I encourage everyone to get this to Root Sports.  Make any changes you see fit.  

This is the link to contact Root Sports.  Root Sports.

The letter sits below:

Dear Root Sports,

            This letter has been a long time coming, but during the Rockies game on the evening of May 16th,  the annoyances of multiple Rockies fans and myself just couldn’t be ignored. 

            During the night, you chose to highlight a fan who missed a foul ball, an occurrence that happens quite often during a baseball game.  Instead of taking a time to point out the humor, the broadcast team chose to talk about this fan continuously throughout the night.  I would understand if the Rockies were a last place team, or a team begging for an audience, but the Rockies are not this team.  Root Sports should know this, as very aggressive TV deals have been signed in the last few years.

            To highlight this fan during the most important part of the game, against a division leader and featuring a pitcher who has been one of the most dominating in the game, is just baffling.  To add to highlighting the fan, watching the numerous shots of a cameraman wandering around the stadium is not good baseball broadcasting.  It was such bad baseball broadcasting, in fact, that I switched from Root Sports mid-game, to watching the San Francisco broadcast of the game, which I found to be very focused on the game, and not a new bar somewhere in Coors Field.

            To add to the new broadcasting techniques that Root Sports has been concentrating so heavily on, Toyota Talk is perhaps the most shocking addition to the broadcast to date.  I understand involving the fans, but to put what seems to be an unedited feed right on the television is just outrageous.  Also, for the announcers to put so much time into this feature really is distracting from the actual baseball game.

            All of these flaws in new Root Sports broadcast of Rockies games is alienating baseball fans all over the Denver area.  In a time in which the Rockies are moving to gain a bigger audience in the city, Root Sports is hurting sport by distracting the audience from what is actually going on in the game.

Signed,

Colorado Rockies fans.

In this post, I'll explore why I think the Rockies are failing at this point.  This may mean nothing to a lot of you, read if you please, but I feel like it makes too much sense.  In fact, as writing this, I saw something that reenforces my point.

The Rockies need to get back to basics.  There are things being done at every level that shows me the Rockies are trying to CREATE things, not let things happen.  The back to basics is an old adage that may have become cliche, but cliches are created for a reason.  Let me explore some of these issues.

From a managerial level, this issue is the biggest to me.  I do not believe Jim Tracy is a good manager, but I do believe he is a good clubhouse leader.  

- Play your best players, drop the platoons.  If Seth Smith was considered one of the best pure hitters in the organization by DOD and Hurdle just 2 years ago, why doesn't he get to hit against lefties?

- If a player has played at a certain position his whole career, play him there.  This doesn't seem that hard to figure out.  We are known around baseball as having a crazy deep outfield.  Why are we playing a journeyman 3B in left?

-Baseball players are creatures of habit.  This is why superstition is one of the coolest off-field stories that baseball produces.  Play the same line-up.  Every day.  Swap 1 guy out at max everyday.  It's hard to get into a rhythm with anything when you can't get consistent opportunities.  Especially if the pitches you see change per spot in the line-up, this is huge.

The players, especially the hitters, need to shape up as well.  Pitchers have a bit going as well, but I believe this pitching lull has to do with them trying to turn every game into a shut out.  

-Batters are FAR TOO PATIENT.  See a pitch you like, swing at it.  I don't care if it's the first pitch, especially in a offensive slump like this.  

 -What I saw that really showcased my point was the 1st inning at bats by Giambi and Spilly during the Monday morning game against the Phillies.  Both Spilly and Giambi not only swung at the first pitch, but both of them went with the pitch and went the OTHER WAY.  When was the last time you saw back to back hits to the opposite field from this team?  Really though.  This team is pull heavy, which I also thing is why they struggle with the breaking pitches.  Stewart, who ended that inning on a double play, should have been benched immediately.  The two guys ahead of him go with a pitch and go the other way.  He gets the same pitch, and rolls over on it, double play.  

