In sports, bandwagon effect is a term for people who begin flocking to a team after they have achieved success. – Wikipedia
Please make room on the back of the bandwagon for an old, red-faced clown who plays the calliope.
Phweep, phweep, boomp, boomp, boomp, phweep, phweep, boomp, phweep.This gorgeous wagon of The Sells-Floto Circus & Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show (owned by The Denver Post) – built in 1916, 10 feet high and 24 feet long, painted bright purple, with gold inlay swirls and wood carvings of lions, tigers, elephants, Padres, Phillies and snakes – and is listing to the right.
We’re gonna need a bigger wagon.
It won’t hold 4 million bandwagon-jumpers.
In 1848, renowned circus clown Dan Rice invited presidential candidate Zachary Taylor to ride on his bandwagon at appearances around the country. As Taylor became admired and accepted, more and more politicians, who had been skeptical, asked to hop onto the bandwagon. Today, so many people say that they knew from the very beginning that the Rockies would be right here where they are.
To that, I play: Phweep, boomp.
Truth is, few people believed in the Rockies, and the vast majority, including me (prominently), didn’t believe.
A three-game Rockies-Diamondbacks series in mid-May drew an announced average of 21,237 (although the actual number was much lower) to Coors Field. The Rockies lost two of three and fell to 17-25. Not much to believe in then.
This week I asked a straightforward baseball Dalai Lama, so close to the Rockies he can touch them – and he’s not in the media or a scout, and he wasn’t driving the bandwagon early – how they did it.
“They all just started playing well at the same time.”
That’s the secret of life, maharishi?
“(Garrett) Atkins was struggling for a long time, but he burst out. Brad Hawpe went through a slump, then came out of it. Todd Helton was in a funk for a while, but look what he did at the end of the season. After the all-star break (Kazuo) Matsui couldn’t hit a lick, and got hurt, but he was the MVP of the Phillies series. Tulo (Troy Tulowitzki) got better and better at the bat as the season went along. (Yorvit) Torrealba and Chris Iannetta split behind the plate, and neither was hitting much. When Iannetta was sent down and Torrealba played every day, he got confident with the bat. When Iannetta came back, he found his bat.
“Jamey Carroll came through with some big hits, including the flyball in the play-in game. Jeff Baker returned from the DL, then got the pinch-hit single to win the last game with the Phillies. When (Willy) Taveras got hurt, Cory Sullivan and Ryan Spilborghs picked up the Rockies in center. Remember, they dropped John Mabry and Steve Finley, who were finished as hitters. Seth Smith and Ian Stewart contributed.
“And Matt Holliday was the only player there every day all season.
“So, when the streak (17-of-18) started, all of them started hitting.”
What about the pitching, guru?
“Same thing. They all started pitching great at the same time.
“Their closer (Brian Fuentes) labored and blew some saves, then was put onto the DL. When he came back from the back problem, he was the perfect setup man. They were forced to use (Manny) Corpas as the closer, and he came through like a champ. Matt Herges, he was outstanding down the stretch. The rest of the bullpen was steady and often spectacular.
“They lose three starting pitchers and find two great young pitchers who have pitched beyond belief. Those two F’s (Jeff Francis and Josh Fogg) did the job over and over, and they got through the fifth spot with duct tape and Saran Wrap and Mark Redman.
“It’s amazing how every move Clint Hurdle made was the right one. In Philadelphia he didn’t do anything that would come back to bite him in the butt.
“They were the little engine that could. They thought they could, then they knew they could. Who else knew?” the wise one said.
The world’s largest bandwagon (4 million people and one calliope-playing clown) and the Rockies roll on to the World Series.
Rox in six.
Phweep, phweep, boomp, boomp, phweep, boomp.
