What's in Store for 2007?

Two years ago, the question that everyone was asking about the rockies was, "how bad will this team be?". The answer was, bad enough to tie the inaugaral team in 1993 for worst record in franchise history. Last year the questions seemed to hinge around which side of mediocrity they would land. After flirting with the possibility of being a good team for the first half of the season, the rox came back to reality in the second half and finished on the south side. This season, there doesn't seem to be a consensus as to what the question is. Some say the rox will be worse than last season, some say they will be better, but most really don't honestly have a solid idea. The subtraction of Jason Jennings and the lack of acquiring an impact centerfielder have led to a degree of pessimism. (The rockies' string of losing records and lack of confidence in ownership might have something to do with that too.) Couple that with the likelihood of unproven youngsters in some key positions and there's reason for pessimism. On the other hand, there seems to be a thread of optimism out there that hasn't surfaced in quite some time. The very fact that we have unproven youngsters that have potential to be pretty good ballplayers leads to the possibility that our beloved team could actually be good this season. We're not to the point of asking, "how good will this team be?", as opposed to two seasons ago, but we might not be that far away from that question. I'm not endorsing either the pessimists or the optimists, but I do want to get a gauge on how the rockies' fanbase is feeling about the 2007 campaign. I've posted a poll on the website asking how many games the rox will win this season. Please vote. At the end of spring training I'll average the responses and publish a target for wins based on the fans' expectations. It should be interesting to monitor as the season progresses.

Spring training games for the rox begin today. Nifty 850 will be broadcasting the game, so if you're within range of the flagship or its affiliates, tune in. It will be a nice change of pace to listen to baseball, especially with snow flying in Denver today.

Only 33 days left until the Designation Committee embarks on its annual field trip!

Clint Hurdle had this quote about Alan Roach, the first, and only PA announcer for the rox, who resigned earlier this week. "I remember the day in Fantasy Camp when he ran upstairs, announced himself, and then came down and hit."

Until next time, go rockies!