SB Nation User Blog: Silverblood

Rockies Review: Elysian fields

Silverblood — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:26:30 -0000

Man alive, is it good to be a Rockies fan right now. There's that small matter of 11 straight wins, in addition to a killer draft that saw the notoriously risk-averse front office take a flier on a high-risk, high-reward, high-school arm, Tyler Matzek, in addition to nabbing two other Top 20 talents in Tim Wheeler and Rex Brothers. While we're facing an uphill battle to sign Matzek away from the University of Oregon, if we can lock it down, we'll get a prep lefty whose fastball can already hit 95 mph, was rated as highly as the number 2 talent in the Draft and who fell into our laps at Number 11. Combined with glowing reports about Christian Friedrich down on the farm (even though it took them 1 googolplex years to bump him up from Asheville) it looks as if we may have ourselves a rotation in a couple of years, and the one that we have now isn't doing so badly either. While Manny Corpas finagled himself into getting a win last night that he didn't entirely deserve, Jason Marquis's seven sparkling innings of one-run ball (with a horde of Rowbots cheering him on) put the team in a position to pull it out, and that was essentially par for the course. It's funny how breaks tend to go your way -- the Mariners essentially giving us the two runs immediately after the game-tying homer, which un-tied the game and paved the way to hang a perfect 10 -- when you're playing like a five-alarm fire. Whether the credit goes to Jim Tracy, the guys deciding that shaky job security wasn't the brightest idea in this economy, or just all that luck finally swinging back towards the mean (what's next, a 11-game losing streak to even things out? Don't worry, I just knocked on wood with both fists) nobody knows. But nobody cares, as long as it keeps going.

Where from here? Now that we've displayed the capability to play like everyone was waiting for, what is a realistic expectation for the rest of the season? Do we expect the karma wave to flatten out and restore us to our usual state of affairs, or has something really clicked? Are we actually going to see Rockune, Rockuly, Rockugust, and Rocktember (then, of course, Rocktober Part Deux?) This has gone from team that appeared to be playing out the string to a team that has forcibly reintroduced itself into the Wild Card discussion (and, ZOMGZ! succeeded in getting its very own slide on the MLB.com front page). So, it looks like we're going to have to hang our hearts high and get used to the fact that we may actually be fans of a contending team. At least that's a conversation you can have with a straight face. I remain unconvinced that we'll haul within sniffing distance of the Dodgers, especially since they're due to get Looney Tunes back soon, but 3.5 out of the Wild Card... well, caveat emptor to the maximus, as this team doesn't exactly have the best track record for consistency and we're still a month away from the All-Star break, but three sweeps in a row, two on the road, does have to catch your attention.

When I asked if we'd turned it around last week, answers in the poll were mainly split between "Yes" and "LOL," which is basically shorthand for "I don't have a clue what's going on but damn this is fun." Well, a week later, and they still haven't put up another notch in the L column (long may it continue). With a win on Tuesday, we'll break the record for longest streak in the majors this season (accomplished by that evil team from Boston) and our own franchise record (set during the original Rocktember). As was pointed out, with Brandon Webb on the DL, what's to stop us now?

The resurgence hasn't been just one guy or one aspect carrying the weight. We're receiving strong starting pitching, timely hitting, solid defence, and, Manny's hiccup aside, generally solid to excellent performances for a bullpen that, until now, was justly malingered for its collective inability to hold a damn lead. That's what has some of us thinking that this thing may be for real. Of course, we don't need to sweep everyone the rest of the way -- a solid 2-of-3 would be just fine with me. (Not that these sweeping business isn't fun. Maybe they'll give us a discount on brooms). Hot streaks are all good at the slot machines, but eventually you need to get a 9-to-5 job and win some money a different way.

What's showing that's been missing the most? It's one of those baseball cliches, the "intangibles." Not so very long ago, in the painful ye olden days, when they went down or the other team even scored first, you knew it was over. You knew they weren't going to come back, there'd be an ill-advised bunt, a questionable pitching change, and an excruciating first-pitch tapper or a backwards K with guys on first and second and two outs, followed by a bullpen blow-up later just in case it didn't hurt enough. Either that or it'd be another one-run heartbreaker. I don't know why it's changed now -- again, there's just too many factors contributing to the turnaround. But Tracy certainly seems to be pushing the right buttons. He figured out just as fast as the rest of us what we all know about Clint Barmes -- that he can't hit a breaking ball -- and managed to overcome it, sticking Clint in the two-hole and encouraging him to just go with the pitch. Similarly, he made a simple suggestion to Tulo -- quit slouching in the batter's box, dammit -- and our golden double-play duo is now paying dividends on both sides of the ball. (I only get to watch their glovework -- and their hitting, for that matter -- on the highlight reel, but every time I do, I'm struck by how much awesome our infield is made of. Stewart's perfected that spin-and-throw-from-the-behind thing, and to watch Barmes and Tulo turn two ranks right up there with the most beautiful sights on God's green earth. Not to mention the Toddfather is still a pickin' machine who must save the cannons from at least half a dozen errors a year).

So, is there a DOWNSIDE to being a Rockies fan right now?

Actually, yes.

First, the Lemur has been officially decommissioned until the All-Star break NEXT year. Those of you who took a pessimistic appraisal of his prospects of return were sadly proved to be right. As soon as I read that the bullpen session hadn't gone well, I immediately thought those two evil words, Tommy John, and then logged back on this afternoon to see it was already the case. Fortunately, the surgery has been improved and now has a relatively high rate of return, but saying that Taylor Buchholz has a slightly better chance of coming back and pitching effectively than does Jeff Francis isn't the most encouraging thing in the world. Bucky didn't throw an official pitch in purple pinstripes in 2009, after an outstanding year as a setup man in 2008, and no matter how much the bullpen is holding up now, we were all counting on his successful return to help introduce that tricky word, consistency. But now we're just going to have to keep crossing our fingers.

