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Dan Olson, Ian Cerveny, Jason Dennee and a multiple personality disorder discuss the Colorado Rockies’ April run.  This PSC Rockies podcast was recorded on location at the Familia Camarena Tequila Loft above the Coors Field bullpens during a wintry late-April 2011 game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Colorado Rockies.

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The MLB-best Colorado Rockies have shot out to a 10-2 record over the first two weeks of the 2011 Season.  Find out why they’re so damn good, how long the ride will last, and why the Rockies are favorites to win the NL West.  Jason Dennee, Dan Olson and Ian Cerveny talk Rocks in this edition of the Pro Sports Colorado podcast.

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On his 1-year anniversary with the Colorado Rockies, manager Jim Tracy recorded his 100^th win as head honcho.  To little fanfare Saturday evening (perhaps because the win was sandwiched between two losses to the hated Dodgers), Jim touched on an important landmark in his career with Colorado.

The landmark win, though, means less than a big picture painted by Tracy through his first year of leadership.

Jim Tracy took over a troubled Rockies club on May 29^th, 2009 and coaxed the talented lineup into a winning fervor.  Under Tracy, the 2009 Rockies won two, lost four, and then rattled off 17 wins in their next 18 games.

Tracy mixed up the batting order often (as he has done consistently throughout the 2010 season) to take advantage of hot bats and isolate cold ones.  He brought out the best in Bob Apodaca, the Rockies’ Pitching Coach, whose staff had struggled under close friend Clint Hurdle’s watch.  Jim brought a no-nonsense, winner’s mentality to a Rockies club already possessing of a general swagger and excellent team chemistry.

The results were electric.

From the dregs of the National League in late May, the Rockies battled for the NL Wild Card and an opening round playoff series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Rockies bowed to the eventual NL Champs in four mostly hard-fought games, their only win coming in Game 2 at Philadelphia.  That 5-4 road victory was followed by a cold-weather postponement that allowed Philly ace Cliff Lee to pitch in a tight Game 5.  Philadelphia closed out both Games 4 & 5 in Colorado with 9^th Inning scoring that the Rockies simply could not overcome.

The Phillies won their second consecutive NL Title, and the Rockies were made to look like a young club lacking some final element.

Lacking was a confident closer, as Huston Street melted before the deadly, lefty-heavy Phillies lineup.

Lacking was the clutch scoring that is the hallmark of Championship-caliber teams.

Lacking was a solid postseason pitching rotation after left-handed dynamo Jorge de la Rosa went down with a groin injury late in the season.

But the Rockies were not lacking in leadership.  The Rocks never looked disorganized or scattered as a team, and throughout both their regular season recovery and postseason battling they took on the businesslike demeanor of their stalwart manager.

Gone were the sloppy, streaky days of Clint Hurdle.  The Rockies looked whole.

And despite an off & on start to this season, Colorado has held a certain form; maintained an edge missing at times under Hurdle.  Losing streaks have been brief and often altered by the kind of workmanlike performance that wins big games… playoff games.  Jim Tracy’s fingerprints are all over this club.

So, still in the early stages of a season that could still go either way, I want to propose a toast to Mr. Tracy.  Something about that 100^th win on the 1-year anniversary of his ascension to manager just feels right, and we need to make sure that we take a moment to notice.

Because Jim knows he’s got something special in these young Rockies… and it’s important to recognize that the Rockies have something special in Tracy.

Cheers to Mr. Jim Tracy, may this be a Junetober to remember.

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Despite all the injuries to speedy position players.

(Dex, Tulo, Cargo, EYJ)

Even while missing a crucial starting pitcher in lefty Jorge de la Rosa.

Still without their 2009 closer, 35-save righty Huston Street… the Rockies soldier on.

Colorado Rockies History 401 :  Playing Possum or the Great .500 Deception

Colorado has managed a 22-22 record just over a quarter of the way into the season.  Many have wondered, with all the pre-season hype that accompanied this team, why the Rockies have struggled.  Chalk it up to experience.