-I also believe the pull heavy nature of this team is a mix of Don Baylor, but also the outrageous use of righty/lefty platoons.  The way ball breaks from lefties to lefties is much different than lefties to righties.  The L/R match-ups are much more prone to pulling the ball, and if this how players are getting most of their at-bats, pull heavy is created.

I am not as smart as some of the people on this website, but I do believe this team is doing all the wrong things right now, and it goes from top to bottom.  Agree or disagree, I do believe I raise some good discussion points.

I've been doing some research on possible bullpen arms that wouldn't break the bank for the Rockies.  Although we'd love a Heath Bell or Cla Merideth, these arms are very unlikely.  Some of the others would not be a good fit in the Rockies uniform, just because of Coors Field.  Here is my list of possible bullpen arms the Rockies should be looking at.

First on the list, this is just based on most wanted, and I believe would be more likely than Bell or Qualls, would be Brad Ziegler.  He strikes out a good amount, keeps walks low (2 K/BB) and his G/F ratio is 2.2.  He'd be a winner.  The downside?  Rookie.  Not gonna happen.

Next, and becoming much more likely is Shawn Camp.  Great G/F Ratio.  Does walk a bit more than you'd want, but his K rate is in the 6 range.  He's got 5 years under his belt, and most of the stats have been pretty steady, so we could expect more of the same here.  He has a very reasonable contract, and I don't think he is a huge asset to Toronto at this point, so I think we could get him for a VERY reasonable price.

The last guy is Jim Johnson of Baltimore.  He's got very similar numbers to Shawn Camp, but is a 3 year player.  Very small contract, and is 4th in the AL in Holds (dumb stat but good for a quick glance).  He tears up lefties for being a RHP, with a .588 OPS against.  He'd be a great target for the Rockies as well.

Ziegler (not likely), Camp, and Johnson should be guys we should be going after to make our bullpen more complete, and mixing this with the return of Corpas, and a possible solid Morales in the bullpen would make things much better moving forward for the Rox.

Hey all,

I'm in a fantasy baseball with a lot of friends, its a 10 man league, but we are looking for like 4 more players.  We want serious baseball people, we don't want people in that aren't going to just ignore their teams as the year goes on.  Let me know here, and I'll get you the info for the league.  We also make some rocking team names, such as the Biddleford Lumberkings.

Thanks guys!

I mentioned this in the game discussion the other day.  I'm gonna try to play a game of MLB08 The Show every day, based on a projected lineup and the projected pitchers.  It worked out decently the other night, Tulo had a big base hit, Redman had a very reasonable start.  So tonight, 04/17/08, I have played the game, and this is what we will see:

1. Singles galore from the Rox.  An extra base hit when it matters.

2. Peavy gone much earlier than expected. (First 5 innings)

3. Francis returning to form.

4. Rox win.

Obviously, I'm gonna keep it semi-vague, because saying the score will be X-X is a bit silly.  But this is what I'm predicting.  Also, another good night from Barmes, if he starts.

Ok, so I am going.  I suggest everyone from PURPLE ROW do the same as I am.

I am making signs that say "PEAVY SHMEAVY" and "PEAVY LIKES COLDPLAY" (if you do the same, insert any band that is easy to make fun of, like Nickelback as well).

I want everyone going to the game from PURPLE ROW to do the same.

PEAVY SHMEAVY

PEAVY LIKES COLDPLAY

Hurdle needs to learn a display of emotion.  

He needs to get kicked out of a few games in the next few weeks.  Maybe 1 per week.  

He's gotta throw a tirade too, like thrown hats, sunflower seeds and bubble gum on the field.  Baseballs thrown, broken bats.  I even like using the rosin(sp?) bag as a hand grenade.  Get these players going.

I understand that it can be hard being a baseball player, but I just don't think Hurdle is someone these players want to back up.  Hurdle has just reverted to his own ways.  I even heard him say "These guys are doing as much as they can."  Now...that's just terrible to hear a manager say.

Sure....accept the way your players are playing...less than .500 baseball over the last month.  Back to your comfort zone.