Does this sound horrifying? Well, it is. But it also gets worse. Brace yourself.

Earlier this year, I happened to mention the possibility of a ghastly event. Rox Girl made the mistake of confirming it. And now... THE UNTHINKABLE has happened.

Do not click here.

Really. Don't. You will never be the same again.

Aaaaand that's all folks! As it happens, Rockies Review will be superintended by Russ for the next two Sundays, as I return to my gallivanting and carefree ways! This is totally coincidental and has nothing to do with the fact that Rox Girl's ego is coming to kill me! Nothing at all!

/slams bunker hatch

/muffled voice

/I'll be back to writing the Review on July 5, a day after I go to my first Rockies game of the year -- fireworks and all!

/If I'm not dead!

/AUGHgrguggggurggleaccckkkk.....

Poll

What now?

Playoffs. It's going to happen. We're coming to getcha Dodgers! /maniacal laughter

29 votes

Eh, not the West, but I can see the Wild Card. Really, I can.

110 votes

t'll be fun, but I see us ending up in second or third place again

71 votes

Fourth or lower

4 votes

Failure stalks our footsteps. CALAMITY! WOE YE ALL! SELL YOUR ENRON STOCK!

4 votes

218 votes | Poll has closed

Rockies Review: The only thing that can stop Ian Stewart now is the Campbells

Silverblood — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:54:52 -0000

The surprising success experienced against a generally superior team needs more attention than I can actually give it, as this will have to be a shamefully threadbare edition due to my total lack of time and the total domination that my homework is currently exercising over me (like Stewart and Barmes over the Cardinals pitchers. O snap). But after losing three of four to the Astros to open the road trip had us feeling as if it was going to be the same old, same old, the Rockies miraculously decided to flip the "hey let's play good now" switch in St. Louis, and came up with three very enjoyable contests that saw them play the kind of complete baseball that's been missing -- well, for most of the season.

Scores of 10, 11, and 7 attested to the offense's rejuvenation (at least for now). Scores for the Cardinals of 4, 1, and 2 attested to the pitching's general competence (never a given). And despite the hijinks of MLB.TV, they did not, in fact, make 15 errors. They only made one all series, in the eighth inning of today's game when Tulo threw the ball into the dugout, and that didn't result in a meltdown, as a strong Ubaldo Jimenez retired the next three hitters in order. That was a recurring theme. Earlier, in the sixth inning, when he let the batter in front of King Albert reach base, the wise decision was made to put Albert on base as well. Uball then faced Rick Ankiel, whose bush-league antics in the first game had earned the ire of Rockies Nation. Apparently Ankiel wanted a fastball. Well, Uball gave him a fastball. At 98 mph. Which Ankiel looked at to make the third out.

That, my friends, is the kind of combination that will win you ballgames.

/Captain Obvious switch off

In addition, the Rockies enjoyed several novel feelings: being on the fun end of a giant inning (9 runs in the seventh during the series opener) getting production from all fronts (except Atkins) and from bit parts (third-string catcher Paul Phillips enjoyed a 4-for-5, 3 RBI day today) and having one of our players turn into a complete terror to the other team a la Cody Ross, Scott Hairston, Pedro Feliz to us: Ian Stewart's shredding of anything wearing a red hat and standing sixty feet away from him. Stewart didn't confine his contributions to the offense, making an outstanding stab and leaping throw in a game in which he'd already hit two home runs, and although this incendiary run has come out of nowhere (for the team as well as Stewart) it goes without saying that it's a welcome sight to see.

While "unpredictable" might be the understatement of the year when it comes to evaluating the 2009 Colorado Rockies, it sure is a hell of a lot of fun when they finally deploy their considerable talent to something besides inventive failure. Not to put too fine a point on the comparisons, but as has been mentioned by attentive Rowbots, the 2007 turnaround began with a sweep of the Cardinals at Coors. Maybe we just needed some of that Redbird mojo. If nothing else, it's left us just as befuddled as the Cardinals fans: they can't figure out why they're losing to us, and neither can we, but damn, we're enjoying it while it lasts. And we're also getting used to seeing another guy in that #5, who we hope will help define a crowded outfield that has trade rumours swirling around the much-loved Spilly. Hopefully we don't make a trade just to make a trade.

Of course, the Rockies have one more game to go tomorrow, thanks to some wonky schedule-making that sees them complete a four-game series from Friday to Monday, before heading to Milwaukee for a more conventional three-gamer. It goes without saying that they could suddenly decide to leave the lumber in St. Louis and fall on their faces again, since that's the way they like to do things, but then again, they may not.

6-4 in the Tracy era, and the crocuses are poking their noses out. Everyone wants it to be rainbows and unicorns from here on out, but if there's one thing we're sure of, it won't be. The Rockies, despite their recent munificence in letting the Denver denizens enjoy cheap tacos four days running, don't do fat and healthy. They prefer scrawny and miserable. Still. Oliver Twist got the better of Mr. Bumble in the end. Just you remember that.

Poll

Have we turned it around?

Yes

53 votes

No

26 votes

LOL

93 votes

172 votes | Poll has closed

Rockies Review: If chance will have me king

Silverblood — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:26:41 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Is this a dagger which I see before me -- the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.

Browse more photos »

King Duncan:
Is execution done on Cawdor?
Are not
Those in commission yet return'd?

Malcolm:
My liege,
They are not yet come back. But I have spoke
With one that saw him die; who did report
That very frankly he confessed his treasons,
Implor'd your Highness' pardon, and set forth
A deep repentance. Nothing in his life
Became him like the leaving it.

Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 4

DISCLAIMER: I certainly wouldn't want to alarm anyone by suggesting that kindly old Clint Hurdle/King Duncan should look lively for psychopaths with knives, or that Jim Tracy/Macbeth employed the consultation of three witches in finding a way to acquire the top job in the kingdom of Colorado/Scotland, but then again, maybe I AM. You never know.

