LINCICOME: Rockies losing just as they should be
By Bernie Lincicome, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published June 1, 2008 at 7:14 p.m.
Photo by Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press
Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez on Sunday lost his sixth game this season as the Rockies were swept by the Cubs.
The impulse to fix the Rockies before it is too late assumes that it is not too late. Of course, it is. It became too late the first time Manny Corpas did not close, the first time Franklin Morales did not get out of the third inning, the first time Troy Tulowitzki felt a twinge.
Wait till next year. What was so enduringly familiar is now defeatist?
Hardly so. Excuses that once were accepted without challenge do not suddenly become aggravations, insults to the fan base, violations of the public trust.
These are the Rockies. They have always been the Rockies. They will continue to be the Rockies.
They can't pitch. They can't get the timely hit. They can't stop a rally or sustain one.
When have they ever? Except for one delightful spasm last autumn.
Their manager handles pitchers as if they were condiments, the general manager wrings his hands and conspires to keep his job, the owners count the house and count on miracles.
So, what's new? Last season was new. Rocktober was new. Faith was new.
All of that achievement disrupted the normal, violated the routine, put fresh paint on the old ways but changed nothing essential.
Teams have an identity, earned over the years, and as young as the Rockies franchise is, what it has been for all but one of its years in existence still defines it, a nonpitching, sometime hitting, nonruthless, easygoing loser.
The Rockies have not been around long enough to supply generations of agony as, say, the Cubs do, as the Red Sox did. Or to establish the consistent character of those impatient win-or-else teams in New York, the champ-a-decade consistency of St. Louis, the come-late, leave-early tradition of the Dodgers.
Consider the twin entry from Florida, the Marlins. At the same age as the Rockies, they have managed to buy a title twice, once in 1997, then in 2003, building a legacy of improvisation.
The theory that the Rockies are one top-flight, No. 1 pitcher away from being what they were is the kind of retro-think that once produced Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle.
And it was not Aaron Cook or even Jeff Francis that sewed together that furious finish last season. It was Morales and Ubaldo Jimenez and Corpas out of the bullpen, and if all but Cook are reverting to form, it would seem the Rockies need a whole deck rather than one ace.
Even had Tulowitzki not injured himself so early, the Rockies would be where they are. The same is true of the more recent absence of Matt Holliday.
This is a team as comfortable at their normal level as they were astonished to be so far above it.
Why Willy Taveras would be called out on strikes with the bases loaded trying to walk in a run rather than swing at the ball or why Yorvit Torrealba would bat with sunglasses on when the sun is at his back, these are not questions as much as expectations.
It is just another indication that this is a team not really serious about its work.
To lose now seven in a row on the road, with sweeps by both the Phillies and the Cubs, is too common to be a surprise, and too pathetic for sarcasm.
What happens next in Los Angeles or after that through the summer has happened before and often. Memories are too long and too fresh to be replaced by a little blip such as the World Series.
There is not one trade or even two that will matter, no shake-up as dramatic as firing the manager, to change things, to rescue the season, even to build for seasons beyond.
The Rockies are back down to earth, if still geologically a little higher than most others, and there is a calm comfort in that.
The Rockies are free of all the extraneous baggage, no respect to be demanded, no MVP oversight to be resented, no Rookie of the Year to be coveted, no All-Star, other than the manager and the minimum of one player, and that is twice what it usually is.
This is simply baseball now, each game its own unit, to be won or to be lost, to be enjoyed for its immediate delight or suffered for its brief disappointment.
Like most baseball seasons elsewhere. Like baseball seasons forever here.
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June 2, 2008
1:35 a.m.
Suggest removal
flybys writes:
Colorado baseball is bad right now and no one has the answers.
Just plenty of theories.
Most of them correct.
Injuries. A shocking lack of pitching, even by Rockies standards. An offense that is playing the role of imposter, especially from men with shining resumes.
