Happy New Year, Cocksuckers!

The Hurdle and BSB family offer you our warmest holiday wishes. May I survive another year in a managerial role.

MLB Network.........

Got myself a raging nerd-boner at the impending new MLB Network channel debuting in the Denver-area on the Xomcast digital cable plan on New Year's day!
Oddly enough, I hear they have chosen the strangely forsaken 420 channel for broadcasting their feed. Does that mean I'll get nickel bags in my Xomcast bills? I sure hope so. When I tune in, I also "hope" I get to see lots of replays of the Matty-chin-plant Play-In game winning run against the Pads. Sarcasm aside, I know there won't be much other Rox footage fodder on a channel that will likely be a great source for old MLB game-films and the like.
As a Major League Baseball fan I'm looking forward to finding out.

All I asked for Xmas was a competitive Major League Baseball team and what I got was this lump-of-coal Ecard and an over the hill middle reliever.

pretty quiet 'round these parts...

What? That Alan Embree signing isn't generating any talk?

Adios Willy T.

This catch in the NLCS was a big part of Rockies "history." Still, I can't say I'm all that troubled by the departure of Willy T. Dude is a great base stealer, but his batting skills are not entirely fit for the majors. Too bad we couldn't have completed that trade for him to get Redding from the Nats. Now he goes for nothing. Oh, and fuck the Yankees.

I miss this view....(stadium brew in hand)

Welcome back Don.....

With the Baylor and J. Tracy hires, seems like the Rox are stocking the bench for the potential mid-season replacement for Hurdle as the club inevitably sits at 10+ games under .500.

In Other Off-Season Developments.....

....I was walking by Swanky's this afternoon (which, by the way, would've been perfect for a 1:05 pm business man special Rockies game) and noticed a banner outside Swanky's advertising Miller Lite draft beer. I know the Rockies aren't going to generate much excitement in their off-season moves, but this addition to the Swanky's beer list could prove to have a big impact next season. Good move.

Holliday's Departure Has Its Benefits

In the spirit of keeping a positive outlook in the aftermath of the Holliday trade, I want to point out a glaring silver lining. Matty always had the WORST fucking at-bat songs imaginable. This is especially notable in a lineup filled with the likes of Nickleback, Staind, and nameless country pop songs. It was so bad and tame it made Spilly's Gwen Stafani song from 2007 sound like Black Flag. Whatever that Creed/ex-Creed/Creed-clone music was that Matty had pumping through the PA at Coors 4-5 times a home game was enough to put a slight damper on any otherwise perfect day at the ball park. As ST once pondered, can you imagine how horrible it would be to have to sit shotgun on a long road trip with Matty driving and in complete control of the stereo the entire trip. If there is such a place as hell, that could be a decent approximation of what it will be like.

So, while we'll miss your offensive production Matty, the crew at BSB breathes a sigh of relief knowing that your music selections are now part of a bygone era.

This is what you need

Dear Mr. Colorado Rockies Management Guy/Gal,
Please visit this website for some ideas on players you should pursue. I know that it is scary but you must have these in order to win. Rarely does anyone win a World Series without one. You might even consider two. The way last season went you should definitely get two. Thanks for listening. Have a nice off season.
Love,
Steve

http://www.npbtracker.com/2009-npb-free-agents/

I Guess the Line Is....Boom, Outta Here!

This is still kind of sinking in, even with time to mentally prepare for the inevitable trade of Holliday. The twist that he will be going to the A's, a famously frugal and seemingly less-contending team than the Rockies, is also taking me a bit of time to get my head around. Gallego reunions aside, if Holliday had to go, I couldn't really have scripted a less damnable destination. One has to think that it is just Stop #1 for him before either a midseason or end of year trade to a team willing to invest more money in a single player. The A's certainly have been the anti-Boras among MLB teams.

If this hunch is incorrect, then, all the best Matty. I can understand to some degree being fed up with the cheap-ass Monforts. But, they did actually offer a decent deal last offseason that was probably as good as they were going to lay on the table at any point. Maybe this will lead to more post season appearances in Matty's career, maybe not. I still have to think he ends somewhere else before the '10 season. For a short period in Rockies history, he was the best player and a huge part of the '07 World Series. It's tough to think of how much more embarrassing that series with the Red Sox would've been without him in the lineup.

