Week 3 Preview: Saints at Broncos

This week is going to answer a lot of questions about whether or not the Denver Broncos are legitimate contenders to represent the AFC West in the playoffs this year. The catchphrase of the week coming from all of the Broncos detractors (some who even write for the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News) spouting off about how the Broncos were 2-0 last year and look where it got them: 7-9 and without a date for the big dance for the second season in a row. While their points are somewhat valid, the way the Broncos started 2-0 last year and the way they're doing it this year is wildly different. Apples and oranges. Night and day. Will Smith and Woody Allen. The Dalai Lama and Al Davis. In beating the Bills 15-14 and the Raiders 23-20 to open up last season (both on Jason Elam last second field goals), the Broncos racked up about as many yards as they have thus far this season, but Elam accounted for 12 of our 38 points which means that when we got into the Old Spice Red Zone (brought to you by Old Spice) we were about as successful as a beer vendor at a MADD meeting. In two games so far this year, we've totaled an absurd 80 points and nearly 1,000 yards of total offense. Jay Cutler is leading the league in every stastical category for quarterbacks and Brandon Marshall is the top receiver in football receptions-wise, even after missing the first game due to his league mandated suspension.

Things are looking up for our beloved blue and orange bombers, but this week will be a true test as the N'Awlins Saints fly a mile high to take on the Broncos at Invesco. If the Broncos can take this game, it will put them in a great position with the Chargers two losses already (and the fact they're playing Brett Fav-ruh and the Jets on Monday night.) But it will also be a measuring stick for a defense that looked lost at best and abysmal at worst against San Diego last week. Two of the biggest plays the Broncos gave up to the Chargers was a 67 yard screen pass to the fullback Mike Tolbert and the 66 yard touchdown dump off to Darren Sproles that almost spelled doom for Denver. They will need to make sure they cover all their bases on pass plays to avoid deja vu from the Saints because one of the best check-down receiver/running backs in all of football in Reggie Bush is coming to town and he will run all the way to Aurora if the Broncos let him.

Another way Reggie Bush can beat you is on punt returns as he showed with last week's TD runback against the Redskins. Of course, it's scientifically proven that when Reggie Bush taunts the opposing team before scoring a touchdown as he did last week (and in the NFC Championship game in 2006 against the Bears), the Saints are destined to subsequently give up the lead and lose the game in miserable fashion. The Broncos haven't exactly been solid on special teams coverage so far as evidenced by the 57 yard return in Week 1 by Johnnie Lee Higgins of the Raiders (wasn't he the guitarist in GWAR?) and the 103 yard TD return by Darren Sproles last week. Seriously, that dude can fly. Even if you may be able to pick him up with your thumb and forefinger and put him in your pocket, he'll run between your legs before you even know he's on the field. Champ Bailey, on kickoff coverage because we need at least one guy who knows how to tackle, has saved two touchdowns on kickoffs this year by himself as the last line of defense. I have a feeling this will change on Sunday or else Shanahan's going to lie-detector test every single player until they break down and confess to not doing their job correctly.

We haven't had an offense like this in Denver since the 1998 season and this one may even be better. Don't look now, but we're currently on pace to break the Patriots' single season offensive records set last year. Yeah yeah, it's waaaaaaaaay too early to even think about making those kinds of statements, and I'm sorry I just did it, but with the myriad of weapons that Jay Cutler has at his disposal now (B-Marsh, Royale with Cheese, Scheffler, Stokely, and Pittman using his 97" arms to bulldoze through guys at the goal line), we're able to attack you in many different ways. We might not score 40 points a game like we're averaging right now, but if you give us an inch on offense, we'll take a touchdown. That's how the old saying goes, right?

My prediction: Broncos 35, Saints 27.

Punching Philip Rivers or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

"Just win, baby! Or I'll bite off your head and feed you to my transvestite, Kiss-loving minions! Also, I pooped my pants. Where's my nurse?"

