Recently, Josh Hamilton had a relapse in his battle with drug addiction. The story has been out there for a few days now and you've probably read all about it, so I'll spare the details. As the story broke, many different writers had many different things to say. Some were critical of Hamilton, thinking him foolish for even setting foot in the bar. Some were compassionate and forgiving. Some praised his candid press conference. The reaction from non-media types (aka, my friends) has been even more varied. A scroll through my Facebook news feed the day the story broke had people questioning whether he meant his faith, as well as some who were going to support him no matter what (many of my friends are Christians, so their comments were mostly directed towards his very public faith).

Having read many of these different viewpoints has helped me to better understand the issue. It has always been a personal issue for me; my father was an addict for the early part of my life. I knew that he was an addict, but I didn't know the extent. A little over a year ago, my father died in a car accident, and I learned some things about his struggle with addiction that he had kept secret. After the jump, I'll share a little about that and why I think Josh Hamilton's battle with drug addiction can be a wonderful thing for public understanding. (Oh, and this isn't exactly Rockies-related, other than a passing Neifi Perez reference. Sorry.)

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The goal of this FanPost is to highlight the different levels at which we can view a baseball game. Since music is my primary background, many of the analogies are from music theory, but I will try to explain them so you don't have to have taken 5 years of college classes to understand them. So, here goes!

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Greetings all!  I'm from Ohio (and therefore a Blue Jackets fan [and that's the only mention they'll get in this post]), but this past summer, I had the opportunity to work in Nashville.  I was a worker at a Christian youth camp at Belmont University, and we took high school students from all over the country into the Nashville community to help with a number of things: construction and repair, assisting summer children's programs at community centers, serving at food pantries, singing at nursing homes, etc. 

One of things I got to do was work in a couple of the community centers with inner-city kids.  Two of them specifically, CE Macgruber Center, and Watkins Park Community Center, were impacted very strongly by the Predators organization this summer.  Children at both of these places were taken to the Preds practice facility, given tours, and were allowed to skate around some.  I saw pictures of some of the kids on the ice with people in Preds gear (I don't know if they were players, but the kids were obviously very excited about it), and the Predators donated a bunch of drawstring backpacks to them (they gave me one too even though I didn't get to go on their field trip!).

The building at Watkins Park CC is also heavily influenced by the Predators, including a big logo painted on the office wall.  They have many roller skates there, and often turned their gym into a skate park.  A few of the younger kids who were scared of skating were convinced to pretend that they were Predators players and turned out to enjoy it very much.

Basically, this post is to say that I really admire the impact that Nashville's franchise has on the community, especially the less privileged parts.  I'll still be rooting against you when you come to Columbus, but it was very nice to see firsthand how hockey is helping to bridge a cultural gap in a community in need of help.

With last night's loss to the Diamondbacks, the Rockies fell back into a 3rd-place tie with the Dodgers, 12 games out of first.  Like most of us, I'm looking forward to the future, ready to see some of our prospects get called up, and hoping O'Dowd addresses needs in the off-season.  I'm also wondering what baseball is going to look like with all the talk of realignment, so I created a few suggestions on just how MLB should do it.  Please let me know if I should send any of these to the commish.

Proposal 1: Realignment by Time Zone

This realignment would keep geographic rivalries intact.  There could be an unbalanced schedule for teams within the same division.  There would be four divisions, with the winner of each division making the playoffs.  You could throw in a few wild card teams too.  The East division could keep the DH, everyone else play by NL rules.  The divisions would look like this:

East: Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Blue Jays, Rays, Indians, Tigers, Phillies, Braves, Mets, Nationals, Marlins, Reds, and Pirates

Central: White Sox, Royals, Twins, Rangers, Brewers, Cardinals, Cubs, Astros

Mountain: Rockies

West: Angels, Athletics, Mariners, Padres, Giants, Diamondbacks, Dodgers

The Rockies scheduling could be lumped in with the West for balancing purposes.  Of course, the Rockies would make the playoffs every year, but that's really just a reward for them having to travel more than anyone else to even the closest road games.

Proposal 2: Realignment by Team Name

This proposal would group divisions based on what the team nickname is, with divisions having categories.  Unfortunately, there are some team names that I'm not sure what exactly they are (Nationals?  Is that akin to a patriot or is that the general concept of a country pluralized?), so there is an Other category, but if Selig wanted to make a different one, that would be fine with me.  the divisions would look like this.  I don't know how the DH would work in this one, just abolish it for all I care.

Animals: Orioles, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Tigers, Marlins, Cubs, Diamondbacks

People: Yankees, Twins, Royals, Rangers, Mariners, Brewers, Pirates,  Dodgers, Padres

Disadvantaged People Groups: Indians, Braves

Natural Features: Rockies, Rays (Rays has been rebranded as Rays of sunlight, right?  No longer in the animal division?)