It will be interesting to see how he performs away from Coors. Not to say he was merely a beneficiary of Coors Field (if that can even be claimed anymore) or totally unclutch, but his numbers were better at home than on the road, and even then, much of his hitting seemed to come at inconsequential times (nobody on and two outs seemed to be a trademark). That said, I expect he will do well in Oakland and/or elsewhere if he doesn't stick in the East Bay. As much as it sucks to lose such a premier homegrown talent, part of me thinks getting saddled with a long term Boras contract probably isn't in the best interest of the Rockies. It's painful and if other teams can afford to do it (like say, the D-Bags), I think we should be able to as well. But, if it means we're handcuffed from signing other good players down the road, this might be the best choice. Good luck Matty! Say hi to Super Gallego for me!

So, where does that leave the Rockies? Unfortunately, I saw the stretch of games last year when Holliday was injured, and it wasn't real pretty. It's a big hole, for sure. I guess it means that if we are going to be decent next year, others are going to have to step it up bigtime (I'm looking at you Tulo and Hawpe), the pitching has to be way better (I'm looking at you Francis, Ubaldo, and Corpas), youngsters are going to have to ripen quickly (looking your way Morales, Stewbag, and maybe even Fowler), and management is going to have to either keep G-Dog, make a great trade for G-Dog, or acquire a free agent (Dan Uggla would do).

As far as who the Rocks picked up, it could've been worse. Street should help replace Fuentes in either a setup or closer role (depending on which Manny shows up this year) and I hear Gonzales has some hitting potential. Will it come close to replacing Matty in the short-term? Absolutely not.

The most painful part of this whole thing is that the Rockies tried selling fans on the notion that they had to grow their own talent and reap benefits later. Seems like if the talent blossoms too much, that promise is broken. If less than two of the three acquisitions turn out to be regular, productive players, then this deal is a net loss and strictly a money issue. However, you have to bear in mind, most people hated the Jennings deal when it went down too and that turned out to be a very good move by the Rockies. Wait, did I just defend Rockies management and cheapness. Better put down the crack pipe....

Keep the faith Blake Street brothers and sisters......

Hot Stove heating up and whatnot....

Some pretty crazy trade talks going on right now about the futures of some big name Rockies players...
Holliday, Atkins, Willie T. among others.

Holliday with supposed major interest from Philly, Oakland (!?! I thought they only got rid of good high-priced players) and St. Louis.

Atkins has pursuers in Minny and Cleveland. Chisox looking at Taveras.

It's a shame that it looks like there is no way that the current Rockies team will enter spring with the roster as it stands now.

I have no faith in O'Dowd doing the right thing with either Holliday or Atkins. Would love to be proven wrong but I can sense a 1st degree burn coming...

www.coloradorockies.com/springtravel

Adios Super Gallego!!

As much credit as we all gave Super Gallego for the highs of last season, I guess he must shoulder some of the blame for the disappointment that was 2008. Somehow, it doesn't seem fair that the 3rd base coach is the fall guy for a season gone wrong, but there were plenty of base running blunders throughout the season. Knowing the kind of standup guy Super Gallego is, I'm sure he's cleaning out his locker today with chin held high without regret or contempt. Stay strong my man, some team will surely come calling for your services, and BSB will be in attendance rooting you on when you're coaching 3rd from the visitor's bench. Thanks for the memories.....

Hey Look, MLB Playoffs Have Started......

....and apparently Frank TV is still on the air. Who knew? Could this be an annual ritual? I've only been watching for about an hour and I'm already about to hit the mute button. No offense Frank, but no one can stomach this much repetitive self-advertising from one station. At least one ad mocks the onslaught of Frank TV commercials. I guess it's better than endless commercials of that Blue Collar Comedy guy that I believe also has a show on TBS.

A few early playoff observations.

1) Brewers - Phillies: Didn't see any of the game, but the Brewers aren't going to win many games when they score 1 run. How the hell did they only score 1 in that bandbox? Especially tough loss considering they held the Phils to 3 runs. This will (should) be the lowest scoring game of the series.

2) Dodgers - Cubs: As much as I absolutely loath the Dodgers, I can't say I don't love seeing dejected Cubs fans at Wrigley in October. No pressure tomorrow on the suddenly shaky Big Z tomorrow! Oh, and Manny was being Manny tonight (whatever the fuck that means).

3) Red Sox - Angels: Didn't take long for the Boston fans in the stadium (and it sounds like there are a lot of them), to show their insufferable prick side by leading a "Let's Go Red Sox" cheer in the top of the 1st after a double by Pedroia. God, I hate that. Fuck these guys. Go Halos!!!

Assessment of '08 Rockies

And the assessment is they flat out sucked. That is all.

I know this is a Rockies blog, but I've still got some posteason to watch...

One final unwarring of Corpas in 2008...

An appropriate way to close out the season. The bullpen ruins a great outing by Ubaldo...

