No Coincidence

Tell me that I've been dreaming. Tell me that I didn't see what I think I just saw two nights ago. Tell me that the National League Championship Series is still going on. And that the Colorado Rockies were eliminated after a nice run during the month of October.

Tell me this is true because I heard an unbelievable story two days ago. I heard that the Rockies won the National League pennant. I know, I know, that's impossible.

It's impossible because the Rockies were just four games over .500 on September 15. It's impossible because the Rockies were nine games under .500 (18-27) in May. It impossible because the Rockies were six games out in the wild-card race in September and 4½ games back in that wild-card race with only nine games to play. It's impossible because the Rockies were two games behind with two games to play.

It must be possible because the Colorado Rockies just accomplished this improbable feat. The Rockies were almost eliminated during the regular season, having to watch that Padres team they were trying to catch get within one strike of clinching. The Rockies came from two runs behind in the 13th inning of the 163rd game of the year, a game they never should have had a chance to play in the first place. The Rockies have won 21 out of 22 games during this stretch to become one of the hottest teams to ever play the game. Only five teams during the past 70 years have had as good a record, and no team has ever done it during a stretch run.

During this streak the Rockies became just the second team in history (along with the 1976 Big Red Machine) to sweep its first two postseason series in any given October. Tell me I didn't just see all this! Jayson Stark from ESPN calls the story of the Rockies "one of the most historic, most astonishing, most compelling stories in baseball history."

What can all this be attributed to? Has God all of a sudden become a Rockies fan? Doubtful! Dumb luck? I don't think so. Perhaps the June 1, 2006 USA Today story about the Rockies will give us some insight. I encourage you to take the time to read the story in it's entirety. Here are some quotes from the article

"We had to go to hell and back to know where the Holy Grail is. We went through a tough time and took a lot of arrows," says Rockies chairman and CEO Charlie Monfort, one of the original owners. Monfort did, too. He says that after years of partying, including 18 months' probation for driving while impaired, he became a Christian three years ago. It influenced how he wanted to run the club, he says. "We started to go after character six or seven years ago, but we didn't follow that like we should have," he says. "I don't want to offend anyone, but I think character-wise we're stronger than anyone in baseball. Christians, and what they've endured, are some of the strongest people in baseball. I believe God sends signs, and we're seeing those."

Hurdle (the Rockies Manager), 48, who says he became a Christian three years ago, says of the team's devotion: "We're not going to hide it. We're not going to deny it. This is who we are." While praising their players, Rockies executives make clear they believe God has had a hand in the team's improvement. "You look at things that have happened to us this year," O'Dowd (Rockies General Manager) says. "You look at some of the moves we made and didn't make. You look at some of the games we're winning. Those aren't just a coincidence. God has definitely had a hand in this."

This article was written in 2006. The Rockies averaged 91 losses a year through the 2005 season. Top management makes an emphasis on recruiting character and honoring God off and on the field. And the Rockies are going to the World Series one year later in one of the most incredible runs in baseball history. Perhaps this isn't a coincidence after all!