Well, I'm back, just like the Backstreet Boys before me (and New Kids on the Block). Sorry I've been away, my loves. I was on a Buddhist retreat in Nepal. It was a lot of fun. I learned that we are all one in the arms of the Buddha. I also learned how to truly eat a peach, not simply consume it. With my newfound awareness, I shall return to my postings, post-haste:

Since yours and my defending National League Champion Rockies only feel like defending third place against the Giants, and are all but eliminated from the playoffs, I'll turn my eye to the Broncos.

Go Broncos. Ha ha, Raiders. That was pathetic joke that was much closer to the Nanking Massacre, than a football game (true, a couple hundred thousand fewer people died, and there was no raping and pillaging, but outside of that? very similar).

Then there was the Chargers game. To what historical event can I compare this game? I don't know, Andrew Jackson's presidency? They were both absolutely crazy, borderline comical in their absurdity, and, of course, a lot of fun. Well, maybe Jackson's presidency wasn't very fun for the Native Americans (that was ironic and tongue and cheek, I have a heart). The Chargers game was certainly fun for any Native American Broncos fans. I can't remember seeing a regular season game (playoff games are always aggrandized) that was this memorable. There were points abound, lead shifts, a fourth quarter comeback, officiating errors that may never leave the water cooler, and, of course, several dramatic plays that were do or die.

My conclusions from the first eight of the season:

The Broncos offense is nuts. There is the obvious: Jay Cutler is good now; his Royal highness, Eddie and U.S. Marshall, Brandon are a dual threat whose diverging skill sets compliment each other; Scheffler is another good wideout, whom they, for some reason, call a tight end; and the offensive line has somehow altered the space time continuum around the trenches so that Cutler has infinite time in which to throw.

I think the less obvious aspect of the Broncos offense, and, as a sort-of sports writer I must dip into the platitudes, is: they played as a team. Hell, I could be an analyst on ESPN! Though hearing about team chemistry in baseball makes me shed a tear (The guy on deck's presence really makes the hitter at the plate much better at hitting baseballs, just by standing there. I think he farted too. That kind of stuff intimidates the pitcher and really helps out the team.), I can't help but think that it is huge in football. Basically all 11 players on both sides of the ball are needed or the play can break down. All 11 players on offense played their parts in the first two games.

The offensive line (now a pass blocking unit, apparently) allowed Cutler to be sacked once and paved the way for 4.9 yards per carry. Cutler and his wideouts look like they have the kind of rapport that Peyton Manning has with Wayne and Harrison. The trio of running backs has run the ball sufficiently, but could step it up. Shanny could also decide on who is the main back (I've had all three on my fantasy team at some point and it would be nice to know who will get me the most points). The under-appreciated position of fullback has been covered well by Peyton Hillis too. When all this is put together we have an offense that marches, unflinchingly, down the field on almost every drive. Kernster has punted but thrice 'gainst the Chargers and but twice 'gainst the Oaktowners.

The offense is fun to watch, they play as a team, and they have the mix and match parts that confuse defenses without having a huge dropoff in production. They are having a huge season so far, on pace to beat the Patriots record for points in a season, set last year. As a Broncos fan, it should be a fun offensive season. The only defenses that they will have to worry about for the rest of the season are, basically, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, New England, Buffalo, and the Chargers again in SD. None of those D's are all that spectacular anyways. There should be several pro bowlers on the Broncos offense. Knock on wood.

The defense, however, is much less spectacular and much lass cohesive. They looked great against the Raiders, but I, by myself, would look good on D against the Raiders. There is a caveat, too; the Raiders rushed the ball well against the Broncos. Then the Chargers rushed and passed well against the same D. It looks like there is still a long ways to go for the D. I guess we'll see how they do against the Saints. Reggie Bush better not go all Sproles on us and Drew Brees better not go all Philip Rivers on us (I don't mean try to start a fight with Jay Cutler).

