The humidor has legitimized baseball in Denver.
Ripping media members is not really my thing, so I’m going to refrain from using names here. This morning, in a certain news medium that serves this fair burgh, it was suggested that the Rockies need to abandon the humidor. It was implied that this team, in its current state, is not worth the price of admission. However, if they were to turn Coors Field back into a baseball circus, they would be fielding a better product. Or something like that.
This kind of reasoning is incredibly flawed. First of all, even since the humidor was introduced, Coors has remained a hitters’ park. One bad stretch of offense doesn’t change that. May was a very fluky month for the Rox. They can still score at home, something we’ve seen play out during this home stand.
It’s also ridiculous to declare that the Rockies no longer maintain a home field advantage because they haven’t played well over their first thirty-one games. There is a pretty long track record that indicates otherwise. Despite their bad start at home this year, Coors is still a very tough place to play. Opponents have to adjust to the physical demands of playing in altitude. It’s particularly hard on pitchers. They have to throw their breaking stuff differently and a start at Coors takes a much larger physical toll than anywhere else. I can promise you that the Dodgers, Giants, and Padres still hate coming to Denver. Also, last I checked, Coors’ nature as an extreme hitters’ park probably cost Cargo the MVP last year. There is absolutely no need to compound the stigma.
My biggest problem with the article centers around the author’s attempts to justify abandonment of this team. I absolutely loathe that kind of mentality. Giving up on a talented team before the season is even half way over is despicable. So what if the staff ace has struggled and the bats have been cold. If the Rockies have taught us anything over the last four years, it’s that they’re streaky as hell and they always have a pulse.
The other side of it is that even if they don’t make the playoffs this year, they still deserve our support. Certainly, they’ve made their fair share of bad decisions this year, but it’s not like we’re dealing with the Dodgers and the McCourts. Coors Field is a fantastic place to watch a baseball game. It’s beautiful, inviting, and most importantly, safe. Also, we have a potential Hall of Fame shortstop playing out his prime every night in our city. That alone is worth the price of admission. As fans, our dedication to this team should not be predicated on playoff appearances alone. As long as they’re trying to remain competitive, I’ll be on board.
If the author has no time for quality baseball and solid pitching, maybe he should watch a different sport. The last thing we need right now is the Rockies losing games in the ninth inning because it’s impossible to keep a pop-up in the yard.
I’m curious, does anyone actually prefer the pre-humidor days? If so, I’d like to hear what you have to say in the comments section.
Disagree or have something to add? As always, comments are welcome.
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6 comments
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Rich Kurtzman
June 12, 2011 at 10:50 AM (UTC -6)
Nice piece Logan.
Plus, it’s far to simplistic to just take away the humidor at this point. In fact, unless I’m mistaken, many MLB ballparks now employ the humidor, not just Coors. Although, Coors was the stadium that invented the idea.
Logan Burdine
June 12, 2011 at 1:29 PM (UTC -6)
I don’t know of anyone else that has one. The Diamondbacks have considered adding one, but it was determined that a humidor would turn Chase into a big time pitchers’ park.
To be honest, I sometimes wonder if the Rox would be better off playing in a pitchers’ park. It serves a lot of teams very well.
T.O. Owens
June 12, 2011 at 10:50 AM (UTC -6)
This article says exactly what I was thinking when I read the humidor piece this morning.
While I an not convinced this is a play off team. I am convinced that they are worth watching.
I am just back from a trip on which I visited my MLB parks 24 and 25 (Seattle, and SF). Those parks are beautiful. But give me Coors field over them every night and twice on Sunday.
We finally have baseball here not that we are firmly in the humidor era. Please never go back to the super ball era that we used to have.
T.O. Owens
June 12, 2011 at 10:52 AM (UTC -6)
Did I mention I got to see CARGO in SF
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tL_U8VCeHBw/TeueymQAsLI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/JPXDIcv-6vI/s320/IMG_1960.JPG
Dan Garfield
June 12, 2011 at 9:04 PM (UTC -6)
I like Kiz, but getting rid of the humidor is just silly. The pitching staff would be exhausted by the end of the season. Plus, everyone should remember, those 15-14 games stunk! 4 hours per game!
No, this is not a playoff team. It’s a .500 team, but so be it. No team in this division will be running away with it for the next few years. The Rockies will remain competitive for many years. Whether they make the playoffs, that’s a diferent story.
Cole C.
June 13, 2011 at 6:31 AM (UTC -6)
Even with the humidor 20th and Blake plays like a sandlot launching pad during the dog days of summer, it doesn’t matter how much moisture those baseballs get soaked into them pre-game; from mid-June to mid-August Coors plays like it always has, lets not compound that and any chance of having a decent pitching corps again by making that an 81-games a year occurrence.
>SweetSpot Roundup 6/13 | The Platoon Advantage
July 28, 2011 at 10:37 AM (UTC -6)
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