It's filled with 50,000 fans every night. Perhaps even Kile is missing the biggest point. Sure, the air is thin and the ball carries like it's on steroids. But when the batter doesn't make contact with the ball, the ball doesn't stand much chance of leaving the yard. Helped by a deadly curveball and a mid-90s fastball, Kile struck out 219 batters in '97 and 205 in '96.
Power pitchers can nullify power hitters.
And they can also turn a slightly above-average baseball team into a serious pennant contender. Never before has that been said in Colorado. Ian Browne is a sportswriter on CBS SportsLine's staff. Inc. All rights reserved.