Play ball

The Rockies' first pitch is in 120 minutes, and I'm officially pretty geeked out for the start of baseball season. ESPN.com had a pretty interesting article a few weeks back about how the Rockies are one of the best teams when it comes to tapping into Latin American talent and guiding international players through the minors and U.S. baseball:

Although the Rockies aren't the biggest spenders in the region, they're at least competitive. The team has three full-time scouts in the Dominican and Venezuela and another scout in Panama, and Fernandez has a slew of contacts in Nicaragua, Curacao and Aruba. Colorado's complex in the Dominican includes two fields, batting cages, a cafeteria and enough dormitory space to house 55 players.

As proof of their success, the Rox' pitching staff will rely on three young Latino hurlers, starters Ubaldo Jimenez (DR) and Franklin Morales (Venezuela), and closer Manny Corpas (Panama). The move isn't a bad way for a pro sports team to tap into the state's diversity and create a pretty multicultural environment at the ballpark.