Never Jumped, But...

As I stated a couple of weeks ago, I was not jumping on the Rockies bandwagon. The Cincy Reds will also be "my" team, through thick and thin. Yet, the Rockies appealed to me because of watching the kids come up through the farm system and playing at AAA Colorado Springs. That is what appealed to me.

I remember when Todd Helton was a kid hoping to grow facial hair and waiting for a Cat to be traded or retire. The Cat being Andres Gallaraga. Andres was one of the nicest guys you will ever meet and one of the more under-rated players of his time because he had the * of playing in Denver. The place where all hit and no pitch meant Thursday night softball scores instead of a MLB game. But I digress: Helton was one of the many talented kids in the minors who was waiting for an established player to leave. When he got his chance, the Rockies continued to bring in free-agents to fill gaps and win quickly while the young kids continued to develop in an improving farm system.

The wait was worth it. The kids who played in Colo Spgs made it to the biggest show in the game. Yes, they got swept by another great team. Sometimes that happens. Don't forget that the 1970 Reds were swept by the Baltimore Orioles. Two years later, the Reds lost in 7 games to a great Oakland A's team. Three years later, the Reds added the first of two in a row World Series titles. I see some resemblance in the 1970 Reds and the 2007 Rockies. There were a bunch of young players learning to play together and learning how to win a championship. The Rockies are learning how to win. I think they will be back in the playoffs for the next few years and, maybe, in the World Series a couple of more times. Will they finally win? Let's watch and see.

I didn't jump on the bandwagon, but everyone loves to watch a parade.