Colorado Rockies at the World Series

When we won the National League Playoffs, it was a dream come true for everyone here in Denver, Colorado. The Colorado Rockies have been known as losers in the major league. We had losing streaks, a few wins here and there. The Rockies might as well have been the worst baseball team in America. Then the 2007 season started. In pre-season, the Rockies didn't seem to have gotten much better.

We won, lost, won, lost. Finally, the regular season started. We started winning. The Colorado Rockies had a winning streak by the time we met the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix. Then the fight came here to Denver.

Game after game, we beat the Diamondbacks. In a moment of pure jealousy and rivalry, Eric Brynes said that the Rockies weren't all that great - our success was only based on luck. Then in the final game, the Rockies were winning. Brynes hit the last ball. He ran to first base. But the ball beat him to first. Brynes was out and the Rockies were on their way to the World Series.

All of Denver felt great. Not only had all of the time and energy we spent in this team finally paid off, but we were finally going to biggest series of baseball games in the country. Can we win the World Series? Can the Rockies actually bring home the top prize in all of baseball? All we can say is our fingers are crossed and our prayers are with them.

All of the tickets for the World Series are bought up and the scalpers are trying to make a buck

If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it. My local newspaper recently talked about people buying up as many World Series tickets as they could and going on line just to sell them on eBay. This blew my mind so much, I had to check it out for myself. I can understand the impulse to score money off of this game. People have sold everything from pieces of cheese that look like Jesus to collections of socks on line. But when a person is so desperate to see these games in person they pay anything from $700 to $3,000, it kind of scares me a little bit. Also, I just wish I had that kind of money to spend.

Another thing I heard was that people who buy tickets for the World Series will also be given free meals, and stay at one of the fine motels in town. You better hurry up. There can't be that many seats at Fenway Park.

So if some of these people buying up these World Series tickets for that kind of money are from Denver, it becomes even more essential that the Rockies win. Or is spending thousands of dollars on tickets all part of the fun of being fans? If we knew beforehand that the Rockies were going to lose, would we still buy these tickets for the same price of a used car?

Tickets aren't the only thing selling on eBay. They're also selling T-shirts, mugs, stuffed animals, all decorated in the wake of the Rockies winning the championships. Before Brynes was declaired out on that fateful night, believing the Rockies could go to the World Series was like a great piece of fiction, a folk tale, maybe even taboo around these parts. Now that we are going to the greatest baseball game in town, it's almost surreal. I might have to pinch myself before the first game starts this Wednesday (October 24, 2007) on TBS.

Little known facts about the Colorado Rockies

Back in 1990, Denver voters passed a 0.1 percent sales tax to finance the construction of a new baseball stadium. It's ironic that it took several more years before the Rockies actually played on Coors Field. Before that, they had been played at the easily convertable Mile High Stadium (home of the Colorado Broncos football team).

In the beginning of 1991, Denver's baseball ownership group launched a season ticket drive, requesting a refundable deposit of $50 per seat.

In 1992, the ball club announced its famed Rockies uniforms, chose Tucson, Arizona for their spring training camp, and recruited their first manager, Don Baylor.

They also first started construction of Coors Field in 1992.

Coors Field has one of the largest outfields in the National Baseball League.

Roster

Pitchers, #41 Jeremy Affeldt, #28 Aaron Cook, #60 Manny Corpas, #37 Josh Fogg, #26 Jeff Francis, #40 Brian Fuentes, #32 LaTroy Hawkins, #34 Matt Herges, #38 Ubaldo Jimenez, #56 Franklin Morales, and #23 Ryan Speier

Catchers, #20 Chris Iannetta, and #8 Yorvit Torrealba

Infielders, #27 Garrett Atkins, #1 Jamey Carroll, #17 Todd Helton, #7 Kazuo Matsui, and #2 Troy Tulowitzki

Outfielders, #10 Jeff Baker, #11 Brad Hawpe, #5 Matt Holliday, #12 Seth Smith, #19 Ryan Spilborghs, #18 Cory Sullivan, and #3 Willy Taveras

Final note

Watching those last few games against the Diamondbacks, I noticed how well the players listed above worked together. Everyone from Matsui to Hawpe functioned as a single, unstoppable entity. Perhaps this approach to the game is why the Colorado Rockies had such a great year. If this winning streak holds, if they can continue to play the game together so successfully, we should be seeing the Rockies win the 2007 World Series.