| Travis Heath. 28th July, 2005 - 1:05 am
 Monday night in Eric Byrnes’ Colorado Rockies home debut, he recorded the first three outs of the game in centerfield as if he were magnetically connected to the baseball. This was really no more than a microcosm of Byrnes’ career for the Colorado faithful to observe for the first time.
Wherever the ball is hit, he will find it. And I do mean wherever. He often runs into walls, slides on the turf, and just generally crashes into anything in his way when pursuing the ball. If there has ever been a player who needed a facemask while patrolling the outfield, it’s Brynes.
He’s equally as fun to watch at the plate. On a routine ground ball Brynes has been known to sprint down the first base line and consummate his journey with a head first slide, as he did during his debut last week with the Rockies in Cincinnati.
“If I had to describe myself in one word . . . I’d pry have to say, entertaining.” Based on those words straight from Byrnes’ mouth, it’s not hard to figure out why he was a fan favorite during his tenure in Oakland. He was so popular that he developed somewhat of a cult following in the East Bay. In fact, his hard-nosed style of play attracted fans nationwide. A small group of teenage fans from the mid-west, followed the Rockies from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh hoping to get a glimpse of the outfielder. They donned home made t-shirts with Brynes’ face on them, and cheered wildly anytime he was involved in a play.
Despite hitting a pedestrian .175 with 0 homeruns and 3 RBI’s during his short stint with the Rockies, Brynes is a welcome sight for many Colorado fans. Brynes’ numbers may be less than stellar thus far, but Brynes is a guy whose contributions are measured by so much more than statistics. He has almost single handedly reenergized a team that has looked lackluster since the early season freak injury to rookie surprise Clint Barmes.
For a team that is going absolutely nowhere in the standings, what better way to entice some fans back to the ballpark than a player like Brynes. Let’s be honest, most Colorado fans know that the chances of seeing a winner on any give night at Coors Field, is no greater than 50-50 as evidenced by Colorado’s home record thus far. Combine that with the fact that the Rockies won’t play a meaningful game for the duration of the season, and it’s not exactly a recipe for box office success. That being said, if fans are going to spend their hard earned cash to attend a ballgame, at least now they know that they will get to see a player like Brynes compete with an almost insane level of intensity.
It’s hard to get an accurate read on the team’s long-term plans for Brynes, as the organization has sent conflicting signals depending on whom you listen to.
The Rockies have recently been playing Brynes in centerfield as opposed to his customary position in leftfield. The Rockies claim they’re doing this because they have a genuine interest in learning whether or not Brynes can be their long-term centerfielder. Rumors persist however, that this is being done to showcase him for the Yankees who are searching for a reliable fourth outfielder.
Dan O’Dowd has voiced concerns about the two million dollar salary Byrnes is scheduled to make next year. Meanwhile, manager Clint Hurdle has been simultaneously professing his love for Brynes stating, “He lets it all hang out every time he shows up. All he wants to do is play.”
It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Rockies are confused, as that is par for the course. However, it’s dumbfounding that they are confused about a guy like Brynes. What potential downside do they see?
Not that it matters to the big-wigs upstairs, but anything short of Brynes ball at Coors Field for the remainder of 2005 may cause this columnist to boycott the old ballpark for the duration of the campaign. And if need be, I could talk to both of the other fans who frequent Coors Field, and I bet they’d be willing to participate too.
Travis can be reached at travismheath@msn.com |