Clothing: Red Sox, White Sox, Reds (short for Redlegs)

Other: Nationals, Angels, Phillies, Mets, Astros, Athletics ,Giants (I think of Giants as more mythical creatures than just really tall people)

Proposal 3: Realignment by Payroll

This proposal would be flexible from year to year, but we can keep the current 6 divisions and group them by five, where the top 5 payrolls would be in a division together.  I'm not really sure what kind of behavior this would motivate among GM's, but it'd be interesting to see.  That would make the current divisions something like this:

First Tier: Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox, Angels, White Sox

Second Tier: Cubs, Mets, Giants, Twins, Tigers

Third Tier: Cardinals, Dodgers, Rangers, Rockies, Braves

Fourth Tier: Mariners, Brewers, Orioles, Reds, Astros

Fifth Tier: Athletics, Nationals, Blue Jays, Marlins, Diamondbacks

Sixth Tier: Indians, Padres, Pirates, Rays, Royals

That Third Tier division is nasty. We either need to add payroll or cut some, because the 2nd and 4th tiers are much less competitive.

Should any of these be sent to Bud Selig?

Here's the situation: you are a manager of a Major League baseball team.  Before a game, you are visited by a genie.  The genie offers you a situation or statistical tidbit that he can make happen.  You have no idea what the outcome of the game will be beforehand.  Your job is to consider if the statistic or situation would be a good thing and you have to decide whether or not you would accept this.  I offer a few scenarios below.  You decide if you would accept these if you were given the choice (also say why).  If you'd like to suggest a few situations of your own, please do so.  Each one of these is its own situation...think of them as being for separate games.  Also, you do not necessarily have the Rockies roster (and your starting pitcher is unknown.  Some of these would be influenced by who you have starting).

1.) Your team will have the same number of hits as your starting pitcher does strikeouts.

2.) Every spot in your lineup will have exactly 4 plate appearances.

3.) Every spot in your opponent's lineup will have exactly 4 plate appearances.

4.) You will have a reliever pitch two innings.

5.) You will have Felipe Paulino pitching in a save situation.

6.) Your opposing team will put together a lineup entirely of right-handed batters.

7.) You will ground into the same number of double plays as your opponent has home runs.

8.) You will have more runs than hits.

9.) You will use exactly three relief pitchers.

10.) Your 5-9 hitters will have more hits than your 1-4 hitters.

Remember, the genie appears to you before the game and you have to make your decision before the game as well.  If you accept the situation, he will make it come true.

One of the promotions that some baseball clubs has been running is the "Faith Day."  It's definitely a mutually beneficial promotion, as the team can pack the stadium with Christians and a Christian artist gets a packed stadium to play to.  It's definitely a family friendly promotion.  A quick Google searched told me that Casting Crowns is playing the Rockies' Faith Day on August 21 (the 7th year of Faith Day).  My question is: have you ever been to a faith day and what did you think of it?

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In a press conference following the Rockies-Pirates game in Pittsburgh on Thursday, manager Jim Tracy revealed what many observers had already been suspecting. 

"Ubaldo Jimenez was the starting pitcher today.  Esmil Rogers started on Opening Day," explained Tracy.

In a move that Denver Post writer Jim Armstrong described as "brilliant" and "intricate," the Rockies had disguised Esmil Rogers as Jimenez on his April 1 start.  Rogers reportedly spent over three hours in makeup alone.

"Rogers had been working with Dac (hitting coach Bob Apodaca) all spring to get the delivery right.  He couldn't quite get his velocity up to Ubaldo's, but somehow we played it off as an injury and no one questioned it," said Tracy.  "A straight fastball topping out at 96?  Trademark Rogers!"

Tracy said that the decision to wait until after Thursday's game to reveal the joke made it more effective.  He wanted Ubaldo to get a start in before they made the prank public.  After "Rogers" pitched 7 1/3 innings of 1-run ball, it became clear that the Rockies couldn't keep up the facade.

"Ubaldo amazes me sometimes," said shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.  "To come out and pitch that well trying to get used to having facial hair just speaks to the talent he has."

"Putting 'Ubaldo' on the DL was great too," said Tracy.  He later revealed that it was actually reserve infielder Jonathan Herrera who was put on the 15-day DL, retroactive to March 22.  Herrera has no known injury, but has been held out of action to leave the roster spot open.  He will return to the Rockies this weekend.  Greg Reynolds will be sent back to Colorado Springs after getting in one last tuneup start against the Pirates on Saturday.

