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Rockies 2, Diamondbacks 0
2007-05-24 11:57
by Mark T.R. Donohue

Well, that's one way of doing it. The Rockies' first shutout victory of the year over Arizona is nice to see and it does give them only their third win in a three-game series for the entire season, but it's hard to look at the box score and see repeatable ingredients for sustained success. Jeff Francis, who got off to an awful start and had his rebound the last few outings totally eclipsed by the team's overall dysfunction, pitched beautifully. But it needs to be said, you're not going to get performances this good out of Francis each and every start. Particularly if his strikeout per nine rate (5.21) doesn't rally. And for some reason Jeff has been dominant in his career against the Diamondbacks and only the Diamondbacks, which is useful since they do play in the same division, but no argument to back off on criticisms of this deeply flawed Rockies team. Where is the offense? Where are our young stars?

What to make of this piece? Rockies president Keli McGregor: "The questions about the team are fair. We have to stay focused on doing the right things every day. But I know the fans don't want to hear about the different gyrations. They want results." Hurdle and O'Dowd are "accountable," they say. Well, where are our results? Seems to me like the team is a piece of junk, again. Didn't we get this same press release last year? See, the thing about accountability is, if you suck beyond all imagination at something, you probably shouldn't be allowed to do it any more. Clint Hurdle is a bad major league manager (period), Dan O'Dowd hasn't been able to make the Rockies good whether he's had hundreds of millions of dollars to throw around or not, and ownership has plunging attendance, an enraged local media, and no record of success whatsoever all to indicate that they might not be cut out for their present role.

There is no number of conciliatory statements that can be made to make this situation okay. We have been hearing that the results on the field will start mattering more every spring since Hurdle became manager. And the team keeps losing. I'm happy that Ryan Spilborghs managed two RBI hits last night, but overall the Rockies fail in every phase of the game. Their offense is 9th in the league in OPS, their starters' ERA is 10th, and their bullpen ERA is dead last. It is Clint Hurdle and Dan O'Dowd's job to make the Colorado Rockies a winning baseball team. They have failed. They must be fired. There is absolutely nothing they can realistically do at this point to change my mind, and I imagine that most Rockies fans feel the same way. McGregor should be fired too, for insulting all of our intelligences with such a mealy-mouthed, dismissive response to a genuine crisis in faith for the fans with perhaps the least rationale in all of baseball to show any loyalty to their hometown team.

So, yeah, two games in a row is nice, but I'm still fed up. I'm not backing down and I hope you won't either. Hurdle and O'Dowd must go, and if they have any decency in them the Monfort brothers will follow. And also Willy Taveras. Until then, go Brewers!

Update: The Yankees are scouting Brian Fuentes and Todd Helton. Whatever. New York is the team you look to when you are trying to get some salary relief, but the Rockies do not need salary relief. They are already spending half as much money as real baseball teams do.

Comments
2007-05-24 12:45:32
1.   Xeifrank
wow, the Yankees need starting pitching and if the Rockies traded Helton away, they'd be the KC Royals. vr, Xei
2007-05-24 12:48:09
2.   Mark T.R. Donohue
It is looking increasingly like this is going to be a complete meltdown, 100-loss kind of season. Maybe it is overdue. The Rockies have been bad for a long time, but they have never been SO bad that long-needed drastic regime chance has taken place. If that would be the result of things imploding this season, I can live with it.
2007-05-24 13:57:19
3.   Kels
Maybe we can get Giambi and Pavano from the Yanks…that would be fantastic!

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