According to ESPN’s standings, the Rockies have a 0.7% chance of making the playoffs. For a team ranking in the top five in runs scored, it’s pretty remarkable that they’re effectively eliminated from the postseason and it’s only mid-June. However, there has been a lot of doom and gloom around here lately, so I’m going to attempt to write about something positive today. Here goes:
- Matt Belisle is really good.
- How about the view from section 317? That’s something else, right?
- Oh, and the Asheville Tourists won the first-half Southern Division championship in the South Atlantic League this week. So there is that.
That’s all I can come up with. Seriously. Things are bleak, like getting swept at home by the freaking A’s bleak. My wife and I were discussing Misery recently. I think reading about Paul Sheldon getting his foot cut off is easier than watching the Rockies right now. And the worst part is that there really isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel. The owners seem to genuinely believe that they have the best GM and manager in baseball working for them and are perfectly satisfied with the current status quo.
The regression since September 2010 has been truly remarkable. Back then, the Rockies were on the verge of winning their first ever division title. They pitched and played defense well. They were completely dominant at Coors Field. On September 18, 2010 they were 82-66 after making a run to climb within a game of first place in the NL West. Then the nose dive began. They lost 13 of their last 14 to finish 83-79. And honestly, they have yet to pull out of it. In fact, they’ve just gotten progressively worse, basically by the month.
O’Dowd has been running the show since the late ‘90s and has yet to learn what kind of team wins at Coors. If he stays, what hope is there? It’s depressing to say that, but it’s just the truth. The team keeps asking for patience year in and year out, but let’s be honest, this team’s fans are about as patient as it gets. They’ll go over 2.5 million in attendance this year and the product on the field is absolute garbage. This isn’t a rabid group, and any characterization of them being “blood thirsty” is completely unfair. It’s a good group of fans, great actually, and it’s time for ownership to make a real effort at putting a contender on the field. All we really ask is that they make an effort and frankly it’s hard to believe the Monforts are really trying to produce winners. I truly don’t believe there is another organization in baseball that would tolerate what has been going on here over the last few years.
Honestly, I could never stop watching the Rockies or attending games. I love baseball. That will never change. But, this team is making this a brutal year and it may not change anytime soon unless there is a dent in the Monfort’s bank accounts. It’s not fair, but that’s the reality of professional baseball in Denver.
Every night, we watch a different pitcher get lit up, followed by the same lip service from the manager. “He just needs to be more consistent. He’s close though. This is a tough park to pitch in. That kid is going to be special one day.” And about a thousand other tired clichés. It’s a dead horse.
At this point, I honestly don’t know everything that needs to be done to fix this squad, but it seems like a good idea to change the current direction completely. It is quite obviously not working.
See there. I tried to write something positive and it just turned into a rant. No stats, no insight, just me moaning over the truly awful state of the Rockies. I feel better though. Feel free to do the same in the comments section, because I know you’re fed up as well. Blake Street Bulletin B**** Session now convening.
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11 comments
Bucket
June 15, 2012 at 3:59 PM (UTC -6)
I’ve literally started writing in these comments sections hundreds of times, but have given up part way through because they sound so negative.
Suffice it to say that the Rockies stink to high, high heaven. Top to bottom…they stink!
I can’t imagine how Tulo or Cargo feel thinking they’re stuck on a team which has been rebuilding for two decades with not much hope in sight of getting much better.
I think they gotta clean house…GM, assistant GM, manager and all the coaches at the big league level and beyond. Get a new perspective ’cause this one ain’t working.
Scott
June 15, 2012 at 4:15 PM (UTC -6)
Everyone brings up the 2007 and 2009 seasons as examples that there is hope, the the front office can build a winner, that they know what they’re doing…I don’t buy it. Like I said on another post, those were freak occurences- in the 20 year history of the franchise, they have been an actual really good team for about 9 or 10 weeks.
That’s just sad. I’ll keep hoping, but I’ve been sold a bill of goods by the FO here too many times to let the hopes get much higher than, say, .500.
Dan
June 15, 2012 at 4:32 PM (UTC -6)
I don’t expect O’Dowd to be fired during the season, but if he isn’t let go immediately after the end of this miserable excuse of a season then it will be obvious that the Monforts don’t give 2 flips about either the fans or winning. It is so obvious to anyone with any semblance of a brain that this organization is in utter chaos and the only way to begin to right the ship is with new leadership at the top. There are some good pieces in place, just not nearly enough of them. I’m tired of the throw crap at the wall and see what sticks approach that O’Dowd seems to follow…and don’t get me started on the poor drafting he has overseen. How he still has a job is pretty much unfathomable.
