I Can be a Colorado Rockies Fan and Still be Critical
By Joe Morrone
Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
The Colorado Rockies lost their fourth straight game on Saturday dropping the third game of the series to the Milwaukee Brewers. That loss also marks their 11th loss in their last 12 games and if it wasn’t for a bizarre sweep versus the San Francisco Giants, things would be even worse.
Let’s start with this and get it out in the open, I’m a fan of the Rockies. However being a fan does not prevent me from telling it like it is, and looking at the reality of the situation. Every time I write a “negative” piece on the Rockies or any other Colorado team, I get all kinds of feedback about being a traitor or not being a real fan.
As a reader and hopefully a fellow fan, are you going to respect my opinions if I just ignore how terrible the Rockies are? My guess is most of you would write me off as a homer and move on. With all of that said, let’s play a game called I can still be a Rockies fan and………
I can still be a Rockies fan and think that Manager Walt Weiss made a fatal mistake on Friday night when he decided to pitch to Ryan Braun in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Brewers had the winning run on third-base with two outs, and Braun at the plate. That’s an automatic walk and Weiss even admitted after the game that he probably should have given him the intentional pass.
I can still be a Rockies fan and think that catcher Willn Rosario is the worst catcher in the big leagues. He doesn’t block balls well and misses pitchers that don’t require much effort to catch. Rosario doesn’t handle the pitching staff well and calls a terrible game.
I can be a Rockies fan and think that, as great as he can be, Carlos Gonzalez is far too undisciplined at the plate. If a pitcher gets two strikes on him, all they have to do is throw a breaking ball in the dirt because Gonzalez will swing at it.
I can be a Rockies fan and a Troy Tulowitzki fan, and still criticize him for his pathetic performance in the clutch. As great as he’s been this season, Tulowitzki does not come through late in games with runners in scoring position.
I can be a Rockies fan and know that the bullpen is terrible. Some of it is not their fault, they are completely overworked. However was there a doubt in anyone’s mind that the bullpen was going to lose Friday night’s game after the Rockies rallied to tie it at two? For me it wasn’t a matter of if the Rockies would give up the winning run in the ninth, it was a matter of how they would give it up.
I can be a Rockies fan and say that the starting rotation is mind numbingly bad. Yes there have been injuries but it’s night after night of just awful starts.
I can be a Rockies fan and rip bad baseball when I see it. The passed ball that allowed three Brewers to score in last Saturday’s loss was a joke. That doesn’t happen in little league baseball.
I can be a Rockies fan and still get annoyed when I hear their announcers make excuse after excuse.
I can be a Rockies fan and have ZERO faith or confidence in the front office. General Manager Dan O’Dowd is nothing more than a figure head at this point, and specializes in excuse making. De facto General Manager Bill Geivett is nothing more than a puppet for ownership. As long as those two are “running” the Rockies, then nothing above is going to change.
Anyone want to start a pool on when’s the first date we hear the injury excuse from O’Dowd?
I can be a Rockies fan and know for a fact that this team is not going anywhere as long as Dick and Charlie Monfort own the team. I don’t care what they say for public consumption, they don’t care about winning. Sure they would like to win but as long as the money is rolling in, the Monforts are happy.
There’s not an owner worth his or her salt who would say they are happy if their team makes the playoffs every four or five years. That’s what Dick Monfort believes and it shows on the field. The Monforts also believe that O’Dowd is doing a great job and there’s nothing wrong with the way they are doing business. The only way things get better for the Rockies is for the Monforts to sell the team, and that’s not happening.
I can be a Rockies fan and be realistic, and realistically this team is horrific.
I can be a Rockies fan and ask, everyday, when does training camp start for the Denver Broncos?