Hole Punch Sports

I don't mean this to be one of those angry-but-secretly-jealous or hey-things-sure-have-changed posts. I really and suddenly do hate the Red Sox. Wait, why did I like them in the first place? I started following baseball in 1997. That meant seeing Nomar Garciaparra, a hotshot Red Sox rookie, in the paper a lot that season.  For a shortstop, that kid could hit. Coincidentally, from watching games and statistics, I decided that my favorite and the best young pitcher in baseball was a Montreal Expo named Pedro Martinez, who joined the Red Sox the next year. Martinez's 1999 season was the stuff of legend, and Garciaparra was shaping up as one of the best players ever at his position. (What an arm on both of those guys.) They made a fantastic pair to watch. And the team's biggest rival was the New York Yankees, a team I'd already grown to hate. The Yankees had insufferable fans and had spoiled the World Series appaerance of Tony Gwynn in '98. Plus the Red Sox were in ...

The story that will be told the most tonight is that of the Boston Red Sox, who just swept their second World Series in four years. It's a good story, if you're a complete freaking moron who believes it's weird for a team not to win championships very often, as Red Sox fans once believed. I'd rather talk about the Colorado Rockies, whose season ended on somewhat-low-but-honestly-quite-high note tonight. It's unfortunate that Colorado's miracle run through the postseason came to such a sudden stop in the World Series, and I suppose it's too bad they couldn't win at least one game in Coors Field. But I'm still amazed I was watching a World Series game at Coors in the first place. I don't mean to make the team sound like lovable losers, or that I'm pleased with the Series outcome. I'm not. Missed chances might hurt the most in baseball, because getting to the championship round requires healthy doses of skill and luck. A basketball team can...

Hello, everyone. To push our last live blog even further down the page, and as part of a scientific experiment of the effects of punctuation on legibility, I made a running blog of Game 3. Be warned. It probably won't be any more fun to read about than it was to watch. 6:33-Is this 6 p.m. game ever going to start? 6:36-The Budweiser opening pitch goes for a ball. 6:37-Jacoby Ellsbury hits a leadoff single. That has to be the least-fastest hit in World Series history. 6:40-Dustin Pedroia barely beats out Tulo's throw for a second consecutive impressive hit. David Ortiz is up. Kill me. 6:41-Swing and a miss at the first pitch for Ortiz. Tim McCarver says the start to this inning (having two runners on with no outs) justifies David Ortiz starting this game. Is it just me or is anyone else shocked there was even a discussion about this? He's been the best hitter in baseball for years, especially in the playoffs. Of course he starts in the World Series. And now the count ...

It wasn't all bad news for Rockies fans last night. Actually, it was. But I just thought I'd point out that the greatest Rockie ever, Larry Walker, was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame last night. (Did they have to change the title from Sport to Sports?) Walker not only possessed all five tools, he's the whole reason I even know what the five tools are. Sure, he could hit like crazy. Everyone knows that. But his instincts were off the charts. No one ran the bases as wisely as he did, but that's not to discount his speed. Don't forget his incredible defense. Outside of John Elway, Walker might have had the best arm of anyone who ever played for a Colorado team. It's also worth noting that this dream season for the Rockies is the tenth anniversary of Walker's amazing MVP year. In 1997, Walker hit .366, finishing second to Tony Gwynn in the race for the batting title. He also hit 49 homers, stole 33 bases, lead the league in on-base (.452) and s...

Sometimes it's simple. To win a game in the World Series, the Rockies will have to start throwing more strikes. And hitting better. Easier said than done. For a while last night I thought Ubaldo Jimenez was going to make himself a Colorado legend. He came in, challenged hitters, and kept the Red Sox guessing. Unfortunately, he wore out pretty quickly and began to lose command of his pitches. The Rockies pitchers battled all night, which was a refreshing change from giving up runs on walks. The offense was about as inept last night as it was in Game 1, though it got off to a promising start in the first. How would the game have changed if we could have knocked in one more first-inning run? Like the number of licks needed to reach the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop, the world may never know, but I think it would have meant a lot. Yes, the Red Sox offense felt much more dangerous than our attack did, but they had a hard time pushing runs across last night, too. That's about ...

Today we're trying a little bit of an experiment on Hole Punch Sports. My friend David, who joined me at the NLCS, begged me to let him "live"-blog last night's game. Please believe me when I say I made absolutely no edits to the following. Welcome to game 1 of the World Series readers. I am guest blogging for HolePunchSports and will have a running account of tonight’s game. Since tonight is the first time the Rockies are in the World Series it makes for a great stage for my first column. 4:28 No pre-game show here in the San Francisco Bay Area, Just my dog and me and our good friend miller light. Ahh nothing better then cracking open a cold one while watching southern California burn to a crisp. 4:40 I am getting pre-game butterflies. I have never been as happy with sports as I am with these Rockies. I was happy when the broncos won the 1998 Super bowl. But that was expected. I had been waiting a decade for John Elway to finally lift the Lombardi trophy. This World...

Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, a baseball team called the Boston Red Sox had the best pitcher in the world. He was a fellow by the name of Pedro Martinez. Pedro, you see, could be counted on to win almost any time he pitched, especially if it was a big game. One memorable year, the Red Sox faced the Cleveland Indians in the first round. It was a hard-fought series that went the full five games. The teams were tied 8-8 in just the fourth inning of that final game. Were the Red Sox worried? No. They had Pedro. Sidelined by an injury in Game 1, Pedro returned to the mound to stop the bleeding. He went the rest of the game- six clutch innings -and didn't give up a single hit. Boston, of course, won. Was he done? Far from it. In the next round, the Red Sox faced their hated rivals and eventual mirror image, the New York Yankees. Pedro was called on to pitch once again. And once again, he was masterful. He went seven innings, stuck out twelve, and gave up no runs in Boston...

