NL West

And I thought Pat Burrell got no respect.

Miguel Tejada is arguably one of the greatest offensive shortstops the game has ever seen. He played in over 1,000 consecutive games. He's got over 300 lifetime home runs (four seasons with 30-plus) and over 1,000 RBI (six seasons with 100-plus). He was the 2002 American League MVP. And unlike many of today's sluggers, he doesn't "complement" his power with 100 annual Ks (only once, and in one season he struck out 48 times in nearly 700 PAs). 

Yet some fans are down on Tejada, even though the 2011 season is only days old.

View From the Rockpile: Musings from a Mile High along the Journey to Rocktober

Although Rocktober magic has made the club's recent slow starts a distant memory, the Rockies entered 2011 determined to get off on a better foot than in previous seasons.

Coming off of a less than stellar 7-11 2010 record against the divisional rivals, the Los Angeles, Dodgers, the Rockies welcomed an early season opportunity to make a statement that they are a force to be reckoned with in the 2011 Wild Wild NL West.

The Colorado Rockies completed a two-game sweep of their division rival Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday afternoon to take a half-game lead in the NL West over the San Diego Padres.

Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki hit a two-run shot in the fourth and first baseman Todd Helton added a solo bomb to right field, driving in three combined runs. Tulowitzki now has two homers in as many nights, while Helton's home run was his first of the year.

When San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow was slammed to the ground and kicked repeatedly in the head in the parking lot at Dodgers Stadium during Opening Day last week, the news garnered national attention.

Today, the Dodgers have taken steps to address their overall stadium security.

The San Francisco Giants World Champion Trophy Tour made a stop at Chukchansi Park in Fresno California on April 5, 2011.

Chuckhansi Park is home of the Fresno Grizzlies, the Triple A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.

Even though the tour stop was in Grizzlies country, the day was all about Giants fans. 

The gates were supposed to open at 12:00 pm. With the line threatening to stretch all the way down the street and around the corner, the staff was forced to open up at 11:30 am.

When one of my favorite teams loses a big game, I’ve been known to do things of which I’m not proud: I’ve cried, I’ve thrown remote controls and cell phones and I’ve even punched inanimate objects. But it’s never even crossed my mind to beat the hell out of a supporter of the opposing team. 

Brian Wilson Video Shows San Francisco Giants Closer's Beard Having a Life of Its Own

If you needed any further proof that San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson is from another planet, ESPN's latest This Is SportsCenter commercial has just confirmed it.

In the video, Wilson gives ESPN anchors an inside look at his "game face" and why opposing hitters do indeed "Fear the Beard."

It seems like only yesterday when Canadians were running wildly around the streets of Vancouver screaming hysterically and climbing up street signs in order to get above the shaking ground. 

The city had just experienced its first major earthquake in over 64 years. The epicenter was located about 800 miles south of the border in a small American city where 90 percent of the population stood watching their television screens with wobbling knees.

View From the Rockpile – Musings From a Mile High Along the Journey to Rocktober

A Weekly Colorado Rockies Report – By Michael Paul

April 4, 2011

Mother Nature likes to play tricks on you, especially when you live in Colorado.

One day after the Colorado Rockies took the field to unseasonably high temperatures for Denver in April, they were forced to put their Opening Week series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks on ice. Literally.

Freezing temperatures and driving snow and rain forced the Rockies to postpone their rubber match with the Diamondbacks on Sunday, sending many expecting a game home frustrated.