The Rocks have failed to lose or win more than three games in a row this year.  They have incidentally metered out a perfectly uninteresting first fourth of the season without breaking a sweat.  They have, by virtue of their historical early-season sucking, managed to not dig themselves an enormous 5-10 game hole.

In fact, their only two 3-game streaks came back-to-back as they gutted out three Coors Field wins versus Washington, then hit the road and lost a two-game stint to the Cubs before dropping the first of two in Houston.

And that little piece of history brings us full circle…

It was exactly one year ago today that the Rockies were 18-26 after losing the first of three home games (all losses) to the LA Dodgers.  That dreadful home showing against the NL West’s elite club portended great changes in Rockieland.

Clint Hurdle, the Rockies’ manager for 7+ seasons, was abruptly dismissed and replaced with bench coach Jim Tracy.

Sportswriters and fans alike wrote off the season as finished.  Hurdle declined to stay in the organization as a front office role player.  And overnight, despite the ‘interim’ tag associated with his managerial title, Jim Tracy took control of the Colorado Rockies.

The team responded by winning two of three over the Padres in the latter half of their homestand, then took their 20-29 2009 record on a fateful trip to Houston for a 4-game series against the 20-29 Astros.

In the last game of that San Diego series Jorge de la Rosa pitched another foul outing and dropped to 0-6 on the season.  The first game in Houston, Aaron Cook dropped to 3-3 with a loss.  Game 2 at the Astros the Rockies lost a heartbreaker in 11 Innings when Miguel Tejada hit a solo home run off Colorado reliever Josh Fogg.  And as a final ringing insult, Jason Marquis, the Rockies’ only winning starter in the first part of that ’09 season, got creamed for three first inning runs on the way to a 6-4 Game 3 loss.

Then, like the crack of a bat, the Rockies turned their season around.

The story goes something like this.

10-3 @ Houston, 11-4 @ St. Louis, 10-1 @ St. Louis, 7-2 @ St. Louis, 5-2 @ St, Louis

The Cardinals were a dominant 31-23 going into that series, and the Rockies swept the whole 4-game set in St. Louis with a sort of righteous and overwhelming chorus of hits.

Colorado followed that performance with a tight 3-game sweep of the Brewers in Milwaukee, winning two of the three by a single run.  Some versatile winning on the road.

Then came a homestand versus Seattle, Tampa Bay & Pittsburgh, where Colorado sandwiched one 12-4 loss to the Rays between three wins over the Mariners, three wins over the Pirates, and two squeaker wins over Tampa.

By the time the Rockies rolled out of town for their annual trek along the California coast (Anaheim, Oakland, Los Angeles), they were a respectable 36-33.

Now, this lesson in Rockies history is good for posterity’s sake.

More than that, though, it is an important reminder that the Colorado Rockies work in a definitive cycle…

They stink it up in April & May, wait for the weather (and the bats) to warm up, and make mincemeat of opponents throughout June.

So certain is this information that it’s in the Farmer’s Almanac.  Migrating birds are called from 600 miles away by the faint ringing of late-inning crowd noise emanating from Coors Field on warm nights in late May.  The Mayans even predicted the last five years of Rockies history in their little known Calendario de Béisbol, accurate to within 5 games on a 162 game season.

And so, we know that it’s coming.  Like the tides, it’s coming. ‘Junetober’ is nigh upon us.

And this time, the Rockies are not 8 games below .500 and considering a mid-season overhaul.  No, this time the Colorado Rockies are just waiting for all the pieces to be in place.  Waiting for J-Dealer.  Waiting for Mr. Street.  (Waiting, perhaps, for Jim Tracy’s 1-year anniversary as the Rockies’ manager this Saturday night versus the Dodgers.)  Watching as Jeff Francis rises phoenix-like from the ashes and hints at a future rotation featuring three bona fide #1 pitchers.

So this time, when the bats come around, even the East Coast sports media may notice.

The Black-chinned Hummingbird certainly will.

Rocktober is Colorado history.  Junetober is the present.  The Rockies are ready to prove themselves a perennial contender by virtue of their ‘strong’ start, and a time-honored tradition of warming up with the weather.