Tracy also revealed some other jokes the team pulled.  Tulowitzki's walk-up song of "Firework," by Katy Perry, which is a horrible song that nobody likes, was replaced days later by the much more fan-friendly "Baby," by Justin Bieber.  The whole team also pulled a prank on the Diamondbacks by hitting poorly against their bullpen.  Ian Stewart's claim that striking out in his pinch-hit at bat was a joke was quickly dismissed by Tracy.

"Nice try, Ian," he said.  "April Fools' Day was last week."

I live near Cincinnati, but I'm a big-time Rockies fan.  It's hard being a fan of an out-of-market team (unless, God forbid, you enjoy the Red Sox or Yankees).  Mostly, the local media doesn't cover your team at all, and your only sources of Rockies news is what you dig for yourself on the Internet.  The only things anyone in this area knows about the Rockies come from one-paragraph write-ups in the newspaper, and the annual Coors Field massacre, where Reds teams get ceremonially destroyed.  Over the past couple years, I've discovered some tricks that have made this season by far the most enjoyable yet.

1.) MLB.TV

Hands down, the most important thing for out-of-market games.  Even if it means having to watch FSNRM personalities singing 70s/80s tunes in a falsetto, I've gotten to see some of the most exciting moments in real time.  Chris Nelson's steal of home was beautiful, but even more so because I was watching the game with a couple Reds fans.  I haven't got to watch every game, but I've definitely got my money's worth from that service.

2.) Befriend a Rockies fan.  If there are none, convert one.

This is solely for social interaction, because sports are much more fun to take in with other people.  I converted my girlfriend into a Rockies fan (she had never watched baseball until this year, but now she watches games on MLB.TV even when I'm not there).  The first game she saw was Iannetta's walk-off against the Mets.  The second one was Ubaldo's no-hitter.  I think her conversion into a baseball/Rockies fan was destiny. 

3.) Live within a few hours of a National League stadium.

I know this one's tough because a lot of times you can't control where you live.  If you live near an NL stadium though, the Rockies will be coming to town at least once a year.  I was out of town when the Rockies came through this year (a 2-month job in Mississippi and I came back right at the end of the 2-9 road trip), but I did get the opportunity to see a couple games live.  My girlfriends first live game was the Civil Rights Game (Reds vs. Cardinals...I wrote a FanPost about it earlier.  The game ended on a runner being thrown out at the plate.  Again, it was fate for her to love baseball).  Going to games is such a fun experience that any true baseball fan needs to do at some point during every season.

4.) Scout your Rockies for fantasy purposes.

Troy Tulowitzki, first round.  Ubaldo Jimenez, eighth round.  Carlos Gonzalez, 12th round.  No Dodgers players.  Having Rockies in fantasy baseball gives a dual reason to root for them.  It helps that those guys completely own. 

5.) Own Rockies things, display them publicly.

I went to a Reds/Rox game in 2008.  They gave out bobblehead dolls of Adam Dunn in a leisure suit (it was 80s night or something.  The dolls were creepy.)  A Reds fan approached me and asked if I would sell him the bobblehead doll for his son for $5.  It gave me a 25% discount on my ticket.  He only asked me because I was wearing a Rockies t-shirt and knew I would probably have no use for that doll.  Dunn got traded the next week too.  Point is, if you support the Rockies, good things will happen no matter where in the country you are!  If you have any suggestions for long-distance fandom, let me know!

I feel that most of the "If I were a GM for the Rockies" threads have had one thing in common:

A complete and utter disregard for the needs and desires of the other teams involved in trades. 

It seems to me that most of the trade scenarios that have played out are video-game quality.  So if I were GM for the Rockies, these are some of the trades I would make (the first one is an actual trade I made on MLB 09 The Show)

First, I'd trade Ryan Spilborghs and Todd Helton to the Twins for Justin Morneau and a AA minor leaguer.  It doesn't really matter who the minor leaguer is, he's just thrown in to keep the rosters even.

I'd probably have to trade Jonathan Herrera and Kaz Matsui for Robinson Cano next.

After that, since the Rangers need starting pitching, we should trade Aaron Cook to them for Cliff Lee.

Ian Stewart's trade value is probably high after tonight's 2 HR, 6 RBI game.  Maybe we can trade him straight up for Evan Longoria.

To fill out the rotation, we really ought to trade Jeff Francis to the 1995 Braves for Greg Maddux or Tom Glavine.

To fill in at shortstop until Tulo gets back, we can trade Barmes to the Marlins for Hanley Ramirez.

And if we're worried about prospects, we can just "create a player" and put him in Road to the Show.  He'll fill in well at Tulsa for now.

What are some other trades that would turn the Rockies into a dynasty and getting other GM's to willingly implode their team for our benefit?

Let me preface this by saying that I'm a 22-year old middle-class white male.  I've never had to deal with any kind of racism and I have no idea what it must be like.  Keep that in mind if I ever sound naive in this post.

