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Thursday, August 14, 2014

Why the Rockies Faith Is Misdirected...

As any Rockies fan or observer already knows, Dick and Charlie Monfort are Christians. They clearly displayed this in a USA Today-Rockies article in late May 2006 and have displayed this with many other articles and opinion pieces (just Google Colorado Rockies Faith), discussions and biggest of all Faith Day.  The way they evaluate talent isn't based solely on a players ability to contribute on the field but with a big emphasis on character that is high in integrity and strong moral values.  In addition the Monforts have not made any real changes (making Bill Geivett the assistant general manager is not a change) for fear of negatively impacting the culture of the Rockies as big mouth, little knowledge Dick Monfort relays in every interview he has done.  The Rockies do things their way and believe that this path is best.


Unfortunately, the Monforts actions have countered their religious background and culture stance and the "fans" they "steal" money from display some of the same conflicts in their faith and organization's culture.  Charlie Monfort has had multiple run-ins with driving under the influence and battling alcoholism that has destroyed many aspects of his life from his first wife's passing that has been linked to alcoholism and a stint in the hospital from a drunken fall.  Charlie has exhibited an inability to keep from making a jack ass of himself including getting into a heated argument near the end of the 2013 season with Denver Sports columnist (and fellow ass hat), Mark Kiszla. 


Unfortunately, Charlie and Dick's idea to build a lavish double decker party deck only enhances this culture amongst the "fan" base of the Rockies.  Instead of attending games to enjoy the baseball game, the Rockies have taken advantage of the culture they've helped to create by making Coors Field a hook-up zone or pre/post LoDo bar/club meet-up spot.  Instead of focusing on improving the game experience by making changes to have better talent and baseball structure for the true baseball fan, they've focused on the fans they need to meet their bottom line of making a profit; the ones that will buy multiple drinks, food and look forward to the bobble head or T-Shirt giveaways (even when they mis-spell their own players names in Tulowi(t)zki and Aren(a)do.  The party deck has stayed busy and got the Monforts what they want and need, profit.  I have spoken and read many accounts of people getting lost in the enjoyment of the party deck and missing 90% of the game.  Intoxication is prevalent at any sporting event for whatever reason, the Rockies game sees more complete intoxication and lack of care of the product on the field. 


The Rockies Monforts have benefited from one great run in late 2007 and Denver and local businesses improving the atmosphere around Coors Field.  The attendance figures in the Rockies from 2008 to current have been over 32,000 per game and 2.63 million yearly attendance which has ranked amongst the Top 13 or higher every year.  These figures are with an average record of 76.7 Wins and 85.3 Losses which rank amongst the lowest 10 teams in MLB during the past six years.  This doesn't include the Rockies most likely reaching the two million fan mark tonight and no later than tomorrow evening and during a weekend they recognize the greatest Rockie of all time in Todd Helton.  Their attendance figure will most likely be 2.1 million and change after Sunday.


Yet, even after this 4-game homestand and if they have the lowest figures and quickest decline in Coors Field history, with 20 games left, the Rockies will eclipse the 2.5 million mark and over 30,000 fans for the seventh consecutive year.  That low of a figure won't happen, because the Rockies still have many give-away days and Faith Day on August 24th where they have contemporary Christian artist Jerry Camp and guest speaker Tony Dungy part of the festivities.  (Side note: Talk about controversy in Denver with a couple owners and devout Christian questioning the employment in the NFL of an open homosexual in Michael Sam.)  That day is usually close to a sell-out like Sunday's Helton honoring will most likely be, so attendance will not waiver unless it's a Broncos Sunday. 


I get the Monforts stance.  Why change the culture if a bunch of "fans" are going to continue to pony up for a poor product?  I will give the Rockies this, they have a payroll of $95+ million dollar which is the highest in the teams history, but unfortunately ownership will most likely continue the trend of cutting salary once it is proven spending more doesn't equal wins.  It is a continued path and cycle the Rockies ownership blindly follow without opening their eyes, the biggest problem is them and their inability to make a change. 

The Monforts are finally feeling the heat and any time that happens, they become more defiant.  The Rockies biggest issue is a lack of talent and any depth behind the thin talent line they have at the big league level.  The Rockies have dealt with injuries every year.  They seem to be lack true starting big league talent at Catcher and 2nd Base yearly and have had a pitching staff that is an endless cycle of mediocrity to complete shit minus half of a season of brilliance by Ubaldo Jimenez.  The culture of the Rockies is CRAP.  If I owned a Rockies hat, I'd tie A and P together to show my disdain.  It's time to move on from Dan O' Dowd, Bill Geivett and a training staff, headed by Keith Dugger, that has done nothing to keep these players healthy throughout the years.  The Rockies have lost Troy Tulowitzki to season ending injuries 3 of the past six seasons after he was announced to be out with a labrum injury requiring surgery yesterday.


The intoxication friendly, losing and injury-plagued culture that has been created has prevented the Rockies from becoming an upper echelon franchise.  They have made numerous misses that in the MLB Draft and refused to address key areas of weakness including playing two catchers in 2014 with neither having strong behind the plate command.  The 2014 90+ win season that Dick Monfort boasted about has instead turned into the Kelly Leak-less Bad News Bears with drunken management sleeping on the job.  The Rockies ownership hiding behind faith can no longer be accepted with the blunders they allow from themselves all the way from baseball management to the players and even marketing.  It's time for a cultural change at 20th and Blake and to the only way to do that is to go off the path they have been blindly followed.  Baseball and sports are not about religion, they are about  creating a winning culture that a fanbase can be proud of and see the changes necessary to make it successful.  The fans of the Rockies have proven they will support baseball, so why not give them a product they can fully get behind?