Beard Shavings

Greetings loyal readers! Once again, I find myself begging your pardon for the long delay between updates, but I, The Beard, have been very busy of late. Not only is the Rockies lineup as beard-heavy as it has ever been, but that excellence is flowing freely from their faces to their play on the field! It has been a very exciting thing to be a part of, and I am doing everything I can to help maintain it.

I can finally report that Ryan's and my efforts to spread greatness through the Rockies clubhouse has taken full effect! Ryan's latest facial hair efforts have been exemplary, and many of his teammates have followed suit. Joe Beimel has been a nice, albeit scruffy addition to the team. Ian Stewart is putting forth a nice effort in the beard department, although I must admit it needs as much work as his batting average. And Helton -- a guy who really doesn't need Beardly influence to reach greatness -- was even sporting the full beard up until a week or so ago. With so many beards finely tuned to excellence, even with those who cannot grow a manly beard have been playing great, and that's been our goal all along: to bring Beardly greatness to all who wear the Rockies uniform.

On the field, the Rockies continue to excel. They are keeping pace with the Giants, and have gained a bit of ground on the Dodgers. The Rockies have an interesting August, with every remaining series but one (the Nationals next week) against a playoff contender, seven of those games against the Giants. Their September schedule looks much more favorable, with 18 of 27 games at Coors Field, and only six games (three at the Giants, three at home against the Cardinals) against teams currently with winning records.

The key games of the season are upon us here in the 2nd half of August: if the Rockies hold on or gain ground in the next two weeks, then they can take the lead down the home stretch in September. But if they falter in August, they'll have to use September to catch up. This is what a pennant race is all about, Rockies fans! And it's fun to be a part of it!