Streak Extended in Grey Unis

It's completely mind boggling to actually stop and think about the fact that the Rockies are on the verge of making history with this "nice little streak', as Brian Fuentes termed it. It's even more mind boggling to contemplate the reality that the Rox are merely two wins away from representing the National League in the World Series. Just stop for a moment and let that sink in. Remarkable, isn't it? Jayson Stark provides the details of just how unusual and unprecedented this run is.

While the pitching in Game 2 maintained the slim lead until the ninth and was really solid, it was the defense that provided the majority of the highlights and truly won the game for us. I can't recall the defense being quite the focal point of any other game during this streak as it was last night. Willy Taveras' catch may be the biggest in this town since Mark Jackson.

Signs that Pennant Fever is approaching an epidemic: during Game 1, my wife and mother-in-law were discussing Francis' pitch count.

While enjoying the rewards of having so many very young players during the regular season, the Diamondbacks are experiencing some of the risks in this series. Justin Upton, Stephen Drew and Chris Young have all made mistakes that they most likely won't make in a year or two.

The more I see Eric Byrnes, the more I'm glad he's no longer a member of the Colorado Rockies. His constant hustle is admirable, but his cartwheel throws and over-dramatizations are things I can do without.

Signs that Pennant Fever is approaching an epidemic: the Rocktober section of the daily paper is larger than the REST of the paper.

The Diamondbacks wearing their black shirts last night in order to keep the Rockies from wearing theirs has become one of the most unusual subplots of the 2007 playoffs (or any other for that matter). The TBS crew made a few comments regarding it, seemingly being careful not to make much of it one way or the other. The FSN gang ,during the post game coverage, didn't have to be careful, calling it an apparent act of desperation. Bernie Lincicome said it best:

When you play well enough to affect the other team's wardrobe, you have reached a special place.

Baseball players are notorious for being a superstitious bunch, but does anyone think that when the Rockies found out they couldn't wear the black shirts they panicked and said "Oh no, we can't wear our black shirts! What are we going to do?" Please. When asked about it after the game, Ryan Spilborghs responded :

Aw, gray, black. It doesn't really matter to us anymore. Right now, we'd wear pink if we had to.

Signs that Pennant Fever is approaching an epidemic: the sunsets are a brilliant shade of purple.

Six to go!!!

Until next time, Go Rockies!

All Lined Up

All the stars were aligning perfectly last night until Brian Giles' home run with two outs in the ninth inning in San Francisco knocked one, hopefully temporarily, off line. It's certainly nice to know that we single-handedly sucked all the life out of the Dodgers last week.

During the telecast last night they mentioned that the Rox are on pace to set the MLB record for team fielding percentage. I pulled out my trusty Lahman database and did a little research. The Rockies are at .9893 for fielding percentage, putting them .0002 ahead of the team which currently holds the MLB record for team fielding percentage, the 2006 Boston Red Sox. Prorating the Rockies' total chances through the rest of the season, I estimate they can commit two more errors and still set the mark. Here is a table of the top ten teams all-time in fielding percentage. Here also is a table of the Rockies' fielding percentages each season. I don't remember the 1993 season being THAT bad.

Until next time, Go Rockies!