Thanks Manny and Luis, we've really been able to count on the both of you this year for some late inning bed-shitting. Thanks alot.

Yet Another Night of Unwarring Corpas

You knew somehow we'd find a way to blow a lead to the D-Backs. Happens every fucking time this season. Not that the game has any significance, but I really wouldn't mind winning a series against this team. Latest bullpen meltdown: Manny turning a one-run 8th inning lead into a 2-run deficit. If he's going to be next year's closer, I hope he hunts down the 2007 Corpas and offs the 2008 version. One more game in this dreadful season.....

We've Clinched 3rd Place in the NL West!

The fanfare won't compare to last year, but don't underestimate the achievement of finishing 3rd in the highly under-competitive NL West! Sure, the D-Backs added Dan Haren in the off-season and Adam Dunn down the stretch and the Dodgers bolstered an already 'devastating' offensive lineup by acquiring Casey Blake and, oh yeah, maybe the best hitter of our generation, Manny "Being Manny!" Ramirez.

The Rocks, meanwhile, add Kip Wells, Josh Towers, Micah Bowie (don't think DT forgot about him) and Luis Vizcaino, and resign Mark Redman. In a move that I endorsed, the Rocks signed Livan Hernandez during the playoff "push". But in reality, that move just highlights the difference between the Rocks and other NL West contenders.

Hmmm, Livan or Manny? It's really no wonder why we weren't in the playoff mix in the final weeks. Considering how pedestrian the NL West is, I can't help but feel much bitterness toward Rockies brass for not making midseason moves that would help this team be competitive down the stretch. Sure, the players didn't execute when it mattered most all season long, but when the rest of the division is adjusting and you just sit there with your thumb up your ass, you will find yourself on the outside looking in more often than not. I hope lessons have been learned and fires have been stoked. The problem is, we're probably losing some of our better performers from this year (Holliday and/or Atkins and Fuentes), so who is to say there is any reason for optimism?

Oh yeah, Hurdle didn't have a good year either. In most organizations committed to winning, he'd be canned by now.

All that said, I'm glad the Rocks swept a worthless road series tonight. No tacos, but pride defended. Check......

No More Home Games, No More Purple Clipboard

As depressing as it is that the season is over for Rockies home games, I can only imagine how "Purple Clipboard" feels. Take a close look at the photo. Way off in the background there is a Rockies fan that sits in that same seat every game keeping score with the same purple clipboard and bad hairdo. God bless her. It's going to be a long off season.

DT and I endured a joke of a Greg Reynolds start for about 5 innings before adjourning to Swankys to see the B'cos beat the Saints (see KTH for reaction). I shed a tear for no more live baseball in 2008. The weather today would've been perfect for a game that had playoff implications, or even a game that was respectable. Too bad the Rockies couldn't pull off either.

More recap to follow........

Don't Think I Still Can't Blow a Save

Pretty lame ending by the Rocks tonight blowing it in the top of the 9th via a 2-run HR by Stephen Drew off of the seemingly invincible Brian Fahhh-uentes. He had a pretty crazy streak going on the last few months with nearly scoreless pitching and something like 16 consecutive saves in a row. I guess tonight's hiccup isn't technically a blown save, but it sure feels like one.

I wasn't able to watch most of this game, but did make it home in the bottom of the 8th in time to see the Rocks tally a run to tie it up at 3-3. I was getting ready to settle in to watch either some bottom of the 9th heroics, or at least extra innings baseball. I got neither.

Here's to hoping Fuentes has a save opportunity tomorrow in the home finale. DT and I will be in attendance to give the 2008 season a proper send off. I hope tonight isn't how we have to remember Fuentes' Rockies career at Coors.

This Dude Has Mad BO. And a Pretty Cool Nuts Hat.

An enjoyable time tonight at Coors. Doesn't take much to incite that D-Bags hatred. Fuentes tries to blow it, but can't quite pull it off. I guess we helped out the Dodgers, which sucks cock, but any night the Rockies win, I'm happy. There I said it.

And this big ole guy behind DeathTruck had some mean B.O. going all night.

'Bout Freaking Time

Thank you I-Dog, Bake-Dog, Barmey, and everyone else who finally stepped up.

Have the Rockies been able to get the trademark rights to "Sucktember"?

unwar the entire bullpen

First it was Taylor, then Luis, now it's Rusch/Herges. You got think Hurdle gave up when he gave Herges the ball. I can't remember the last time that guy came in and didn't give up runs or put on runners for another pitcher in the bully to take care of. Was there a reason why Grilli wasn't put in? The season is officialy over; Rockies '08: Return to Crapiness. The hat to the flames picture will be put up within 24 hours, and it will remain up until the first pitch in Tucson or wherever they wind up playing next spring.

