Until Monfort sells the Team/ Astute fans can only dream

Newman · 12-07-2006, 09:26 PM

Other teams are spending money as if it were the Monopoly version of MLB. Not us. Winter meetings are almost over and we have managed to sign LaTroy Hawkins! Wow

That should sew up last place for us.

Really what is there to write about while we have this shallow pocketed, no vision owner who chooses not to compete.

I know, I know there is that awesome battle in CF between Cory Sullivan and Torii Hunter's cousin. WooooooooooHooooooooooo!

Every team in our division will upgrade except us. We are declining. They are going to trade Jennings. That seems obvious. And that sends a message to Matt Holliday and the other regulars. There is no future with this team. As soon as you start earning real money you will be dealt.

Newman · 12-07-2006, 09:34 PM

Remember when this was such a fun time of year? Remember when we should have signed Biggio, except that Bob Gebhard tried to lowball him (that cheap bleep).

Along the way we've had shots at Piazza, at Jim Edmonds, and countless others, IN THEIR PRIME! Back then McMorris would spend the money, usually on the wrong players, but at least the fans had something to get excited about. We had something to write about, argue about, fret about.

Now...it's nothing. We sign a middle reliever who had a bad season last year. I can't wait to get season tickets because of that!

You're supposed to be strong up the middle to build a winner. We have Ianetta at catcher who is extremely unproven. Tulo at short, also unproven. The worst CF in the league. And Matsui at 2B, a guy the Mets got rid of because he couldn't get it done there. I call that weak up the middle.

BigRapidsJackass · 12-07-2006, 11:18 PM

Newman, good to see you brought your "A" game to the new board.

I love the Rockies' spin. Hardly anyone (except the few regulars on this board) is paying attention, but they're still trying their best to put a positive spin on a complete waste of an offseason.

My new favorite? Remember way back to October, when Clint Hurdle trashed Cory Sullivan to the press?

I do. Here's how it went:

First, Hurdle expressed annoyance that Sullivan wasn't playing winter ball. "You can't get better if you don't play." The press was conditioned for the departure of Cory:

Quote:

Cory Sullivan got the first shot, then manager Clint Hurdle tried some platoons, getting Choo Freeman and Ryan Spilborghs at-bats. None of the three, though, took charge in center field, which has become the offseason focus. With Sullivan a possible arbitration case, he might not even be tendered a contract.

Fast forward 8 weeks. Dave Roberts is out of our price range. Coco Crisp? O'Dowd wanted Boston to cover part of his salary, which is now a hilarious proposition in that he is clearly underpaid in the 2007 market. Even Kenny Lofton is apparently looking at $5 million bucks.

So let the low-grade spin machine try to undo the harm. Here's the latest, from yesterday's RMN:

Quote:

The possibilities would start with Cory Sullivan, the primary center fielder last season who, for the first time, is spending his offseason in Denver, working out at Coors Field.

"At the end of the season, (manager) Clint (Hurdle) and I sat down with Cory and talked with him about things he needs to do better for us to win," O'Dowd said.

Got that? Cory was a bozo for skipping winter ball in Venezuela or some such place when we thought we could nab somebody better.

Now, it's actually been turned into a plus that he "is spending his offseason in Denver, working out at Coors Field."

And I'm sure the sitdown chat with Dan and Clint will do wonders. Here's how I imagine it went:

"Cory, we need you to be a better player. We understand that all indications are that you are already playing over your head. Most scouts thought you would top out at AA or AAA. But by sheer power of will we want you to become as good as Dave Roberts or Coco Crisp. Think you can do that?"

Yeah, let's keep praying that marginal major leaguers turn into good players. Sounds like a good strategy to me ...

Below C-Level · 12-08-2006, 12:40 AM

It's one thing to criticize ownership for not spending money wisely, but it's another thing altogether to criticize Monfort and O'Dowd for not spending.

The truth is, I'm not sure this is a great off-season to be aggressive buyers in the free-agent market. Look at the value, or lack thereof, that teams are getting with some of these contracts, let alone the length. Next year is a much better year to be in the FA market, so I think it makes sense to devote time, energy and resources to other areas, such as the Francis extension and deals for Atkins, Hawpe, Jennings and Holliday. Maybe they get done, maybe they don't, but that's a much better way to spend your time than throwing ill-conceived contract offers at Gary Matthews, Jr, Gil Meche, Miguel Batista or Adam Eaton. The market for Jennings and Hawpe, in particular, is still forming.

I think the Rockies have actually had a pretty good off-season thus far. They locked up Francis through 2011 at well below market rate. What do you think a 6'5", 25 year old LHP would command coming off a season in which he posted an ERA just North of 4.00 and a WHIP of 1.29 in Coors Field? He had the 6th lowest OPS allowed (.725) in all of baseball among pitchers 25 and younger. Better than Felix Hernandez. Better than Justin Verlander. Better than Dontrelle Willis.

If they can sign Jennings, that's great. If they can't, I think the last week establishes that they'll get a pretty significant haul in return from him once some of the Pettittes and Zitos of the world start falling into place and people are left without that FA SP they'd targeted. Why not wait it out and sell high if you're Dan O'Dowd? And more importantly, why not sit out this spending spree on mediocre talent and focus instead on locking up your young players and/or saving your resources for players who will make an impact on the field, not just in your wallet?

Roxpert · 12-08-2006, 09:35 AM

Below C-Level, excellent post. I am an advocate of the Rockies getting their team payroll level at least to the MLB median of $75 to $80 million instead of the paltry $55 million or so they will spend in 2007. However, TIMING is everything, and now is not necessarily the right time to be commiting cash to suboptimal talent. The inefficiency in the market could better be exploited via trades. I hope they are smart enough to pull off wise trades of Jennings, Helton, and even Fuentes.

