Headlines and paper weights
I’m an unemployed student. I took my tax returns from my job a year ago and the money I got from book buy back and I spent it all on Rockies’ tickets. Every last penny went to the Rockies. Now all my funds have dwindled down to nothing and I still haven’t found myself a new job. The point of this, I have to start picking my games wisely, games that have good matchups or bobblehead nights. I thought last night would have been the perfect game to go to. The much anticipated return of Tulo and Aaron Cook on the mound, and we were playing the Mets! How could we lose? By giving up 5 runs in the second inning and then 2 more later on 15 hits. Even after Baker gave us hope by hitting a homerun in the bottom of the 1st with a man on, we couldn’t make it happen. There are a lot of smart guys on the team, Francis was a physics major and Iannetta was a math major, I wonder if they could figure out why this equation didn’t work.
And as usual there is a flipside; Tulo is back. After that heart shattering game in San Fran where he hurt himself I have felt such great despair. To put that pressure on a young player is never fair, but I believe that Tulo has always taken responsibility to carry the team on his shoulders. He needs to take that weight off and let some of the other guys pick it up, but there is no doubt that he takes his role very seriously and is a leader in the club. This is apparent to everyone and people make a point of saying it, so how do you give that responsibility to a kid? And how do you take that off his back? All that I really know is that I am happy to have him back and the fans of Colorado and baseball fans in general are excited to see him. Here’s to hoping that he gets his batting average up and that his injury doesn’t hinder his future. Happiness is seeing Tulo’s name on the lineup card.
Despite our loss last night we still can win this series, there are still 2 games left. If we win the rest of our series then we will have more than a winning record, we just need to keep the bats hot or heat some up. We need to keep Baker in the lineup until Barmes comes back and then we need to keep him in the dugout. Our pitching has to clean itself up, most of the guys are getting there control, but they need to keep it with some consistency too. We still have a lot of things to do, but I’m happy they are playing better than they were.
So 2 more games against the Mets and then we head to Kansas City, Missouri. My mom is from South East Kansas and her family is spread out through those parts of Kansas and Missouri. Her baby brother recently found out that he has a brain tumor. We still don’t really know what is going on, it was just 2 days ago that they called us to tell us what it was. We don’t know what happens next, but I talked to my grandpa yesterday and he thinks it is a good idea for some of us to go out and visit him. His wife is a physician and he is a stay-at-home dad with a girl and twin boys. Between the aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, siblings and so forth with the family members, there are several bakers dozens of family members who want to go out and visit him. My grandpa called me yesterday, aware of my summer break and unemployment status, he thinks I should go out to Missouri and stay with the family and help with things as all the relatives shuffle in and out. I’m not really good with people and kids are a puzzle to me, but they like going to the Kansas City Royals games, so I’m thinking I might go. The exciting thing in the midst of this tragedy is that I would leave Sunday and we would get to go to the series in KC against the Rockies. I have never been to a road game except for Spring Training, which doesn’t really count. So this could be a fun baseball experience. I’m not trying to use this sad situation with my uncle to my benefit, I’m just trying to look on the upside of this. Also I get to spend time with my cousins who I don’t really know because they live far away and the age gap is pretty large. Lauren is 7 years younger than me and the boys are 10 years younger. I’m really close with my cousin Jim who lives in Kansas and my brother Max is a nanny (sounds silly, but he just plays football with a few little boys all day and makes bank) so I know they will be able to help me should I commit to this. Everything is happening so fast and this past week has just been a mess, there is too much going on. I’m hoping to leave without having to even talk to my boyfriend, because that is a whole mess within itself and something I just don’t need to deal with.
If you read this, I am sorry. I am a mess right now. In a week I will return and probably delete this, but for now it feels good to get it out of me.