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Rockies catcher Miguel Olivo took the first pitch of the 10^th Inning deep into the left field bleachers for a huge walk-off 4-3 win on Wednesday afternoon.  Olivo was 5 for 5 in the game, and turned a hanging curve ball into a no-doubter for the win.

Roy Halladay got a no-decision in his home-coming trip to Colorado with the Phillies.

Halladay pitched for Arvada West High School northwest of Denver, and this was his first game at Coors field since joining Philadelphia.  He is widely considered one of the top three starting pitchers in baseball, but the Rockies hammered Roy for 3 runs on 10 hits.

The Rocks had plenty of motivation to excel.

The Phillies were caught illegally stealing signs at Coors Field on Monday night in Game 1 of this three-game series.  MLB failed to issue anything but a warning to the Phillies, who have been accused of illegally stealing signs four times in the last three years.

Couple that with Jim Tracy’s ejection from Wednesday’s day game, and Colorado was ripe for a statement win.

Tracy was ejected after vociferously arguing a bad call in the bottom of the 9^th Inning.

Eric Young, Jr appeared to have beaten the throw on an infield hit to short, but First Base Umpire Cory Blaser called him out.  EYJ immediately yanked his batting helmet off in frustration, but walked briskly to the dugout to let his manager handle the verbal war.

Tracy laid into Blaser, getting ejected almost immediately.  Jim continued to berate the young Umpire until crew chief Phil Cuzzi wandered over to chase him away.  Blaser was just called up from Minor League Service, and, oddly enough, is another Colorado native.  Blaser was born in Denver and currently resides in Westminster.

Aaron Cook started for the Rockies, giving up 3 runs to break even through 6 Innings on 123 pitches.  Joe Beimel pitched to three batters in the top of the 10^th for the win.  Beimel gave up a lead-off hit to Ryan Howard.  However, Jayson Werth hit into a fielders’ choice grounder to nip Howard at 2^nd, and Raul Ibanez grounded into a double play to end the Philadelphia threat.

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I’ll say this – it was a nice afternoon to be at the ballpark. 65 degrees, a light breeze, and the smell of peanuts almost made me forget how horrific the Rockies performance was. After an emotional game that went extra innings last night, to say the Rockies game out flat would be giving them too much credit. From the first inning, it was clear that De la Rosa, the new darling of the Rockies staff, was not hitting his spots. Every time Olivo would set up low and in, he’d have to reach high and away. If he set up outside, he was reaching in. There was not one death blow that won this game for the Mets – it was slow, consistent baseball. Much like National League baseball used to be known for… small ball. Put a runner on. Move him over, knock him in. In the end, they put five runs across and Pelfrey silenced the Rockies bats in a 5-0 shutout.

I think what we saw was a bit of experimentation in process from Jim Tracy, leaving De la Rosa out until he hit 100 pitches no matter what. He wanted Jorge to stretch as far as he could. I have no doubt that a later season game would have seen the bullpen in action much earlier. When Tracy finally made the call to the pen, it was the young and inexperienced Esmil Rogers that took the hill, picking up right where De la Rosa left off with a lead off walk. From there they settled down, but the game was lost at that point.

The defense had its share of boots, including a ridiculous play at home. The Mets baserunner was caught in a rundown, completely caught sleeping halfway between third and home. The pickle ensued, and Stewart simply waited to long to throw the ball to Olivo, and when the runner made contact the ball came out, costing the Rockies a run. Add to that a couple infield boots, and you have the recipe for a bad day for the Rockies.

The crowd, though a rather peaceful mid-week afternoon bunch, finally started to grumble like real baseball fans when Tulowitzki and Stewart went down in order to close the 9th, both looking at a called third strike. In little league, we learned that anything close on two strikes means the bat comes off your shoulder. Add to that a team that was struggling to put runners on, and the 5-run deficit with nothing more to lose, and staring at a called third strike is just plain ridiculous.

Though I got the order of games wrong, I predicted a 2-1 series. I sure would have liked to have seen a better effort from the Rockies, though. The Mets are not that much better of a team, but today they were. It’s up to the Rockies to prove it was just a tough afternoon for baseball in the Mile High City as they now pack up their bags and head to Atlanta for a three-game weekend set.