Speaking of which, I really want to punch Philip Rivers in the face. I'm not really a violent person. I've never even been in a real fight before, but, god damn, it would be satisfying to hit him square in the face. Just look at him:
I know he has about 6 inches on me and about 70 pounds, but I don't care. You hear that Philip? I will sock you right in the mouth!

Go Buffs tonight! West Virginia is full of West Virginians (gross)! Fuck 'em up, fuck 'em up, go CU! (I wish all my professors moved around tests and essays to avoid Broncos games too)

Greatest Game Since Elway?

Just think about it. Sunday's unbelievable win against the Chargers wasn't only the game of the short NFL season, but it might have been the greatest win for the Broncos since John Elway's last game, Super Bowl XXXIII all the way back in 1999. There are many cases you can make for the 2005 Divisional Playoff win against Bill Beeeee-licheck and the Patriots and you wouldn't be wrong. Hell, I might even agree with you on that account, but it doesn't in any way diminish the Broncos victory over a hated division rival. In a game that was so wild, Bear Grylls was on the sidelines trying to fashion a makeshift shanty using only Shawne Merriman's syringes and Phillip Rivers' inflated ego, the Broncos emerged victorious thanks to one of the gutsiest coaching decisions in recent memory and a 4th quarter comeback that may remind Broncos fans of a certain #7 in the sky.

1) Let's forget about all the superlatives you could use to describe this football game and let's just focus on the facts. Here's a sample:
Jay Cutler- 36-50, 350 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Brandon Marshall- 18 receptions, 166 yds, 1 TD
Tony Scheffler- 6 rec, 64 yds, 2 TD
Eddie Royal- 5 rec, 37 yds, TD, 2 PT conversion catch
Selvin Young- 8 rush, 78 yds
The Bailey Bros- 13 tackles, 1 INT
Mike Shanahan- 2 enormous cajones

Cutler had career highs in completions, attempts, passing yards, and touchdowns. Coming into the game, the only talk was of Chargers QB and resident loudmouth redneck Phillip Rivers talking smack to Cutler in last year's Christmas Eve game in which the Chargers dominated the Broncos 23-3. We all wanted to shut Rivers the hell up and in a way, we did I guess. Rivers still had some damn impressive numbers by throwing for 377 yards, but he didn't get the win which is a direct correlation to the game put up by JC (Jay Cutler, not Jesus Christ, but hell, a few more games like this and I'll be ready to crown him worthy heir to the Elway throne.) Though the offense stalled in the third and most of the fourth quarters, Cutler had a dominating game. His passes were lightning quick, he was putting the ball in places where only his receivers had a chance to catch it, and he led a clutch 4th quarter game winning drive that was reminiscent of, that's right you guessed it, Sir John of Elway. He was cool under pressure, really only made one bad throw on the game (the interception on the goal line with 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter), and exuded the confidence that a top tier quarterback in the NFL should have and needs to have. With the numbers he has put up so far and the way he's controlling the best offense in football thus far, Cutler's name should begin to be mentioned with the upper echelon of quarterbacks in this league.

2) Brandon Marshall had one of the greatest receiving days in NFL history yesterday. That's right, in the 60 years of the NFL, only one receiver had had better single game numbers than the ones Brandon Marshall put up yesterday. That receiver would be Terrell Owens who back in 2000, caught 20 balls in a game. I'm not sure if it was right before or after that he went to the media and told him that his quarterback Jeff Garcia was gay (though the guy was currently dating a Playboy model.....do I smell jealousy, T.O.?) B-Marsh was catching all kinds of passes from JC. Passes with 3 guys on his back, passes near the back of the end zone, passes with Antonio Cromartie trying to decapitate him. It didn't matter where Jay threw the ball, Brandon was going to come down with it. Brandon said he wanted to catch 140 balls this year even with missing the first game due to his suspension. Before yesterday, you might have laughed at him, but now you have to wonder if he's just crazy enough to do it.

