Sunday Rockpile: Listening to bats cracking is like listening to ice breaking. Spring is here.

As this is the 100th anniversary of the Rite of Spring, it still seems fitting to me to make the comparison. I hope we have all filed the necessary legal paperwork to sacrifice our virgins and ensure a successful season for the Rockies. If not, you better get on that, the government can get a bit heavy-handed with the fines and what not for unauthorized sacrifices.

So far, though, there's nothing to complain about yesterday's results, even if they are without meaning. The reason for the sacrifices to be made are still churning underneath the frozen surface, though:

Troy Tulowitzki's leg, it needs to be healthy. That might require a couple of virgins to the baseball gods right there.

The Rockies rotation, it needs added help, which won't require virgins, but maybe Christian Friedrich as a piece to get Tampa Bay's Jeff Niemann.

Jason Giambi may need a Christian Friedrich of his own to sacrifice for one more year of playing, but he can't have the Rockies', they might need it to get Niemann. Troy Renck's article among other notes also points out that Dante Bichette has been working well so far as Rockies hitting coach.

The Rockies do seem fairly willing to sacrifice Ramon Hernandez, without much mentioned in the return offers category so far, so maybe they can pass the now backup catcher on to Giambi for use so long as the slugger takes on Hernandez's salary. Other notes from Thomas Harding include Walt Weiss preaching to the Rockies to become Blake St. Bullies (always better to be the ones not on the sacrificial alter) and a bit on Friday's intrasquad game. The note on LHP Nick Schmidt's performance could be important to file away in light of Edwar Cabrera's shoulder impingement. Cabrera's loss figures to have a shuffling effect in the Rockies minor league depth should a need arise in the MLB rotation (it will) and Schmidt figures to be a prime beneficiary of that.