Rockies Techno-Nerdgasm

via i304.photobucket.com

Since Purple Row is a community of Nerds, Scholars and Wannabe GMs, we're all tapped into the wireless network of baseball information. I thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite ways to follow the Rockies through the Power of Technology! So what favorite tech toys do you use to follow the Rockies? Here are mine:

What the Heck is a Twitter?

If you haven’t gotten on the twitter bus yet, and you like to follow breaking news, then your boarding call is now. Besides the instant updates, my favorite part of the twitter is interacting directly with writers and baseball players. I once had a long discussion about pitching prospects with Asheville outfielder Delta Cleary on my lunch break. Sometimes people respond and sometimes they don’t, but it’s always fun to find new people to follow. A tip  is once you find someone you like (aka stalk); then click on the people they follow. It’s a good way to build up a network.

Here are my favorite tweeters:

@ TroyRenck 

Has that Ricky Bobby feel -- That just happened

~ 4:25 PM Aug 25th via TweetDeck

@davidchood 

Blackmon is really dialed in at the plate right now, hitting line drives to all fields against lefties and righties. Could break out in AFL

~ Mon Aug 23 2010 20:15:13 (Mountain Daylight Time) via Twitterrific

@CBakeThirty3 

The short season bus driver is driving like he is in Days of Thunder. I hope the next 3 1/2 hours go smoother or this may be my last tweet.

~ 12:56 AM Aug 25th via Twitter for BlackBerry®

@ PoseidonsFist 

Predicted Chacin would go 17 batters Sun. w/o allowing a hit. He went 21. I need a nickname at Purple Row-better than "The Schwami" #Rockies

~ 8:11 AM Aug 23rd via web

The Facebook isn't my favorite medium, but there are still a few Rockies people that are fun to follow on the FB; namely Alanna Rizzo and Eric Young Jr.  EYJ usually retweets his FB posts, but he also tends to answer more of his FB followers.

My Android phone helps me to follow the Rockies even while at work. These are a few of my favorite Apps to use:

ScoreCenter by ESPN – FREE!  

PROS

Provides game in game updates like Gameday with instant stats. Can be customized to only show your favorite teams at startup. Gameticker runs at the bottom for instant East Coast bias updates.

CONS

Not many. No video yet that I’ve found.

 This is a nice app which is easy to use and provides basic sports information. Video access would be nice.

Pioneer Ball – FREE!

PROS

Provides daily articles about teams in the Pioneer league. The articles are well written and I really enjoy the photos that are available.

CONS

The schedule button allows the user to look backwards but doesn’t have a way to look at future games, at least not that I’ve found yet. Video would be nice too.

It’s hard to find game photos of Casper’s players and this app has access to some good shots. The game summaries are well written and I’ve really enjoyed being able to follow the Pioneer players this year.

MLB At Bat 2010 – cost $15

PROS

Live radio broadcasts available for every game. It also allows access to Gameday on a mobile device.

CONS

No video. According to comments the audio cuts out quite often and the app can drain the battery if left open for long periods of time.

Seriously MLB, you’re charging $15 for something the NFL gives away for free? Baseball could learn from the NFL’s package where you get free video highlights with your scores and updates. Also Verizon customers can watch the NFL network on their mobile device. It would sure be nice to watch MLB network since my local cable provider doesn’t carry it.

For those without a smart phone:

MLB Scores - Text 65246

Text a team's name to this number and within 30 seconds a reply text is received with the score, pitch-count and an update on baserunners. If a game is not being played then the previous games score is sent via text message along with the time and date of the next scheduled game.