First baseman Todd Helton has expressed a desire to play in today’s B game against D-backs, but he’s not in the starting lineup. Helton was hoping to be the designated hitter, but the lineup has the pitcher batting. Here it is:

Eric Young Jr.                 2B

Dexter Fowler                 CF

Carlos Gonzalez             RF

Daniel Ortmeier              1B

Yorvit Torrealba                C

Matt Miller                     LF

Luis Gonzalez               3B

Chris Nelson                 SS

Jason Marquis                P

– A couple of days ago, I wrote that six communities outside of Tucson — mostly in the Phoenix metro area — are in various stages of proposing a new spring home for the Rockies. Tucson continues to try, but with so many teams in Phoenix and with the local community having to overcome the economy and the distance from Phoenix, the Rockies have one foot out the door and another on a banana peel.

A move to Phoenix makes a lot of sense. But it’s too bad.

At the risk of sounding like a John Mellencamp song, I get enough of the big town during the regular season, especially Phoenix. I like being off the Major League path. Tucson has good restaurants and is surrounded by natural beauty. Yes, Phoenix is more convenient. When the Rockies play there, you just have to deal with the awful traffic. When the Rockies play in Tucson, you’ve got a two-hour drive before the traffic jam before the game, and a two-hour drive after a postgame jam that’s worse than the pregame snarl.

Oops.

Actually, Phoenix is a nice place to visit. I recommend Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Cafe, a soul food joint down the street from Chase Field (smothered chicken or smothered pork chops are worth every bite; worry about the calories some other time), and My Florist, a funky fern bar-restaurant complete with a pianist (where you could go worldly and order tuna nicoise salad, or go grade school and ask for PB&J) not terribly far from the ballpark. But give me something different during Spring Training.