What if Pat Bowlen Owned the Colorado Rockies?
By Joe Morrone
Dec 16, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
What if Pat Bowlen had owned the Colorado Rockies, how different would the fortunes of the local baseball team be today? It’s obviously a hypothetical question but in the light of the news on Wednesday about Bowlen and the ongoing sorry state of the Rockies, it’s an intriguing question.
Let’s start with the big picture; the Rockies would not be the laughing stock of Major League Baseball as they are now. Bowlen never would have allowed the Mickey Mouse stuff that currently goes on at 20th and Blake. He would tell a fan to stay away from the park and his respect for Rockies’ fans would have been the first thing on his priority list. Bowlen firmly believes that the Broncos belong to the fans and he’s just a caretaker. He would have given the Rockies’ fans a team to be proud of.
Bowlen may have hired Dan O’Dowd because as hard as it is to remember now, O’Dowd was highly thought of when the Rockies hired him. There’s no shame in hiring a guy who doesn’t work out; the shame is not moving on when it doesn’t. Bowlen would have cut ties with O’Dowd the minute he knew that O’Dowd had no idea what he was doing.
He proved that when he fired Josh McDaniels less than two seasons into a four year contract. Bowlen saw quickly that he had made a mistake and moved on; something Dick Monfort continually fails to do.
Bowlen would have figured out how to win at Coors Field or at least hired the right people to figure it out. He never would have used the altitude or the ballpark as an excuse for not winning.
He would have went out and found the people that would think outside the box about baseball at altitude. Bowlen would have hired those people and then let them work, but he also would have expected results.
Bowlen never would have allowed his General Manager to have an office in the clubhouse to babysit the manager, and then undercut him as Bill Geivett does with Walt Weiss. He would have demanded professionalism and respect at every level of the organization, and he would have gotten it.
Bowlen never would have said that making the playoffs once every five or six years is acceptable; in fact he would have scoffed at that notion. His goal would have been to win the World Series every year and anything short of that would be considered a failure.
Former Manager, Jim Tracy never would have walked away from a contract because the organization would have been first class in every way. Free agents, yes even pitchers, would come to Colorado just to play for an owner like Bowlen.
The payroll may not be as large as the New York Yankees of the Boston Red Sox, but Bowlen would have spent money. He understands that if the product on the field is competitive, then the fans will come. When the fans come, the money rolls in and Bowlen has always reinvested that money into talent on the field.
He wouldn’t have been holding press conferences for party decks; Bowlen would have been holding press conferences for free agent signings.
It baffles me as to why Monfort does not grasp the idea of if he invests some real money up front, then that will lead to wins and wins will lead to sell outs every single night. Bowlen would have understood that and done everything in his power to put the best team on the field.
Would the Rockies have won a World Series if Bowlen had been the owner; I don’t know but I do know this. They would have been to the playoffs more than three times, they would have won multiple division titles by now and they would have the trust and love of a fan base.
Maybe it’s for the best because when you think of Pat Bowlen or Mr. B as he is known to so many, you think of the Broncos and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
For die-hard Rockies’ fans though; what if?