Baseball is a romance. Football is a one-night stand. Baseball is a sip of iced tea, an illuminating box score and radio voices on a cool summer night. Football is a shot of Red Bull, blitzes and raw violence.
I like football. I love baseball.
Spring training is a month away, the Rockies’ last in Tucson. Since I began covering the team in 1996, there’s never been a spring of such unbridled optimism, never been a group of players who have embraced expectations. The Rockies might not win their first-ever National League West title, but their athleticism will make them must-see TV.
As many of the players gather for a season-ticket holder fanfest this week, I give you five reasons to watch the Rockies:
Todd Helton.
Helton couldn’t have worked out harder this winter if he owned a P90X DVD. To see him hit is to witness genius. If he can stay healthy, his career average makes him a compelling Hall of Fame candidate.
Troy Tulowitzki.
Here is the deal: If he does anything in April besides file a tax return, the shortstop will contend for MVP honors. He’s a career .194 hitter in April, .299 hitter in all other months. “Some people say it’s because I am California kid, so I don’t do well in the cold weather. That’s just an excuse,” Tulowitizki said this week. “I believe I am going to have a good start. But I also know that if I don’t, that I am going to be there producing when my team needs me most.”
Ubaldo Jimenez.
Let’s be honest, this is the year he must become an ace, take that step forward into the game’s elite with better pitch selection and more trust in his fastball.
Jim Tracy.
His management of the bullpen was a primary reason the Rockies dug their way out of a big hole last season. The game slows down for him as he sees things two and three innings ahead. The Rockies’ “luck” down the stretch was a byproduct of Tracy’s preparation.
Player X.
There will be another heartwarming story like Matt Daley’s rise from Bucknell to the Rockies’ bullpen. That is so baseball.
