Today, baseball stadiums that have sat empty for months will once again roar with the sounds of screaming fans.
For the stadium that sits on the corner of 20th and Blake in Denver, expectations are higher than in recent memory.
The Colorado Rockies in 2010 were the baseball equivalent of Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities."
In the case of the Rockies, however, it was a tale of two seasons. In the first half of the season, the offense looked very strong, defense was lights-out and the pitching was among the best in baseball. Ubaldo Jimenez threw the first no-hitter in Rockies history, and all signs were looking up.
Then the All-Star Break hit.
All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki broke his wrist in June, third baseman Ian Stewart couldn't hit a wiffle ball off a tee, Todd Helton once again disappointed and Jimenez forgot to come back from a brilliant All-Star showing in Anaheim, Calif. The Rockies lost 13 of their last 14 games to finish an uncharacteristic nine games back in the NL West race and a disappointing 83-79 overall.
General manager Dan O'Dowd knew something had to change if the Rockies were going to make the jump to perennial World Series contender.
Six months and $275 million later, the Rockies had resigned what some say is the best 3-4 combination in baseball in Tulowitzki, who will be with the Rockies until at least 2020, and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, who will be in the purple pinstripes until 2017 at the earliest.
The Rockies also looked outside their organization and signed many key free agents. Utility man Ty Wigginton comes to Denver from the Orioles and could prove to be the key acquisition this offseason. He can play first and third base and the outfield. He will be key, especially if Stewart struggles again this season.
Infielder Jose Lopez comes to LoDo from the Mariners, and can play either shortstop or second or third base. He and infielder Jonathan Herrera will split time at second to start the season, and either can be key coming off the bench.
Catcher Jose Morales comes to the Rockies from the Twins and will serve as Chris Iannetta's backup should Iannetta falter again this year.
"Mr. Rockie" Todd Helton had a solid spring and should bounce back from a tough 2010, which was plagued by back problems, to enjoy a solid year, but it won't be anything spectacular. Right-hander Aaron Cook will miss at least a month due to a broken finger, putting his debut off until at least May. Esmil Rogers will take his spot in the rotation until then.
A strong bullpen, highlighted by new addition Matt Lindstrom, several talented new bats and the customary strong defense should have the Rockies riding high this year.
Their mantra all spring has been "Playoffs or Bust," and with this team being much better than last year's on paper, that's a goal well within reach. It's easy to predict 90 wins, their first-ever NL West division title, and a nice "Rocktober" run for this team.
If the Rockies have a strong April, watch out for this team. If they can hit as well on the road as they can at Coors Field, watch out for this team. If CarGo and Tulo perform at the levels we know they can, watch out for this team.
Enjoy this season, fans, as 2011 could very well prove to be a season for the ages.
— Ben Warwick is a sophomore journalism major and a sports reporter for The Mirror.
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