The bleeding isn't going to stop anytime soon and this train is speeding towards a whole lotta losses and a draft pick that could be the highest in club history come next June, and this is a franchise that picked second overall just two years ago, when it bypassed Evan Longoria, Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum and others for Greg Reynolds, who will likely prove to be a typical Rockies pitcher (not a good thing for those not paying attention).
Coors Field is still an enjoyable day at the park, if you don't mind the shabby product on display. If you love sunshine, sharing the national pastime an having something from the concession stand, then there is still value there this summer.
Management has proven it is patient and loyal, hardly negative qualities, within moderation, so look for the organization to ride out this season with minimal changes and look to make repairs come December.
June 2, 2008
7:01 a.m.
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SirRealist writes:
I must admit, the more this season goes on, the more last year seems a fluke - I think we have a good coach, decent talent in non-pitching areas, and we could use a couple more solid pitchers. The problem right now is that they're getting used to losing and having the walls cave in - expecting Murphy to rear his ugly head and they're playing beneath their abilities. I don't know what the fix is for them.
June 2, 2008
9:43 a.m.
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cpd writes:
Look. This is baseball and it is a sport. Sports teams win on a combination of skill, plays that are successful by "a matter of inches", enthusiasm, self-confidence, and, oh yes, the "combinations" of the other teams. The Rox "combined" at the right time last year. They haven't "combined" this year at all. They may or may not combine before the end of the year. Forget all the rationalizations and go out and enjoy ball games and this beautiful Colorado weather at one of the most pleasing venues in baseball. Remember, we once never had it so good as to have a major league baseball team. (BTW just think of how many times Steinbrenner"s millionaires didn't "combine")
June 2, 2008
10:06 a.m.
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DG writes:
Anyone who thinks we have a good coach or that this team is an acceptable professional baseball representative is simply a baseball idiot. If you just enjoy the atmosphere of Coors Field (a beautiful park), more power to you.
Clint Hurdle is not a good manager. This is not a good team. They don't have pride or will. Except they are WILLing to lose. "Fluketober" T-shirts are now popular in many ball parks and who can argue. Last year WAS a fluke. This is the REAL Rockies. Does anyone remember a run like last September and October, or such a complete and total job of "___ing it away" completely in the first half of the next season?
There are other things to do in life other than watch the Rockies or the Nuggets or the Broncos. Now would be a good time.
June 2, 2008
10:08 a.m.
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heffery writes:
You have to look at the whole body of work. Take out 6 magical weeks last season and the Rockies are, have been and will most likely always be one of the bottom 2 or 3 teams in baseball. The owners sit in their offices count their millons, refuse to spend any of it, and continually watch as Colorado sports fans support a below average product.
I blame us the fans. We don't demand anything from this organization. We could care less about who starts, who pitches who manages who makes trades. As long as we have a beautiful ballpark and beautiful weather we could care less about the product.
In other major league cities this complete disregard for winning would never be tolerated. People would demand the manager be fired, or the owners sell the team, and people would not show up to the games to show their displeasure. That will never happen here, and because of that the ownership will never feel any pressure to win. We have our 1 fake National League penant. That should last us another 25 years.
June 2, 2008
10:38 a.m.
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cpd writes:
I apologize in advance but I think some of the obsessive-compulsive energy expressed in some of the posts ought to be directed to something important rather than young men hitting a ball with a stick. I played the game at the pro level (low-pro) lots of years ago and believe me it ain't worth the brain damage.
June 2, 2008
10:50 a.m.
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incognitoboy writes:
rox fans, i feel your pain. only not as deeply.
we here in minnesota have a similar problem, except that there is a slightly better attitude from the manager, and the twins DO have a decent, if sporadic, history of fielding a winning team.
unfortunately, what happens is we have good drafts and a good farm system, then we make minimal efforts to keep (read: pay) the ones who come up thru the system and become really good and consistent (torii hunter, johan santana are this year's examples)
now, we too will have a nice publicly-funded open-air ballpark, thanks to years of wrangling by the state legislatures, and carl pohlad (owner) will continue to pinch his pennies so tightly that abe lincoln is forever tatooed on his digits, and our beloved 'twinkies' will get us excited here and there, throwing us the occasional winning season bone to chew on. then everyone will be happy, right? sound familiar??? :-(
i still have my beautiful memory of the one game i attended at coors, when 'the big cat' spanked 3 h.r.'s for 6 rbi's against the cards in ozzie smith's final season. that was niiiiiccccce.....