–Signing off–Amy “bon voyage” Peterson
My heart is boiling over with rage for the corrupt and admiration for the good guys
My room is dark tonight, illuminated by the 13″ television in the corner. The score stands at love all for the Rockies and the Giants. Ubaldo is pitching like a magician, but unfortunately little Tim Lincecum is biting right back. As the Diamondbacks and Mets start the top of their 13th inning, I can’t help but to reminisce about that 22 inning game. Iannetta stands on 2nd base after Q laid down a sac bunt and Ryan Spilborghs stands on deck, I wouldn’t mind scoring right now, but I sure do love my extra innings.
As the game unfolds I flip over to ESPN to see what is going on elsewhere. Spilly strikes out on 3 pitches. I was watching a repeat from earlier in the day, PTI, and they are discussing the allegations of Referee Tim Donaghy. Tim is claiming that a few years back a NBA playoff game was fixed(I’m fuzzy on the details, but it is something to that affect). Willy strikes out and leaves Iannetta on second: we head to a scoreless 8th. Back to the allegations of the ref…some heavyweights in the NBA hierarchy are trying to brush the whole thing off, but there are a few guys biting at the story. Michael Wilbon, he was at the game, he watched it and he noted that there was something suspicious about the officiation that night. Although my young soul doesn’t know great agonies of sport collapses, I am heartbroken. I recently read a book called “Eight Men Out” which is the story of the men who threw the 1919 World Series for the Chicago White Sox. That story, despite its age, it bothered me, players are supposed to love the game, play it for themselves and the fans. I believe that most people that I watch have their hearts wholly invested in every moment of every game, because when it comes to the Rockies I know that I sure do.
Quicky update–Mets beat Dbacks in bottom 13th, Rockies and Giants are still scoreless in bottom 8.
I am just wondering when this will end. I know it began many many decades ago, corruption of sports and the members of teams and officiants of games. I know that for every miserable player, the cheats and hacks, there are handfuls of the good guys. I also know that I am sick and tired of this bull ****, sick and tired. From the 1919 WS Black Sox to the Mitchell Report, Spygate and now the Donaghy contraversy and everything in between, it just really upsets me. I care about sports, I care about watching people who care and love something, playing out their passions in front of the world. I know that my blog will never been seen by these players and maybe if they somehow managed to pass over it, they may just overlook my words that I lay down, but as a true fan I ask for a purification of all sports.
Thankfully I am a true hearted fan of the Colorado Rockies, I trust them and believe in them, they have the spirits of young kids who just love the sport and are happy to play. I hope to never eat those words, but I do believe in them and that is very important to me now and forever.
We are now in the top of the 9th with Fuentes trying to keep the game in tact, he takes his time doing it. I just realized that Ubaldo who is 1-6 will not get the decision tonight because he had no run support whatsoever. However Fuentes manages to induce a ground ball out and finishes the top of the 9th scoreless. Now if we win its going to be a walk off. On a random note I just began playing survivor on MLB and my first team I chose to pick, TX Rangers are looking to win! This is a weird game, I was just thinking about it and we are playing in a hitters park, why hasn’t anyone scored?
Lets begin the rundown at the bottom of the 9th inning
1. Atty walks on a full count
2. Basehit Hawpe!
3. Atty on third with nobody out!
4. With a 3-0 count on Iannetta, nobody is warming up in the Giants bull pen
5. Iannetta fouls one off his knee cap and drops to the dirt, uh oh!
6. He is walked, poor guy looks hurt but he heads to first, now the Giants can force the the out at home plate and there are still no outs
7. Taschner? Looks like a pitching change for the Giants
8. Baker is going to pinch hit for Q
9. Baker hits one high, but for no good reason Atkins does not try to run.
10.Torrealba up to bat with bases loaded and one out
11.Torrealba pops one to shallow left
12.Atty goes, they call him out
13.Molina drops the ball, he is safe!
Actually Molina never has the ball, we win 1-0 with a walk off sac fly, dropped ball-whatever I will take it. We are now only 8.5 games out! These Rockies deserve this, they are a good ball club.
