Editor’s Note: If you haven’t heard Dan O’Dowd’s recent interview with KOA’s Rockies Dugout, you really should fix that immediately. However, if you don’t have time — or even if you have heard it — here is an outstanding summary that Rockies fan, Blake Street reader, and local Denver attorney Chris Chrisman posted on Twitter today. If you’re on Twitter, and interested in quality Rockies content, he is definitely worth a follow.
Dan O’Dowd gave an extremely revealing interview this weekend with KOA’s Rockies Dugout. Here are a few long-winded and off-the-cuff observations:
First, it sure seems like Tracy wasn’t (maybe still isn’t) on board with the 4-man rotation. DOD said it was clear that Tracy wasn’t comfortable with an “untraditional” move, and at one point said Tracy doesn’t get it because he “has not really lived it,” “it” being dealing with the apparently new challenge of pitching at Coors Field.
Second, as for Coors Field, DOD contends that the 4-man rotation was largely the result of the ballpark changing despite the humidor, which he says he noticed in the “middle of last season.” We wouldn’t have known about his no-doubt sincere and absolutely-not-manufactured concern, though, because he acknowledges that he “didn’t really spend any time talking about it during the winter.” Notwithstanding his private concerns about the changed conditions to “altitude baseball,” DOD apparently shelved his worries at the beginning of the season, since the issue didn’t arise again until after the first homestand, when Monfort came to O’Dowd and supposedly noticed a “dramatic” change. O’Dowd says he began developing his own dramatic change — to the pitching staff — after the series with the Braves. If you’re having trouble following this timeline, you’re not alone.
Third, in addition to the confusing timeline, you might also be having some difficulty following the logic of the 4-man rotation on a 75-pitch count. Fear not; it’s understandable that you don’t “get it,” to use DOD’s phrase. According to DOD, “Unless you live it day in and day out you really just don’t have a true grasp of completely understanding, you know, what we’re trying to do here.” So your confusion is forgiven, albeit on grounds of ignorance. DOD clarified this by identifying those who have “lived it” and those who haven’t. “The only people that really understand” are (1) DOD, (2) the Monforts (his employers), (3) Jeff Francis (who provided some generally sympathetic comments about the 4-man rotation earlier this week), (4) Bob Apodaca, and (5) Jim Wright. Those who haven’t lived it sufficiently to “completely grasp” what DOD is doing are (1) Jim Tracy and (2) You, i.e., the fans. As to criticism from this latter group of unworthies, DOD has “tune[d] all that out,” and is “just really not concerned” about what people think about this.
Fourth, despite DOD’s Manichean worldview of those who live it and those who don’t, his 4-man rotation experiment evidently hasn’t met with unanimity in the clubhouse. In fact, DOD acknowledged that, with changes like this, there is likely to be (and apparently has been) “some resistance.” Moving away from a traditional approach, says DOD, will often be “wrought [sic] with some disagreement.”
Fifth, DOD was asked about where his 4-man experiment was headed. Notwithstanding his “true grasp” of what he’s trying to do, he replied: “I have no idea.” It could end up back with a 5-man rotation. It could become even more extreme. So notwithstanding his unique–almost unparalleled–understanding of the situation, he has “no idea where this will go.”
Sixth, and finally, DOD continues to have faith despite this disaster of a season. According to DOD, “[e]ach of” the Rockies “are going through our own Road to Damascus [sic].” I’m no theologian, but the trial of Job and the Garden of Gethsemane are the common biblical allusions to adversity. The conversion of Paul on the Road to Damascus was a singularly revelatory event in which truth is laid bare and lies discarded. So, to use an example, anyone who still thought that DOD has the slightest business as General Manager of this ballclub likely had a Damascene conversion as a result of this interview.
Loading ...
Loading tweets...
