I say the ROCKIES win all....what is your guess ?

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Posted By: barrysloate

The Rockies have come out of nowhere to stage one of the most exciting streaks in baseball history, and I've barely seen any of it. Whoever is in charge of scheduling these games for television is an idiot.

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Posted By: Ken W.

Rock on, Anti-East-Coast Teams!!!
(Agree that ALL the games should start MUCH earlier).

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Posted By: Eric Brehm

Jeff, what you say is true, ratings are lower for the less popular teams. But what if the network promoted the lesser known teams more during the season, instead of constantly featuring the Yankees and Red Sox? Is it possible that those teams could develop more of a national fan base, and thus generate more interest when they do make it to the postseason? I don't know the answer to that question, but it is a good one. One of the problems with American business is that the emphasis always seems to be on making money today , or meeting this quarter's sales forecasts. Maybe if they took a longer term, more strategic view of what they are trying to accomplish, they would come out better in the long run. They have the power to shape the market, as well as react to it.

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

Eric, the problem is which team do you push nationally? Certainly not the Rockies, DBacks and Indians at the start of the season, right? And it's too late now to start beating the drum. The bottom line is that people watch the teams that they live near usually and the greatest concentraton of people are around huge cities like NY, Boston and LA. Add in the histories of these teams and you see why ESPN only cares about them. It's sad and unfair -- but business is business.

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Posted By: Matt

Why would you not push the Indians at the start of the season? They're not a surprise contender; go back and check pre-season team write-ups from SI or SN. Oh wait - you think they're a surprise because they didn't get national coverage to start the season...

edited to add sarcasm

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Posted By: barrysloate

I would be thrilled to watch the Rockies even though I paid little attention to them during the season. They are on a streak of historic proportions, and isn't that enough of an incentive for people to watch? Don't fans want to know more about these guys who we never heard of a month ago?

And what is this obsession with starting a game in prime time? I don't care about the first inning, I want to see the 9th inning! Start the games early, so that at 10:00 PM they are playing the 8th inning and not the 2nd inning. People will stay up later than usual to watch an exciting finish, but if they are ready for bed and the game is in the bottom of the 3rd inning they are going to bail out.

Everyone talks about bottom line, but you only make money if people are actually watching.

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Posted By: peter chao

The Rockies can't get much hotter than they are now. But they can get colder. If the Boston-Cleveland series drags out, it may be a week or more before the W.S. starts. Hopefully, the Rockies won't lose their edge in that time-frame.

Peter C.

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Posted By: Eric Brehm

It is true that teams from larger metropolitan areas, and with longer traditions, especially winning traditions, do have larger fan bases. When the Cubs come out to play the Rockies in Colorado, it seems like the Cubs fans at Coors Field are more numerous (or at least more vociferous) than the local Rockies ones. Many Chicagoans have moved to Colorado over the years.

But then Boston is a smaller metropolitan area than either Dallas, Houston, Miami, Washington DC, Atlanta, or Detroit, and the Indians have been around a long time. (The Diamondbacks and Rockies of course, have not.) There must be some wiggle room there to elevate the viewership base of teams other than the Red Sox and Yankees, but whether increased attention by the national media during the season would accomplish this, or how long it would take, I don't know.

Now why doesn't Los Angeles, the second biggest metro area in the country, even have an NFL team? That one has always puzzled me.

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Posted By: Kevin Andrews

Here's an idea....

Let ESPN / TBS / Fox broadcast a "Consolation" series between the Yankees and Red Sox (call it the Universe Series and they can play best of 7, 9, 11, or until there hearts content) and all the folks in New York and Boston can watch at whatever time they see fit. They can listen to the biased broadcaster talk about how great A-Rod, Jeter, Ramirez (although he's still the BEST right handed stick I ever seen), Ortiz are for hours on end.

Put the real World Series on local TV markets which will be received better by fans in Colorado and Cleveland (if they make it). While I can certainly live with an unbiased description of the game, I don't need to have the Yankees and Red Sox shoved down my throat.

Everyone's happy - the networks make their advertising, New York and Boston don't b*&ch and moan about Colorado vs. Cleveland and the Rockies and Indians fans don't have to put up with New York and Boston!

