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