3) What more can you say about the kid so far? Eddie Royal didn't put up the kind of numbers he did last week against the Raiders and he only had 37 yards total receiving on the day. But he had the two most important catches of the day when the Broncos, the fans, and the city of Denver needed it most. He hauled in Cutler's 4th and Goal toss with 24 seconds left and also the two point conversion on the ensuing play. You don't expect this kind of poise from a rookie in his second NFL game, and he just adds a wonderful weapon to our suddenly explosive offense.

4) The stones on that man.......Mike Shanahan, we here at Frost Brewed Baseball Mile-High-Salute you, Sir. For two years we have watched Shanny's normally expansive playbook be whittled down to a bland combination of runs and play action passes. There was no more razzle dazzle and, to be honest, no more killer instinct on the part of the coaching staff. This may have been because the Broncos didn't have the weapons they have now, but starting last week, glimpses of the old Shanahan came back into the public spotlight. His admitting that he'll always hate the Raiders, his use of Eddie Royal as receiver, running back, and quarterback in last week's ballgame, and the cherry on top of a knockout sundae sundae sundae, the decision to go for 2 instead of kicking the extra point to tie and send the game to overtime. Yes, we got the benefit of the doubt on a few calls that probably should've gone the other way. Whatever. To all you bitching and moaning about the favorable calls for the Broncos, every team in a given season has calls go their way that probably shouldn't have so just enough with it. The game's over and there's no use crying over it (I'm talking to you Norv Turner.) Shanny's decision to go for the win, knowing that the outcome of the play either makes him a genius or a martyr, took GUTS, but he raced up the Aggro-Crag and ended up on top of the AFC with only the Steelers and superstar-less Patriots to keep him company (The Titans realized that Vince Young pretty much sucks and they could win without him and are also 2-0 along with the surprising Buffalo Bills. ETID is probably very happy.) He showed supreme confidence in his offense and showed the fans that he's going for it this year. The days of the Broncos wallowing in mediocrity are over if Shanny has anything to say about it.

It took me about two hours to get my breath back to a normal rate after yesterday's game, and I haven't been this excited about my beloved Broncos since the 2005 playoffs. My optimism is still cautious but I'm beginning to get that fervor back. Look out.

When Does the '09 Season Start?

Phew! It's about time. I thought we were never going to give up hope on this season. It seemed that every time we won a few games in a row, Arizona or LA would lose a few in a row and we'd still find ourselves teetering on the brink of contention while still trying to validate our record which hasn't been at least 7 games below .500 since April. These last few games in Hot-lanta did it.....finally. I think our bullpen literally gave up 1,000 runs to the Braves who came into the series with an inexplicably worse record than your Colorado Rockies. Now that we're just playing out the rest of the season like we should have been doing since about the end of July if the NL West had been worth a damn, here's what the Rocks need to do in order to get back on the contention train for 2009.

1) Get the young kids some PT
Make Dexter Fowler the starting centerfielder for the rest of the season and see what the kid can do. He's already shown he's got the speed, the arm, and the glove, so just put a pair of spikes on him and turn him loose. No more Willy Taveras which means: no more pop ups to right field, no more bunts back to the pitcher, and no more .300 on base percentage for a leadoff hitter. Get rid of Taveras in the offseason and put Fowler in the mix to be the starting CF next season.

Give Joe Koshansky some starts at first base. He hasn't really performed well at the Major League level yet, but either did Ian Stewart until he got consistent playing time when Todd's back finally told him to eff off. This guy has absolutely torn up the Pacific Coast League in Colorado Springs to the tune of a .300 average with 31 home runs and 122 rbis. He also had an on base percentage of .380 with an OPS of .980 which is damn impressive. He also hit for not none, not one, but two cycles this season. That just doesn't happen in professional baseball. He's excelled everywhere but with the big club yet and given some consistent time at first, he could be the second coming of Ian Stewart....whose first coming happened about 2 months ago. He's our first baseman of the future once Todd's contract finally expires after next season and who knows how long his back is going to hold up. Start him a few games in a row and see how he responds.

