Baseball season is now officially close enough that we can smell the Tornadoughs. The Monster Nachos are incubating in their Monster eggs. Captain Earthman is being defrosted from his cryogenic hibernation tube underneath the LF Pavilion. Driving by Coors Field starts to get you excited rather than wistful.
Seems the new facilities have the players just as excited as well. Jim Armstrong gives us an early look at the player reactions to the facilities. Felipe Paulino seemed incredibly impressed, to the point of maybe even needing a map to get around - his words, not mine.
Thomas Harding chimes in as well with the same reactions: the facilities are gigantic, beautiful, impressive, and downright luxurious.
Harding and Armstrong both made mention of Dexter Fowler's early arrival. Armstrong reports that Fowler intends to add bunting to his repertoire and make better use of the titanic gaps in Coors Field. As well he should.
"I just want to get on base," said Fowler.
THAT, right there, is what I want to hear out of my leadoff hitter. THAT, right there, boys and girls, should be the exact sentiment you hear from every good leadoff hitter. Get on base, and let the rest of the team drive you in. Do that, I like that. Everyone likes that.
Last bit about the stadium. Jim Armstrong (who else? Renck hasn't arrived yet!) thinks the new stadium and all of that will bring a new energy to the fanbase and might just set Spring Training attendance records for the Rockies.
Athalon Sports gives a preview of the 2011 Rockies. It's nothing we haven't seen before (because we all got so bored this offseason we discussed roughly everything imaginable into the ground), but they figure the Rockies will finish 2nd in the NL West to ... someone. They haven't finished their previews yet.
Jim Armstrong puts up a piece for the Oklahoman about Matt Lindstrom being ready and excited to pitch for Colorado. Littered with references to oddities in the form of baseball injuries, Armstrong basically breaks down how Lindstrom is going to fit into the 2011 Rockies bullpen, and more or less confirms that should Huston Street's voodoo doll get stabbed again, Lindstrom would take over the closing duties.
Tristan Cockcroft of ESPN.comsuggests that Jhoulys Chacin may be as talented as Ubaldo Jimenez. I certainly hope he's right, because that would be downright disgusting.