OMAHA — To find out what Colorado is missing without big-time college baseball, go past the Sod Farm, the archway, King Kong burgers and 97 steakhouses.
There, off 13th Street, in front of the zoo and the IMAX theater, sits Rosenblatt Stadium, a few line drives from a bustling downtown.
The Blatt is where it’s at. It’s not the Final Four or the BCS Championship, but this is an I-was-there event nonetheless. College baseball’s best eight teams descend on Middle America. The talent is exceptional.
I sat in the stands for the Arizona State-North Carolina elimination game and saw Dustin Ackley. The Tar Heel can hit. I’m not real big on anyone being compared to Todd Helton, but the similarities are striking.
It doesn’t take much to see Ackley, the second pick overall by the Mariners, finishing his career next to Ichiro in the order.
Arizona State didn’t have anyone as high profile — though Mike Leake, Friday’s pitcher, impersonates a poor man’s Greg Maddux — but they do have a soap opera star.
Cole Calhoun? Really? Is he Roc Hoover’s sidekick? Calhoun jacked a grand slam and a run-scoring double on a slug bunt to put away the Tar Heels. The best part of Calhoun wasn’t his swing, but the electricity he sent through the stadium.
The we-are-not-worthy bows from the left-field crowd would not stop until he tipped his cap. And that moment provided a snapshot of what Colorado misses without big-time college baseball.
The 18,000 fans were a humidity-soaked mixture of Boulder and Fort Collins on a fall Saturday. There was energy, body paint, wit and stupidity. Teenage road trippers reminded those on the other side of the stadium that “Right Field (Stinks).” Right field reciprocated with its version 2.0 of “Less Filling, Tastes Great.”
Beach balls flew until they were popped. The ridiculous Green Man was escorted out by the cops.
I know all the reasons why the two big Colorado schools, CU and CSU, don’t have baseball: from the athletic budget to Title IX to erratic weather and poor attendance. But remember what you loved so much about Rocktober? It was the collegelike atmosphere and the players’ childlike enthusiasm for the game.
Here in Omaha, it’s not collegelike. It is college.
Footnotes.
If that face looked familiar when ASU held conferences at the mound, it’s because it was. That was Josh Holliday, Matt’s brother, who is the pitching/hitting coach for the Sun Devils. The guy knows his stuff. He was the hitting coach at Georgia Tech, where he tutored, among others, Orioles top prospect Matt Wieters. . . .
Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon is a joy to interview. He’s worldly, bright, yet not arrogant. He was funny when talking about the new Yankee Stadium. “Yeah, it plays small,” said Maddon, who painfully recalled how Johnny Damon threw down his bat in disgust thinking he popped up, only to see the ball land in the seats. “It is a conveyor belt” out to right field, Maddon admitted. . . .
Smart money says free agent Pedro Martinez signs as a reliever this week. Gotta say, my respect for him has grown since I learned that he watches nearly every one of Ubaldo Jimenez’s starts and calls him with advice. . . .
The Tigers or Phillies would be a great fit for Ryan Spilborghs, but both might choose to save all their chips for a starting pitcher. . . .
It’s tough to face: Dontrelle Willis’ career is hanging by dental floss after a second trip to the DL with an anxiety disorder. . . .
Reason to believe the Rockies will contend: The division will get easier in August after the Diamondbacks and Padres unload a battery of players. That’s all the more reason Rockies ownership should expand the budget to add another arm next month. . . .
In that vein, with Manuel Corpas’ health now a real concern, the Rockies shouldn’t even consider trading Huston Street. . . .
Nothing I have heard from my sources indicates the Rockies have any chance at signing top pick Tyler Matzek. Nothing figures to be heard regarding the negotiations — the deadline to sign is Aug. 17 — for several weeks.
AT ISSUE
Time quickly approaching for teams to “sell”
What: With the economy still suffering, attendance declining and the deficit in the standings growing, teams must soon decide whether it’s time to hold yard sales.
When: The nonwaiver trading deadline looms July 31. Most executives say they believe that moves will happen sooner this year as noncontenders look to shed salary.
Background: This is always a delicate balance, with most teams loath to admit they are open for business because it will, in most cases, draw the fans’ wrath. Two weeks ago, the Rockies were considered a clearance rack for shoppers. At this point, they could be buyers, though everything is written lightly in pencil.
Renck’s take: The wild card is great. The wild card stinks. Here’s the problem with adding two more playoff berths: It rewards mediocrity and becomes a clot for trade movement. That’s why the only obvious sellers at this point are the Washington Nationals — yes, they do actually have major- league players like Adam Dunn and Cristian Guzman — and the Baltimore Orioles. Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes acknowledged that he’s not going to stand pat if his team doesn’t execute a U-turn, meaning guys like Jon Garland, Chad Tracy, Chad Qualls, Jon Rauch and Eric Byrnes (if anyone would take them) are available. The best moves are made with leverage. If a team is five games out of the wild card but knows in its gut it isn’t legit, it makes sense to swallow hard and trade a few parts. It could happen with the Rockies, if they are overwhelmed with offers for Jason Marquis and Huston Street. But my suspicion, given the parity in the NL, is that the Rockies will add a reliever rather than trade any significant players.
THREE UP
1. Rockies: Keys to revival (in order): rotation, Barmes, Stewart.
2. Red Sox: Freud for thought: Dominance over Yankees a mental edge.
3. Dodgers: Lineup has become a meat grinder on starting pitchers.
THREE DOWN
1. Athletics: As team cools off, Holliday trade rumors begin to simmer.
2. Padres: Possible sellers of Cla Meredith and Kevin Kouzmanoff.
3. Nationals: Running nose-to-nose with the pace of the 1962 Mets.
EYE ON . . .
Jason Bay, LF, Red Sox
Background: Bay, meet the World. World, this is Jason Bay. Perhaps you heard of him? Canadian sensibility, old-truck dependability. He flirted with stardom before, but was viewed with a patronizing eye. Being the best player on the Pirates is kind of like being a star on the WB Network. Turns out, all Bay needed was a bigger stage to grow his fame.
What’s up: Bay seemed to be destined to be known as “what’s-his-name traded for Manny Ramirez.” All Bay has done is best Ramirez’s production, punch the time card consistently and avoid female fertility drugs. Consider this: Entering the weekend, Bay had played 114 games with Boston, batting .287 with 62 extra-base hits, 26 home runs and 100 RBIs. This year, alone, he ranks in the top 10 of every meaningful offensive category. By comparison, Ramirez has played 80 games with the Dodgers, batting .380 with 23 home runs and 73 RBIs. Nothing like a 50-game hiatus for being a drug cheat to carve into production. And remember, Bay’s getting paid $7.5 million, compared with Ramirez’s $25 million.
Renck’s take: In Bay’s last year with the Pirates, he looked like he was on the decline, tied up easily by average fastballs. In Boston, everything has clicked. When I talked to Bay in the playoffs last fall, I couldn’t believe how energized he was to be playing games that mattered. It reminded me of Larry Walker, circa 2004. Some guys can’t handle the spotlight and love to put up hollow statistics in small markets. Other guys bloom under pressure, feeding off the intensity of the crowd and teammates who demand excellence. Bay and the Red Sox broke off contract talks in spring training when the economy soured the market for corner outfielders (see Raul Ibañez and Pat Burrell). As it stands, Bay, not Matt Holliday, could be the most attractive bat on the market. It’s hard to imagine him going anywhere else.