June 2, 2008
11:54 a.m.
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Chadley25 writes:
"In other major league cities this complete disregard for winning would never be tolerated. People would demand the manager be fired, or the owners sell the team, and people would not show up to the games to show their displeasure."
________________________________
I respectfully disagree and offer up, without even having to give it much thought, Chicago and Los Angeles as examples. Oh, and Boston, too. All of these big-market cities have supported losing baseball for years (and in the Cubs' and Red Sox's case, decades). Of course there were grumblings and cries of discontent in the fan base, but people weren't boycotting the ballparks, nor burning the manager in effigy. In fact, the only city I can think of where people act as you say to any meaningful degree is New York. But honestly, people here in Denver HAVE been calling for the manager and GM to be fired (for years), they HAVE been staying away from the ballpark (attendance plummeted after the first few years in Coors Field), so I'm not sure what's left to do.
June 2, 2008
12:59 p.m.
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ATLBorn79 writes:
The saddest thing about the whole situation is that within 3-4 years the Rockies will be the one and only expansion team without a World Series title.
The Marlins are building yet another exciting young team. The D-Backs are still a year away. The D-Rays have built (finally) one of, if not the best, young teams in baseball.
Let's look at the Rays:
They built the team the right way; by drafting top-flight pitchers through the draft. Has anyone watched one of their games? Their pitching is SICK. It is almost uncanny how much this team resembles the '91 Braves; a team overflowing with FANTASTIC young arms.
I'm predicting a title for them in either 2011 or 2012.
The D-Backs will win in 2009 or 2010.
The Marlins will win in either 2011 or 2012.
The Rockies will be in yet another "rebuilding" phase.
Sad.
June 2, 2008
1:26 p.m.
Suggest removal
lq523 writes:
A fish rots from the head down. Until the Monforts sell, this franchise is doomed.
Last year was a magical year where the PLAYERS all came together and got hot at the right time. The Monforts happened to get lucky when the CHEAP team and CHEAP manager that they put together won a pennant. How did they respond?
World Series Ticket Fiasco, day 1
Day 2, allowing brokers and Sox fans from across the country to buy a lot of the tickets instead of restricting it to Colorado credit cards
Doing nothing to improve the team this offseason, just allowing a few free agents to leave.
Raising prices 15%
Screwing the fans on opening day - triple the price, plus you have to buy a 2nd game as part of a 'weekend plan'
Is it any wonder that this franchise is not blessed by the Baseball Gods or Karma or whoever you want to point to?
The Monforts don't care about the team or the fans, they just care about the $$$$$$$. The franchise they bought for $95 million is now worth 350 - quite the profit in 15 years, $250 million, or about 17 mil per year. Yet, they cry poverty and won't add any pitchers. The greatest thing that ever happened to those two bozos was Hampton and Neagle - now they can forever claim "free agent pitchers don't work in Colorado" - a lifetime excuse to be cheap.
Until they sell the team, restrict yourself to watching TV or buying rockpile tickets.
June 3, 2008
12:24 a.m.
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sickandtired writes:
I hate to agree with this particular writer about anything, but the term "easygoing loser" hits the nail right on the head.
If it's just entertainment, that's one thing. But if it's a competitive team you're looking for, the Rockies' entire existence, with the exception of two months last year, and the one year with the Longball Lineup, has been nothing but acceptance of "easygoing losers".
That's my main gripe with this team, and I was excited when a player such as Tulo stepped up and made some noise last year.
Am I the only one who is sick and tired of extremely well paid pro athletes accepting losing on a consistent basis, and then STILL whining about not getting bigger contracts?
Show a little spine, a little spirit, a little B****, for crying out loud, Rockies!