Last night (5/15), I was in Cincinnati for the Reds-Cardinals game.  I was at this game for a few reasons: A.) My girlfriend and I are avid baseball fans, especially for the Rockies. B.) She had never been to a game before in person.  C.) We live just a few hours away from Cincinnati so we wouldn't have to stay overnight.  D.) I will be working in Mississippi all summer, including the time when the Rockies play at Cincy.

Notice that none of these reasons include the fact that it was the Civil Rights Game.  I saw on the ticket that it said Civil Rights game, but I didn't think anything of it.  I just assumed it was something the Reds were doing to prove that they weren't racists.  I figured we'd get a Harriet Tubman bobblehead doll or something cheesy, they'd have a moment of silence for Civil Rights leaders, and then we'd play baseball and forget about it.

There was a little league parade a little before the game started, featuring teams in MLB's inner-city outreach program.  There were so many kids there, it basically stretched around the perimeter of the field.  It was fun to see that many kids excited about baseball, but I didn't think anything of it, really.

Then they introduced Harry Belafonte, Billie Jean King, and Willie Mays (!), who were receiving "Beacon of ___" awards from MLB, celebrating their roles in the advancement of the Civil Rights movement.  They had a player from the Negro Leagues there (I don't remember his name), and Hank Aaron (!), as well as some other prominent African Americans and/or women.  Throughout the game, they showed video tributes to Civil Rights leaders between the innings.

I have grown up in a time where racism certainly isn't eradicated, but is far less prevalent.  In theory, everyone has an equal chance at success.  I know that wealth distribution certainly isn't fair and that a lot of minorities don't get the opportunities that students from more affluent areas get.  I certainly don't understand what it's like to be persecuted because of race.

The Civil Rights Game called attention to some of the greats in baseball who really helped integrate the sport.  Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and others were all honored at the game.  Seeing videos and hearing stories about the things they went through: from locker room prejudices to death threats from fans.  These players were pioneers.  They risked their lives and their families' safety so that future generations could have the opportunity to play the game they love without fear.

In the past, I've rolled my eyes somewhat when Torii Hunter makes his latest claims about race, but he often has a  valid point.  Changes in baseball helped spark some of the Civil Rights movement in America in general, and all of us, regardless of race, should honor what they've done. 

I attended the Civil Rights game not thinking anything of it, but the events of the evening really helped put it into perspective.  My generation cannot fully understand just how important these men were to baseball and to the socio-cultural advancements of our nation, but events like the Civil Rights game are an important step to helping us catch a glimpse of what they meant.

Growing up in Southern Ohio, I was squarely in the middle of the Cincinnati Reds fanbase.  I don't know if it was my rebellious tendencies (I prefer to call it rampant, fully-developed individualism), but I decided that I was not going to share rooting interests with my family.  Since I was born in 1987, the Rockies and Marlins were created just as I was becoming aware of baseball.  As a result, I rooted for both of these new teams above anyone else.

For a few years, I passively followed both teams in the box scores (yes, as a 6-7 year old kid).  I pulled for the Rockies more because they always had more players towards the top of the statistics categories.  I had a Rockies shirt and shorts, but I did not yet bleed purple (it was still red at that point, which I suppose is more a result of biology than being in a Reds area).  Then on August 14, 1995, we took a family trip to Cincinnati to see the Rockies play the Reds.

Our seats were in the LF upper deck, 2nd row back.  Everyone in the area was decked out from head to toe in Reds gear.  But not me.  I used myself as a Rockies billboard, a proud picture of purple-painted proclamation.  Despite the bemused/annoyed looks of nearby Reds fans, I did not waver in my vocal support of Colorado.  And all of my fan/age-related idiocy paid off.

I don't remember what inning it was in, but as the Rockies outfielders were tossing the warm-up ball between innings, I kept trying to get Dante Bichette's attention.  When he was done soft-tossing with Ellis Burks, he would usually flip the ball into the LF bleachers.  I wanted a ball.  Later in the game, he turned his eyes toward the upper deck and pointed at me!  It had to be me as I was the only Rockies fan in the vicinity.  He threw the ball upwards, sailing over the railing, and.....right into the glove of the drunk, middle-aged Reds fan in the seat right in front of me.  As he high-fived his friends and I sulked, at THAT moment, I became a Rockies fan (and decidedly Anti-Reds.  I've loved the last few seasons).  Dante Bichette tried to make my baseball experience memorable, and he absolutely did.  Though I don't have the ball as a keepsake, I have the tickets, the box score (Reds 4-0 win...grrrr), and the memory of having a Rockies outfielder acknowledge me and try and give me a souvenir.

How about the rest of you?  At what moment did you KNOW that you were a Rockies fan?