Anybody get World Series tickets? Not any readers. Literally, did anybody get World Series? In a way that people who didn't try to buy tickets will never fully understand, the Rockies' public ticket sales for their remaining World Series seats went horribly. Just about everything that could have gone wrong did. It didn't have to be this way. The Rockies initially planned to sell tickets through their usual outlets, as well as through their website. Then a couple days ago, they announced they'd be selling tickets exclusively through their website. (That's www.coloradorockies.com . Don't bother going there, though. It never works.) I'll admit, though, that I was glad they were only selling online. I don't live in Denver and would have had no chance to make it to Coors Field or wherever. The website said tickets were going to go on sale October 22 (that's yesterday) at 10 a.m. So I camped out with a pair of computers, preparing an all-out bandwidth assa...

The Yankees basically fired Joe Torre today. He turned down a one-year, $5 million offer to return to manage the team next season, which I guess means he won't return at all. It's a startling pay cut. This season, Torre made $7.5 million. The Yankees' offer actually called for him to receive up to $8 million depending on the team's postseason finish. This being the century that it is, that means Torre was going to get $5 million. This firing/whatever officially makes this the greatest week in baseball history. Seriously, I've waited years for this. Is Joe Torre the best manager in baseball? Is the Pope Catholic? Torre's best known for two things: making the perfect call and the perfect time, and having the perfect players to do it with. Sure, any monkey could be trained to bring in Mariano Rivera in when it's close and late. But can that monkey deal with all the other stuff, like a bizarre political environment that dictates that your best shortstop play th...

So, yeah. Last night's NLCS game was great for two reasons. First, the Rockies made the World Series, which probably won't even feel real when I'm watching it. And second, it was great because I was there. For proof, please consult the first picture ever on Hole Punch Sports: Okay, that doesn't prove anything, other than that the Motorla Razr is the world's best camera at any price. But I was there, and it was great. Just a series of ever-escalating moments. The first was seeing Coors Field for the first time last night. I've been there before, but man, did it look great with the lights on and with the playoff rush. Just the perfect glow. The buzz getting into the building was electric. I've only been to one other playoff game in any sport, when the Broncos beat the Jaguars on the way to their first Super Bowl victory, and before the game, this was at least that exciting. Mile High was louder, of course, but the atmosphere was identical. There was a slight d...

The Colorado Rockies just made the World Series. I don't know if I'll have the opportunity or energy to expand on this tomorrow, so feel free to add your points in the comments. Here are some of my observations: 1. I don't care if Frankie Morales only went four innings-when your pickoff move is to go tag the runner out yourself, you've moved to a plane where you're beyond criticism. 2. All right, I lied. I actually care quite a bit that Morales only went four innings, because taking him out may have been the best call of Clint Hurdle's career. The Rockies, trailing by one in the fourth, had runners on second and third with two outs, so they pulled their rookie starting pitcher for a rookie pinch-hitter, Seth Smith, who delivered a Texas Leaguer to knock in a pair of runs. But the Rockies were up 3-0 in the series and the games are spread out enough that you're unlikely to wear out your pitching staff. In retrospect, is the call still as gutsy as it seemed...

New game, same result: Rockies win, and now they've swept the Phillies and will face the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series. It's the perfect cap to the best week in franchise history for the Rockies, a week that started when the Rockies beat the Diamondbacks Sunday to force a regular season playoff. Monday they beat the Padres in a 13th-inning comeback to make the real playoffs. Wednesday and Thursday they beat the Phillies twice, almost matter-of-factly, then finished them tonight with another spectacular win. The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, just finished their own series sweep over the Chicago Cubs. The Rockies' scorching finish to the season makes them the hotter team, but both squads look pretty good right now. So I can't assume the Rockies will beat the D-backs on pure momentum. The Diamondbacks won the NL West this year, but most of the statistical signs favor the Rockies. My favorite? The Rockies outscored their opponents this season b...

Did anyone see yesterday's game? The Rockies beat the Phillies 4-2 to take a 1-0 lead in their playoff series. I can't say much about the game, though I did see most of it. The Rockies took an early lead and never fell behind. Also, Cole Hamels, the Phillies' starting pitcher, walked in a run. In other words, the Rockies cruised over what appeared to be an overmatched opponent. Though the high-scoring offense is key to the success of any Rockies team, I'm most excited by the state of our pitching, which is as deep as a high-altitude team needs it to be. Boy, back in my day, the Rockies never had this many competent relievers. In those days, the Rockies would just cross their fingers and hope to get a decent inning from a pitcher who was a complete trainwreck. That happened, or at least it felt like it happened, every single game. No more. A few years ago, LaTroy Hawkins would've been one of the best relievers in franchise history. Now, he comes in in the seventh inn...

One of my friends doesn't have cable, but I'm glad. Having to call him all night to tell him about the game meant someone heard me around the fifth inning when I said the Rockies would win by one run in the 13th. Which they did, finishing off the Padres 9-8 just moments ago. What a great game. The Rockies jumped out to a 3-0 lead, which would have been a lot more comforting if they hadn't been playing at home. Then Adrian Gonzalez of the Padres crushed a grand slam to put the Padres back in the lead. The Pads added another run in the inning to make it 5-3, but I wasn't worried. Why? Coors Field. When you think about it, there's no better park in the world for a one-game playoff. I don't care if baseball purists hate it, Coors is...hold up, I'm glad that baseball purists hate it. But Coors is the perfect backdrop for one winner-takes-all game, because no team is ever out of it. I love that this wasn't one of those 5-2 playoff games where the 2-run team n...