The world is coming to an end. The sky has started to fall. The apocalypse is impending.
The Rockies are in the World Series.
Let that sink in. Chew on it for a few seconds. Tastes a little funky, doesn’t it?
I realize they’re an excellent mountain range, maybe even one of the best, but the baseball team? Come on.
This team was supposed to be garbage. They were supposed to be half of the two-headed Colorado-San Francisco doormat of the NL West. And according to Sports Illustrated’s season preview, the 20th-best team in baseball.
Their lineup has more no-names than amateur wrestling night in Tijuana, and their pitching rotation of Francis, Jimenez, Morales, Fogg and Cook is about as imposing as a toothless goldfish.
Take a look at their payroll. The bearded man-boy, Todd Helton, is making over $16 million, which is almost a third of the entire team, and the scant $54 million total team payroll ranks as the sixth lowest in baseball. In the sports world, money buys championships. Looks like Colorado was in the market for 25th place.
Despite their fiscal shortcomings, the Rockies managed to surprise people throughout the course of the season, staying within striking distance of the NL West leaderboard. After starting the season 39-42, including losing eight in a row at one point, the Rockies did not have a losing month the rest of the season.
Keeping it close over 162 games is one thing, but finishing the season the way they did is something very different.
On Sept. 15, after a 10-2 loss, the Rockies sat a seemingly insurmountable 4.5 games out of wildcard contention, buried behind the Dodgers, Padres and Phillies.
To put it bluntly, for the Rockies to make the World Series at that point would have been like a homeless bum finding a Ferrari in a trash can. Just not very likely.
However, after that loss to the Marlins, something clicked.
The Rockies reeled off 11 straight wins over the punchless Dodgers, Padres and Marlins, clambering their way back into playoff hopes. Finally, when the dust had settled and all 162 games played, the Rockies sat in a dead tie with the division rival Padres. They had basically climbed Everest and all they had to do was plant the flag.
It was only fitting that the one-game playoff went extra innings.
Staring down a two-run deficit in the 13th, they put up a three spot against MLB’s all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman, in one of the most dramatic victories of all time. And in one fell swoop they had clinched a playoff spot.
Needless to say, they haven’t looked back.
Facing a more talented Phillies team in the division series, the Rockies swept in three games.
Up against a hot Arizona squad, the Rockies swept in four.
If you couldn’t tell, they are currently in the middle of one of most impressive late-season runs of all time. Colorado has lost once in their past 21 games, and the funny part is nobody can explain why.
They’re not the best team in the National League. Their pitching staff is halfway decent, and they could certainly use a little more pop in that lineup.
But in Roctober, none of that matters.
Lets just hope the apocalypse doesn’t come before Game 7.
E-mail Feder at jfeder@media.ucla.edu if you’re looking forward to a San Francisctober in “˜08.