Boil, boil, toil and trouble
Fire burn and cauldron bubble...

Ahem.

-------

If you heard one thing about the Colorado Rockies this week, you probably heard that they finally decided that it wasn't good business to reward spending the better part of a decade solidly mired in mediocrity. To wit, they gave the Row's favourite whipping boy his walking papers at last. And while there's debate as to whether this was a largely empty gesture trying to save face in a lost season, or the first step toward actively trying to claw back into it, there's no doubt that it represents the start of a new era, and the shifting of responsibility. While those who wanted a cooler-hurling manager like Joe Mikulik (including myself, I'll admit) are going to have to learn to live with disappointment, Jim Tracy will serve well enough until the offseason.

Some Dodgers fans have already dropped by to warn us that we're going to be screaming for Hurdle to come back by the time it comes, and that Tracy has a fixation on his 2004 NL West-winning Dodger team that would indeed do credit his bonkers alter ego. Then again, we just won a home series under the guy, saw a fire and spark that's been sorely absent in pulling out a comeback victory against Heath Bell, and today, although we lost, managed to avoid one of those nuclear bomb innings that's been our plague this year. Who are we to complain? Hell, if he wants them to dress up as trees and truck up to Dunsinane, maybe we should try that as well. We can't really discount anything at this point, right?

Okay, maybe not.

Hurdle's firing sends the longed-for message: the front office has, at last, taken notice that the product they've put on the field isn't up to snuff. It wasn't all Hurdle's fault -- he can't help it that the bullpen has been equipped with blowtorches and that Helton and Hawpe are the only hitters really carrying their weight. But he had to take the fall this time, reinvigorating the debate about how much of an impact managers really have on their clubs. And it's true that despite all the Spring Training palaver, the Rockies were truly execrable at executing fundamentals, and that when the going got rough early on, Hurdle's managing smacked of desperation as he fiddled with umpty zillion different lineups and made the roundly panned move to bench Tulo. He isn't blameless by any means. A manager has to get a fire going under sagging rears, and Hurdle wasn't demonstrating the ability to do that. That's why he got canned.

But now that he is gone, and if this new-fangled fad of rewarding success and punishing underachievement is going to carry on, that means the onus to pick up the slack now falls squarely on the players. That doesn't mean that we're expected to restrain from kvetching once Tracy polishes up a few of his own trademark bonehead moves, since, well, we're Rowbots and we're good at kvetching, dammit. But if we don't have the excuse of blaming Hurdle (although we can always blame Dinger) then neither do the players. It's time for the dogs to start pulling the sled and stop waiting around for the musher to crack the whip. The players themselves know that, I think, and in all honesty, a little bit of job anxiety could be a healthy emotion. For better or worse, Hurdle could only put nine guys on the field and trust them to do their job. The rest was out of his control. And for the most part, whatever combination of nine guys he came up with weren't filling the bill. They're going to have to do that now.

June, as I touched upon in the last Review, doesn't look too friendly, what with only nine home games all month. But that isn't an excuse. After all, we're in the no-excuses zone now. Plain and simple, if the players don't do their jobs, they ought to be in danger of losing them too. If the team goes straight back to its maddening underachievement and nuclear innings, and muddles into the break unable to sort asses from teakettles, then by all means, let the firesale commence. But as has been mentioned before, it's hard to build a winner if you keep swapping proven performers for tantalising but unproven commodities. You'll certainly get somewhere, but the danger is you're never quite sure where. Now that the franchise has announced its intention to judge rewards by performance, they're going to have to make some hard choices about the direction they want to take this offseason. Go after a "better" manager? Bring up all the young talent, shed salary, make some trades, and just try again completely from scratch? Or go back to their previous business modus operandi, and hope that fiddling around with bit parts will magically elevate them to a higher level?

There are still choices to make now, for that matter. Decide that there's no catching the Dodgers and start retooling yet again? Or count on rebounds? Trust that Tracy is going to take this fire-starting business seriously and haul them back into contention so that an All-Star Break sell-off is a last resort instead of a first choice? And which of the key players are they going to choose to focus on, and how are they going to help them maximise the return they're expected to get? The front office went on a signing spree after the '07 Series, which has paid decidedly mixed dividends to say the least.

While Hawpe is looking awesome, Francis may or may not ever throw another pitch for the club, Tulo's hot for a few weeks and then ice cold, Corpas is a riddle wrapped in an enigma and miles and miles from his previous dominating form, Holliday got traded, etc. etc. Are they going to lock up role players and hope that they'll squeeze more than one good season out of them? Who are these role players? How do they fit in with the current scheme of things? Are they proven or are they prospects? Are they going to take a flier on the draft and select high-risk, high-reward guys, or go back to safe, dull, projectable picks, which certainly have talent but nothing grandstand-busting? In short, does firing Hurdle represent a fundamental redirection of the way this team is going to do business, or was it just changing the colour of the curtains?

I don't expect the front office, or the fans, to have answers to these questions now. It's only three games into Tracy's tenure, after all, and things could look a lot different -- for better or for worse -- once we get through that unappetising June. Trial by fire, to say the least. But by that time, we'll have a better idea of what direction it seems that our team is taking.

Well, we'll be sure we've got it figured out, at least. And if Jim starts talking to midair and Mrs. Tracy starts going on about damn'd spots, then it will probably make it easier.

Poll

Prediction for the Tracy era?

This thing is going to get a WHOOOOLE lot better. Trust me.

16 votes

They may win a few more, but probably not enough to save the season.

63 votes

Nothing much will change. Win. Lose. Nuclear inning. Lose. Lose. Nuclear inning.

44 votes

It can always get worse. Those witches did something to us. /DOOOOOM

7 votes

130 votes | Poll has closed

Game #48: Josh Geer vs. Jason Hammel

Silverblood — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:35:42 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Jason Hammel is searching for his first win in his new Friendly Confines.