Send Greg Reynolds out to the hill to start a couple games as we finish out the schedule. As Clint has already done this (Reynolds will take the place of Livan "Once the Season's Over" Hernandez in the rotation) it makes me believe that Hurdle hasn't gone completely daffy yet. Close, but not quite.

2) Finish with a flourish
Yeah this season has been as big a disappointment as the new Indiana Jones movie, but that doesn't mean we have to go into the offseason with the bitter taste of defeat in our mouths. We still have 3 games against the Doyers and 6 against the D-Bags and if we want to play the role of spoiler for any of these clubs, we have the technology and the talent to do so. If we can end the season on a high note, we'd hit the offseason perhaps willing to sacrifice some of our homegrown talent (Atkins) to make some noise on the free agent and trade market as we look for a legitimate starting pitcher to stabilize our rotation.

3) DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WHATSOEVER EVEN THINK ABOUT PLAYING LUIS VIZCAINO
Worst. Free. Agent. Signing.....of the past year. (Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle, you still take the cake on that one)

4) Use this season as a learning tool
Yeah it's been a rough year to say the least. But that doesn't mean we should just forget it ever happened. For whatever reason we completely bombed this year. (In the dictionary under the term "whatever reason" you will find the pictures of Luis Vizcaino, Kip Wells, Mark Redman, Glendon Rusch, Willy Taveras, and Tulo's first month of play.....seriously, look it up. It's in the W's) Did we come out cocky? Maybe, but it still shouldn't have been the entire reason we played so poorly this year. The team needs to use this season as a learning tool. Learn from the mistakes you might have made this year so they don't happen again. Tulo will learn to not punch wooden bats that are prone to splintering with his open palm. Todd will learn to give himself a day of rest or two every now and then. The Franchise will learn to tell the damn trainer when his shoulder is bothering him right away, and Matt will learn what $150 million over 7 years looks like when he hits the free agent market.

Since baseball season is almost over, we set our sights to football. But don't worry, I'll still have a series of Rockies season recaps to write once all 162 games are played.

Hot Damn, I Love Being Wrong

I'm going to level with all of you out there in in the real world (I, of course, am coming to you live from Blogo-land, a mysterious and fictional world which makes celebrities out of anybody with an opinion and the ability to take a jumble of words and put them into coherent sentences.) Let's talk Broncos here for a second. I know the majority of my posts have been about the Rockies, but come on, one can only take that much self loathing and embarassment for so long. Now I am what you would call a Broncos fan. And by fan I mean that I have a life size cutout of John Elway in my living room which I talk to and believe he watches over me as I go about my daily life. Going into Monday night's season opener against the Raiders, yes, I thought we'd win, but with the way the last two years have gone, I was cautiously optimistic at best. I thought it'd be a close game for the first three quarters but that we'd pull away in the 4th and take it by a 27-17 score.......hot damn I love being wrong.

It wasn't just a massacre, it wasn't just an obliteration, it wasn't just a helluva lot of fun to watch, it was a portent of things to come.* Let's see how the Broncos answered all their apparently glaring holes in the first game of this season:

1. Defense

Moving DJ Williams back to the weak side linebacker, his natural position and the place where he won Defensive Rookie of the Year back in 2004 was seamless. He contributed 7 tackles, 1 sack, and stalked Jamarcus Russell all night. He was like a lion to Russell's Val Kilmer from Ghost and the Darkness.

The much maligned defensive line did give up 150 yards rushing combined to Justin Fargas and Darren "I'm on the Raiders? Shit." McFadden, but only allowed one big run in garbage time to Fargas and forced the Raiders to pass the ball which they proved to be a near impossibility with the second year rookie Russell at the helm.

Champ didn't even sniff a ball. Seriously, can he still get into the Hall of Fame if no one passes to his side for the rest of his career? Or will the voters realize that respect is just as important as stats?

