Not much out there at all to write about, really, other than the fact that we're all still rejoicing over the National League finally gaining home field advantage for the World Series. Notes about the ASG, Jim Tracy being honored, and the passing of a legend to follow...
Rockies ace Jimenez helps NL reverse trend with first All-Star Game win since 1996 - The Denver Post
Troy Renck has some nice quotes from Ubaldo Jimenez and his NL teammates, as well as this one from Troy Tulowitzki:
"My memory will be winning, and Ubaldo's performance. I am proud of him...And I will always remember this atmosphere. I want to come back every year."
Big week for Ubaldo, as the All-Star will be attending the ESPYs tonight. I don't think he's up for any of the awards, but maybe we'll be in for some kind of surprise...who knows.
Also, at the bottom of the piece, Renck includes a detailed breakdown of each of the 25 pitches that Jimenez threw. He mostly sat at 98 MPH, and didn't throw a whole lot of off-speed stuff. However, when he did, they were his out pitches.
Ohio town gives Rockies manager Jim Tracy his own street | All Things Rockies
As was sort of discussed in the comments section of yesterday's Rockpile, Jim Tracy now has a street named after him in his hometown of Hamilton, OH. I imagine this is a pretty big special achievement for the Rockies' skipper, so I'll personally stick to giving credit where credit is due. However, you may insert your own clever joke in the comments.
George Steinbrenner, New York Yankees owner, dies at age 80 - ESPN New York
Also discussed at length in yesterday's Rockpile comments was the death of The Boss. Love him or hate him, there's no denying the impact he had on baseball over the past 40 years. And I'll leave you with one thing: despite how much hatred people may have for the Evil Empire and the way they do things (i.e. throwing truckloads of money at anybody willing to take it), the teams they have built over the past 15 years have pushed everyone else in baseball to be better. And, with the way they did it, the teams that didn't have the resources the Yanks did (read: all of them) were forced to come up with new and creative ways to stay competitive, a la your Colorado Rockies. Speaking of the Colorado Rockies, Steinbrenner nearly purchased them some 30 years ago - although, of course it wasn't the Rockies that play baseball. Rest In Peace.