Before the National League championship pennant was unveiled, before Eric Byrnes heard his first boo, Troy Tulowitzki was taking groundballs.
In his mind, there was no defense of his defense. The Rockies shortstop had two errors in the first four games — he had 11 all of last season.
“I am not going to make any excuses. I put myself in a bad position to field the ball. I took extra groundballs to get my timing down,” Tulowitzki said. “When I don’t feel good about my defense, I am never happy.”
The Rockies’ slow start has worn on the young shortstop. He has never been on a losing team in his life, and would rather eat cactus than concede defeat.
“I wouldn’t be myself if I just let things go by,” Tulowitzki said. “I beat myself up a little too much, but that’s what got me here.”
Pennant fever.
The Rockies unveiled their 2007 National League championship banner before Saturday’s game at Coors Field.
The simple black-and-white pennant is above the giant scoreboard beyond left field. Its unveiling was a day too late for some fans who believed the Rockies should have stuck with tradition and unveiled the banner Friday in front of a sellout crowd at the home-opener.
“We came all the way from Grand Junction, hoping to see the pennant displayed,” Shannon Jenkins said Friday.
Team president Keli McGregor said that management didn’t believe there was enough time on opening day to fit in all the pomp and circumstance. So the team went with an opening-weekend theme. The players and coaches receive their NL championship rings in a pregame ceremony today.
Wells update.
The Rockies plan to adjust Kip Wells’ role. And it has nothing to do with starting.
“I don’t want him hoping to go back to the rotation,” pitching coach Bob Apodaca said. “I need him to buy in to being a reliever. And he’s not going to just be a long-reliever. Those don’t really exist anymore.”
Given Luis Vizcaino’s injury and Taylor Buchholz’s heavy early workload, Wells could provide late-inning help. He worked the eighth inning Saturday.
Footnotes.
Matt Holliday is working as a correspondent for Jim Rome’s “Rome is Burning” show on ESPN. It is expected to air late next week. . . . Yorvit Torrealba, on the key for pitcher Franklin Morales today: “He just has to slow his delivery down.” . . . Jason Hirsh was nothing if not honest. Given everything he has been told about his strained rotator cuff, including advice from Torrealba, Hirsh is shooting to return June 1. “That’s my goal,” he said.