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Posted By: Bob

I shed no tears for Los Angeles not having a pro football team. After stealing the Lakers from Minneapolis and the Dodgers from Brooklyn, I could care less if LA EVER gets another NFL team :-P

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Posted By: barrysloate

Doesn't anyone in Major League baseball have an imagination? Don't they see the Rockies are a great story, and they could play up that story in prime time, and that fans would be happy to watch them? The Yankees are boring- they are overpriced and underachieving. The Rockies are a far better story, but the knockwurst heads who run baseball don't even see it.

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Posted By: Ken W.

Did anyone catch Warren Giles' son awarding the NL Championship trophy to the Rockie's ownership after the game? He was great! Really fired up the crowd. Oh wait, you guys were all asleep.

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Posted By: Eric Brehm

I was at the game last night and saw the presentation of the trophy by Warren Giles' son Bill Giles after the game. Very emotional moment. I think we Rockies fans still haven't quite grasped what has happened this year. In some ways for me, having been born during the era when there were only eight teams in each league, and there were no playoff series required to determine the championship, winning the National League Pennant is at least as significant and phenomenal as it would be winning the World Series.

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Posted By: jflit

It is great seeing the rockies,with farm system talent,make it to the series.Also that everybody is not talking about the bronces( they suck,lifelong diehard bears fans).I thought they were a few years away from being contenders,now see if I can get series tickets.

also Ted yes pikes peak is great,as I sit on my patio ,as i have a beer, an watch a sunset over pikes peak

later
jeff

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

In 1982 I drove to the top of Pikes Peak. What a view from 14,000+ feet (am I right on the height ?).
I was very lucky that day as there was no cloud cover.

And Jeff....I now live in the town that Zebulon Pike grew up in, in Pennsylvania.

TED Z

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Posted By: jflit

Ted -I moved out in 99 for work,my family loves it out here,the weather is great and the mountains.
compared to northwest indiana(to much snow and clouds).and yes pikespeak is over 14,000ft(never been up there yet,wife keeps nagging me to take the kids).

later
jeff

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

Very appropriate that Cleveland won the AL....as the National was in Cleveland this summer.

Who wants to guess how many games this World Series will go ?

Go ROCKIES......

TED Z

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Posted By: Matt

Tribe in 5 in the WS. Pitching in the NL is a joke this season.

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Posted By: Josh Adams

Ted,

Cleveland is only up 3-1. As any Red Sox fan will tell you, it's not over yet!

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

I am jumping the gun.....but, I don't think this will be a repeat of 2004 (Boston overcoming a 1-3 deficit).

It's over for the Beantowners....if not tomorrow nite, then Saturday.

TED Z

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Posted By: Jason L

I know we're down, but I have to say I think our chances are improving!

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Posted By: jflit

rockies will sweep

later
jeff

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Posted By: Josh Adams

Ted,

I agree with you though. Jndians in 5.

Go Go White Sox
2005 World Series Champions!

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Posted By: barrysloate

I think the Red Sox very well may be done. Haven't a clue though who will take the series. The Rockies long layoff can hurt their momentum.

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Posted By: John Kalafarski

As a Red Sox fan, it is clear to me that they are done. They have a fatal flaw: as an organization, they have a philosophy (which they get from Bill James) of not wasting outs through the practise of small ball (some would use the term inside baseball). They almost never use the sacrifice, or the hit and run. Case in point: in game two at Fenway, they had the winning run at second in the person of the speedy Jacoby Ellsbury with no outs in the 9th. They chose to hit away with their three outs which failed to score the run. They went on to loose the game in extra innings. All baseball is situational and to rule out, in this case, the strategy of the bunt Ellsbury to third or to hit to right and send the runner is shortsighted. Francona is playing it too close to the vest, playing not to loose and not to win. Beckett is also having tightness in his back and the Sox will not get out of Cleveland.

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Posted By: Dan P.

Quit your grumbling and complaining Ted. The yankees prevented a 4 way division series sweep. So to all you yankee, angel, and fillie fans, wait till next year. GO ROCKIES!

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Posted By: Rob NYC

The pendulum is swinging their way. They are getting hot and won't go cold like the Rockies are getting while waiting for this series to finish. The wait is taking away the Rockies' momentum.

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Posted By: John Kalafarski

As a Red Sox fan I saw the Rockies come into Fenway, I think they took 2 of 3, and they looked pretty good. Made contact with the bat and pitched and fielded well. But I never saw them again, so I need help. How will they beat the Sox? What should I look for in terms of team strengths?