2. Offensive Line

You rarely even heard any of the O-line's names mentioned during the entire course of the game. With any other position on the field, that'd be a bad thing, for these guys? Pure bliss. We didn't hear Clady's name, or Ryan Harris' name which means they weren't committing penalties, getting beat by the Raiders D-lineman, or allowing their QB to get pummelled into a blood-sugary pulp (too soon?). They'll have a bigger test next week against you know, a good team in the Chargers, but with his knee knocking Shawne Merriman's lights-out (oh yeah, pun majorly intended) it'll be a different look than they've seen in past years from the Chargers.

3. B-Marsh's Replacement

Yeah, you could say that Eddie Royal filled in admirably in Marshall's absence. Other things you could say that have the same gravitas as that statement: "I guess the Pope is Catholic, "Con Air was just an ok movie," "Brett Favre is only kind of a douche," "Luis Vizcaino is as effective as a clear shower curtain." That pretty much sums it up because you can't really put into words the superlative performance from that diminuitive dude. On top of being JC's favorite target, he made the Raiders $70 million man DeAngelo Hall look like a whiny little kid on the playground by provoking two personal foul penalties on consecutive plays. He caught passes, ran perfect routes, rushed the ball, even threw a pass (smartly out of bounds when the play broke down...take notes, Jamarcus.) What didn't he do? Um, listen to Creed to get pumped up before the game?

4. Running Backs

"My Dinner With" Andre Hall, Selvin Young, and Michael Pittman combined for 110 yards on 24 carries with 3 touchdowns 2 coming from the legs of Pittman and 1 from Selvs. Shanny pretty much split the carries evenly with the 3 backs, but Hall was the leading rusher of the day. Who knows how he's going to use them from this point on but it seems like Pittman is the goal-line back, Andre is more like an every down back, and Young is just going to get his carries whenever Shanny feels the need. Nevertheless, Young's preseason prediction of 2,000 yards on the ground might have been a little premature. Unless he absolutely destroyes dudes the rest of the season.

5. Blasphemous Statement That Might Send Me to Hell

Jay Cutler is well on his way to becoming the the Divine Son to John Elway's Almighty Savior.

The ESPN announcers, while being obscenely pro-Raider for the majority of the game, couldn't seem to wrap their heads around the playbook that Shanny whipped out against his most hated rival. They didn't quite understand just how much joy Shanny gets in beating the Raiders who still owe him hundreds of thousands of dollars from his firing about 20 years ago. Shanny's now 21-6 against his former team and seriously, watching this game, I bet Shanahan was sporting some serious wood all night. Don't let that image get ingrained in your head.

Go America.

Yeah, go Broncos.

*- Yes, yes, yes, this game was fantastical and totally radical......but it was against the Raiders who'll be lucky to win 3 games this season. If we do the same thing against the Chargers this week, then we'll have some reason to be excited for the coming season. I'm still being cautious with my optimism.

Rox Recap 9/9/08 (Balk-Off)

This one stung. There's not really any reason to sugarcoat it, rationalize it, make excuses for it, or even try to remember it. This one stung. Not in the sense that the Rockies are still in the playoff race (they're not), but in the sense that in a game that we had absolutely no business winning (see Errors: 3 and Hits: 6) we had to lose the game on what can most kindly be described as a mental lapse. A balk.

1) Most of the time, balks are insignificant and a majority of the time, invisible to everyone's eye but the umpire calling it. It can just be a flinch of the pitching hand, a muscle spasm, or a nervous twitch. You cannot, even accidentally, begin your throwing motion to the plate and stop it suddenly. Left handers get the majority of balk calls on their pickoff throws to first. As a former left handed pitcher I can safely say that left handers are incorrectly charged with balks on pickoff throws to first about 75% of the time. Right handers will tell you that every left handed move to first is a balk and I say nay, kind sir, I challenge you to a duel of fisticuffs. We're just more adapted to playing the game of baseball than you righties and when you realized this, you made every position on the field easier for a right hander just so you could keep up with us southpaws. But damn.........I digress. What I'm trying to say is, Buchholz' balk to allow the winning run to score was simply a brain fart. He's been our most reliable reliever the entire season and for something like this to happen to him was just unfortunate. I don't blame him, per se, because these kinds of things do tend to happen in the annals of baseball history, but for it to happen in that situation on a team where at least the players think they still have a shot at the playoffs knowing they basically have to duplicate their improbable run of last season.......that just stings.