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This was a winnable game for the Colorado Rockies, despite starter Greg Smith giving up a 3-run home run in the 1st and a solo shot in the 5th.  The Rockies led 1-0 coming out of the top of the opening inning.  Unfortunately Smith, who was starting in place of injured lefty Jeff Francis, was overrun by the meat of the Milwaukee lineup.

Colorado played chase the rest of the game, matching Milwaukee most of the way until the Brewers opened up a 3-run lead in the bottom of the 8th.  The Rockies got one back in the 9th, but Jason Giambi struck out to closer Trevor Hoffman with Carlos Gonzalez stranded on first.

Jim Tracy said it best… this was an acceptable loss for a team taking the long view.  “We were never out of the game. And that’s all you can ask for day in and day out.”

That is the Colorado Mantra moving forward.   Get wins where you can, fight hard to the final pitch, and don’t sweat the small stuff this early.  A lot was made of Chris Iannetta’s struggles at the plate, but Tracy has no intention of tweaking his swing.  Jim’s patience with his hitters paid off in a big way with Carlos Gonzalez last season, and Cargo came through with two ribbies on two hits tonight.  Chris Stewart was 3 for 4 with an RBI.

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So imagine my excitement when I realized that Blue Goose was doing Rockies spots as well – and here they are. This year we get to see Todd Helton bagging on Twitter, Chris Ianetta butchering the Spanish language, and the introduction of the coolest thing I’ve ever seen – in a “dear God that had BETTER become reality soon” – a “Jim Tracy is my homeboy” t-shirt (below). Link to all the ads here: http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?topic_id=8745022&c_id=col

And for those that are interested, the Mariners batch of ads are pretty good this time around, see them here: http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?topic_id=8716162&c_id=sea

I'm buying this as soon as it's available and wearing it to every Rockies game I attend.

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Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The typical view of a Rockies fan (or the average baseball fan, in general) is that a successful off-season is made up of big free-agent moves (see Cubs, Chicago, every year), or otherwise reworking their roster to put that team into contention. We all start 0-0, right?

Well, baseball more than any sport is a rich get richer sport, and when you have a team that works and isn’t prohibitively expensive, and is in a medium-sized market, you keep that team together. To me, the definition of a successful Rockies off-season is simply one that retains the pieces that work (most of them), and jettisons the pieces that are too expensive or under-performing.

So far, the Rockies have gone to great lengths to keep the core together, even signing the ancillary pieces like Giambi, while losing a minimal amount. Last year, the Holliday trade was fresh in our minds, hanging over our heads like a Monfort-shaped rain cloud. The season really hinged on that trade – now this year, would Colorado retain those pieces and add, or engage in another spring of salary dumping and money saving?

Clearly, the answer is the former. A quick look at who was lost speaks volume:

Lost Players

Garret Atkins (3B/1B) signed with the Orioles. We all knew this was coming. It’s tough anytime a key member of the magical 2007 squad leaves, but with Helton and all his parts intact, and Stewart penciled in to start, there’s just no way they spend that kind of money on a bench man.

Jason Marquis (SP) Not sad to see him go. I like the guy – I do. But as all the Cubs fans told me going into last year, you’re going to fall in love with him and he’s going to peter out in September. For once, the Cubs fans were right. Great first half arm, can’t endure the dog days.

Yorvit Torrealba (C) This one stings a bit. Couldn’t come to an agreement on terms – the money oddly enough wasn’t an issue, just how it was paid out. More about this when we get to the Olivo deal later.

Others to go – Jose Contreras, Joel Peralta, Matt Herges, Ryan Speier, Edwin Bellorin, Mike McCoy, Matt Murton – Nothing of note here, some unrealized potential guys, some older guys, some guys that just don’t fit. Odd note, Murton wasn’t just let go he was sold to a Japanese club. Weird.

Other free agents, haven’t signed anywhere yet – Joe Beimel, Josh Fogg, Alan Embree – Technically, Embree is gone (I like him because of his Vancouver Washington roots – go Vancouver USA!) because his club option was declined. Beimel and Fogg, while solid relievers, are hardly unreplaceable. Fogg brings up similar feelings as Atkins – his 2007 work makes me want to keep him based on warm fuzzies, but my brain tells me not to fret so much.