–Signing off- Amy “I’m tired and need some redemption” P.
The day after Big Brown does not make history, life looks bleak
At 8am this morning I answered a call from my mother. My mother is an eccentric woman, she moved here from Kansas with her best friend in the 1970′s and they lived in a tent for a few months. Her and my dad both ride motorcycles and call me every other day to find out when I’ll come home next. My mother is not happy about my choice to transfer out of the University of Colorado in order to pursue a career in sports industry. She doesn’t really like the fact that I’m more into sports than anything else and that baseball is taking hold of my life. So, she called me this morning to tell me that she is cutting me off. I will no longer get grocery money that I can put towards buying Rockies’ tickets and I have to get a job and raise enough funds to pay my own July rent.
I’m not bothered by what she is laying down, but I think she is doing this in hopes of swaying my future. Having her only daughter go into a future of baseball and sports frenzy was not exactly the plan she had when she was sewing me ruffly dresses and buying me sparkly shoes. I’m upset because she agreed to support me until my sophomore year, but she hopes that this cut off will stop me from going to as many games. I probably sound spoiled, but I live baseball and when someone who you expect to support you decides to rip your happiness away with their own interests in mind, it sucks. So tomorrow I will have to start looking for a job and put my days of baseball daydreams on the shelf.
In other news the Rockies lost today. It was an unfortunate outing for Francis, especially on the tails of a 4 game win streak. After yesterday’s game I was excited to see a team that looked like it had made it to a World Series, but today we were back to our old woes. We had 2 opportunities with bases loaded and 1 out, but did not capitalize on either and Hawpe made it to third with only 1 out, and still we get nothing. The Brewers never even broke the game open, but in this 3-2 loss they didn’t need to. However, Francis’ pitching wasn’t super hot, but his bat was swinging pretty well with a base hit RBI.
Other thoughts on the day
1. Paul Pierce is playing today…I recall a knee injury where he was carried off the court
2. Baker and Spilborghs are both hurting, Bake with a bruised knee and Spilly with a stiff back
3. Joba Chamberlain is pretty cool, but I still want to see him break through with one of his starts instead of letting the other team break the game open
4. I have watched a lot of college baseball, I didn’t know half those colleges existed
5. Jeff Francis should wear garters
6. Chipper Jones has a slight tear in his quad, I hope he isn’t better by June 16
7. If we win June 16, just the one game, we will have completed our first sweep
It’s not just something you order at Denny’s
I could not be a happier little baseball fan tonight! After winning the last 2 games of our road series to maintain some of our dignity, we were able to continue things with winning the first 2 games against the Brewers.
Let’s just backtrack for a moment…Thursday night I got home from Mexico, no Rockies that night. Friday I headed to my parent’s home in Fort Collins, my friend Eleanor dragged me out of my house and I only got to see the first 3 innings and the 9th inning. I was happy that we won, but saddened that I had to miss it. So today my brother Max and I decided to go down to Coors and pick ourselves up some Tulo bobbleheads.
I went down early from some BP and my brother came down later with his friend Joe, they did not get there in time for bobbleheads. I went to BP, but I didn’t get anything, not very many people did. During BP we watched the Belmont Stakes, it was upsetting that we did not get to see history happen, but it was neat to see how everyone was locked in. They turned off the music on the field and everyone turned their attention to the jumbo screen, even the players.
Fast Forward to the game, but slow down quick because we win it in the first. Greg Reynolds on the mound, he takes care of the Brewers’ hitters. Bottom first, 2 out, Spilly blip double-somethings (it seemed like an odd hit), Helton and Atty walk and Brad Hawpe comes up fresh–GRAND SLAM!