Browse more photos »

Being ignorant of the fancy tricks used to make this look fancier, I'll just get this flung up there and ask for one of the usual suspects to add in the widgets. Tonight, Josh Geer faces off against Jason Hammel as the Tracy era continues and Hammel looks to master the Coors Field demons.

Go Rockies!

Some words to drop the lineup after the AP photo.

Some more words, we need some space.

A link to the last time Hammel played against the Padres. The Rockies won that game 12-7. It's the game Dexter Fowler stole five bases off of Chris Young. I hope this just about does the trick.

Lineup

San Diego Padres @ Colorado Rockies

05/30/09 6:10 PM MDT

San Diego Padres	Colorado Rockies
Tony Gwynn - CF	Dexter Fowler - CF
David Eckstein - 2B	Clint Barmes - 2B
Adrian Gonzalez - 1B	Todd Helton - 1B
Chase Headley - LF	Garrett Atkins - 3B
Brian Giles - RF	Brad Hawpe - RF
Kevin Kouzmanoff - 3B	Seth Smith - LF
Nick Hundley - C	Troy Tulowitzki - SS
Josh Wilson - SS	Paul Phillips - C
Josh Geer - P	Jason Hammel - P

Rockies fire Clint Hurdle

Silverblood — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:13:31 -0000

Rockies fire Clint Hurdle

Jim Tracy in now.

Rockies Review: Gaining Traction?

Silverblood — Sun, 24 May 2009 23:56:12 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

Oh and, please give this guy a giant standing ovation at his first at-bat tomorrow. We love you, Todd.

Browse more photos »

Normally, it isn't cause for celebration when it takes until Memorial Day for your team to succeed in winning its second road series, but normally, your team isn't the 2009 Colorado Rockies. While the triumph today was quite surprising and enjoyable, not least because the defence showed up in a Jason Hammel start and the Toddfather continued his reign of terror, it -- to say the least -- leaves us with plenty of questions as we pass the quarterpole. For better or worse, scrounging out a 5-5 record on what was initially shaping up as a dismal road trip may have saved Hurdle's job for the foreseeable future.

Now, while I'm not the sort of fan to root against the team in the short-term for a longer-term benefit (canning Hurdle), it does seem to reinforce the fact that he's going to be "the guy" to help us dig out of the hole. We'll never know if O'Dowd would have pulled the trigger or not if we'd been swept by the Motor City Kitties, but I do think that he's grateful to have an excuse not to. Still... there is that fact that it took until Memorial Day to win our second road series. Let's not get too attached to spur-of-the-moment results in thinking that the comeback starts now and there's more incentive to stay the course.

Which leads us to the question: Does the comeback start now? As I seem to recall, it was at the end of May that the 2007 team finally sorted hats from asses and began to play at a higher calibre. While it's unfair to this team to constantly hold 2007 up as a yardstick, it does provide a (however faint) spark of hope that the days of 9 and 10-run innings, and other epic and agonising fails, may be over. In 2007, this moment was reached when the guys took 2 of 3 from the Reds at the start of June -- the third game of which was highlighted by a Garrett Atkins walk-off single to help him shake a consuming early-season funk (sound familiar?)

But the competition this time around will be a lot stiffer, as we head home to resume divisional play, facing the 15-games-north-of-.500 Dodgers and then the streaking Padres. Chris Iannetta is headed to the DL, so we're going to be seeing a heck of a lot of Yorvit (and Paul Phillips! Hooray). We may be DFAing Matt Belisle, but we're replacing him with Josh Fogg (why?!). Jorge de la Rosa is terminally unlucky and/or nuclear. Aaron Cook needs to show that he can replicate his last outing about 10 more times. Our youngsters (particularly Dexter Fowler, Ian Stewart, and Troy Tulowitzki) all need to pick up the slack. Garrett Atkins needs to be the one Hurdle benches to make a point. In short, there are a lot of dogs still not pulling their weight. Consistency remains a major sticking point. Hurdle's newest tack is to attempt to be a hard-ass. It's much too early to see how well the players are responding to this new level of discipline, or if they will. Or if they stay there. If, if if. A series win feels good, but let us not forget the problems that remain. And we don't have much, if any, time left to figure them out for good.

June promises to be make-or-break in judging if we're going to have much excitement post All-Star Game. We play only nine games at home all month, and have two brutal tri-city road trips. It shapes up thusly: four-game sets in Houston and St. Louis, and a three-gamer in Milwaukee, coming back for the homestand to face the Mariners, Rays, and Pirates, then swinging out West to visit the Angels, our old friend and the A's, and the Dodgers (again). That's an incredibly rough gauntlet to run, and it's fair to say that if the Rockies emerge from June in the same shape they've struggled through April and May, they're just going to be too far behind to resurface this year. 2007, after all, had the help of a miracle. That is one measuring stick we're going to have to go without. But streaks like that aren't needed if you play solid baseball all year. You don't need to sweep everyone, just win series.

Conversely, if the Rockies can put up a respectable showing, then there might be glimmers that all is not lost -- despite how horrible they've looked thus far. There are, of course, indicators that they could still turn this around: their downright unbelievably horrific luck in one-run games, the warmer weather usually tends to bring out a little more juju in the bats, and they've played the most road games in the NL. In addition (this surprised me as well) they have the best record in the NL for Interleague play over the past few seasons, and the Mariners, Rays, and A's have all looked plenty vulnerable this year. Even the Angels, seemingly immortal last year, are only three games above .500, and with the punchless Pirates mixed in, there's definitely opportunity to snipe off a few wins in the not-so-elysian-fields of June. But that's the thing: Aside from the offensively incompetent Nationals (thank you, Jim Bowden) we are the worst team in the NL. We have to look up instead of down, since we're the ones at the bottom of the well. We're the ones who have a lot to prove. We're the ones who are (fairly, if aggravatingly) looked upon as a cupcake, so those struggling teams will also be eyeing us as a chance to get well. We haven't particularly showed anything thus far to make them think that we won't be a cupcake. Thus, cupcake status must remain until conclusively disproven. Capisce?

