Notes from the Refuse to Lose Tour. …
Ballplayers being superstitious and all, the Rockies’ clubhouse no doubt is littered with T-shirts and socks that haven’t been changed for a month. Or not. “I don’t think there are too many in here,” says Josh Fogg. “I personally call them “stupidstitions” because all they’re going to do is mess with your head if you forget to do something. That’s something I try to avoid and, from what I see, a lot of people try to avoid in here.” …
Sure, this Rockies run has gotten world serious, but let’s not get carried away here. “Our games are still on after the Canucks games,” says Canada’s own Jeff Francis …
Francis, by the way, has gotten congrats calls from a handful of fellow Canadian ballplayers past and present, including MVPs Larry Walker and Justin Morneau. …
Numbers guru Bill James lists Troy Tulo- witzki No. 12 among baseball’s best young players in his Bill James Handbook 2008. “The complete package, apart from so-so speed,” writes James. “I thought he would be too muscular coming out of college to play short, but he’s a fantastic shortstop, also scored 100 runs as a rookie and drove in 99. You might compare him to (Cal) Ripken, but he’s much more athletic at short than Ripken was.” …
James ranks the Rockies as the No. 1 team in baseball for young talent: “Four Grade-A young players in Tulowitzki, Matt Holliday, Jeff Francis and Manny Corpas.” …
Bats are dangerous weapons in the hands of David Ortiz and Travis Hafner. But the real trouble starts when one of them puts on a glove. Such figures to be the case at Coors Field, a.k.a. no DHs allowed. For the record, the Rox are a better defensive club than either Cleveland or Boston, and that’s with Ortiz and Hafner in the dugout. Rox committed a big-league-low 68 errors, 13 fewer than the Sawx, 24 less than the Tribe. …
Granted, it took longer than any other owners would have tolerated, but the Rockies have evolved into a fundamentally sound outfit during the Dan O’Dowd regime. Try these numbers on: The ’99 Rockies, the club O’Dowd inherited from Bob Gebhard, walked 737 hitters and committed 118 errors. This year’s Rox walked 504 and committed 68 errors. That’s approaching 300 more baserunners allowed. …
Today’s Rockies are considerably more talented than they were in ’99. But if you don’t think the humidor impacted those above numbers, we need to talk. …
Rox pitching coach Bob Apodaca on the club’s air-tight D: “It’s everything, it’s absolutely everything. I grew up in Los Angeles seeing that pitching staff win with pitching and defense and timely hitting. You can win championships with a solid bullpen, pitching and defense.” …
Just wondering: If it’s the Indians, does that mean LeBron James will show up at Jacobs Field wearing a Rockies cap? …
And while we’re wondering aloud, is Chad Mustard available if the Rockies have some injury issues in the Series? …
If you believe in cosmic karma and think the Rockies are going to win out, the Las Vegas Hilton has a deal for you. The Hilton, the world’s largest sports book, will be listing the Rox at 15-1 to sweep the World Series. …
Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin on the No. 1 key to beating the Rockies: “You have to try to deflect that force field or whatever they have right now.” …
Manny Ramirez, telling reporters about that loud purple tie he was wearing in Cleveland: “I’m trying to take this to Colorado.” …
Limited edition set of two commemorative NLCS balls, with acrylic display case, available through Nikco Sports at 1-800-345-2868. Ten percent of the $59.95 price will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado. …
D-backs first baseman Tony Clark on the State of the Rox: “There comes a point in time when you’re no longer hot, you’re simply really good. And I think that’s where this team is. They’ve got all the pieces to the puzzle. … Their offensive numbers are obviously the first thing you appreciate, but, at this time of the year, you have to be able to pitch it and catch it. And that’s exactly what they’ve been doing.” …
Seth Smith is cruising along at .636 (7-for-11) as a pinch hitter since joining the Rox in September. You wonder what the kid could do if he knew the first thing about coming off the bench. Smith, by his own unofficial count, had made five or six pinch-hitting appearances in the minors before arriving in LoDo. Before that, he says, he might have had two or three ABs as a pinch hitter at Ole Miss. …
Smith, when asked if he felt people were starting to recognize his name after all those big hits in a pinch: “I don’t feel that way. I’m just glad to be a part of the team. These guys have been here all season, but I’m just hanging out. If they put me in there, I’m going to try to get the job done. Other than that, I’m just enjoying the ride.” …
And finally, Kazuo Matsui hit a drive in Saturday’s simulated game that hit the yellow line above the fence and bounced into the bullpen. The umpires immediately ruled it a double.
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