And here is the wrap–
1. Rockies and Hawpe get their first Grand Slam of 2007
2. Greg Reynolds got his first ML win and his first ML hit
3. Rockies look something like they did at the end of last year, but maybe a little better
4. Tulo may come back sooner than the All-Star Break
5. Baylor is going to be helping out Hurdle at Yankee Stadium in July
And here is MY wrap
1. I love Colorado and the Rockies
2. People enjoy my company more when the Rockies win
3. Paul Pierce is silly, why the wheelchair? was it a fluke? wtf?
4. I was really upset by Big Brown’s loss, I was hoping to witness history
5. For the first time I was really upset by a sport that I don’t care about
6. For only the 7th time this season, I will be missing tomorrow’s home game
7. Coco Crisp is the silliest little duck in a very big pond
8. I think it’s good to see Manny and Youk fight, because I believe it may lead to a collapse in that ballclub.
9. Add together the chance of winning the Final Series after losing the first game and the chance of winning the first game of a postseason series if you are the visitors and you get a bad equation for the Lakers.
Gameday…can we rename it Amy’s saving grace?
I am cynical. I understand that as much as an reader would and I have no fear of admitting to it. However I do not consider myself a person full of complaints. I am sitting a stone’s throw from the beach, next to an infinity pool, sipping on my 2-for-1 strawberry margaritas. Jealous much? Well whomever may be reading this, I am most certainly jealous of you. This is no doubt, a beautiful trip and its free to me. I get to body surf in the ocean, sea kayak, drink all the margaritas I want even though I am only 19 and the weather is beautiful. But in all sincerity I would trade this trip for my 20″ tv in my small apartment in Boulder so that I could watch the Rockies and ESPN.
I have been here since Thursday afternoon and every time I check the clock and I know the Rockies are playing my heart drops a little bit. I am so attached to them, good or bad, they are my life. I know that I am just missing out on heartbreak, which nobody in their right mind enjoys, but those are my boys. I feel like somehow my presence, whether in the stands or hundreds of miles away in front of the boob tube, that I may make a difference. My yelling and shouting is heard from Boulder all the way to Philly or Wrigley or wherever they may be.
One thing that has gotten me through is my computer. Thanks ma for getting me a laptop. If at all possible I head to the resorts lobby and watch gameday. My boyfriend and his family don’t seem to understand, but I can watch the whole game on it. I would be most ecstatic if I had MLB.tv, but alas I am a pobre college student and my parents either pay for tickets to home games or that subscription (guess which one I picked?) Also, lucky me, the articles on the team website are outstandingly good and I have the Rockies toolbar so the news scrolls the top of my page.
I get back on Thursday, I will be at the games Friday, Saturday, Sunday and so forth.
Congrats to Q and Podsednik on their first homers of the season and the other guys like Helton, Spilly and Iannetta who are hitting like madmen. I know this season is having a rough start, but we are the Defending NL Champs, we are the Colorado Rockies, and we are the Sickest team in Major League Baseball. Things will pick up I’m sure and if they don’t I will be in search of a good voodu artist, so other teams beware.
–Signing off Amy “the freckled Coloradofiliac” P
p.s. I’m not even going to touch on the Rusch subject until I see him play.
Baseball Rehab
The clock says 11:15pm. My mind recognizes that as the beginning of the countdown because in just 8 hours from now I will be on the plane taking me to Mexico. I may be a cynic, but I hate to be considered a complainer. I am not upset that I am going to Mexico, a whole week of vacation on sandy beaches, margaritas as far as the eye can see and I’m not even paying for it. I am super stoked about going, but there is just one thing. There will be no baseball. I cringe at the thought, my heart stops and my mind tries to wrap around the thought of it. It is just too much. My friends and family are all very excited for this. 24/7 I am talking, quizzing, watching, thinking and breathing baseball. They all wonder how I’m not burnt out on it yet, but it just isn’t how I roll. I love baseball, I enjoy the fact that it consumes my life, my existence. Unfortunately, they get burnt out on my nonstop baseball this and that *** for tat.