Matt R
June 15, 2012 at 8:28 PM (UTC -6)
Your “Matt Belisle is really good” comment gave me a somewhat crazy idea that I have not seen mentioned anywhere before. For a two year period with the Reds, Belisle was a starter (albeit a pretty lousy one, but he does have experience starting, making 30 of them in one year in 2007). Is there any talk, or any chance of any talk, of giving Belisle a shot at starting? Maybe his pitching style has changed in such a way that he would not be able to pitch successfully and with stamina, but given that the Rockies starters have the worst combined ERA in the majors by almost 2 runs, and it seems to go up on a nightly basis, what would considering starting Belisle hurt?
Seth
June 15, 2012 at 9:54 PM (UTC -6)
The Rockies fans definitely deserve better, millions consistently show up year after year when all we do is lose and play like a AA team. Its embarrassing for the fans as well as the players I am sure. There need to be some major changes throughout the organization very quickly. We all know the manager who keeps preaching patience and his entire coaching staff needs to go along with the GM who has no real concept of how to build a big league team nor can scout and draft players. The Monforts are just as much to blame as the manager and GM for sticking with these guys for years and unwilling to make a necessary change just because our loyal GREAT fans keep showing up to watch a game they love. Its clear all they care about is the money going in their pockets and not winning or even being slightly competitive. If they were the owners of say the Red Sox or LA or Chicago, they would be run out of town in a heartbeat. I think this offseason will be telling if there is hope for the Rockies or if we are Pittsburgh 2.0. We can only hope that there is a guy like Bryce Harper or Steven Strasburg available in the draft next year, but even if there is, knowing our luck and our current GM we would pass on him for an overrated college player who sucks and will never play for us. I still regret the Rockies letting go of Jerry Dipoto years ago as a GM in waiting, man that would have been nice. This is a disaster of a poorly constructed team and lousy coaching staff.
R17
June 16, 2012 at 1:24 AM (UTC -6)
I flew in from the East Coast (I live in Rhode Island) for a week-long vacation to Denver to see all 6 games on the Rockies last homestand. If you were wondering if it sucked, the answer is more than you can imagine.
By the last game of the A’s series, I think I had gone completely insane, muttering obscenities under my breath and yelling “THAT WAS DEFENSIVE INDIFFERENCE!” at a young Rockies fan when he started cheering for Cargo “stealing second” in that ninth inning.
Kevin Kroh
June 16, 2012 at 4:48 AM (UTC -6)
That young fan is probably confused for good reason: the way the Rockies have looked in the field this year, “Defensive Indifference” now seems to apply to every player on every kind of play.
TroyF
June 16, 2012 at 11:29 AM (UTC -6)
This organization is so freakin sad right now. Even after the win last night, it gives little joy. So, so sad.
TroyF
June 17, 2012 at 1:07 AM (UTC -6)
Bob Abbra Abbra Cadabra.
I love how our former pitchers are doing this year.
Street – 1.35 ERA
Linstrom – 1.29
Hammel – 2.97
Morales – 3.04
I’m not even counting Mortensen who has pitched well in both the majors and minors this year. Meanwhile, we have pitchers who continue to get worse. Our young pitchers start out with a ton of promise, pitch well in the minors, get to Colorado and start off well and then the magic man gets a hold of them and wham. . . they are worthless.
Maybe the best thing to ever happen to Pomeranz, White, Friedrich and Brothers would be to go down to Colorado Springs until the entire coaching staff gets fired. That might actually be better for all of them.
Simone
June 17, 2012 at 4:36 PM (UTC -6)
I say we protest. Let’s make some signs and picket Coors Field. If we come out in numbers maybe they’ll listen.
BillyBrian
June 18, 2012 at 6:34 AM (UTC -6)
As a season ticket holder It has become really hard for me to watch this current team. Calling them just plain “lousy” is actually being quite nice. I’ve been very patient with this organization but it’s about time for me to call them out. My discust came to a head at the end of last season when the Rockies were obviously out of any playoff consideration. The defending World Series champion S.F. Giants were in town for a 4 game series. At that time the Giants weren’t playing that well and any win by the Rockies would have eliminated the Giants from the post season. To me, if my team had a chance to knock out the defending champs I would do everything I could to do so. Atleast by doing that we could take something positive into the off season and have that to build on for the next year. But NOOOOOOOO!!!!! The “stooge” Jim Tracy decides to go to the local high schools to find anyone who would like to get a chance to play. I mean no disrespect to the local high school talent but that’s what it looked like was fielded.Tracys’ sorry excuse was that he wanted to see what the minor leaguers could do at the major league level. I may be out of line here but “Isn’t That What Spring Training Is For??” As it turned out the Rockies lost all 7 games of the final homestand. I was insenced. I thought I would get over it during the off season. I even renewed my season ticket purchase for this year. This season is a disgrace. Does anyone want to buy the rest of my tickets? The seats are awesome!!! Right behind home plate. I will NOT root for the Rockies again until Jim Tracy is fired!!!! Jim Tracy, you SUCK!!!! Dan O’Dowd, you really SUCK!!!! Monforts, you @#&*%#@&%@#!!!!!