Sunday, July 31, 2011

Rock Solid Recap: The show must go on


The human side of me is very sad to see Ubaldo Jimenez go. The sight of him embracing his teammates and saying his goodbyes admittedly choked me up. It was tough to watch. That's a real moment between real people that you know love and respect each other. It's emotional.

The baseball side of me understands the situation. I understand the Rockies made a move they 100% believe will make them better. I know they didn't make this move for the hell of it, to prove a point, to hurt Ubadlo or to annoy the fanbase. They made a business decision intended to put this team back in contention. I understand all of that, and I accept it for what it is.

The baseball side always wins out. I'm a fan of the Colorado Rockies first and foremost. As much as I love the players that come and go, some more willingly than others, none of them are bigger than the team I love. Even Todd Helton.

So I say goodbye to a class act in Ubaldo Jimenez. At the same time, I welcome Drew Pomeranz, Alex White, Joe Gardner and Matt McBride to the organization. Hopefully we grow to love one or two of them as much as we did Ubaldo.

On a different topic...

Was I fan of the way the Rockies threw Ubaldo out there for that disastrous first inning? Not at all. I don't understand the thought process behind that, and I'm embarrassed it happened. Ubaldo was put in am impossible position. He was set up to fail, and it's unfortunate that's the on field send-off he received.

Baseball...

Rockies 10, Padres 6 (boxscore)

Three positives

1. Esmil Rogers: Also a tough spot for Esmil to be in. At one point he was told he would start the game. Then he was put on stand-by. Then he had to warm up behind Ubaldo while he tossed his final inning as a Rockie. Tough, tough spot, but he handled it well and earned himself the victory on a very emotionally charged night.

2. Eliezer Alfonzo! Grand Slam!


3. Chris Nelson: Hey, a three-hit night for the recently recalled Nelson. I'm still holding out hope for him.

Overall

Really a bittersweet night at the ballpark, but always nice to see the Rockies win. That's now three in a row, with a chance for not only a sweep, but a chance to end the Sunday losing streak. I'm ready to watch that die!

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