The Colorado Rockies: Rocky Mountain Low

(Photo by Reddit)

The sports scene in Denver has been fruitful for their professional teams.....

-The Broncos have three Super Bowl titles which has made John Elway and Peyton Manning gods in the city.

-The Avalanche have three Stanley Cup championships to their name.

-The Nuggets captured their first NBA championship in 2023.

-Hell, even the Rapids secured the MLS Cup in 2010.

As you can see, championship parades have been a recurring theme in downtown Denver. However, one team seems to be on the outside looking in.

I watched a documentary called "When Colorado Went Major League" and it depicts the process of Denver finally getting a MLB team. In 1993, the dream was realized as the team named the Rockies would hit the diamond. Fans would arrive in drones as the Rockies shattered attendance records that are still standing and led the majors in attendance for seven seasons straight from 1993-1999. It's safe to say that Denver loves their baseball. In 1995, Coors Field opened, and it brought a community together. Before the stadium was built, the area was vacant and resembled a shanty town. Now, there are businesses thriving around the area due to the stadium. This area is now called LoDo. On the surface, the Colorado Rockies are a success for the city of Denver. However.....

When it comes to the baseball field, the Rockies haven't been successful. In fact, people are comparing them to the White Sux, a team that literally set the record for most losses in a season "of the modern era." In their 32 years, Colorado has not won a divisional title, made the World Series after one of the greatest two-month stretches of all-time, only to be swept by Boston. The franchise has seen teams in their own division jump over them and seen their expansion brothers (Rays, D-Backs, Marlins) become successful as Arizona and Florida/Miami have won World Series championship. Colorado has that one WS appearance to hang their hats on.

The Rockies have a nickname that will stand the test of time, "The Blake Street Bombers." For years, Denver is a launching pad for homers and runs. Names like Andres Galarraga, Vinny Castilla, Dante Bichette, Ellis Burks, Todd Helton, Matt Holliday, Troy Tulowitzki and Nolan Arenado have graced the black, purple and silver and excited Rockies fans through the years. While the hitting and power are remarkable, the pitching has been less than remarkable. Once again, Denver is a place where thin air reigns. No Rockies pitcher has won a Cy Young award or won an ERA title. The franchise has tried to bring in big name hurlers to help ease the pain. All have fallen through the thin air of the city of 5280. It is not because of trying....

This is Rockies CEO Richard Monfort. He and his brother, Charlie, have been the part of the ownership group of the Rockies since they started play in 1993. In 2005, they assumed the chief ownership of the franchise. Charlie is more of the silent of the bunch while Dick (we will call him that moving forward) has been able to speak his mind in certain situations when made plausible. When asked by a reporter if he would sell the team, his response was "You would like that, wouldn't you?" A few years ago, he proclaimed that his Rockies are capable of playing .500 ball. News flash to everyone, they finished under .500. Then in Spring Training, Dick decided to complain about the Dodgers spending the billions to build the World Series champions. He and I presume his brother is pounding the table for a stable salary cap. I doubt that it's happening soon.

Rockies fans will read this and state that the Monforts have been able to spend money on superstars and they are right. However, the results are not fruitful.

-Mike Hampton came to Denver from the Astros on what was for the time, the richest contract in MLB history. (Eight years, $121 million) That's right, the Rockies for a brief time passed out the richest contract in MLB history. However, Hampton's success in Houston couldn't translate in Denver. Apparently, his decision to go to Colorado was based on the school system for his kids. Two years later, Hampton was dealt to Florida and dealt again to Atlanta, where he enjoyed a brief revival.

-After a successful 2017 where they reached the wild-card but lost in the Archie Bradley game, Colorado decided to beef up their bullpen by adding relievers Bryan Shaw (three years, $27 million), Wade Davis (three years, $52 million), and extending Jake McGee (three years, $27 million). The Rockies won 91 games and reached the NLDS as the trio stood tall in solidifying a foundation at the back of the bullpen. 2019 came along and everything went south. All three would implode through the thin air as their ERA ballooned as the trio were unceremoniously released in 2020.

-In 2019, the Rockies extended their franchise player, Nolan Arenado, to an eight-year, $260 million contract. With this, Colorado locked up their future Hall of Famer and may have planted the seeds to a better future for the club. However, nine months into the contract, Arenado wanted it out. Towards the end of the 2020, the team shut down Nolan for the season in which fellow teammates were all too relaxed without him there. In February of 2021, Arenado was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for five players. Only Austin Gomber has been able to add a dent to helping Colorado. The Rockies also sent $51 million in the deal. Many have considered this to be one of the most lopsided trades in recent history.

-And finally, Kris Bryant was going into 2022 free agency as one of the top players to sign. He was riding momentum after helping the Cubs win the World Series and producing an MVP award in 2016. Despite a deadline trade to the Giants, Bryant continued to be productive that any suitor could pursue him. The Rockies shocked the baseball realm and secured him to a seven-year, $163 million contract. This team needed to rebuild but decided to throw a lot of money to bring in a superstar to fill a void left by Arenado. Seeing Kris succumb from injuries and his production falling off a cliff is sad to see. Times have gotten so bad that Rockies fans boo him mercifully when he makes an appearance.

Maybe a curse has been placed on this squad. Dick is trying to convince everyone that this roster should be more competitive than what they are. There are also times when management makes head pounding moves. Former #3 overall pick Brendan Rodgers was coming to his own last season until the Rockies decided to just let him walk without even trying to trade him for something. The prospect pool is rich, but they don't develop into what they think it will take too long to become the player that the organization envisioned. GM Bill Schmidt is put into a compromising situation due to Monfort's efforts to praise a roster that has been underwhelmed. I like to point out of a particular person who is in charge of professional scouting operations. His name is Sterling Monfort. Yep, he has the same last name as the owners. That tells you everything that is to know.

2025 has been an avalanche for Colorado's MLB team, and I don't mean Avalanche as the hockey club, but an actual avalanche and the destruction that it left behind. The Rockies have let someone hold their beer and try to outshine the White Sox of yesteryear for awfulness. As of this writing, the Colorado Rockies have lost 36 of 45 games. Last weekend, they lost a game to the San Diego Padres that resembled a football score, 21-0. The next day, they actually beat San Diego 9-3. This is when management decided to let Bud Black end his suffering and send him to greener pastures as Colorado named someone other than the actual manager who sent them to their only World Series appearance, who replaced the hitting coach, who was fired. This program is messed up from top to bottom and there is zero why to fix it.

Look, I am not a Rockies fan, but I own two jerseys and a hat. The Colorado Rockies have built a fanbase where fans and non-fans can enjoy themselves at Coors Field. However, circumstances beyond their beliefs have you think that the baseball club should be great, but nope.

I could end this article in something positive, so here it is, Rockies fans who stuck through the years when you broke attendance records, continue this movement despite the franchise being its low point and prospect wise.

It will be a Rocky Mountain high, eventually.

(Take a peek at "When Colorado Went Major League" at the Rockies' YouTube page)

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