Sweeeeep!

Condolences to Diamondbacks fans and congratulations to the Rockies who are, for the first time in franchise history, heading to the World Series.

For the record? They’ve won 21 of their last 22 games and this one ended up being quite dramatic.

Read about it.

D-Backs pitcher Micah Owings just gave up a three run homer to cap off a six run inning to a surging Rockies team that leaves the score 6-1. He knows what that means--everybody knows what it means. It means that the Diamondbacks have a much harder road to keeping from being swept. It means he might have just handed the Rockies the win. No player wants to feel that kind of responsibility. That young man just had a very bad day.

While he was walking off the field, though, his teammates were patting on the back, giving him what encouragement they can. Not an angry face, not a harsh word.

The Diamondbacks are a good team and a class organization. Owings will have much better days for them.

None of which changes the fact that I seem to be getting mighty comfortable on this bandwagon right now…

The Rockies swept the Phillies in grand fashion tonight. They won the first two games on the road and beat off a stingy Phillies in this third game, proving that their dramatic entry into this year’s playoffs was no fluke. This is just the second time that the Rockies have made the playoffs, and the first time that they have advanced past that first round. They did it not only by sweeping the Phillies, but by winning 17 or their last 18 games.

Congratulations to a persistent, scrappy team--and now I have to keep a promise. I’m climbing on the bandwagon and really looking forward to seeing the Rockies playing the Diamondbacks (the Rocks have a very slight edge in wins of the Diamondbacks this season). In case you hadn’t heard, it’s also worth noting the class of the organization in taking care of the widow and children of the coach from a farm team who died tragically earlier in the season.

The Colorado Rockies voted a full playoff share for the widow of minor league coach Mike Coolbaugh, killed by a line drive this season while coaching first base.

Some of the veteran players decided to award a full share to Amanda Coolbaugh. Their two sons, five-year-old Joseph and three-year-old Jacob, will throw out the first pitch in Game 3 at Colorado.

Coolbaugh was a first base coach for the Rockies’ Double-A affiliate, the Tulsa Drillers. The former major leaguer was killed July 22, when a line drive struck him in the head.

The climb onto the bandwagon feels pretty good when it’s for a bunch of guys like this.

Colorado is proud of the Rockies tonight--great job and congratulations to all the Rockies players.

A little sympathy does go out to Charlie Manuel’s team--they seem like a bunch of good guys and it’s always tough to see the looks on the faces on the losing side.

1. I like that the CU Buffs beat the #3 Sooners. Cool. Surprising. Signs of a resurgent CU team? I wouldn’t quite go that far yet, but it’s obviously going to be a better season than last year.
2. I like the idea of an “eternal net tax ban.” I’m not actually opposed to taxes and I do believe that the government at its many different levels does provide services that are valuable and necessary. But taxes are an eternal struggle--to keep politicians and bureaucratic growth in check, it’s the responsibility of citizens to tug money out of the pocket of the government when they have the chance. An eternal ban on Internet access taxes is one of those things that citizens should support to keep our money from flowing into government coffers (and because network access taxation would likely have an adverse effect on small businesses and consumers).
   

   “Preventing the taxation of Internet access will help sustain an environment for innovation, ensure that consumers continue to have affordable access to the Internet, especially high-speed Internet, and strengthen the foundations of electronic commerce as a vital and growing part of our economy,” they said.

   The officials’ statement is likely geared toward lighting a fire under a U.S. Senate committee scheduled to vote Thursday on a bill that would merely extend the tax ban for four more years, as opposed to making it everlasting. President Bush in the past has also advocated for the tax halt.

   If the moratorium is allowed to expire on November 1, states would be allowed to levy taxes on digital subscriber line, cable modem, wireless and even BlackBerry-type data services. They would also be free to charge different tax rates for goods sold on the Internet and goods sold offline. It’s unclear how many states would have immediate plans to enact such laws, though, if the ban lapses.

   Because none of the pending permanent tax ban bills has been called up for a vote in the Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday, a temporary extension appears more likely. That approach represents a compromise of sorts with state and local officials who have balked at the idea of never having the opportunity to revisit the potential for Internet access taxes as a revenue source. (Some states are still allowed to levy such fees because of “grandfather” provisions in existing law.)
   

3. I love my new iPhone. More about it later, but, damn, what a wonderful piece of kit.
4. Speaking of the net tax ban, I don’t like that quiet congressional inaction could kill the idea. In fact, it makes me cranky.
   

   If a lackadaisical Congress does nothing, in other words, Americans soon are likely to be paying more to local governments for the privilege of buying DSL and cable modem service. (These are some of the same local governments that have adopted as their motto: “If it exists, tax it. And then tax it some more.")

   Time’s running out. Sen. John Sununu, a New Hampshire Republican who does support renewing the moratorium, made a good point in a statement after the nonvote: “We introduced a bill to permanently ban Internet access taxes back in January. I just don’t understand the continued delay in action. The clock continues to tick, placing Internet tax freedom in real jeopardy.”

   You can blame the Democrats for this state of affairs. Not all of them in the Congress, to be sure, but if this was a priority for the Democratic leadership, Majority Leader Harry Reid would make this happen post-haste.
   

5. I really like the idea of BMW bringing back the Triumph marque. They did a damned fine job with the Mini. I doubt it will happen, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt my feelings.
6. I don’t like that TheDenverChannel.com was a little overzealous in protecting their copyright in relation to a story published by Trench. I understand their point; I just don’t agree with it.
7. I like that the Rockies are in the hunt for their first playoff spot since way back in ‘95. Although, to be fair, I’m pretty cranky that it has taken this long for them to really show the potential.

Once upon a time I had a small part of season tickets to Rockies games. The seats were great, I angled for a good mix of day and night games, and I cared very little about which teams were playing. I was seduced by the pure pleasure of those relaxed hours spent at Coors Field (one of the prettiest places to see a baseball game, I’d imagine).

Now, though, quite a few years later, I don’t just want to enjoy the day at the park. I want to see a competitive team--and the Rockies haven’t been that in a really long time.

So, I still go to the game (more because it means I get to play hooky than anything else) and I drink a drink, eat some junky, overpriced ballpark food, and cringe at just how tremendously bad the Rockies really are. For me, the tickets today were free. Thirteenth row almost directly behind home plate. What I don’t understand, though, is why some people still pony up for season tickets when the prices keep going up and the products stays consistently poor.

But the game does have one saving grace. One amazing saving grace.

Even better than watching the game is watching the girls at the game. Their blouses cut so low and their skirts cut so high that you can’t help but wonder if they are in a race to meet each other in the middle. Clingy summer dresses, pony tails, and miles and miles of beauty just waiting to be admired (if not precisely leered over--there is a difference, you know).

The game itself wasn’t worth the time, but the view might well have been worth whatever somebody paid for the season tickets I was mooching for the day.

It was definitely worth it for me.