I wish that I could offer up this trip to the Rockies. I think they need it desperately. Having a roster that is half made up of AAA cats and half set up on the shelf has sent their season into a dramatic downward spiral. It’s not to say that the season wasn’t already in disarray, but being swept by the Phillies has gotta be tough on the teams morale. In 5 meetings of the season we are 0-for-5 against the Phils and will not be seeing them again in the regular season. In this last meeting they outscored us in the series 33 to 10 and their roster was sitting on an accumulated 79 homers while ours was at a weak looking 20. Greg Reynolds, whom I adore, was stuck with the loss and had a rough outing, 50 balls in 101 pitches and walked 8. Seth Smith and Ryan Spilborghs were gunned down at the plate and Willy T. was called on his first error. Rough night. Rough series. Rough start. Rough season.
Not to lose all hope. These guys are the defending NL champs, so we know that we have got the sweet stuff somewhere deep inside of ourselves. What we need to do now is dig down deep and pull it out. Maybe we need to stop worrying about our next when, take it pitch by pitch. I love the Rockies and I know they will come through this rough streak.
Adios amigos. I head to Mazatlan, Mexico for a week of fun in the sun, but I will be sure to remember that my boys are out there battling the Cubs and Dodgers and I will be rooting them on from my umbrella on the beach. I have the schedule with me so when they are playing I will probably watch gameday from my laptop and I vow only to drink purple drinks.
–Rock On all you dashing gentlemen of summer.
Amy “the baseball rehabber” Peterson
I a netta gonna leave you babe
13 inning walk-off for the Rox to lead off the series against the Mets. It was an awesome game, something all Rockies fans were in desperate need of. I was super-duper lucky enough to get seats for me and my friend Alli, we were a few rows up from the visitor’s dugout. We started the game with a 2 run lead then the Mets came back with 4 runs then we came back with another 2 then they got 1 and in the bottom of the ninth Matt Holliday hit the ball a very long ways away from home to tie it at 5 and force extra innings.
I love extra innings! One of my favorite things after Greg Reynolds and Rockies Dogs is extra innings. We played an additional 10,11, 12 and 13 innings. It is understandable that players are going to be sparse for pinch hitting after multiple extra innings, but pinch hitting 2 pitchers is a new idea to me. The first time it happened I looked over to the Rox dugout to see who was on deck, assuming I was going to see a pinch hitter and there was the amazing Brad Hawpe. Suddenly as it was his turn to head to home plate Aaron Cook (yes our 6-2 pitcher) came out to hit instead. That didn’t work out because he struck out swinging while Torrealba got caught heading to 3rd. Then in the 13th Jeff Francis (yes our ace) came out to lay down a sac bunt and move up Herrera. He did a good job of it too. Then Matt Holliday sent a shot up the middle and Herrera scored for a walk-off. It was great to see and I loved how Atty, who was on deck, went over to Herrera after he slid in and sort of grabbed his jersey and lifted him to his feet so the team could dog pile him.
I didn’t get home until about 2am because the bus system sucks, but I have a bus pass from school and it is free, plus I don’t have to worry about parking. By the time I woke up this morning it was pretty much time to head to today’s game. I had another awesome seat, this time in right field near my boy Seth Smith. Getting to my seat was the highlight of that game. I adore Jeff Francis, he is by far my favorite Rockie’s player, if he is pitching I will be the first to buy tickets. Unfortunately, he has not snapped his skid this season and it is approaching the end of May. 5 runs in the first inning, something around 30 pitches and there went the game. That is all about performance I can really stand to talk about without getting too upset.
