PHILADELPHIA -- The Colorado Rockies set a major league attendance record in 1993 and made the playoffs two years later, but for the most part they've done a great job of staying below the radar at 5,280 feet. A team can generate only so many headlines by leading the league in scenic views and uniformed personnel named "Clint."
As a result, it was a nice change of pace for manager Clint Hurdle when John Kruk of "Baseball Tonight" called Monday and the conversation revolved more around the Rockies' performance this year than the sideshow stuff -- Todd Helton's health issues, home-road splits, the impact of the Coors Field humidor or Colorado setup man Jose Mesa's pathological dislike of Giants shortstop Omar Vizquel.
Hurdle, who grouses that his team gets "no love" from ESPN, has been around long enough to know that publicity is fickle and largely momentum-driven. When your franchise has averaged 71 victories over the past five seasons, an 11-9 start and a 6-2 record on the road qualify as a feel-good story.