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

Stop me if you have heard this story before.  A young team with playoff potential trades their best player, fires their General Manager, fails to develop their pitching staff, and eventually ends up 32.5 games out of first place with a record of 74-87. Meanwhile, ownership cries about the woes of being in a small market environment, defends himself by stating that his team has the 11th highest payroll in the major leagues, and fans exit the gates as soon as “last call” is announced. It started with Matt Holliday leaving back in 2008, then Troy Tulowitzki in 2015. DJ LeMahieu left for a batting... Read More

As congressional leaders continue to work on the latest Coronavirus Relief Bill, a major point of contention between the two parties is how they should handle the expired unemployment benefits.  One side has argued that the $600 a week benefit, which expired on July 31, should be extended by the Federal Government as families continue to struggle in an environment that includes double-digit unemployment, a struggling economy, and a dangerous pandemic. The other side argues that the $600 was too generous as it discouraged Americans from going back to work, often paying the unemployed more than... Read More

The story became obvious as I sat down to write.  The Colorado Avalanche would eliminate the top-seeded Calgary flames in five games, and my fingers began to type.  Thoughts of Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and Philipp Grubauer raced through my head.  Memories past were of Stanley Cups, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Ray Bourque.  I would be sure to throw in Patrick Roy’s legendary playoff quote once said in response to an opponent’s trash talk. “I didn’t hear him because my two Stanley Cup rings were stuffed in my ears.” It was undoubtedly the story, the headline, the news of... Read More

When the San Diego Padres signed Manny Machado to a 10-year/$300 million contract last week, Joel Wolfe, the agent of Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, must have been smiling.  The contract was the most lucrative in major league baseball history as the Padres set the price it takes to secure a young, talented, gold-gloved superstar. The only problem is that Colorado has one that is even better.  And now it’s time to pay. In the last four years, Nolan Arenado has averaged 40 HRs, 40 2Bs, 125 RBIs, grabbed 4 gold gloves (6 total), and played in 4 all-star games, all while leading... Read More

Quarterback Chad Kelly was released by the Denver Broncos last week after being arrested for Suspicion of Criminal Trespassing following a late-night party. Kelly was reported to have wandered into a stranger’s home, talking incoherently before being quickly chased out, as the police found Kelly in a nearby SUV a short time later. The second-year quarterback out of the University of Miami was rumored to take over the starting spot if Case Keenum were to continue his struggles, but instead, the trouble-filled quarterback will be looking for a job. It’s not easy to get recognized as a back-up... Read More

What a difference a week makes.  Well, ten games to be exact.  After getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Colorado Rockies were sitting at 82-70 and 2 ½ games out of first place.  Trevor Story had injured his arm, Nolan Arenado was in a major slump, the Rockies were fading from playoff contention, and I was writing their obituary. But the Rockies ended up winning nine out of their last ten games in what could only be described as the perfect storm, and for the first time in Rockies history, Colorado has made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.  I tried to find the one single catalyst... Read More

With the Colorado Rockies off to a 20-15 record behind solid pitching and the bats of Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado, we should be relatively satisfied.  After all, the Rockies have already played more road games (23) than any other team in the league, and the assumption is that the slumping bats will come alive once the thin air and short fences do their thing.  But after a team batting average of just .228 and some early struggles that may not correct themselves, here are four moves that Colorado may want to look at…sooner than later.   Find a veteran hitter to plug at first base.... Read More

Like sipping a cold microbrew in the cheap seats at Coors Field, I can still taste the success of last year’s Colorado Rockies.  With a 87-75 record and our first playoff game in almost ten years, Spring couldn’t come soon enough.  I doubted the Monfort family, I didn’t want to “trust the process”, but the organization proved me wrong.  The 2018 Rockies brought almost everyone back and even opened up their wallet to sign the top reliever in baseball, Wade Davis, to a huge contract. Blake Street is booming, roof top bars are stocking up, kids are dusting off their gloves, but there’s... Read More