Come on, guys. Give us another September to remember. Or failing that, at least avoid a June swoon. Time for the Charge of the Light Brigade.

Or something.

Poll

Outlook for the rest of the season?

Optimistic. WOO PURPLE KOOLAID PEOPLE!

9 votes

Cautiously optimistic. They can still turn this around, although catching the Dodgers is going to require a damn lot of pixie dust.

34 votes

Hoping for something better but not particularly expecting it.

39 votes

Are you kidding? They'll do something awful against the Dodgers and we'll all be having existential crises again.

21 votes

Hell. Let's totally tank it and get Strasburg! ..... No, there is no flaw in this brilliant plan. What are you talking about?

5 votes

108 votes | Poll has closed

Rockies Review: Babies and bathwater

Silverblood — Mon, 18 May 2009 00:48:42 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

Yeah, Manny, think hard. Think real hard.

Browse more photos »

I'm gonna keep this simple, guys. I'm tired, I'm irritated, that damn homework STILL isn't done, and, as I imagine most of you are, I'm not too keen on writing about, thinking about, or putting up with this team right now. In essence, there are two courses to take: stay it, and hope that things get sorted out in time to make this summer still worth watching, or ditch it and pull a massive salary dump in time to free up some money for the Draft. But in either case, it doesn't bode well for the immediate or even the moderate future. I swear, this team would make Freddy Krueger look well-balanced.

There are good individual players -- the Toddfather and Hawpe come to mind, with Tulo starting to emerge from his slumber -- but that just seems to emphasise the point that they couldn't be playing less like a team. They get one part under control and another goes out of whack. It makes you wonder if anybody knows what the heck can be done to fix it, and gives you good reason to think that they don't. After all, why would you want to shake up the status quo, Dan O'Dowd? Eh?

I'm pretty disheartened right now. Nobody wants to think that their beloved team will be playing meaningless games before Memorial Day. As it is, barring a lightning strike or Tunguska event, this season is already shaping up as a wash, and it certainly will be if moves of whatever sort aren't made. Sitting on one's hands and hoping things work out, while desirable, is impossible. (I should know, I just tried it with the homework). The problem is... does anyone have a CLUE what should be done, and is there anyone in the front office who realises that something does need to happen? We can vent on PR all we like, but we're still just the armchair GMs. The actual GM, barring a kidnap attempt with lists of demands, chains, and ether-soaked rags, is beyond our reach. As yet. But PR's influence is growing.

/malevolent cackle

Let's give Danny some ideas, shall we? Below, in 1000 words or less, + spell out your plan for fixing the Colorado Rockies for 2010 and beyond, and surviving 2009 until we can get there. Humorous and serious efforts equally appreciated.

+ completely meaningless guideline

Poll

Right. What the crap do we do?

Find a new hobby, like pulling out your own fingernails. That sounds positively fun in comparison.

10 votes

Blow them up. Trade the bigger contracts, free up some money for the Draft.

29 votes

Stay the course. Things have to get better, right? Riiiiiight.....?

13 votes

What does it matter? This team has flaws in so many areas, just changing one won't help.

23 votes

Key Clint Hurdle's car.

32 votes

Rockies? What are the Rockies? Oooh. Shiny thing.

6 votes

113 votes | Poll has closed

Rockies Review: Nice guys, winners, and principles of mutual exclusion

Silverblood — Sun, 10 May 2009 22:46:08 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

That slip needs to be pink, buster.

Browse more photos »

Well, we won a one-run game today, but I'm fairly sure we did it by accident. In the top of the eighth, with the Rockies clinging to a 3-2 lead, Wes Helms torched a hanging slider from Alan Embree and only missed a homer because the axial tilt of the earth and the intersection of the sunlight combined to tear a small hole into the antimatter and release two particles of cosmic dust, that swirled on a breeze into Coors Field, hooked onto Seth Smith's jersey, and enabled him (along with the pixies that live in Todd Helton's beard) to time his leap correctly to catch the ball.

Okay, maybe it wasn't THAT much of an accident.

In any case, the guys did avert a sweep, which will have all of us feeling decent until they lose on Tuesday. We're wired to tentatively hope that maybe every win will inaugurate the turnaround, but, of course, the answer is it won't. The question du jour flying around the Row has to do with our feelings on whether Clint Hurdle should be fired. And what's the answer?

Yes. Yes, he should.

WolfMarauder and GoRoxGo have crunched some numbers over on the FanPosts, and everyone and his brother has chimed in on why it's time to give MLB's fourth-longest-tenured manager (and certainly least successful out of that group) the boot. Herein, I'll attempt to explain why firing Hurdle is a start, but certainly not the answer, without ploughing too much previously charted ground, and do my best to judge the prevailing sentiments of Rowbots on this issue. Thus.

This is long. I apologise for that. Had some things I wanted to work out. Skim if you want, but there will be a test at the end.

-----

From all appearances, and certainly everything to judge by, Clint Hurdle is a really nice guy. He certainly could have had himself a helluva career at a human relations firm, but through one of those quirks of fate known as "damn," is instead sitting on the bench, wearing #13, chewing gum to give Brady Quinn a run for his money, and calling the shots for our beloved baseball team. He's even-keeled. He doesn't throw coolers. His philosophy is, you win some you lose some. He makes the guys feel good about themselves. That, I expect, is why they like playing for him.

It is also why he is vastly unsuited to be a MLB manager.