I will omit Grilli and Fuentes (really?, possibly Manny too, he's been unwarred plenty earlier in the year) from this harsh but very appropriate post.

Fuck you, my man...........................

Stew-bag has had enough....

Nice to see some heart in a game that through 7 was walking down the same dogshit-laden path as the last couple games...

A lead-off dong from Ian in the top of the frame and the bats suddenly get lively.

I want to see some scrap.

Looking ahead, I want to see some purple thorns in the side of the Dodgers this weekend. My likely last sit-down in the 331 this season will be Fri and Sun.

...as I finish typing. Unwar Luis.

Am I Hallucinating?

Whaahh!?!?!? A walk off balk!?!? G-Dog comes up with a clutch top of the 9th inning HR to tie it, but then it gets totally wasted by a 2-out, nobody on rally off of Unwar Buchholz capped off by a flipping balk. I feel ill.....

1 Fucking Hit; Ardin Is Pissed . (Annoying teenage grils with cell phones add to the poor night of baseball)

Arden says Oswalt gets anything near the plate called a strike and it's complete bullshit. Really, 1 hit? That's fucking weak. If you're going to score zero runs, you might as well just pitch de Los Santos.

Our offense seems completely willing to waste brilliant Franky performance after brilliant Franky performance. That said, it doesn't help when you have to swing at every pitch in the same zip code as the plate. The ump was apparently on the Astros payroll.

Oh, and did I mention Hurdle is a complete fucking moron? Frank had over 90 pitches, barely made it through the previous two innings, but Hurdle sends him to the plate. Genius dude.

I'll tell you what Dinger "requests"...it's a repeat of goddam last September

In a more time-sensitive request, Dinger would like The Amazing Ubaldo to have a good night on the mound this evening in the opener with the Astros. I second that request.

cooked...

well that was a rather wretched day of baseball. first, Cook shits the bed in a profound manner, then the D-Bags come from behind to beat the Cards. what do you know? the Dodgers are already up on the suddenly helpless Pads. 6 back again, and time is seriously running out on the Rox in '08.

Little Timmy is due for a bad outing....right?

The familia de la sonic tooth is running a tad late getting down to Coors for tonight's contest...so am throwing up a quick post. Labor Day's game was a mighty satisfying way to close out the long weekend; another good one from DLR, and the offense pitched in with a scrappy batch of runs. (must own up to before and after trips to Swanky's. so long, Lindsey)

Not holding out a ton of hope that the offense can get to Lincecum tonight, but here's hoping. (geez anyone in CO wish the Rox would have taken the Shrimp over Reynolds ?!?)

I think there will be some conflicting colors being flashed from our group tonight...mrs. st is a Giants fan dontcha know.

Thanks to PF for the tix!

The Redemption of G-Dog

Two dongs and 5 RBI's. In the first of many must-win games. G-Dog, that's a nice showing.

Seth Smith in his normal pinchy (you got your dugout with you? what we're talking baseball, not grass?) role, picked up Tulo in the 8th when things were still a bit tenuous. I don't like yelling "Tulo you suck!" at the TV but will continue as necessary. It was warranted tonight. C'mon Troy. You're better than that.

Becoming relevant in the NL West means sweeping the Padres. This can be done...

Perhaps Barmes and his shiny dome could don a Star Trek TNG Picard suit and utter the immortal words..."Make it so." (he looks the most like Jean-Luc)

Rockies: Road Warriors?

Didn't see much of this game, but was pleasantly surprised to see the Rocks up 4-2 in the 5th and then quickly expand their lead. This was after watching the tail of seeing the Dodgers lose yet again, this time to the mighty Nats. Finally, I turned my Extra Innings package (that's right, my friend) over to see the Pads putting the hurt on the D-bags 8-2 in the 8th. If I'm not mistaken, Webb was throwing for the Snakes tonight. This would also put us 6 back of 1st place and it ain't even Sept yet.

Barring any meltdowns and/or BSB jinxing, this is looking like a perfect baseball night the NL West. The Rocks would be 7-1 in their last road games. Unheard of. Can this last? Hope so.......

And here's to Super Fuentes sticking around.

Oh, and I almost forgot, the playoff ticket form came in the mail today. That might be stretching it.

Super Fuentes & Willie T on waivers??

Just read this on Ken Rosenthal's column on the MLB/Fox site...
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8492810/Rockies-put-Fuentes,-Taveras-on-waivers

Rookies looking pretty young these days...

Got a pre-game trip onto the field before Saturday's game, as part of the Rockies' Rookies fan club. Fun for young and old alike it turns out.

