ROCKIES FANS, JEREMY AFFELDT…THE NAME MUST RING A BELL…100 PLUS OUTINGS OUTTA’ THE BULLPEN WITH THE ROX…?
HE CAME HERE IN A TRADE DEADLINE DEAL FROM KANSAS CITY IN 2006…REMEMBER?
HE DOES…
Yes, I remember I was on my way to the park when they traded me and I had to go to the park to get my bag because I had to catch a flight to try and be here by game time. So I was driving down and one of my teammates Scott Sullivan, be played with Cincinnati for a long time and he calls me and says, you just got traded to Colorado? I said yes, and he was like haha keep the ball down on the moon! And I was like well, thanks for the encouragement. I was kind of panicking. It was unbelievable, first batter was Prince Fielder and I threw him a curveball and he hit it right up there (pointing to right field stands) for a homer. First guy, I mean first impressions are everything. I remember fans just yelling, welcome to Colorado. So, I was kind of scared. I wasn’t really comfortable for the second half but then in 2007 I got a little but more comfortable.
2007;
WHEN JEREMY MADE A CAREER HIGH 75 APPEARANCES…AND HELPED THE ROCKIES TO THE FALL CLASSIC…STRIKING OUT 4 IN HIS 5 PLUS INNINGS OF THE WORK IN THE POST-SEASON!
Everyone always says, you have won a World Series that is so awesome! They always ask if the Giants are the best team that I have ever been on but you know that is such a difficult question to answer because you know the Rockies, it was such a different environment when I played here. When I played here, I walked into a situation where you know everyone had been playing together forever since the minor leagues, or they just had some good quality veterans around. It was a really good team atmosphere ya know, it was a family atmosphere. When we went on roadtrips it was like you had two options, you either went to sushi for dinner with one group of guys or you went to a steak dinner with the other half. There was two options, you chose. I had never really experience that, still really haven’t experienced that. You know the team I am on right now with the Giants is phenomenal and we are really really close but we are close in a different way than I was over here with the guys. I still see guys like Holliday and Fuentes, Fuentes and I still hunt all the time in the offseason together. It is just a team where you look at them and you just realize that you have something with them that you don’t have with a lot of other teams. I have a couple guys on this Giants team that I feel that way about but that Colorado team it was just like the whole team was like that. It was just so different from anything I had ever experience and up until the day that I retire it will probably be the greatest all around teams that I was ever apart of.
THIS YEAR, AFFELDT HAS THE LOWEST ERA OF THOSE IN THE TALENTED GIANTS BULLPEN.
LEFTIES ARE HITTING A BUCK FIFTY OFF OF HIM.
HE’S APPROACHING 600 GAMES PITCHED…AND HE FEELS BLESSED.
Ya last year I took my wife to dinner on the last game of the season and it was 10 full years in the big leagues, I didn’t know if I would get even 5. Let alone having an NLCS ring, a World Series Ring, I have all these things that I never thought I would be apart of. They aren’t the most important things to be but still. When I look back at my career I will be able to say that I have done it all. I am proud of the work that I put into it and the struggles that I have had have helped me become a better pitcher. I don’t wish it upon anybody but I had sometimes in Kansas City where I was about ready to quit but it was good for me.
A BETTER PITCHER AND A BETTER MAN…CHECK OUT JAFFELDT.COM AND FIND OUT ABOUT HIS FOUNDATION.
Marc, as always, thanks for the interview and information…looking forward to this series as the Giants are slumping and the Rox’s are surging!!!
What’s the deal on this stuff we get from Marc? Seem to be pieces ROOT decides not to use on the air? The diction etc, all caps for teleprompter, the “cut to tape” for quotes… Just curious.
He did an interview with Jeremy in April and put together this piece. Said I could post it and that it would run either this series or next trip to San Fran. I kept the “TelePrompTer” feel cause I like that Marc has a specific look to his posts.
Come on Jon Sanchez, the Giants are are your old team – be a Giant killer for us! Revenge time!
Saw this on twitter. Pretty funny:
“@AlexPavlovic: Nice matchup tonight. J. Sanchez has given up 11 earned runs in 2 starts for Rockies; Vogelsong has given up 11 total ER in last 7 starts.”
As misfired as this season has been, I’d say we got ‘em right where we want ‘em.
VERY MUCH miss that 07 bullpen. What a great group. Current pen is good too, but 07 was great aside from a shakey midsummer for Fuentes which opened the door for Corpas, but it was really good including Affeldt.
Thanks for the interview and reminiscing of better days.
Here’s a fun stat. 2007 pitching staff gave up 164 HRs in 163 games.
2012…..139 in 103. On pace for 218.
Really nice stuff. Affeldt isn’t the only pitcher who turned his career around in a positive way at Coors.
Really interesting insight into that 2007 team. Confirms to me that there really was something special about that group of players. Not to put a damper on this feel-good story, but … Isn’t that part of the problem with our management and ownership today? I think there’s a feeling that we still have something special, a special kind of core team character that needs to be preserved even in light of terrible results. Even in light of 5 years passing since that special 2007 run. Even in light of just Tulo, Helton, and the returning Francis being the only 3 guys left from that team.
You can’t go home again. That was a special team, and they gave us an absolutely magical run. Maybe we can build that from the bottom up again, but that September 2007 spirit is dead right now. Time to move on or risk becoming like the 30 year old guy who still wants to hang out at his college frat parties.
This “written” piece will air during Rockies Weekly as a “where are they now” feature. RW is ROOT SPORTS on immediately after Sunday’s game and post game show…each week…hence Rockies “weekly”.
Thanks Marc, we love that you give us first crack at your RW stuff…Seemed like Jeremy was very cool to interview…
Saw you running around the park last night – hardest working man in baseball!
Tonight we are in section 125 (Ed hooked us up) and we head home tomorrow morning…if i don’t see you tonight it was great meeting you after Wednesday’s game…keep up the great work…
Marc, thanks for the reply + posts. Good work on the broadcasts! Try to keep ‘em honest.
Got around to watching this piece with Jeremy; he was passionate and well spoken…he gets it. Will root for him when he is not facing
CO.