Thing is, if Hurdle really wants to win, wants to damn the torpedoes and get it done, he's done an Oscar-worthy job at hiding it. This isn't his fault alone -- it's a malaise that runs organisation-deep. As I've touched upon in previous Rockies Reviews, the team isn't built to be a deep-pockets, high-risk, high-talent outfit. It's built to be decent. Good, if everything breaks right. And if nothing does, completely and resoundingly mediocre. The question has been begged, is this good enough for the triumvirate? They stumbled across a wildly successful month and yeah, that was cool, but who did they first sign and then have start Opening Day 2008?

Uh-huh. Kip Wells. There's your winning mentality at work, boys and girls.

NOTE: Franchise26 has pointed out in the comments that this may be an unfair tact to take, as we did not sign Kip Wells to be our ace and Opening Day starter. I'll agree that it probably is. But I'm not entirely sure what it says about the team that Kip Wells was the number-one alternate choice.

Now, I take serious leave to doubt that the Monforts are actually evil secret agents working to dismantle our beloved baseball team and calculating ways they can personally piss in YOUR cornflakes. I just don't think that building a consistent winner is that high on their agenda. They like going the reclamation project route. Drafting those guys with "good character," you know. But character doesn't win you baseball games and those reclamation projects have names like Jorge Julio, Elmer Dessens, Mark Redman, the aforementioned Kip Wells, etc. etc. The thing about Hurdle is that he encapsulates both of these problems, and he feels no pressure from the front office to adjust his managing style. Which has been roundly criticised, for good reason. This is a problem that goes deeper than the guy on the bench.

I also think it's important to distinguish between "not caring that much about winning" and "wanting to lose." I seriously doubt anyone affiliated with the organisation is actively trying to lose. I think they all want to win -- like I want to win the lottery, buy a Maserati, and a million-dollar home and never have to work another hourly wage job in my life. We'd all like that. Similarly, the Rockies want to win in that kind of way. But they don't seem to want to do the things that lead to winning, the same way I don't want to have to make my money by going to work every day and putting in the 9-to-5. I want it to come to me. As far as I can tell, that's the approach the Rockies are taking to hope that the course corrects itself.

Hurdle wins kudos for being a good "player manager" and "low-key," which is all well and good, but how much is that true? I've noticed that he can publically throw his players under the bus to the media after a bad performance, which I suppose comes part and parcel with giving honest answers to questions, but who does that really help? Deal with these things in-house, Clint. If you can. Everyone's giving the expected snippets about "know we need to step it up" and "we need to do more things right," things which Rowbots identified, and complained about, about five or six games into the season. Probably the sixth, since that was when we lost to the Phillies to drop back to .500 and squander a 3-1 start.

Occasionally, the guys actually show up, do some hitting, and win in a big margin. And then the next day they lose by a run. This is supposed to mean they're getting unlucky. What it means is that they're less predictable then a serial killer on Valium. Which means that Dan O'Dowd has said he "doesn't know" which team is going to show up, but thinks that it's too early to hold anyone to account (?!) Which means, if you are anyone else than Dan O'Dowd, that there may be a problem with the team that rearranging the deck chairs won't fix. And boy, is there a lot of rearranging. A few days after saying Dex had essentially won the CF job, Hurdle sat him. And then he trotted out a few more lineups. And then a few more. And he finally happened to notice that Ground Outkins wasn't doing too well. But, well, give him a few days off and let him "work things out." Panacea. Right?

Which leads me to my next point: firing Hurdle in and of itself won't be enough. The lack of accountability runs all the way up the food chain. They like each other. They have prayer meetings. That's great. But it still isn't helping them win baseball games. Which, you may think, is the reason for getting into the business. But not in this case. And, to be fair, the Rockies aren't the only team in MLB that doesn't really seem to want to commit to it. But they're certainly the one that's most affecting our blood pressure and general quality of life. As I've also said before, the expectations that fans have for this team is quite a bit different from what's in the front office. Unfortunately, it's the front office that matters. They're not blind. They realise there's a problem. But they figure it'll work itself out. You know.

Uh.

Does that mean that firing Hurdle will be a wash? No. The problem with Hurdle is that he's comfortable fitting into this mold and isn't champing at the bit to shake up the status quo. The guys don't like doing badly, but they know there won't be any direct consequences if they do. They'll go sit for a few games and then get out there again. If you can get someone in there who's willing to enforce, to lay down the gauntlet -- no matter how painful it may be -- and if this is the person who has direct contact with the players, then things could change. If you get a guy in there who fits less well with the front office's take-it-or-leave-it mentality, then you're breaking up the chain of yes-manning. It might be a useful spark.

(And then he'll get fired for not bunting enough. You know it'll happen).

Those that say "Who else but Hurdle?" are setting up a false choice. Managers that can consistently steer a baseball team to an underachieving sub-.500 record probably aren't as rare as hen's teeth. The change might (and here's the part where the wishful thinking comes in) spark a fire under a few lagging posteriors. There's choice within the organisation already. Tracy. Baylor. Weiss. Castilla. Hell, get Larry Walker on the horn. Make the Toddfather a player/manager. Even Dinger. While he's waddling out there to make a pitching change, the other team would be too busy laughing themselves silly to notice our EVIL SCHEMEZ.

(Besides, I'm pretty sure that even Dinger knows not to give Manny Corpas or Matt Belisle any high-leverage innings).

Which comes around to the overarching point of a Hurdle firing: Show the Colorado Rockies that the product they've put on the field isn't acceptable. We as fans can vote with our wallets. I -- and everyone else, I imagine -- really love going to games at Coors Field. I've said multiple times before that it's one of my favourite places on earth, and it is. I would hate to give up that experience. But I'm also getting pretty damn tired of going, spending $50-odd for tickets, parking, drinks, dogs, etc., and watching the offense underperform, the starting pitching underwhelm, and the bullpen require the Heimlich. Nothing has really changed. We have high expectations because of a three-week streak of unworldly luck. They talk up returning to fundamentals. And where does that leave us? 2-for-28 with RISP for the Marlins series. And winning a game only thanks to the aforementioned dark matter miracles. Yeah, it feels good. But it's lipstick on a pig.

