Wednesday, October 3, 2007

You can learn alot from 1 game!


In Monday's game between the Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres to see you will advance as the Wild Card winner and play the Philadelphia Phillies, I came to the realization of a couple of things, and it has nothing to do with safe or out...

A few months ago I made a post about current Major Leaguers and their Hall of Fame status. Trevor Hoffman was on the list as a probable inductee. Well, after the game was over he is going to have to wait a little longer. Hoffman hasn't been a part of too many postseason teams and blowing a two run save in that situation with a playoff appearance on the line. Let's be honest he doesn't have that great of stuff and all he had that was working was his change-up. And if your a baseball guy, how can you throw a change-up for 8 straight pitches your bound to get one of them hit or two.

The Rockies should never, ever host a deciding game! If you were watching the game in the late innings, the pitching wasn't all that good, the hitting was just that bad. With the thin air in Colorado every single batter was up to bat trying to end the game with one swing and it was frustrating me. Even with two strikes each player was trying to lift the ball in the air and sent it into the air and out of the park. It took a change-up pitcher to get into the game for the batters from Colorado to start taking better cuts at the ball.

The outfield umpires should play a little farther back to the infield umpires. They almost cost the Rockies the playoffs with no being able to see that ball hit over the fence. And as we saw years ago from the Jeffery Mayor game in Yankee stadium when the outfield umpires have to turn then run out to the outfield it is a more difficult call to make.

Todd Helton will remain a Rockie for quite some time. He had played very well the past a couple of weeks and the ovations that he recieves from the Colorado faithful will keep him their for a while if not his entire career.

Matt Holliday would have been MVP if the Phillies didn't make the playoffs. It's hard to imagine to myself, that Ryan Howard won't win the award now. He absolutely took the Phillies on his back this last month! Holliday had a great, great season but he will finish a close second to Howard.

Finally, like I have always thought, bullpens are key to winning down the stretch and moving on in the postseason!

No comments: