Kid Rocks To Sock Dice-K

 

The Refuse To Lose Tour is now a recent memory. Rocktober doesn’t quite have the same feel to it that it had a week ago. The Colorado Rockies trail the Boston Red Sox 2-0 heading into tonight’s first-ever World Series game in Denver. It’s Dice-K versus The Dragon Slayer: Daisuke Matsuzaka for Boston and Josh Fogg for Colorado. Logic says Game 3 is a must win for the Rockies. Numbers tell the story. Of the 50 previous teams that have won the first two games of a World Series, 39 have gone on to win the title, including 11 of the last 12. Still, there is unbridled optimism in the Mile High City. “I don’t know if we’re more comfortable being down, but we’re maybe more comfortable than most people,” said Colorado veteran reliever Matt Herges. “We had to win 14 out of 15. If you don’t, there’s next year. And we did. Talk about backs against the wall. That’s why nobody’s panicking in here. It’s 2-0. We know that the first one to four wins. A lot of baseball’s left, and we’re at home.” So are the Rockies back in the saddle? Home cookin’ certainly has been good to the Rockies this year. Colorado was 51-31 at Coors Field in 2007, the National League’s best home record. In addition, the layoff excuse is two games past now. The Rockies bats are due to break out. Some how or other I don’t think Dice-K’s gyroball is going to prevent that from happening. Denver’s thin air will dull it’s mysterious dance. And there’s the dilemma of Boston having to sit Kevin Youklis, a .396 hitter in the playoffs, in favor of David Ortiz. The NL’s no-designated-hitter rule leaves Red Sox manager Terry Francona little choice but to play his usual DH and clutch star at first. “Big Papi,” not withstanding his hot bat, can be an adventure around the bag. I like the Rox tonight.