[Roxpert]

Originally Posted by rockieprogress

Roxpert,
You deride the Monforts for being honest with the fans, and telling them they're going to follow the A's organizational model, which you say can work here, and then turn around and say they're sending the wrong message to the players and the fans.

"Turn around"? Tell me how deriding Monfort and saying they're sending the wrong message is contradictory? I'm not turning around, and my statement was quite consistent. And I'll stand by my statement. You don't tell your fans that you are a small market franchise that feeds talent to the "haves" of baseball like a minor league feeder team. That's bad PR, and is just what Monfort did. As to why Monfort has re-made the Rockies into this "small market" franchise with a bottom tier payroll is mysterious and certainly not taking full advantage of the market potential we all know exists here.

Whats the difference between fanbases? One (the A's) has been told what the franchise is going to do, and the other (the Rockies) hasn't been very forthcoming with honest communication to their fans.

You still aren't grasping this, RP. The REAL difference in the two fanbases, i.e. the Oakland and Denver markets, is that in the case of Oakland, their upside in gate draw is paltry compared to what we KNOW the upside potential for gate draw is here in Denver. We have PROVEN to support worthy teams, drew 4+ million to Mile High, 3+ million multiple times in Coors, led ALL of MLB in attendance our first SEVEN seasons in a row. Oakland can't touch that, and so HAS to pursue the model they have. We DON'T have to pursue such a model, but our poormouthing owner has CHOSEN to pursue that model. He's not being honest with himself, or being very smart, if he truly feels the Denver market is "small market". It's the ownership's wallet that is small, not the market.

My question is this to you, and I'm not being vindictive or anything either, but as a Giants fan do you think your unease with the A's way of running their franchise (and the Rockies patterning their franchise after it) is due to your early baseball associations?

Now, you are just being silly. A) I am no longer a Giants fan, having adopted the Rockies. B) I have never had "unease" with the A's way, nor have I written that. For the A's situation, their model is best. For our situation, a more financially aggressive model would be suitable. That's all I've been saying.

You, just like Charlie Monfort, seem to be "selling our market short". I don't quite understand that. We aren't friggin' OAKLAND, for goodness sakes!