I like Clint Hurdle as a person. I wish him the best. Just not managing a baseball team that I love enough to regularly stay up until 4am, watching them lose on Gameday from the other side of the Atlantic. And until he goes, I don't have any expectations for the team. I'll still watch them. I'll still root for their success. I'll still make all kinds of snarky remarks and furiously defend my dear Greg Reynolds against anyone who (rightly) complains that we should have drafted Lincecum or Longoria instead. But until the Rockies organisation as a whole shows that results matter to them by making Clint Hurdle the sacrificial lamb, I won't really expect anything different.

With that said...

Today is Mother's Day, as no doubt everyone remembered (RIGHT? RIGHT?) I would like to take this opportunity to extend condolences to a favoured member of the purple cadre, Ryan Spilborghs. This is his first Mother's Day without his beloved mother, Essie, who died in spring training. I imagine it was pretty damn hard for him, no matter his cheerful demeanour and ability to face down anything with a funny remark. Because we care for Spilly, and we know that he Spillied his mother very, very much, we're sending him nothing but good thoughts today. Enough even to excuse that first-pitch groundout to end the inning with a guy on third. Because it is, after all, just a game.

Rockies Review: Con-Con-Con-Consistency

Silverblood — Mon, 04 May 2009 00:12:19 -0000

Lake Wobegon Whippets fans, it pains me to report that however well the week appeared to be going (four wins in five games) it ended on another sour note. The hitting was weak, the box score looked bad, and the managing was (very) below average, all adding up to a 10-inning, 1-0 loss to the San Francisco Midgets. It definitely felt like a giant bowlful of Mournful Oatmeal (Calvinism in a box!) and the Whippets... er, pardon me, Rockies, only collected three hits, a day after they looked good, or at least competent, in amassing ten (including three home runs). While Jason Marquis looks to be the biggest steal since Florida, it's not going to help us very much if he only gets to pitch once every five days.

Needless to say, pitching issues remain paramount. On the bright side, Ubaldo finally turned in a quality start. On the downside, it was against the terminally inept Giants offence, which can't really be counted as major league competition. It's a knock against our own bats that the Giants scored 5 runs in 3 games... and we still lost 2 of 3. One can tip one's hat to the Giants' very good pitching staff, as that's what keeps them in ballgames, but it isn't as if we were facing the cream of the crop -- we gave Randy Johnson only his second good start since he pwned the Dbacks, bewilderingly managed to win the game started by Matt Cain (the best pitcher we faced) and then went as limp as overcooked spaghetti against Barry Zito. I mean, we didn't even have to face Tiny Tim, people. Hat tipping is all well and good, but at some point, one must leave off doffing one's chapeau and take a look at the underlying issues, which are still legion.

Are we a 9-14 team? Hard to say. Pythag records are all well and good for comfort, but unfortunately we can't use it to replace what's already up there in the standings. The managing is questionable (at the very least), Atkins simply cannot hit with RISP to save his life, Tulo, despite occasional jolts on the monitor, remains essentially flatlined, Manny Corpas is a ghost of a phantom of his 2007 self and had no business being in the ballgame today, our bullpen in general is a case of pick-your-poison (although Street's resurgence, if it's for real, would be really damn nice), and our abysmal performance in the late innings, and in the much lamented one-run games, simply has to change if we're going to be talking seriously about wild-card berths, much less divisional titles.

I'm not advocating packing it in by any means -- as any baseball player will helpfully remind you, "it's a long season and we've got to play them one day at a time." I also think that as the weather warms up, the guys will follow their typical pattern of doing likewise. Yet why, oh why, does it take them so long to get going? Is it due to Hurdle's incessant tinkering, a lapse in preparation, plain bad luck (you know, I would have been PERFECTLY OKAY with Renteria failing to get to some of those balls) or what? It's difficult trying to prescribe a solution to the problem when there are so many little pieces out of whack.

All, however, is not lost. Jason Hammel turned in six sparkling innings today, working out of a bases-loaded jam to preserve the scoreless tie, and the day before, Jason Marquis continued his surprising season by outduelling Matt Cain for a complete-game victory (although Pablo Sandoval had to spoil his attempt for a shutout with a leadoff homer in the ninth inning) and, as mentioned, Ubaldo managed to have a good outing as well. (However, the only one exempt from the "Well-it-IS-the-Giants" caveat is Marquis, who is doing his valiant best to make Rockies Nation spilly him very, very much). Even Matt Belisle may not inspire automatic fear and loathing whenever he gets into the ballgame (I know, I know, it's a stretch). But they're just not putting the right combinations together -- they get a good start and they fail to match it with good hitting, or they get a few runs and then the bullpen steps in to send it all to pot. Let's just say this team is lacking CLUTCH, and GRITTINESS, and LATE-INNING FIREWORKS. Also, SUCCESS.

(Needs more David Eckstein. Clearly).

In another of the nice problems to have, Ryan Spilborghs, Dexter Fowler, Seth Smith, and Brad Hawpe are busy scuffling to see which is the most talented starting threesome. (No mud fights that I'm aware of). Spilly pretty much won the game for us against Cain, Dexter is, well, Dexter, Seth has the highest OPS on the team, and Brad has been able to step right back in after his scary neck injury. It's a good mix to have, but some of the dead weight in the infield is weighing down their contributions.

The Toddfather is heating up, but Barmes anywhere not Coors, a slumping Stewart, a hapless Atkins, and a still-somnolent Tulowitzki are the recipe for a lot of black holes in a team that is far from clicking on all cylinders. Some of the frost may get rasped off with a few more revolutions, but the machinery is creaky and we can't find the WD-40 just at the moment. Most Rowbots, and the numbers, maintain that eventually our trajectory has to straighten out, but another bad May is exactly what we don't need. Make something good happen, guys. That's my scintillating advice.

