End can't taint remarkable run

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer
Published October 29, 2007

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DENVER - The Rockies ran out of magic.

And into the Red Sox.

Colorado's magical mystery tour ended in frustrating fashion Sunday as they were swept by the Red Sox.

But the disappointing finish - enough to prompt Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla to break out the c-word, writing that they "choked" - didn't diminish what they accomplished, staging a remarkable run to tie for the NL wild card, beating the Padres in a one-game playoff, then sweeping the Phillies and D'backs to make the first World Series appearance in franchise history.

And they learned some things along the way that they say will make them better for it.

"You come back next year with more experience and you're probably better off," said Jeff Francis, who hoped to pitch Game 5 tonight. "Playing in the postseason, it's a lot different than the daily grind of the regular season. We know that now.

"But we know it's a lot of fun, and we know we had to do something special to get here. We've got a lot to be proud of, we know that, and a lot to think about in the offseason."

The Rockies, who had an unusual eight-day layoff before opening the Series, joined the 2005 Astros as the only teams to be swept in their first Series appearances.

But manager Clint Hurdle said there wasn't much they would do differently.

"I don't know how you re-create a World Series environment," he said. "I don't know how you recreate a playoff environment in practice. There might be some things we talk about. But as far as gearing up to go, keeping focused on what we need to stay focused on, not worrying about what we can't control, I think we handled that very professionally."