8 comments
1 ping
Seth
June 24, 2012 at 10:21 PM (UTC -6)
This is absolutely mind bottling (Will Ferrell reference anyone?)!! This clearly shows DOD has no clue what the hell he is doing and how to run and create a competitive major league team and our stupid owners are just playing along. This is maddening and sickening at the same time. Unbelievable! This man should clearly be running a Burger King rather a professional baseball team. Nobody knows and/or agrees with what he is doing including his own team?! And for him to be so out of touch with the fans and even some of his own players and just tune them out is ridiculous, this guy really needs to go NOW!! After reading this everyone’s response should be, “Are you kidding me?!”
Travis Lay
June 25, 2012 at 6:36 AM (UTC -6)
Great piece. I love those who are inside baseball, guys who played the game or GMs, know so much about the game that those who are not inside just cannot understand! It is such a complicated game! If you haven’t played it you cannot understand it, therefore do not ask questions, peon. And if you do ask questions I will view them as trivial and invalid because you can’t possibly understand since you never played!
I just hate that line of rationale. Another reason to hate O’Dowd. Only he understands why his pitching staff has an ERA over 6.00. No one else could possibly figure it out by looking at fly ball rates….
Dennis
June 25, 2012 at 8:49 AM (UTC -6)
I can certainly believe that Jim Tracy may not be on board with the 4-man rotation. Whether you agree with it or not, it is certainly thinking outside the box, and Jim Tracy is definitely not the poster boy for innovative thinking.
SapperDrew
June 25, 2012 at 9:22 AM (UTC -6)
Holy sh!t, no wonder this team sucks. DoD is just like DeNiro in the Deer Hunter when he says that this is this and this ain’t something else, as he is holding a 30-06 round in his hand. An obscure reference to be sure, but those who’ve seen the Deer Hunter know what I’m talking about. DoD has just about as much business as being a GM as Enrico Pollazzo does being a home plate Ump.
Kevin Kroh
June 25, 2012 at 10:19 AM (UTC -6)
Yes! I had the exact same Deer Hunter reference in my head when I listened to DOD say multiple times, “It is what it is.”
Some other pearls of wisdom plucked from the mouth of DOD:
“I don’t mean to sound shallow, because I do care what our fans think…but I just kind of tune all that out.”
“There’s even bigger things than seasons.”
“Honestly, I’m just really not concerned what everybody thinks all the time.”
“I look at this not as having four starters, but having six.”
“Cargo’s the guy. But Tulo’s the man.”
“It is what it is.”
“It’s so bizarre it’s almost comical.”
“Focus is on the culture of our clubhouse and the organization.”
“It’s tough to have faith when you don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. And sometimes the only light you see is that oncoming train.”
Logan Burdine
June 25, 2012 at 10:41 AM (UTC -6)
That’s quite possibly the best reference ever on BSB. Just so spot on. That scene is basically this season in a nutshell.
JD
June 25, 2012 at 11:21 AM (UTC -6)
I’ll have some of what O’Dowd was smoking during that interview…
Michael
June 25, 2012 at 6:54 PM (UTC -6)
Coors is a hitters park but the Home Run to flyball ratio over the past five years is not much different than Fenway, Wrigley, Chase, Citizens, Yankee or any other hitters park. The runs are being generated by our poor run prevention, that means pitching and defense. Our outfield is gigantic which means there is lots of room for line drives to fall (we lead the league at 22% line drive rate) but our infield is the exact same size as everywhere else in the majors. Yet DOD felt the need to go after pitchers that keep the ball in the air, more balls in the air mean more line drives and more flyballs (even with a normal HR/FB ratio) mean more homeruns. Of course I am just a fan with access to baseball-reference I know absolutely nothing and DOD doesn’t listen to anybody, the mark of a truly great leader.
Crying over Coors and not trading CarGo - Blake Street Bulletin » Blake Street Bulletin
June 25, 2012 at 2:19 PM (UTC -6)
[...] « Dan O’Dowd compares the Rockies to Paul [...]