Colorado Rockies news and links for Thursday, October 10, 2024
Rivalries are an integral part of our sporting traditions. It’s not enough to just want your team to win games — no, you must really dislike your competition. The years of antagonism between teams such as the Bears and Packers, Liverpool and Manchester United, and the Bruins and Canadiens are well-documented.
Baseball, of course, has many such storylines as well. Yankees-Red Sox and Dodgers-Giants are just two of many examples of sustained conflict in the sport. But what about our Fightin’ Rockies? What franchise grinds their gears the most, sends their fans into a thrall of angry belligerents?
There are a few options, so let’s discuss them!
What about the Boston Red Sox? Recall that they were the ones that came into Denver and swept the Rockies out of their only World Series appearance. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they’ve also enlisted the services of former fan favorite shortstop Trevor Story (though, to be fair, that contract hasn’t exactly uh, paid dividends just yet).
Maybe it’s the Los Angeles Angels? After all, Colorado suffered the worst loss in their team’s history just last season at the hands of the Halos, and if that’s not a source of contention, I’m not sure what is.
Still, as compelling a case as these teams make, I don’t believe we could really say that the Rockies’ most bitter enemy would hail from the AL. Instead, the Colorado’s greatest rival must come from the National League, since that is the circuit to which they belong. The 15 teams here have all handed Colorado some losses, but some certainly sting more than others and leave a bit more of a lasting impression.
Take the Milwaukee Brewers, for instance. I mean, the Crew did slam the door shut on Colorado’s most recent postseason run, utterly spoiling what is arguably the most exciting playoff game in their history (sorry, Tony). That was an utter gut punch and, with the Brewers continuing to see success in recent years, it only makes sense that Denverites would love to see them lose.
Then there are the dreaded St. Louis Cardinals. They carry with them one of the most prolific Rockie-killers of all time in Paul Goldschmidt. His reign of terror has abated somewhat since his move out of the NL West, but many of the Coors faithful have nightmares of the hurt he used to put on their team. And then, of course, there’s St. Louis’s third baseman, whose rivalry with Colorado stretches far beyond the confines of the baseball field and into more personal territory (though maybe the fires of hate have cooled in recent times).
These two have decent cases, but at the end of the day it’s got to be someone from the West, doesn’t it? An in-division foe just makes sense, and that leaves us with four options: the Padres, Giants, Diamondbacks, and the Dodgers.
All have solid cases.
The San Francisco Giants have had it too good for too long, only recently having a string of unsuccessful seasons that have made their fanbase a tad anxious. That smugness makes it easy for Rockies fans to have a bit of a dislike of the Nor-Cal crew, but I feel there’s a lack of true venom here to really be able to call the Giants the ultimate rival.
The San Diego Padres find themselves in a similar spot. The last team to ever throw a no-hitter currently features Manny Machado on their roster, and he’s a polarizing figure to say the least. San Diego also has a penchant for wearing some of the worst uniforms in sports, which does nothing to endear them to opposing fanbases.
Still, I don’t think they take the top spot as Colorado’s most bitter rival, simply because the Rockies seem to have their number in recent seasons. For reasons known only to the baseball gods themselves, the Rox have found some sort of potion of vitality against the Dads, from their 8-5 record this past season all the way back to game 163 and Holliday definitely-for-sure-no-doubt touching home plate.
And so we arrive at our two finalists: the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers. They’ve both done plenty to earn the ire of the 303 and are absolutely deserving of the top spot.
The Diamondbacks are probably the more “conventional” pick, especially seeing as MLB themselves seems to consider the Snakes as Colorado’s rival. If you remember the heartbreak you felt when you saw Archie Bradley triple to knock the Rockies from the playoffs, you’ll probably feel a black pit in your heart for this team. The heights they’ve reached in recent times only furthers the disdain that many hold for them, and they absolutely deserve to be in the conversation for most reviled club.
And then there are the Dodgers. The team that your Rox have played more than any other is one of the most despised in all of baseball and have fully embraced their role as the heels of MLB. They’re easy to root against – especially their fanbase – and are a pretty consensus pick for the least-beloved team in the game. Is this storied-yet-sinister club the ultimate Rockies adversary?
Well, with all of that in mind, I must say that my pick for the Rockies’ true rival must be — hot take — the Diamondbacks. Let me explain why.
As I mentioned, everyone dislikes the Dodgers. But that’s just it — everyone hates them. The Diamondbacks are different, though. The average fan likely has no issue at all with the Snakes, but Colorado fans know better. They see the underlying evil of Arizona for what it is.
The dislike of the Dodgers may be universal, but the disdain for the Diamondbacks is something almost wholly unique to Rockies loyalists. It is for that reason that I formally name the Arizona Diamondbacks as the Colorado Rockies’ most bitter and intense rival.
What do you think?
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