going to find them in Colorado. The only controversy surrounding Rockies home runs is whether or not they are affected by the Denver altitude — its highest profile player Todd Helton stuck through a decade of lean years without demanding a trade, and the team's biggest flaw isn't a lack of chemistry or a lack of heart, but just its ridiculous dinosaur mascot, Dinger.
Simply put, it's tough to root against the Rockies, because they represent the qualities that fans look for in baseball teams: Determination and heart.
Absent from the playoffs for 12 seasons, Colorado had fallen off the radars of baseball fans, vanishing into the thin air of Coors Field. With two weeks to go in the regular season, though, the Rockies made the transition from playoff uber-dark horse to winners of a one-game wild card playoff that included the kind of extra-innings come-from-behind victory that won't be soon forgotten by anyone in attendance or watching at home.
More than just a hard fighting team that didn't give up, the characteristic that makes the Rockies special is that they can't be characterized; they just don't fit in with any established mold.
The team scored 860 runs and finished fifth in the majors in runs scored, but they can't be considered just a slugging team because they lead the majors in fielding percentage as well. Don't call them a group of youngsters, because even though most of their key players have little major league experience, the team is led by franchise cornerstone Todd Helton.
It's true that the idea of a wild-card team making a run in the playoffs isn't exactly new to baseball watchers. In 2002, the Angels won the World Series, in ’03 it was the Marlins, and in 2004 the wild-card Red Sox brought the trophy to Boston for the first time in 86 years. But this Colorado team is different.
Unlike the Angels with their rally monkey and ThunderStix, or Red Sox Nation and the "Idiots" that won the World Series, the Rockies don't need a gimmick to appeal to fans (though the club is referring to the playoffs as Rocktober). And in contrast to the Marlins who didn't retain stars Derrek Lee and Ivan Rodriguez the next season, you get the feeling that the core of the Rockies will be around for years to come.
Making things even more complicated for those trying to label the Rockies is the team's juxtaposition of new age thought with old-school style.
Even though the team was built in the "Moneyball Era" style of building through the draft and the farm system, the club doesn't have an overly modern feel to it. The Rockies haven't updated their logo since the club's inception and the franchise didn't make drastic changes, such as renovating their stadium or changing colors in order to attract fans.
This team should appeal to all baseball fans, but especially to Brewers fans. Understandably, it might be tough for fans of the Crew to appreciate the success the Rockies are enjoying right now. With the late-season struggles that led to Milwaukee missing the playoffs, rooting for a team that took the coveted wild-card spot that Brewers fans would have been more than happy to settle for isn't an easy thing to do, but the parallels between the two teams are clear.
Both built from the ground up, bringing talent through the farm system and not chasing after pricey high-profile free agents. At a time when the Yankees and other prominent teams have budgets well over $100 million, it is important for Brewers fans to look at the Rockies' model and realize that success is on the way.
In any event, whether you're a Brewers fan or just a baseball fan, the Colorado Rockies are doing something special, and a baseball season that might have otherwise been soon forgotten might end with something pretty memorable.
Mike Ackerstein is a sophomore majoring in horticulture., Iif your want to share your opinions of the Rockies with him, or think the Red Sox are going to demolish them in the World Series, he can be reached at [email protected].
