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The 13th is Bad Luck for Sportswriters, Apparently
2005-05-13 08:43
by Mark T.R. Donohue

There's a certain rhythm to weblogging that is best to remain in to keep one's figurative curveball metaphorically popping, but sometimes your usual link haunts just don't produce. You can go read the generic roundups produced by the Post and News (or heck, the Arizona Republic) this morning if you want to, but I can save you the trip: they lost. Shawn Chacon deserved better. Royce Clayton tap-dances on moonbeams. And so on.

ESPN.com seems to really like the Diamondbacks; they have two stories currently running, one that explains how middle infielders with good gloves and no bats are making them "contenders," another examining the resurgence of Javier Vasquez, who the Rockies won't face in this series. Let me tell you right now: Craig Counsell, Chris Snyder, and Clayton would have to play defense like Ryne Sandberg, Johnny Bench, and Mark Belanger to overcome their slugging percentages of .365, .329, and .296 respectively. That's right, Royce Clayton is slugging .296. At the moment there are 23 pitchers in the National League hitting harder.

The Dodgers are the class of this division. The Diamondbacks have scored 12 fewer runs than they've allowed, and their record is inflated by the fact that they've played 22 at home and only 14 on the road. (Los Angeles is the only team in the NL West with a winning record away from home.) If anyone is going to threaten the Dodgers, it's going to be San Diego or San Francisco if they can somehow hang around .500 until The Barry gets back. My point is, the Rockies better win today. Doing so would bring them to an even 8-8 at Coors. Let's not talk about their road record.

If there wasn't enough pressure on the young Rockies already, evidently their poor performance is destroying the economy of downtown Denver. These guys cannot catch a break.

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