...because now, they have to go back on the road again. Their play on the road since the All-Star break has been nothing less than atrocious. The team is currently 8 games back in the NL West and 4.5 games back in the wild card standings. Every loss hurts right now, and with the next few games on the road, it's likely that the losses will begin piling up again.
In good news, the tandem of EYjr and Fowler at the top of the order seems to be just what the Rockies needed... now, if only somebody could knock them in. Oh, and Todd Helton, it's good to see you again.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Farewell, Brad Hawpe!
Time to say good-bye to Brad Hawpe, a long-time Rockies player and a seemingly decent guy. I expect him to do what Garrett Atkins could not: to find success with a new MLB team. Hawpe's long swing has a lot of moving parts, but when it was working right it was a beautiful thing to watch... and although he was an average outfielder at best, his cannon of an arm provided many great moments for Rockies fans. Thank you for seven years in a Rockies uniform, and best of luck Brad Hawpe!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
RIP Bobby Thompson
Hey, Major Leaguers! When your teammate gets a hit to win a game in the bottom of the 9th inning, ask yourself: is this one win really that big a deal?, before you run out en masse, huddle around home plate like a pack of hyenas around a fresh kill, and hop up and down like jackasses when your teammate arrives. Give the guy a high-five as he comes into the dugout, sure... but act like you've seen it before.
There are times, of course, when you probably haven't seen it before, and the celebration should be something special. 60 years later, the late Bobby Thompson and the 1951 Giants still have something to teach today's ballplayers about how -- and when -- to celebrate a game-winning hit. The difference between "excitement" and "joy" is evident in this clip. Few (if any) hits in the sport of baseball have ever been bigger than this one, and this is a case of the celebration matching the feat.
The Shot Heard 'Round The World
There are times, of course, when you probably haven't seen it before, and the celebration should be something special. 60 years later, the late Bobby Thompson and the 1951 Giants still have something to teach today's ballplayers about how -- and when -- to celebrate a game-winning hit. The difference between "excitement" and "joy" is evident in this clip. Few (if any) hits in the sport of baseball have ever been bigger than this one, and this is a case of the celebration matching the feat.
The Shot Heard 'Round The World
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Rockies running out of games
The Rockies continue to hit like an armless zombie, getting shut out by the Mets today for the second time in three games. What's the problem with this team right now? Well, one can never take the complex and multi-faceted equation that is a major league baseball team, over the many natural highs and lows that come during a six-month season, and boil its problems down to one solitary issue, unless that issue is that their hitting coach doesn't appear to know the first thing about how to coach hitting.
Yes, the team has a high average and has scored a lot of runs, but Rockies fans know that both of these have come in spurts punctuated by long spells of neither. This shows only that they have potential being frustratingly wasted this season. The fact that they can't seem to hit or score runs with any sort of reliability or consistency is a reflection of their coaching and their approach, not of their talent.
Oh, and another reason they struggle is that they sent their one decent and healthy contact hitter, Jonathan Herrera, down to the minors so that one of the least impressive hitters in the major leagues wouldn't have anybody showing him up at second base. Watching Clint Barmes walk to the plate in a Rockies game is like watching a half-naked teenager take a walk through the woods in a Friday the 13th movie, except that more often than not, the teenager looks pretty good right up to the point she's butchered.
Jonathan Herrera understood that a single can be more valuable than a home run, but that notion made him a heretic in the Rockies clubhouse, where each and every one of the Ten Commandments says "Thou shalt not hit a ball less than 400 feet," and he was therefore banished, and lots were cast for his clothing.
So, is there any good news today? Yes, some. Chipper Jones had a major knee injury that will likely end his Hall-of-Fame career. That's how freaking grumpy The Beard is today, folks... an eternal and omnipotent traveler of both space and time, reduced to schadenfreude. Thanks a lot, Don Baylor!
T.B.
Yes, the team has a high average and has scored a lot of runs, but Rockies fans know that both of these have come in spurts punctuated by long spells of neither. This shows only that they have potential being frustratingly wasted this season. The fact that they can't seem to hit or score runs with any sort of reliability or consistency is a reflection of their coaching and their approach, not of their talent.
Oh, and another reason they struggle is that they sent their one decent and healthy contact hitter, Jonathan Herrera, down to the minors so that one of the least impressive hitters in the major leagues wouldn't have anybody showing him up at second base. Watching Clint Barmes walk to the plate in a Rockies game is like watching a half-naked teenager take a walk through the woods in a Friday the 13th movie, except that more often than not, the teenager looks pretty good right up to the point she's butchered.
Jonathan Herrera understood that a single can be more valuable than a home run, but that notion made him a heretic in the Rockies clubhouse, where each and every one of the Ten Commandments says "Thou shalt not hit a ball less than 400 feet," and he was therefore banished, and lots were cast for his clothing.
So, is there any good news today? Yes, some. Chipper Jones had a major knee injury that will likely end his Hall-of-Fame career. That's how freaking grumpy The Beard is today, folks... an eternal and omnipotent traveler of both space and time, reduced to schadenfreude. Thanks a lot, Don Baylor!
T.B.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Trade Deadline Day Action!