However I can’t go without talking about today’s lineup. Scott Podsednik, Jonny Herrera, Matt Holliday, Todd Helton, Seth Smith, Ian Stewart, Chris Iannetta, Omar Q, Jeff Francis. 5 of those guys are minor league kiddos. Jonny, Smith, Stewie, Iannetta and Q are all guys that split time or spend most of their days with the Colorado Spring Sky Sox. I am really impressed with all of these guys, I have seen all of them from last year when a few guys were called up, I saw some in Spring Training and some of the guys down in Colorado Springs. Although for those who don’t know these guys and how they really perform, today may have been disappointing, I am very excited to see these guys in action at Coors. I hope these guys will keep themselves together and pull through for our team.
These guys would not have been given the chance if our team wasn’t so beat up. Tulo got hurt which brought up Jonny and Q, then Barmy got hurt and Brad Hawpe too which brought up Smith and Stewie just today, there are also a few guys in our bull pen suffering and another Colorado Springs kid, Newman has been in our pen for a while now. I’m just hoping and praying that our team will heal and get back in time to recover our season.
Tomorrow Cook takes the mound early in the rotation in hopes of taking this series. I am very hopeful and I will be there. It will be the last game of this homestand and I head to Mexico on Thursday so I am hoping to catch as much baseball before then as possible.
-Amy P
Let’s meet the Mets
In a few short hours Greg Reynolds will be taking the mound for the Rockies as we face off against the New York Mets. I am very relieved by this, it offers me great comfort however little else does. I feel fine when I see Taylor Bucholz, Herges, Jason Grilli or Alberto Arias come out of the pen, but the moment I see Manny Corpas or Brian Fuentes my heart drops into my stomach. We need consistency especially coming from the closer, whomever it may be.
On the flipside we need to get run production so that these closers don’t blow 2-run games. We have to get more clutch hits and leave less guys on base. And how are we supposed to do that? Rumor has it that Matt Holliday is on the trading block. It sounds like it’s going to be some sort of Harren or McGwire deal, who are those guys that were traded for the greats? Nobody knows. I know that the deal in question is hoping to get some bull pen guys and someone is a clutch hitter. News Flash: you DO NOT trade a Matt Holliday in order to get run production! It is being said that our club is not going to want to pay him 20 million in 2 years when his contract is up and if we trade him now we will be able to get something out of him. Pay Him! I know that we take pride in our low payroll and high production, but he is Matt Holliday. We need him like we needed Larry Walker. He is a cornerstone to the new generation of fans and I think we should just shell out the cash.
On the up side of life right now I get to head to the Rockies game tonight and I have seats behind the visitor’s dugout. Hooray for me! I will be there this whole series rooting on the team and hoping to start on winning streak.
–In news this week:
1. I’m headed to Metro State in August to pursue my dreams of working for the Rockies as a sports industry major.
2. John Lester’s no-hitter was one of the most inspirational things I have seen in sports in a long time.
3. Tulo(sorry you’re not 2) is healing, and on his way back to the lineup, although I’m still just hoping to see him after the All-Star break I am still very encouraged.
4. Al Pujols is a demolisher. Chris Young’s nose and Josh Bard’s ankle.
5. Former Rox catcher Joe Girardi and former Rox bull penner LaTroy Hawkins are making splashes in NY.
I’m too tired to give this a clever title
Last night I put on my white pin-striped Rockies jersey, pulled back my hair and tied up my sneakers. I headed to the ballpark, beautiful Coors Field and I took my seat. 
Even though we have humidor I still believe that Coors Field offers one of the best home team advantages. Unfortunately the Rockies did not take advantage of it. We took our 27th loss of the season and now we are sitting at 12 games out. 12 games! That is the biggest number I have ever heard.
Hopefully tonight our Rookie Greg Reynolds will help us halt this skid, but we need to have more than good pitching at this point. We need to get runs, we need to get our runners in. I hope to see a change tonight, I hope to see the team that Denver fell in love with last September or even a new team that Denver can fall in love with again. Tonight I will be watching the game from my parent’s home, but tomorrow I return to Coors Field to cheer on the slumping Rockies. I’m not a woman of god, but I will be praying.
Signing off–Amy P
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