2) Cook seems to have run smack into a brick wall in his attempt to become the Rockies all time single season winningest pitcher. He's still 16-9 but in his last 8 starts, his record is 2-3 with an ERA of 6.58 and opponents are hitting a Tony Gwynn-ian .353 against him. Call it what you will, fatigue, mechanics, mental toughness, nerves (remember he wasn't a part of our magical run of last season as he was on the disabled list and didn't pitch until Game 4 of the World Series), but the bottom line is Cookie is just not getting the job done. His adrenaline was evident in the first inning of today's ballgame as he allowed 3 runs on 4 hits. Sinkerballers need to keep a very even keel throughout the course of a ballgame to be effective. If they try to throw their sinker too hard, it's going to flatten out and become a very hittable pitch. That's what happened to Cook in the first inning today. Once he got out of the mess he created, he did pitch a decent ballgame only giving up 1 run through the next 5 innings, but it wasn't enough on a night where the Rockies couldn't quite come up with an answer for the magnificent, the fantabulous, the "fireballer" Jorge Campillo.

3) Chris Iannetta is having one of the best seasons by a catcher in all of baseball this year. Don't just take my word for it though, look at the numbers. He hit his 15th home run of the season tonight good for 3rd in the National League behind Brian McCann (the gold standard for two-way catchers in the Major Leagues) and Geovany Soto (the probable National League Rookie of the Year.) He's second in the Major Leagues for catchers with a .397 on base percentage behind the Twins' Joe Mauer (one of the purest hitters in all the game, not just for the guys behind the plate), and his OPS (on base percentage plus slugging percentage) of .900 leads all catchers. And he's done it with about 200 less plate appearances than any of those other guys. Nobody knows it outside of the Mountain Time Zone, but Chris Iannetta is the real deal and the Rockies have finally found their catcher of the future.

I don't really know what else to say.

Don't play Willy Taveras.

Play Dexter Fowler.

Jekyll, meet Hyde.

You know me, the eternal optimist. Or was it the eternal pessimist? To be honest I'm a little bit of both. It's tough being me, really. On one hand I love the Rockies so much that even back in April I was checking the D-Bags score and calculating the number of games the Rockies were behind. Every day I wake up thinking that the tide is going to turn and the Rockies are going to start playing like they care (as well as have a pair.) That's a fact, but then there are times, like after today's game for instance, where all I can muster are negative thoughts about how much I hate this team and what they do to me. I know I know Mr. Cubs fan, what do I know about losing? We've only had this team for 15 years. Finish slitting your wrists and listen. It's tough rooting for this team especially with the expectations of looking to build on a magical run to the World Series last year. This season hasn't exactly turned out the way the Rockies envisioned their defense of the National League pennant would go. Today's game had a real glass-half-full/glass-half-empty vibe for me. I'm going to enlighten all of you to a trip inside my overactive mind while sitting in the upper deck at Coors watching this game.

Glass Half Full: Boy, Barry Zito sure pitched one heckuva ballgame today. I know he's struggled the last few years but maybe things are starting to turn around for the poor guy. His stuff couldn't have gone away that quickly. I mean, he did win a Cy Young in 2002. He definitely earned his paycheck today.

Glass Half Empty: Yeah, he sure earned that 7 year/$126 million dollar contract he signed in 2006 by dominating a disinterested team on a hot afternoon. He's only gone a combined 20-29 with a 4.99 ERA the last two seasons while nearly cementing his status as the worst free agent signing of ALL TIME. He basically has a 1:1 K/BB ratio (98/89) and opponents were hitting a gaudy .273 off him this season. And he holds us to.....4 hits in 8 innings. But hey at least he lowered that ERA to 5.45 and improved that sterling record to 9-16. No, no, he definitely earned this one.