Wound up being treated to a resilient showing by the Rox that evening, as they were able to come back and pull off what seemed like an unlikely win.

As for Sunday's game. Simply put, Q was due.

Ducks On Pond - Big Daddy Finally Comes Through

After two very weak at bats in clutch moments with the bases loaded, Matty finally delivers with a 3 RBI-double off the right field wall. About time. With good BTB representation, I won't go into detail, but I was pretty sure this game was going wrong for the Rocks once the Reds took the lead mid-game. Cookie didn't have his best stuff and some profound unclutchness at the plate seem to be the order of the evening. Vizciano did a nice job coming into the game in the 6th inning to cleanup Cook's mess, and despite yielding one solo HR in the 7th (a familiar theme for L Vizzy lately), pitched very well. The middle of the lineup finally drives in some runs leading to a much-needed victory. I will also add that the umping was particularly shitty in this game.

I hope ST can post some on-the-field photos later.

HankDog diarrhea update: The shits seem to be subsiding somewhat. This experience has taught us both about the sanctity of a fecal-free home, as well as enlightening us both about HankDog's new favorite food, cottage cheese.

Livan, Stew-bag vs. G-dog, and how the fuck do you lose to a minor league version of the Reds?

Unfortunate as it is, Livan isn't proving to be a very effective pitcher here in Denver. Sure, he got a bit screwed tonight by weak hits and some shit-luck, but seriously...most major league pitchers should be able to mow down the current Reds lineup without too many bumps in the road. A shame, I like him as a player, always seems pretty calm and cool (if not a tad indifferent). Sucks, also considering the Rox bats were up against someone who has flat struggled this year. Aaron Harang managed his 4th win tonight against 13 losses, the dude hadn't won in 2 months!. You just got to shell this guy at Coors. No? That 6th inning sucked. Bases loaded no outs and your 3-4-5 guys coming up, and nothing?
13 LOB? Cue DT's weird stock photo collection...you know, the one with the weird freckled 10 year old tennis player showing how to execute a lob shot?

Stew-bag has pretty much made the case that as far as 3rd base is concerned, G-dog is dispensable. Garrett had a key RBI but nothing more, and has looked bad lately....Ian had a 4 for 5 night and keeps impressing. I like G-dog, but he always comes up in trade talks and I think that Stewart may make those talks more palatable, especially if we can get pitching out of a potential trade.

As this season continues to slip away....a truly lame stat that must be mentioned is Holliday's subpar RISP average; it's a good 50 points below his overall. So much easier when it ain't clutch I guess....

Tomorrow I bring the youthful spawn of Sonic Tooth to Coors to participate in the Rockies' Rookies (kid's fan club) pre-game on-field parade. I'll be the guy with the unkempt beard in the punk rock t-shirt walking the warning track with the nutty, nutty 3 year old girl.




I don't know who the fuck Robin Jones is...but let me tell you, that when Stew-bag isn't roping doubles in a Rockies uniform he is a recognized master of computer puzzles for the archaic British-made Spectrum & ZX81 systems.
Word.

TroutDog Visits Single A Affiliate, Modesto Nuts Home Park

During a recent trip to CA, I made a stop in Modesto on my way to Yosemite to pay homage to the Nuts' park. The pictures pretty much speak for themselves.



The security during off hours is amazingly lax. However, the merch shop was open and I corresponded by opening up my wallet.



Really would've liked to have caught a game in Modesto, but I instead settled for a game at AT&T between the Giants and the Marlins. The Marlins pitcher tossed a 2-hitter (thus, a pretty boring game), but we had sweet club level seats right near Mac's Cove.

On The Plus Side, I'm Now Working From Home This Afternoon....

...and can sort of watch today's game. On the downside, I'm working from home because HankDog has the shits. The poor kelpie has had diarrhea the last few days and 10 hours in the house during the work day is too much for him to withhold. In fact, 5 hours this morning was also too much, although I know he tried to hold it and kept the damage to a minimum. The picture to the left is during happier times.

So far, so good. Rocks up 1-0 through 3 and no blow up innings for DLR yet.

I hope this is my last dog diarrhea post for a some time.

It's Just Danny Being Danny (Ardoin)

You always hear about what a great guy he is, but I didn't shed any tears when Ardoin air mailed that ball into right center field on Holliday's 9th inning steal. Somewhere DT was smiling. Hard to say if Hawper's liner to shallow right center immediately afterwards would've been caught had the infield not been drawn in. It's all academic now. The Dodgers commit 4 errors and the Rocks continue to roll on the road. I hope those brooms from the Nats series are still handy. DLR has been hot lately.....