Next up: A two-game set at Petco, before it's back home to play... the Giants. What a quinkydink.

This Rockies Review brought to you by Powdermilk Biscuits, made from whole wheat raised in the rich bottomlands of the Lake Wobegon river valley by Norwegian bachelor farmers, so you know they're not only good for you, but pure ... mostly. Maybe they'll give the Rockies the strength to stand up and do what needs to be done. Heavens it would be nice if they'd be expeditious at winning.

Poll

Who's to blame for our, heh, rocky start?

Clint Hurdle, obviously. I'm pretty sure a bobblehead could outmanage him at this point.

38 votes

The bullpen. This relief is no Pepcid AC.

33 votes

The offense. Geesh, how hard is it to score more runs than the Giants?

13 votes

The starting pitching. Yo Cook and Ubaldo, you guys feel like joining the party yet?

7 votes

Dinger. Because he's just good for being blamed for things.

6 votes

All of the above/WE IZ TEH DOOMD (but not in the CDI way)

39 votes

136 votes | Poll has closed

Rockies Review Goes Artsy-Fartsy (?!)

Silverblood — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 23:53:51 -0000

Since aside from today, there's nothing much worth recounting, I decided to have a little fun instead. Please, throw all the rotten fruit you like -- as long as it isn't anything that will cause lasting damage, like beer bottles.

----------

Rockies Review does not have much to review
Because the boys have not got a clue
Of how to stop all the failing
(And the Purple Row’s wailing)
Their record is quite badly askew.

In this time of great strife
We cannot just get on with life
So while we wait for the wins
And scout out tons more has-beens
Painfully bad limericks must just suffice.

Today not withstanding
Nothing has been going to plan
Who would have thought that Jason Marquis
Would be our best guarantee
Of Cooking up a win on command?

We hope this portends something more
For the team that we all adore
Cannot sort its kettles from asses
Far from pleasing the masses
It makes watching the games quite a chore.

For once we actually did beat L.A.
But that’s not too much to say
For with that guy named Manny
Parked on the bench on his fanny
We damn sure should win today.

The season thus far offers much to forget
Since it’s hard to watch without becoming upset
I suppose we can hope
And figure out strange ways to cope
But basically all that we do is to fret.

It is pitching that will win you ballgames
But this must conflict with our aims
Because what we’re doing ain’t pitchin’
And causes much bitchin’
And a lot of Denver Post flames.

For that matter, some hitting might help out
But the sticks are all in a long drought
The bullpen is leaky
And the brain trust is creaky
Is there still the benefit of the doubt?

Either they score runs in gobs or they score not at all
Their batting averages being quite small
They start hitting like crazy
Or just look quite lazy
Can we please get some consistent baseball?

We hope that this state of affairs shall not last
Before all chances of fixing are past
We’ve started so slowly
That we’ve said things unholy
Now it’s time to take off with a blast.

So remember it can be done
But right now it isn’t much fun
So suffer it somehow
And don’t disavow
Because NL West hey here we come!
(?!?!)

SB Nation User Blog: Silverblood

Rockies Review: Elysian fields

What now?

Playoffs. It's going to happen. We're coming to getcha Dodgers! /maniacal laughter

Eh, not the West, but I can see the Wild Card. Really, I can.

t'll be fun, but I see us ending up in second or third place again

Fourth or lower

Failure stalks our footsteps. CALAMITY! WOE YE ALL! SELL YOUR ENRON STOCK!

Rockies Review: The only thing that can stop Ian Stewart now is the Campbells

Have we turned it around?

Yes

No

LOL

Rockies Review: If chance will have me king

Prediction for the Tracy era?

This thing is going to get a WHOOOOLE lot better. Trust me.

They may win a few more, but probably not enough to save the season.

Nothing much will change. Win. Lose. Nuclear inning. Lose. Lose. Nuclear inning.

It can always get worse. Those witches did something to us. /DOOOOOM

Game #48: Josh Geer vs. Jason Hammel

Lineup

Rockies fire Clint Hurdle

Rockies fire Clint Hurdle

Rockies Review: Gaining Traction?

Outlook for the rest of the season?

Optimistic. WOO PURPLE KOOLAID PEOPLE!

Cautiously optimistic. They can still turn this around, although catching the Dodgers is going to require a damn lot of pixie dust.

Hoping for something better but not particularly expecting it.

Are you kidding? They'll do something awful against the Dodgers and we'll all be having existential crises again.

Hell. Let's totally tank it and get Strasburg! ..... No, there is no flaw in this brilliant plan. What are you talking about?

Rockies Review: Babies and bathwater

Right. What the crap do we do?

Find a new hobby, like pulling out your own fingernails. That sounds positively fun in comparison.

Blow them up. Trade the bigger contracts, free up some money for the Draft.

Stay the course. Things have to get better, right? Riiiiiight.....?

What does it matter? This team has flaws in so many areas, just changing one won't help.

Key Clint Hurdle's car.

Rockies? What are the Rockies? Oooh. Shiny thing.

Rockies Review: Nice guys, winners, and principles of mutual exclusion

Rockies Review: Con-Con-Con-Consistency

Who's to blame for our, heh, *rocky* start?

Clint Hurdle, obviously. I'm pretty sure a bobblehead could outmanage him at this point.

The bullpen. This relief is no Pepcid AC.

The offense. Geesh, how hard is it to score more runs than the Giants?

The starting pitching. Yo Cook and Ubaldo, you guys feel like joining the party yet?

Dinger. Because he's just good for being blamed for things.

All of the above/WE IZ TEH DOOMD (but not in the CDI way)

Rockies Review Goes Artsy-Fartsy (?!)

Who's to blame for our, heh, rocky start?