Gained Players

Miguel Olivo (C) – Olivo is the new Torrealba. Now as a Mariners fan, I watched Olivo play there (where, coincidentally, he took over after the team got rid of Yorvit Torrealba), and at the time I wasn’t impressed. Word is he has improved in his time in KC. The idea here has a couple angles. First, Iannetta needs to live up to his rich new deal and take the reigns of this team as the permanent catcher. None of this streaky up and down crap – I think he has to prove himself now. Second, Torrealba is a streaky (albeit clutch) hitter, with a below average arm, who happens to be a great game caller and field general. He’ll be a manager someday, you can see it. Olivo brings a stronger arm to actually catch a runner at second every now and then, and comes with more consistent power than Yorvit. It remains to be seen if he can handle the staff with Yorvit’s level of skill. Third, Olivo is younger and his name is easier to say and spell. I find it sad that Yorvit has to go. I get the feeling he’s just a good guy with a good clubhouse influence. Purely by the numbers though, we’ll probably see a minor upgrade at the position.

Other Players To Watch

Most of these guys were signed to minor-league deals, with the hopes they’ll make the big show. None of them are extremely noteworthy, it’s a mix of guys that we’ve seen before and new faces – mostly pitchers, where the most turnover is taking place.

Paul Phillips, Paul LoDuca, Omar Quintanilla, Tim Redding, Juan Rincon, Justin Speier, Jimmy Gobble

Current Depth Chart

The Rockies depth chart right now looks remarkable similar to the 2009 roster. It will be interesting to see how Tracy uses the Fowler/Gonzales/EYJr/Smith/Spillborghs group. The only other huge question mark to me is whether Francis can bring enough control to what has to be a noodle-arm, and become a Maddux-style control pitcher.

PROJECTED 25-MAN ROSTER

Starting Lineup

1 LF Carlos Gonzalez

2 CF Dexter Fowler

3 1B Todd Helton

4 SS Troy Tulowitzki

5 RF Brad Hawpe

6 3B Ian Stewart

7 C Chris Iannetta

8 2B Clint Barmes

Bench

C Miguel Olivo

1B Jason Giambi (this signing was huge, in my opinion. Don’t make Hawpe think about 1B, let Todd know he can rest, and let this guy keep teaching the kids how to be a big-league hitter)

IF/OF Eric Young Jr.

OF Seth Smith (Seth could start on many big league teams, we might be at the end of the road with him as he’ll find greener pastures elsewhere before too long)

OF Ryan Spilborghs (another big signing – wheels, solid outfielder, power hitter… great bench player)

Starting Rotation

1 RHP Ubaldo Jimenez

2 RHP Aaron Cook

3 LHP Jorge De La Rosa

4 RHP Jason Hammel

5 LHP Jeff Francis

Bullpen

CL RHP Huston Street

SU LHP Franklin Morales

SU RHP Matt Daley

MID RHP Rafael Betancourt

MID RHP Manny Corpas

MID LHP Randy Flores

LR RHP Matt Belisle

25 Man Roster Analysis

The Rockies management went after the guys they like… that’s a loyalty thing that these dudes appreciate. Spillborghs, Betancourt, De la Rosa, Giambi, Street… they all got deals. Retaining Gonzo and Street from the Holliday trade is excellent, as is giving Betancourt and De la Rosa a bit of security. Like I said above, Spilly and Giambi were must-haves for this team to progress. The group listed above has a ton of potential options. Gonzo/Fowler/Hawpe looks to be the outfield, but any one of them slips and you have EYJ, Spilly, and Smith waiting to step in. Finally, word today from the DP is that the Rockies are in hot pursuit of Orlando Cabrera. I don’t see Cabrera as a season maker, but he’ll put the pressure on Barmes to hit the ball consistently. He brings solid defense and some wheels… Barmie is going to have to produce, which didn’t happen offensively last year. A better offensive infielder with a minimal drop-off on defense = great bench player for the Rockies.

