Dear Rockies Fan,
April 18th was very difficult. There's no two-ways about it. An 8-1 loss is tough to take, no matter who you are.
In the midst of this hard loss, there are a some things that bear repeating.
1. You're still 12-4, the best record in the Major Leagues.
2. You were facing the San Francisco Giants, who are still among the best in baseball, and are the defending World Champions. They won the title for a reason—there it was.
3. Not only were you playing the Giants, you were facing Tim Lincecum. Any way you look at it, he's good.
4. You're still three games up on the rest of the teams in the NL West.
5. Tomorrow's another day. You can't face Lincecum every day.
6. You didn't get no-hit. That always makes for a good day.
7. It's April. There's still plenty of time.
Fans, it's just one game. It's not the end of the world. Promise. There will be games when you fail to score a run until the eighth but there will also be games that you score eight runs in a single inning. Just take it in stride.
A word of warning, however. Expect the national media to jump on this. They'll call the Rockies frauds or nobodies or call the 12-3 start a fluke. Don't get frustrated by it. Yes, it's annoying because you, as fans, know the truth.
As a Rockies fan, however, you have to understand that this comes with the territory. Unless you're the Yankees, Phillies, or Red Sox, it's going to happen. Get used to it and just shrug it off.
The Giants are tough, it's true. Realistically, it was improbable to expect the Rockies to sweep them, even at Coors. To be the World Champions, you have to win on the road. They did.
No matter how diehard of a fan you are, you have to be able to look at things objectively. Sometimes it's hard, and that's why we in the media are here—to serve as a nice barometer for your devout fanhood.
And there's nothing wrong with your fanhood.
There are still many facts that remain, even after a tough loss.
You're still 12-4, which is the single best April start ever for this club and still good enough for best record in baseball. For those counting, that's eight games over .500 in a month where two games under that mark is impressive (see 2010).
Not to mention you're also still three games up on the division. You've held onto that lead for almost two weeks now. That's never happened in club history.
The Giants are still one of the best teams in baseball. They're still a favorite to make it back to the postseason. While you may be favored to win your division, you can't afford to take the Giants lightly. There's a reason they won it all last year. They're still very, very good.
As if it wasn't enough that you were facing the Giants, you were also going up against Tim Lincecum. He's won two Cy Young awards for a reason. Granted he historically hasn't thrown well at Coors but it wasn't like another impressive outing wasn't unexpected and it wasn't all your fault—everyone has a bad day.
Suck it up, learn your lessons, and move on. Tomorrow's another day. You can't face him every day. Just go out there and take care of business.
Two more things that should make you feel slightly better about the loss. One, you didn't get no-hit. It wasn't looking good there for a while but your team—the team you've had faith in for so long—came through and, while they didn't win, they avoided a black mark on their record.
Two, it's still April. There is plenty of time for the team to get back into the swing of things.
Cheer up, Rockies fans. Don't abandon ship. Your team needs you to believe in them now more than ever. This isn't the end of 2011. In fact, if the team rebounds like you know they can, this could be the wake-up call they need to not let this happen again.
Sincerely,
Your friendly barometer
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