Preparation I

Rockies first baseman Todd Helton has lots of hits on his iPod--but no music. During spring training Rockies video coordinators Brian Jones and Mike Hamilton gave Helton a video iPod loaded with clips of each of the 1,509 hits he had stroked in his eight major league seasons. (It took them about four hours to compile and download them.) Rather than sorting by album, genre, artist and song, Helton sorts by month, opposing team, type of hit and pitcher.

"It's good to watch right before a game," he says. "I can see how the [starter] pitched me the last time, and probably more important ... I can [see] my past good swings, so I'll have a good feeling going in. You can use it on the plane, on the bus, sitting at your locker, and it's not bothering anybody."

Because Helton has a career .334 average (he's at .296 now), his teammates respect his hitting habits and have followed his lead. At least eight Rockies--including outfielder Matt Holliday, third in the NL with a .337 average and making his first All-Star appearance--now have iPods with their hitting histories. Colorado G.M. Dan O'Dowd also had the video guys pack his iPod with clips of potential draft picks, helping him choose 6'7" Stanford pitcher Gregory Reynolds second overall last month. He's hoping Reynolds's name will become music to the Rockies' ears.