Ouch!

Well, Jeff Francis must wish his second pitch in the World Series had gone better than that. Having Dustin Pedroia crank the ball out of Fenway just set the Rockies off on the wrong foot.

Poor, Jeff. I hope he gets another chance to pitch in this series.

But I gotta tell you, I don't know that he will. The Red Sox are peaking at just the right time, and the Rockies really suffered from that week off.

Plus, the players on the Red Sox squad are long-time pros who have been here before. Hell, many of them were around when they snatched victory from the jaws of being swept out in the first round.

I'm not sure the Rockies can overcome that confidence, although now the monkey is off their back, I hope they take a game or two, and give Francis a chance to pitch again. He deserves that much.


LUNCH: a bowl of chili to warm the insides on this crisp day

Go, Rockies, go

I'm not much for baseball. Love to play it, but I've never had an easy time sitting through an entire game.

Except when I was on a business trip in Arizona, and I got to see some spring training action. Being that close to the players on the small fields is really something, actually.

Anyhow, I've been intrigued by professional baseball this year for a few of reasons. I love that the hapless Mets lost their last, like, 20 games and were knocked out of the playoff race. I love that the regular season results weren't decided without some extra games being played. I love that the arrogant Yankees were swept in the first round.

Most of all, though, I love how Jeff Francis, who was drafted into MLB straight out of UBC, has become such a hero. He led the Colorado Rockies to a game 1 win in the National League Championship series against the Arizona Diamondbacks last night.

There haven't been many Canadian baseball players, let alone Canadian baseball players who have really made a difference.

Justin Morneau, the MVP who plays first base for the Minnesota Twins, has been a rising star for a couple of years, and Matt Stairs had a good season for the Blue Jays this year, but not since Larry Walker has a Canadian baseballer threatened to be the news story of the baseball season.

Jeff Francis, the left-hander from Delta, B.C., has got me watching the baseball this October.


LUNCH: This is the last day for turkey sandwiches. At least, it better be.