All in all, it comes out the same as many years past – defensively, the team is solid. It comes down to hitting consistency and pitching consistency. Can Tulo, Hawpe, et al. stay out of the dramatic slumps that have plagued the last 2 years? You can expect some peaks and valleys, but not the dramatic ups and downs. Can Francis hit the zone and work the off-speed enough to keep hitters off balance? Can Ubaldo finally become the ace we all know he can be? Was De la Rosa’s success a fluke?

Either way, I can smell spring in the air. My Helton jersey that I just bought on eBay is on it’s way and I’m ready.

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Editor’s Note:

The evolution of Denver, Colorado as a baseball town completed another stage on Thursday, October 1st, 2009.

On a beautiful fall day at Coors Field, Franklin Morales struck out Alcides Escobar for the final out of the Rockies’ 9-2 win against the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Rockies clinched the 2009 National League Wildcard Championship.

It was their third postseason birth in franchise history, and their second in three years. The game ended a spectacular journey that saw the Rockies climb back from 12 games under .500 to finish the season 22 games over the break-even mark. The Rocks even challenged the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team they once trailed by 15.5 games, for the National League West Divisional crown.

For the casual fan, the Rockies’ postseason berth meant the thrill of Rocktober once again coming to Denver, conjuring up memories of the team’s magical 2007 World Series run. Over a span of less than three weeks, the Rockies conquered all comers in the NL before eventually being swept by the Boston Red Sox.

Remembering that thrill, the bandwagoners dusted off their “CR” hats and pink “Tulowitkzi” shirts, filled a chilly and wintry LoDo area (and their shot glasses), and watched the 2009 postseason unfold. Many of them were blissfully unaware of what transpired to get the Rockies back into the postseason, despite all of the changes since that 2007 run.

Among the differences…

All-Stars such as Matt Holliday and Brian “Tito” Fuentes played for a combined three different teams this season, and 2007 staff ace Jeff Francis sat on the disabled list for the entire season. Ex-manager Clint Hurdle watched his former team from a broadcast booth on the newly created MLB Network.

Yet, as the national media finally started to turn their heads to Colorado for the playoffs, tales of 2007 were repeated, ad-nauseum. Long-time Rockies fans know the truth: 2007 was lightning in a bottle.

Back then, it took less than a calendar month for the Rockies to go from a moderately talented afterthought to a team surging through the playoffs to the World Series. Absent in their historic sprint to their first NL pennant (in both the play of the team and the fans that follow it) were the qualities that define baseball: endurance and patience. It is these two qualities which can be found in every aspect of the Rockies ’09 run– qualities the fan base is learning as Denver becomes a better baseball town.

Two years ago, the sports world witnessed a phenomenon, complete with its own trademark-able name: Rocktober. Winning 21 out of 22 games en route to their first World Series, the Rockies’ run was the stuff of storybooks and legend. There are those who insist the play-in game with the San Diego Padres goes down as the best regular season baseball game in 25 years. A football town used to the instant gratification of big hits, the long pass, and last-second victories was gifted with the baseball equivalent in 2007.

In 2009, a different tale has been told. After starting the first two months of the season 20-29, the Rockies posted a 21-7 record in the month of June and found they had won…absolutely nothing. They had merely returned themselves to respectability. During the final 85 games of the season, the Rockies battled and went 51-34, winning a franchise-record 92 games.

Though brief, the Phillies series was memorable, and not just for the poor calls by the umpires. The gritty Game 2 start by right-hander Aaron Cook tamed the Phils potent left-handed lineup, and catcher Yorvit Torrealba improved upon his 2007 postseason success by launching a 3-run home-run, only his third of the entire ’09 season. An early October chill in Denver provided the backdrop for Games 3 and 4 in Colorado, both nail-biting heart breakers. And yet, at the end, fans were left not with the hollow emptiness that followed the 2007 Red Sox sweep, but a glimmer of a team that is transforming from lightning in a bottle to a perennial National League contender. If the last three years of Rockies baseball has shown fans anything, it is how thin the line between success and failure truly is.

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