I've decided that the only way I am going to work out of this malaise is forcing myself to start looking for positives. Is the current rapidly escalating disaster merely a return to previous standards, or is this an entirely different situation and franchise first, the genuine rebuilding season? The kind where something had actually been built to begin with? Time will tell. I know a few Rockies who are willing to take the optimistic side, and a few is more than there were this time last year.

Today Colorado went down in defeat 3-2 in 10 to the Giants, completing their second series loss to San Francisco. The preseason buzz had it that the dreadful Giants would be the only team with no chance to win the NL West. The Giants are indeed dreadful, and yet they're in third place, since the Rockies and the Padres have been even worse.

The Rockies are stealing bases like it's going out of style, which indeed it did -- in 1989. The Colorado broadcasters are talking about the team's baserunning being a bright spot this season, and blaming the hitters behind them for the team's offensive problems, in the rerun of the game from this afternoon that I'm kind of forcing myself to watch right now. I don't agree. The Rockies had a very good baserunning team last year, and this year they're not so sharp. That has something to do with the injury merry-go-round, and something to do with the fact that players are pressed into taking risks when their team isn't scoring runs.

But here's another positive thing about Willy Taveras: he made the ninth spot on ESPN's list of the game's best basestealers. Jerry Crasnick couldn't help but make a disparaging remark about Willy in his writeup, but I won't repeat it nor make a crack of my own. I've decided that I like Willy Taveras now. Hate breeds hate, and... his numbers kind of speak for themselves.