Colorado Rockies: a discussion with Carlos Gonzalez

Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez has been an integral part of the Rockies postseason run in September as he has played much better in the month than he had previously all of this season.

Before today’s game with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez talked to the media, including our own Kevin Henry. One of the first things that was asked was about the atmosphere in Coors Field and in Denver and Colorado, in general, as the Rockies are closing in on their playoff spot.

"Even when you’re driving around the city and [when you] get to the ballpark…it’s a different thing. You know that you’re getting close to a big thing once you get to the postseason but you know, [personally], I don’t like to get ahead of ourselves. We’ve just got to play hard today and play the same way we’ve played all year…I think that the fans [will make] a lot of noise out there so we’ve just gotta go out there and play our best game."

Gonzalez also discussed how it was in 2010, his second season in a Rockies uniform.

"When I signed that contract [extension] in 2010, we had a good group [of players] and we felt like ‘oh, we’re going to do this every day, we’re going to do this every year.’ That shows you how hard it is [to make the playoffs] especially in this division. It’s hard. It’s [not] a matter of whether you have a good team. You have to put it together, you have to learn how to win together and that’s what we were able to do this year. Everybody is on the same page–from the front office all the way down here [and] that’s why we’re in this situation right now."

Since the 2009 Rockies were the last group to make the playoffs, many of the current Rockies have not experienced postseason play before. Gonzalez said that if he had to say one thing to them, he would say: “Enjoy the moment. This is why we work hard.”

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Final Thoughts

As we all know, as long as you get to the postseason, anything can happen. The 2007 Rockies were written off as most people thought that they would fade into oblivion but, after their Rocktober streak, they sneaked into the National League Wild Card spot and got all the way to the World Series.

Also, the Minnesota Twins lost 103 games last season and they now have the second American League Wild Card and, even though most people haven’t given them a shot, they could hypothetically win the World Series. They are the first team ever to have 100+ losses in a season and make the playoffs in the following season.

Next: A preview of this upcoming series with the Dodgers

The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals won 83 games in the regular season and ended up winning it all. Anything can happen. So as long as the Rockies get into the playoffs, watch out.