national league baseball

The Colorado Rockies have just a handful of home games remaining in a lost season. Outfielder Matt Holliday might have that many remaining in his Rockies career.Holliday says he hasn't given it a lot of thought but acknowledges there will be some emotional detritus if that's how it works out.

Some 70 minutes before Sunday's first pitch, Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Russell Martin adjusted the clubhouse stereo system at Denver's Coors Field and began bobbing his head. Manny Ramirez walked by clapping his hands, repeating the Lil Wayne song's refrain. "Sky's the limit," he said.

A year ago Sunday, the Colorado Rockies began their great run, which concluded with sweeps of Philadelphia in the National League Division Series and Arizona in the NL Championship Series, giving the Rockies 20 wins in 21 games and the first pennant in franchise history.Now look at them.

Dear Babe: I have a picture of Charlie Dressen. He is with his wife and a couple of friends. It was taken at Sammy's Bowery Follies in New York. It is signed by Dressen dated 1946. I also have a Christmas card signed by him. -- Dolores Dobson, Flowery Branch, Ga.

LOS ANGELES -- Considering the caliber of teams going at it, this pennant race may not seem like much. But it's the only one we've got.

So now the panic starts in Chicago. All it took was a five-game losing streak at home and grumbling from Carlos Zambrano's precious right arm, plus a mysterious sabbatical by co-ace and frequent disabled list inhabitant Rich Harden.

Colorado Rockies manager Clint Hurdle now suggests "Rocktember.""He didn't say that," Brian Fuentes said.Oh, but he did.

Dear Babe: I have a Hank Aaron bat that was given to me by a Braves player, who was a good friend. He suggested that I hang on to it, and one day it might be valuable. My friend, the Braves player, took it from the batting rack the year that Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record (1974).

Even before the first pitch of the All-Star Game was thrown, Colorado Rockies manager Clint Hurdle had requested a meeting with commissioner Bud Selig to discuss concerns about the selection of pitchers for the event."You have two primary responsibilities," Hurdle said, "to see the game through to its conclusion and to return the players to their teams healthy."

Oh, the Dog Days. .... Yes, the proverbial Dog Days of August/September have their teeth into the Los Angeles Dodgers. Blue is slumping and slumping hard. The Dodgers are 65-66, three games behind the surging Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West, losers of four in a row and seven of their last 11.