The plan for today is to keep in line with yesterday’s Rockpile by using the words “coronavirus” or “COVID” as little as possible. With that in mind, I’ve decided it is best to start off with news in that area so that we can get it over with and move on to positive Rockies moments.
Dr. Anthony Fauci promotes fan-free return for sports | ESPN
The lack of fans at sporting events if/when they return seems to be inevitable at this point. Last week found that 72% of Americans would not attend a sporting event before a vaccine was created.
The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, indicated that the only way to have sports this summer will be with empty stadiums. It seems like the scientific recommendations align pretty well with what the American public is thinking.
Empty stadium baseball > no baseball
The article also highlighted Dr. Fauci’s desire to watch the defending champion Nationals... uhhhh I think he’s got his eyes on the wrong team.
Note: I live in Washington, DC...but still
A year ago today: Marquez throws 1-hit shutout | MLB.com
Just one year (and one day) ago, German Marquez took a no-hitter into the eighth inning at Oracle Field against the San Francisco Giants.
That’s seven fewer hits than the Nationals allowed on the exact same day last year when they gave up four runs in a loss to the Pirates! Sounds like the Rockies have the edge here, Dr. Fauci.
If you think picking one random day to claim superiority for a 71-91 team over a defending World Series champion seems like the incorrect way to do it, you’re probably right.
Maybe we should aim for something a little less arbitrary...
Oh what’s that? You want to talk about third basemen? Sounds good to me.
Best third basemen in Rockies history | MLB.com
While the man occupying the first slot in this ranking is no surprise, what are the odds that the topic of third basemen came up so organically in this debate, right as I stumbled across this article? Crazy!
Nolan Arenado is the easy number one here and is followed up by other Rockies greats Vinny Castilla (second) and Garrett Akins (third).
The rankings highlight the fact that Nolan has seven Gold Gloves in a row to start his career. That exceeds the Nationals franchise’s Gold Glove total of two for any position! Even if they’ve only been a team since 2005, Nolan has more Gold Gloves than a 15-year-old franchise...not bad!
Alright Dr. Fauci, the data is in. We look forward to seeing you rocking some purple when baseball comes back to, presumably, empty stadiums.