Greetings! I hate to be misleading with a headline, but for the Rockies, absolutely nothing happened on the trade deadline day, other than Carlos Gonzalez completing the cycle with a game-winning, 460+ foot home run. But as far as trades go, the Rockies were silent.
There were rumblings that the team was interested in Jorge Cantu, but the Rangers, spending money as if they've got it, beat them to him. There were reports that the Rockies attempted to move Aaron Cook to St Louis, but his final start was bad enough that it scared the Cards away. And there were rumors that Brad Hawpe was on the block, but with the uncertainty at first base surrounding Todd Helton's return, the Rockies hesitated to pull the trigger. So essentially, the Rockies are going the rest of the way with the same team they opened the season.
My analysis: perfect. This team has talent, and this team has depth. At times, the Rockies' problem has been that they are too loyal to veteran players. At other times, they have been too fiddly with their lineup. But the pieces are there... the challenge is to put them together correctly. Adding more pieces would not have solved much, in my Beardly opinion.
The starting rotation is a question, but the answers may be within the Rockies system already. The Rockies need Ubaldo to stay out of trouble, and they need De La Rosa to snap back and be the "2" in the Rockies' "1-2 punch." If Ubaldo continues to show signs of burnout and De La Rosa does not return to form, the Rockies have a very steep climb ahead of them this season. However, Ubaldo is not in as much trouble as many seem to think, and DLR seems to be progressing nicely since his stay on the DL.
Francis has pitched well lately, and Hammel continues to pitch well... so that final spot is the biggest issue. Cook has been ineffective pretty much all year long, and his spot in the rotation can't be too solid at this point with an arm like Chacin's at AAA. I feel that Cook might get one or two more starts to show he can produce a quality outing, before Chacin is given the opporunity to show what he can do in a pennant race.
The other major question facing the Rockies right now is first base. Hawpe has filled in fairly well lately (and shown signs of breaking out of his bad slump at the plate, to boot). Giambi is hitting the ball better than he's catching it, but he's a nice option to have off the bench and as a backup at 1B. The question is, will a productive Helton return from Casper? If not, is a .250 Helton a better option than a .285 Hawpe?
I'm of the opinion that if Helton is healthy enough to play the field, he should be in the lineup. His defense and his presence in the clubhouse make up for his lack of production at the plate. This season, the Rockies' longest losing streak with Helton in the lineup was three games. As soon as Helton went on the DL, the Rockies uncorked that stinker of a road trip, including their 8-game slide. I do not think this is a coincidence: Todd Helton's value cannot be summed up by his offensive statistics.
As of this writing, the Rockies are tied for third, six games back of the Padres in the NL West. It will not be easy to win this division, but it can be done. Management has said that they like the roster as it is, and now it's up to the players to prove them right, or wrong.
There were rumblings that the team was interested in Jorge Cantu, but the Rangers, spending money as if they've got it, beat them to him. There were reports that the Rockies attempted to move Aaron Cook to St Louis, but his final start was bad enough that it scared the Cards away. And there were rumors that Brad Hawpe was on the block, but with the uncertainty at first base surrounding Todd Helton's return, the Rockies hesitated to pull the trigger. So essentially, the Rockies are going the rest of the way with the same team they opened the season.
My analysis: perfect. This team has talent, and this team has depth. At times, the Rockies' problem has been that they are too loyal to veteran players. At other times, they have been too fiddly with their lineup. But the pieces are there... the challenge is to put them together correctly. Adding more pieces would not have solved much, in my Beardly opinion.
The starting rotation is a question, but the answers may be within the Rockies system already. The Rockies need Ubaldo to stay out of trouble, and they need De La Rosa to snap back and be the "2" in the Rockies' "1-2 punch." If Ubaldo continues to show signs of burnout and De La Rosa does not return to form, the Rockies have a very steep climb ahead of them this season. However, Ubaldo is not in as much trouble as many seem to think, and DLR seems to be progressing nicely since his stay on the DL.
Francis has pitched well lately, and Hammel continues to pitch well... so that final spot is the biggest issue. Cook has been ineffective pretty much all year long, and his spot in the rotation can't be too solid at this point with an arm like Chacin's at AAA. I feel that Cook might get one or two more starts to show he can produce a quality outing, before Chacin is given the opporunity to show what he can do in a pennant race.
The other major question facing the Rockies right now is first base. Hawpe has filled in fairly well lately (and shown signs of breaking out of his bad slump at the plate, to boot). Giambi is hitting the ball better than he's catching it, but he's a nice option to have off the bench and as a backup at 1B. The question is, will a productive Helton return from Casper? If not, is a .250 Helton a better option than a .285 Hawpe?
I'm of the opinion that if Helton is healthy enough to play the field, he should be in the lineup. His defense and his presence in the clubhouse make up for his lack of production at the plate. This season, the Rockies' longest losing streak with Helton in the lineup was three games. As soon as Helton went on the DL, the Rockies uncorked that stinker of a road trip, including their 8-game slide. I do not think this is a coincidence: Todd Helton's value cannot be summed up by his offensive statistics.
As of this writing, the Rockies are tied for third, six games back of the Padres in the NL West. It will not be easy to win this division, but it can be done. Management has said that they like the roster as it is, and now it's up to the players to prove them right, or wrong.
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