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To Boldrey go...
The Rockies are making the past time enjoyable again
By Ryan Boldrey
As I sit down to write this, it is June 28. It has now been one full month since Clint Hurdle managed his last game for the Rockies.
At that time, Colorado was sitting at 18-28 and only the Washington Nationals sported a record worst than that of the Blake Street Bombers.
The natives were getting restless. Some were even rumored to have been trying to figure out a way to get underneath Coors Field and shut off the humidor in hopes that the purple and black would start hitting again.
The team’s longest winning streak of the season was three. It ended when the Rox slipped to 3-2 at the beginning of April.
Needless to say things were not looking good. Similar to Todd Helton, though, I refuse to blame Hurdle for the players lack of effort and their inability to get the job done.
But something had to happen, and in the “what have you done for me lately” era of big-time athletics, shakeups always seem to happen from the top.
So it was good-bye to the man who less than two years ago had people across the state singing his praises as the Rockies went on an unforgettable run, winning 20 of 21 games down the stretch to streak into the playoffs and sweep their way into the only World Series appearance in franchise history.
Thanks for the memories Clint, but what have you done for me lately?
According to Helton, the firing was a wake-up call. He said the players all realized that they were the reason he was let go.
Hurdle hadn’t changed. The players had simply lost the passion that had fueled Rocktober, 2007.
That was obvious, and perhaps a few changes were necessary.
Enter Jim Tracy.
The new skipper came in and picked up a pair of wins over the struggling San Diego Padres to start his tenure as manager and the team then promptly lost four straight.
Eyes of fans everywhere shut as quickly as they had opened. And then, they slowly began to open again.
Something began to happen. After the Rockies avoided a four-game sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros with a 10-3 win on June 4, they took four straight in St. Louis, outscoring the NL Central leading Cardinals 33-9 in the process.
And they weren’t done yet. After knocking St. Louis out of first, they travelled to Milwaukee to face the team that had taken over the central. Forgetting to leave their brooms in the Cardinals’ clubhouse, the Rox then swept the Brewers out of first as quickly as they had helped them get there... and then came home, and promptly swept Seattle.
It was starting to feel a little like ‘07 again, but with a different man driving the bus. After losing the series opener to the Devil Rays on June 16 the Rockies took the last two from the Rays and then swept Pittsburgh in dramatic fashion Father’s Day weekend, completing an 8-1 homestand; the best in franchise history.
Then, following a series-opening win in Anaheim June 22, the Rockies dropped two straight to the Angels, concluding their run at 17 out of 18, and becoming just the third team of the decade to manage such a feat in the regular season.
The other two? Eventual ‘06 playoff teams Minnesota and Los Angeles.
On top of that, Jim Tracy, now 21-7, also became just the third manager since 1900 to win 19 of his first 24 games with a new club, joining the managers of the ‘32 Cubs and ‘88 Red Sox, who both went on to take their first-year squads to the playoffs.
The Rockies, albeit still a ways from thinking about the postseason, have in the first month of Tracy ball climbed over 17 teams in the Major League standings, and moved within a game of the NL wildcard, and 8.5 of the division-leading Dodgers.
At 39-35, the team is currently 17-15 at Coors and 22-20 on the road, and no Rockies team, including the ‘07 pennant winners, has ever finished above .500 on the road.
Not bad for a team, who a month ago only could look down at the Nationals.
At that time, Colorado was sitting at 18-28 and only the Washington Nationals sported a record worst than that of the Blake Street Bombers.
The natives were getting restless. Some were even rumored to have been trying to figure out a way to get underneath Coors Field and shut off the humidor in hopes that the purple and black would start hitting again.
The team’s longest winning streak of the season was three. It ended when the Rox slipped to 3-2 at the beginning of April.
Needless to say things were not looking good. Similar to Todd Helton, though, I refuse to blame Hurdle for the players lack of effort and their inability to get the job done.
But something had to happen, and in the “what have you done for me lately” era of big-time athletics, shakeups always seem to happen from the top.
So it was good-bye to the man who less than two years ago had people across the state singing his praises as the Rockies went on an unforgettable run, winning 20 of 21 games down the stretch to streak into the playoffs and sweep their way into the only World Series appearance in franchise history.
Thanks for the memories Clint, but what have you done for me lately?
According to Helton, the firing was a wake-up call. He said the players all realized that they were the reason he was let go.
Hurdle hadn’t changed. The players had simply lost the passion that had fueled Rocktober, 2007.
That was obvious, and perhaps a few changes were necessary.
Enter Jim Tracy.
The new skipper came in and picked up a pair of wins over the struggling San Diego Padres to start his tenure as manager and the team then promptly lost four straight.
Eyes of fans everywhere shut as quickly as they had opened. And then, they slowly began to open again.
Something began to happen. After the Rockies avoided a four-game sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros with a 10-3 win on June 4, they took four straight in St. Louis, outscoring the NL Central leading Cardinals 33-9 in the process.
And they weren’t done yet. After knocking St. Louis out of first, they travelled to Milwaukee to face the team that had taken over the central. Forgetting to leave their brooms in the Cardinals’ clubhouse, the Rox then swept the Brewers out of first as quickly as they had helped them get there... and then came home, and promptly swept Seattle.
It was starting to feel a little like ‘07 again, but with a different man driving the bus. After losing the series opener to the Devil Rays on June 16 the Rockies took the last two from the Rays and then swept Pittsburgh in dramatic fashion Father’s Day weekend, completing an 8-1 homestand; the best in franchise history.
Then, following a series-opening win in Anaheim June 22, the Rockies dropped two straight to the Angels, concluding their run at 17 out of 18, and becoming just the third team of the decade to manage such a feat in the regular season.
The other two? Eventual ‘06 playoff teams Minnesota and Los Angeles.
On top of that, Jim Tracy, now 21-7, also became just the third manager since 1900 to win 19 of his first 24 games with a new club, joining the managers of the ‘32 Cubs and ‘88 Red Sox, who both went on to take their first-year squads to the playoffs.
The Rockies, albeit still a ways from thinking about the postseason, have in the first month of Tracy ball climbed over 17 teams in the Major League standings, and moved within a game of the NL wildcard, and 8.5 of the division-leading Dodgers.
At 39-35, the team is currently 17-15 at Coors and 22-20 on the road, and no Rockies team, including the ‘07 pennant winners, has ever finished above .500 on the road.
Not bad for a team, who a month ago only could look down at the Nationals.
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