World Series

Well, the Rockies lost their mojo and lost the series to the Red Sox. The Red Sox deserve the title, as their pitching, hitting, managing, and scouting were all well above the Rocks. The wife and I had the good fortune of getting to go to Game 3 of the World Series, and it was an awesome experience. The excitement and buzz in the crowd were tangible, and it was amazing to see so many Rockies fans pushing for the home team. I was actually surprised by how few Boston fans were at the game. The crowd even helped infuse some energy into the Rockies after they fell behind, and they rallied in the sixth and seventh innings to come within a run of the Sox. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be and Boston took the game. Still, it was an experience that I will never forget. Let's hope that the ownership and management make the right decisions and keep this team together for a few more years. It would be great to see them back in the post season without having to wait another 12 years.

Fun and Games

It's the sport of kings
Better than diamond rings
Kickball

Remember the game you used to play in middle school, where you played on a baseball diamond, but instead of using a bat and ball, the pitcher rolled you a red four square ball, which you kicked to get on base. Well, this summer and fall, I played on a co-ed kickball team in Boulder, and I have got to say that it really kicks ass. Our team finished second to last both seasons (take that all woman team, the Ovulators), but I think that we had more fun than any other team.

We would meet up for beers before the game and typically have a case of PBR in the dugout. We also had theme nights, as you can see in the photos, such as Wigstock, Bizarro Pimps and Hos, Ski Night, and Halloween. Our games were on Monday nights, and I actually found myself looking forward to Mondays. Now that the season is over, I miss the game and the camaraderie. Is there a four square league or a kick the can league I can join this winter?

Rocktober

The Rockies are in the World Series...

I never imagined that I would be typing those words. Back in 2000, I bought my first season tickets to the Colorado Rockies. I remember the tickets arriving in the mail with all 81 games in a single book. The Rockies had a new GM, Dan O'Dowd, they signed some new free agents, and hired a new skipper, Buddy Bell. There was excitement in the air. The team even started out pretty strong, and finished the season with a winning record. But, as most of you know, that was the start of a long downhill slide. The team was plagued by poor personnel decisions and an ownership group that cared more about money than putting a winning team on the field. The Rockies quickly took up residence in the cellar of the National League, and I dumped my season tickets after three years of watching a subpar product on the field.

Thus, you can understand why I am amazed that the same ownership group and management put together this Rockies team that made it to the World Series. Obviously, there is some luck involved, but I think that the players should get 90% of the credit for the Rockies being there. Of course, the management hired those players, but it was the will and determination of the players that has Rockies riding one of the most improbable hot streaks in the history of baseball. Thanks to the wild card system, the Rockies made the post season, and we are able to experience post season baseball for the second time in Denver since the inaugural year of the wild card system.

Now some of you might not know that President George W Bush shall forever have his name linked with the realignment of the leagues and expansion of the playoffs. Back in 1993, Texas Rangers' owner George W Bush was the only owner to vote against realignment of the leagues and the wild card system (27-1). He was even quoted at the time as saying, "I made my arguments and went down in flames. History will prove me right." Well, I think that the fans in Denver, Miami, Anaheim, Detroit, and Boston would be among the many that would disagree with the President's vote.

I understand the arguments that the current system makes winning a division crown less meaningful and that the teams play an unbalanced schedule so not everything is even. But rather than have an exciting pennant race every few years, we have excitement at the end of every season in multiple cities. In the National League this year, the divisional winners weren't determined until the last week of the season, and the Rockies had to win a tiebreaker game over the Padres to clinch the wild card. It doesn't get much more exciting than that.

And you can't make the argument that the wild card teams don't deserve to make the playoffs. A wild card team has made it to the World Series the last six years in a row, and a wild card team has won four times since its inception 12 years ago. The playoff system will likely be tinkered with and improved in the future, but for now, I am not complaining. I get to watch the Rockies play in the World Series. Amazing.

New TV Shows

Yes, I know that this blog has been more neglected than Britney's children over the last few months, but I am going to try to write more often. Most of you know that my wife started working for Frontier airlines this summer. Well, she is currently working a shift from 4:30 pm to 1:30 am. So most nights, I return home, take the dogs for a walk, make some food, and spend some time with my new best friend - DVR. I have become a little addicted to television over the past year or two, but I don't feel as guilty thanks to DVR. You can skip through the commercials and watch an hour show in 45 minutes. Thus, it leaves me with plenty of time to read, sudoku, work on my stamp collection, and cure world hunger. So, I thought that I would share my thoughts on the new shows that the networks are beaming into our living rooms. The selections below are the new shows that I have watched and actually feel are worthwhile additions to the DVR recording schedule.

Pushing Daisies - If you have listened to any of the Harry Potter books on tape, you will immediately recognize Jim Dale as the voice of the narrator. I could listen to this man read a book on fluid dynamics and still find it fascinating. The show is about a man who has the gift/curse of being able to bring people back to life if he touches them. A couple of conditions though; one, if he touches them again after bringing them back to life, they are dead forever; and two, if he doesn't touch them within a minute of bringing them back to life, another person dies in their place. The main character makes pies and works with a private investigator to solve murders. The characters are quirky, the dialogue is witty, and the visuals are bright and impressive. It feels like a mix of Amelie, Harry Potter (thanks to Jim Dale), and a Tim Burton movie. It is a pleasant change from the CSIs, Law and Orders, and weekly soap operas, such as Greys Anatomy.

Chuck - This show is growing on me. I only started watching it because it is from Josh Schwartz, creator of the OC. Chuck works at a Best Buy-like big box store in their Nerd Herd. He then has a bunch of government secrets implanted in his brain and ends up helping with the CIA and NSA. Of course, the CIA agent he works with is smoking hot and a romance is on the horizon. Plus, the show has had a kickass soundtrack featuring artists such as The Shins, Beck, Spoon, and The National. The show fits in with the current nerd/geeky guy trend in pop culture. I am not dissing on this, rather, as an enginerd, I embrace it. I think I will devote an entire post to this phenomenon later.

Gossip Girl - Of course, I have to have one trashy teenage soap opera show on my list. Gossip Girl follows in the vein of such great shows as 90210 and the OC, although one can only hope it can reach the heights of those shows. It is also Josh Schwartz's other new show this year. To put it simply, it is the OC set in New York, with the protagonist as an outsider in the world of the rich and richer (ie. Brandon and Brenda or Seth and Ryan). A nice guilty pleasure.

Kid Nation - I was flipping through the channels and stopped on this show. It is everything that is good and bad about television. The bad - it exploits children, it is a reality show, and it is on CBS. The good - you can truly feel the emotions that the kids are going through, as they aren't as deceptive or manipulative as adults on reality shows. The kids aren't using this as a platform to start a career in showbiz (although their mothers might). The kids truly seem to care about one another and trying to improve their town of Bonanza. Their only ulterior motives might involve winning the gold star each week, which is worth $20,000. And even the one character who appeared to be working hard simply for the star did so to get money for college. A slightly disturbing but interesting show.

Anyone else have a new TV show recommendations?