With the baseball season upon us, I must admit that I struggled to find the positives when it came to writing about the Colorado Rockies. The team had gotten off to another slow start, the pitchers were getting shelled, and Kris Bryant was again, a virtual no-show. So, I cheated. I sat down at my computer, then asked ChatGPT to write me an 800-word article about the Colorado Rockies and all that was good. Within minutes, there it was. The words Cold Beer repeated 400 times. So, here it is. My annual story about the Colorado Rockies, written before they become too irrelevant, which is roughly... Read More

The baseball season is ridiculously long. Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in early February. Opening Day is at the end of March, and with 162 games to be played, the regular season lasts all the way to the end of September. And now that Major League Baseball has expanded their Playoffs to include six teams in each league, it is fair to believe that your favorite team may be playing in October – or even Game Seven in November. The point being – baseball lasts forever. Even the worst of teams can hover just below .500 for months, go on a decent winning streak sometime after... Read More

Name any baseball movie and you will generally find loveable losers that conquer in the end. A drunk coach, a female pitcher, and a team of misfits turn it around in The Bad News Bears. Jake Taylor and his team of castoffs take Cleveland to the playoffs in Major League. And once Roy Hobbs finally gets his shot (no pun intended if you’ve read the book), the fledgling New York Knights are practically unbeatable in The Natural. Unfortunately, the Colorado Rockies are not a movie. The script reads like one with frugal owners, star players leaving for greener pastures, and a roster full of colorful... Read More

How fun is baseball these days.  Major League players put on a show in the Home Run Derby last Monday, the All- Star game presented a pitching performance for the ages, and the Colorado Rockies were well represented with All-Stars Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, Charlie Blackmon, and David Dahl. And yet, after 99 games the Rockies are one game under .500. After two years of playoff appearances, Purple Nation is scratching their collective heads over this year’s 44-45 start.  Traditionally, it would be easy to blame it on ownership, youthful exuberance, and skeptical trust in the process. But the... Read More

With the MLB trade deadline approaching and the Colorado Rockies soundly in the playoff hunt, the question remains whether Colorado will be aggressive in acquiring talent before the July 31 deadline.  Currently positioned in third place, just behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, and in a basic dead heat with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, and Atlanta Braves, the Rockies have a tough decision to make.  Go add some talent to keep up with the other teams, or hope their current roster is good enough.  Here are four players the Rockies should go after, and a fifth they probably will. Cole... Read More

As the Colorado Rockies prepared for last Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, all eyes were on the clubhouse television. The screen showed the Milwaukee Brewers with a comfortable 6-0 lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, which would most likely mean that the Rockies would have to win one more game to clinch their first playoff appearance since 2009. Clayton Kershaw was scheduled to pitch for the Dodgers, and the odds were not looking good. But in an improbable season came an improbable ending as the St. Louis Cardinals rallied to score three runs in the eighth to defeat the... Read More

Former baseball great Don Baylor passed away on August 7, 2017 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Baylor was best known to Rockies fans as the first manager in the franchise’s history as he led Colorado to the playoffs in 1995, and was named the NL Manager of the Year. As a teenager I was fortunate enough to see Baylor close up and personal in a locker room following an Angels game many years ago. Baylor was a mountain of a man, literally and figuratively. With quads and arms the size of tree trunks, Baylor would crowd the plate and dare a pitcher to throw inside, and throw inside they... Read More

I sat at my laptop looking at all the stats, all the numbers, all the scenarios, and asked myself just why are these Colorado Rockies so much better than last year? At 64-48, 16 games over .500 and charging towards a playoff spot, I was determined to figure out the answer by looking at hitting, pitching, injuries, and even the manager. Finally, it all became clear. The answer was Greg Holland. 1) It was difficult not to credit the powerful Colorado bats as the major factor in the Rockies turn-around from last year’s 75-87 record. Charlie Blackmon, Nolan Arenado, and DJ LeMahieu have been... Read More

The Los Angeles Dodgers took care of business this past weekend with a series sweep over the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies were thoroughly outplayed as the Dodger bats dominated the young Colorado pitching staff. While some may look at the loss as a missed opportunity, the reality is that the Rockies may have played it just right. A series loss simply means that everyone keeps the status quo. The Rockies come back home for the thin air, cold microbrews, just a few games back, and the Dodgers pick up their cars from the valet and head to some Botox appointment near Redondo Beach before heading... Read More