Florida is a young, talented club on the rise. Staff ace, Josh Johnson, is arguably the best pitcher in baseball. Hanley Ramirez is the best shortstop outside of Denver and outfielder Logan Morrison is a blossoming star. They are 13-7 and sit just 1.5 games back of the vaunted Phillies in the NL East.

Sheen?! That guy was up all night doing eight balls and he still made it.

Yesterday’s game was baseball at its very best. It was a perfect day for a Sunday matinee — roughly 85 degrees with low humidity. The game itself featured two of NL’s best teams and two top aces facing off against each other. Yet, only 11,500 people made it out to watch. Honestly, I think 11,500 was an overstatement. At one point during the broadcast, I tried to count fans. I’m convinced that there were no more than 2,000 people in attendance.

Over the broadcast, crowd noise was virtually non-existent. It was so quiet that you could easily make out what was being shouted from the stands. One fan was coming in so clear that the broadcasters actually commented on some of the things he was saying. It was like I had the unfortunate seat next to a drunken heckler, only, he was on my couch and I couldn’t tell him to leave. I don’t blame Root Sports for the annoyance. I blame Marlins’ fans.
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The Rockies took a risk when they selected Parker in the first round of the 2010 Draft. Despite just finishing his junior season in baseball, Kyle had three years of football eligibility remaining and spoke openly about his desire to return to Clemson for another year. Initially, the Rox offered Parker $2.2M, but asked him to give up his football career — something Kyle wasn’t willing to do. In August, Parker and the Rockies finally came to an agreement. He signed for $1.4M with permission to return to Clemson for a final season.

2010 was a disappointing year for the Clemson football team and for Kyle. He only threw 12 touchdowns, while leading the Tigers to a sub-standard 6-7 record. His career ended when he broke a rib at the end of the first half in the Meineke Bowl. While it was a disappointing conclusion for Parker, it marked the beginning of his professional baseball career.

The Rockies are very excited about Parker’s future. Despite not having a single minor league at-bat, he is already a top five Rockies prospect. In college, even with a limited focus on baseball, he was one of the best players in the country. Now that he is solely a baseball player, he should only get better.
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