#18 - Colorado Rockies - Jesus Is My Co-Pilot, But Can He Be My Center Fielder?

The Colorado Rockies are not your ordinary, sinful group of young, athletic men. No, they are guided by a higher power (and that's not a reference to sea level). In 2006, the Rockies became the first MLB team to publicly embrace a Christian-based code of conduct . Gone are swear words and mistresses. In are daily prayer meetings and Steven Curtis Chapman. David Wells must be appalled.

Now look, I think that it's great that the Rockies have actively embraced a solid moral code of conduct. It's a refreshing change from the daily stories that we see about athletes getting drunk, high, abusive, arrested, "making it rain," and/or embracing a thug mentality (or in the case of Pacman Jones, all of the above). However, there's always a danger with these types of codes that (1) there's constant prostelitizing by some on others who aren't receptive to the message, or (2) the team assumes that they're somehow preordained by a higher power to win a game. God doesn't care who wins a sporting event, period. God may allow you to perform to the maximum of your abilities, but winning or losing is a separate issue. If He did care about that, don't you think that Vegas would bet more heavily on Christians?

As to the first issue, the Rockies are saying all the right things in that they don't push their issues on others. Since I can't disprove this statement, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt (although I'm skeptical). However, they've already failed the second test. Here's what Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd said after the Rockies' surprising 2006 start:

"You look at things that have happened to us this year. You look at some of the moves we made and didn't make. You look at some of the games we're winning. Those aren't just a coincidence. God has definitely had a hand in this."

From that point on, the Rockies went 49-62. "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble... Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." James 4:6,10. Mr. O'Dowd, meet King James. King James, Mr. O'Dowd.

The Rockies are an interesting team, regardless of their inspiration. They have a good amount of young talent, and it looks like they're finally learning how to pitch in Coors Field (although the baseballs in the humidor probably help). Nonetheless, they're a team to watch. Will they win this year? Probably not, but in the weak NL West, you never know. Here's what to expect from the Rockies in 2007:

Biggest reason for hope: The Rockies have built a nice core of young players who will be together for years to come. Matt Holliday is already a star, and Brad Hawpe and Garrett Atkins are on the cusp of stardom. They also have a few good young pitchers (Jeff Francis, Aaron Cook) and a solid closer in Brian Fuentes, all of whom actually pitch well in Coors Field. They also stole Jason Hirsh and Taylor Buchholz from the Astros (for Jason Jennings), who both should be major players in the Rockies staff in the seasons to come.

Biggest potential nightmare: The pitching reverts to its pre-2006 days. For all the talent, this year's pitching may be more precarious than a human pyramid of drunks. While Colorado made the right move in dealing Jennings, Buchholz and Hirsh may not be able to contribute much in 2007. In order to be competitive, the Rockies are relying on guys like Brian Lawrence and Byung-Hyun Kim, which is Korean for "tape measure shot."

Player to watch: Todd Helton. Once the heart of the Rockies, he now may just be the spleen. Helton's lifetime OPS is an amazing 1.023, but in 2006 it was a career low .880. His home run total also dropped to 15. In the offseason, the Rockies explored dealing his gigantic salary to Boston. Was 2006 a one-year abberation due to a persisting stomach ailment, or is it the beginning of a steady decline of a 33 year-old hitter? Or has the Lord simply forsaken him?

Why do we still have to watch this player?: Kim. It seems like just yesterday he was weeping on the mound at Yankee Stadium, flipping off the Fenway faithful, and constantly whining about not being a starter. Well, the Rockies have granted him his wish. The results? Over the last two years, Kim is 13-24 with a 5.23 ERA. Something tells me that the fans in Arizona and Boston are nostalgic and saluting Kim for his work - with one finger.

Telling Statistic: Aaron Cook holds the franchise's all-time record for lowest career ERA at 4.58. Picking a great Rockies pitcher is like picking a great moment in Warren Harding's presidency.

Interesting fact signifying nothing: With the Diamondbacks changing their color scheme this year, the Rockies are the only team that uses purple as a major uniform color. Unfortunately, this has led to fashion oopsies like this, where the Rockies look like a bunch of Grimaces joining a motorcyle gang.

Projected record & finish: 80-82, 4th Place, NL West

Prediction that won’t come true but should: The Rockies go into September with the best record in baseball, but everything changes when the entire team is Raptured on September 10. The other 29 teams remain intact.