GHF: It sure was great to see some of the Giants young guys come through. Especially guys who don't really have much of a future left in Major League Baseball. Guys who had toiled in the minors for 15 years finally getting their chance and running with it.

GHE: Yeah, it's real nice when guys who have been career Minor Leaguers are called up to play a meaningless game for a talentless team and completely obliterate a 16 game winner on a team still kind of in a division race. AA superstars like Travis Ishikawa, Nate Schierholtz, and Scott McClain, yes the Scott McClain managed to go a gaudy 9-14 with 6 rbis, 7 runs scored, and a home run from McClain to boot, and yes, that WAS his first Major League home run. If he's not standing next to me bagging groceries once the season's over, I'm going to be utterly SHOCKED. He's a 36 year old making his season debut, getting only his 46th career at bat in the Major Leagues after being in the system for over a decade. Oh, and he was their cleanup hitter. And did I mention that our ace, Aaron Cook was on the mound? No? Well ok then. AARON COOK WAS ON THE MOUND IN A MUST WIN GAME AGAINST A SHITTY TEAM THAT SUBMITTED A LINEUP THAT SCREAMED "WE DON'T CARE IF WE WIN THIS GAME OR NOT."

GHF: Golly gee, it's a shucky dang darn that the Diamondbacks came back to win today. Now I guess we've just got that much more of a hill to climb when the Astros come to town on Friday.

GHE: Yeah, thanks a lot Cardinals bullpen for blowing two fairly sizable leads in your three game series with the D-Bags and letting them suppress any kind of nauseating feelings of deja vu from last season as the Rockies lurked in the shadows. Now we're 6 games back again and oh yeah, we're facing the Astros in a 3 game set starting Friday. The Astros are only the hottest team in baseball, winners of 8 straight and fresh off a sweep of the Cubs at Wrigley. Awesome.

GHF: Jason Hirsh made his season debut today! And pitched a scoreless 1-2-3 inning!

GHE: Yeah, he was supposed to be pitching many scoreless innings for us this year....as our number 4 starter....in the Major Leagues...not toiling in Colorado Springs the entire season and putting up numbers only a mother could love (4-4, 5.80 ERA, 52 BB/51 K in 99.1 innings with a .293 batting average against...yikes.) He made Franklin Morales look like Franklin D. Azar (THE STRONG ARM!) You really have to wonder if he's even considered for next year's big club at all.

GHF: We at least won the series by taking 2 of 3 from the Giants.

GHE: We're past the point of being able to be content with just winning series. We need sweeps and lots of them. Today would have been a perfect time to keep up our momentum as we headed towards the final days of the season but we just fell flat on our faces.

GHF: The boys sure looked tired playing in a day game after a night game.

GHE: Yeah, it sure looked like they quit to me once the Giants went up 9-2. They were hacking at first pitches from a guy who walks 4 men per 9 innings and taking half swings at flat 87 mph fastballs. They looked about as interested in winning this ballgame as two nuns at a cockfight.

GHF: Well, Dexter Fowler got his first Major League at bat and after working the count, lined out sharply to right field!

GHE: .....Actually, I got nothing on this one. He did have a really great at bat. The first of many hopefully. I'm almost hoping the Rockies just fall out of it so he'll get the majority of at bats in centerfield the rest of the season because there's only so much of Willy Taveras popping the ball up to right field that I can take. (Every time he hits the ball in the air he should owe Lou Brown 20 push ups a la Major League.)

GHF: We're only 6 back!

GHE: Yeah, we're only 6 back. Whoop de doo. More efforts like this and you can forget about it. To paraphrase one of our pal Drew Goodman's home run calls, our postseason hopes are "goin' and they ain't comin back."