They are sitting pretty with the "cards", and at some point they have to play them.

Below C-Level · 12-08-2006, 06:35 PM

I agree, Roxpert. I would like to think that "the plan" ultimately culminates in a payroll that is back in the top half of MLB. I think their history establishes that they're not afraid to spend, but they were burned pretty badly and are understandably reluctant to have that happen again. I think, in the long run, that will be a good thing. The farm system is very strong and the major league roster (save a couple of holdovers) is young and relatively inexpensive.

The time to aggressively jump into the free agent pool is next Winter, when the lineup features a full season of Iannetta and Tulowitzki and Jimenez, Roe, Morales and Stewart are a year closer to contributing. Maybe Jason Jennings is still here, maybe not- but if he's gone, he'll likely have brought back some young arms or a CF in return.

Depending upon what happens with Helton, Holliday and Hawpe, that's the makings of a real good, young lineup. And that's the lineup you supplement with a couple of free agents ($15-$20 million) to get you back to where you need to be.

If they don't spend next Winter, then that's an issue. But right now, I think it's all making sense and in keeping with the plan.

Rankal · 12-08-2006, 08:41 PM

Have to agree with Below C-Level and Roxpert. I'm happy the Rockies aren't spending. Do I want Vernon Wells? Alfonso Soriano? Of course. Do I want the Rockies to spend the entire team budget (see: Helton) on them? No way.

The Rockies did the smart thing this off-season and didn't over-spend. They locked up Francis, who they see as a potential #1 for us later down the road, and picked up some bullpen help. Okay, not really, but they're trying to without spending the bank.

Give it another year. Or until the big teams have to unload all these players for cheap and are willing to pick up their contracts (see: Hampton, Walker).

Newman · 12-08-2006, 09:33 PM

"The plan"?? This is the cynical, skeptical, sarcastic thread. C-Level, you actually think they have a plan? Did Rumsfeld have a plan when he kept saying, "in another six months..."???

I agree with Roto, errrrrrrr the Big Jackass' last sentence, which used to be a thread at the old site, "...let's keep praying..."

I heard one of the shills on local espn afternoon radio, Dave somebody, say that maybe the reason the Rockies haven't made many moves in the hot stove league is because we are happy with our personnel! I'm thrilled. We will be battling SF for last place and be out of it in June once again.

I was going to label this thread "Boycott the Rockies" but I know how that annoys some people. Still, where is there any hope? Do you see any light at the end of the tunnel with this ownership? I don't.

I agree with Roxpert. We need to be at the $80M payroll level this year. Well, that's not going to happen. So I should have confidence that they will make good trades? When every team in the league knows we HAVE TO trade Jennings, or get nothing for him, how much do we expect to get?

And even if we get something good in return, it sends a bad message to the team and to the fans. This owner has shallow pockets and will not pay to keep home grown talent here. Period.

Monfort doesn't want to compete, doesn't have to compete. He just needs 25,000 chumps a night to semi-fill Coors Field. I think that's his magic number. WE have a bad owner. (Where's the beat the dead horse icon? I miss it).

Rankal · 12-09-2006, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Newman

"The plan"?? This is the cynical, skeptical, sarcastic thread. C-Level, you actually think they have a plan? Did Rumsfeld have a plan when he kept saying, "in another six months..."???

I agree with Roto, errrrrrrr the Big Jackass' last sentence, which used to be a thread at the old site, "...let's keep praying..."

I heard one of the shills on local espn afternoon radio, Dave somebody, say that maybe the reason the Rockies haven't made many moves in the hot stove league is because we are happy with our personnel! I'm thrilled. We will be battling SF for last place and be out of it in June once again.

I was going to label this thread "Boycott the Rockies" but I know how that annoys some people. Still, where is there any hope? Do you see any light at the end of the tunnel with this ownership? I don't.

I agree with Roxpert. We need to be at the $80M payroll level this year. Well, that's not going to happen. So I should have confidence that they will make good trades? When every team in the league knows we HAVE TO trade Jennings, or get nothing for him, how much do we expect to get?

And even if we get something good in return, it sends a bad message to the team and to the fans. This owner has shallow pockets and will not pay to keep home grown talent here. Period.

Monfort doesn't want to compete, doesn't have to compete. He just needs 25,000 chumps a night to semi-fill Coors Field. I think that's his magic number. WE have a bad owner. (Where's the beat the dead horse icon? I miss it).

The $80 million dollar payroll level THIS year? So you want Gil Meche, Nomar Garciapara, and Ted Lilly? Because that's about all you'd get. Going out and spending this year would be stupid --- and while we know the Rockies are fond of dumb decisions, I for one am happy this is one time they didn't go out and do the dumb thing.

wolf213 · 12-09-2006, 01:34 AM

I totally agree with you Rankal. I would like to see the payroll in the 75-80 million dollar range, however, to spend that kind of money this offseason would be stupid. Everyone knows that the team should spend more money, but I think this isn't the time to do it. Your going to end up spending a lot of money on a lot of garbage.

I think the time to complain is going to be next offseason when Players like Wells, Jones, Hunter, etc will be on the market. If we don't make a run at them then, then we might have a point, however in this market it makes no since pay Department Store prices for Wal-Mart type quality.

Below C-Level · 12-09-2006, 09:21 AM

I agree that the "wait til next year" refrain can get a little stale, but in this case I think you really do need to resist taking a short-term view. The fact is that the farm system is strong. They're not saying "give us some time to dismantle the roster and rebuild the farm system". That's been going on for a while now. At this point, they simply need to follow through- that means (a) getting their young talent up to the major league level without overdoing it, (b) locking up the 0-3 and arbitration eligibles who are going to be cornerstones going forward and (c) trading away the assets that they cannot sign to long-term deals to ensure that they at least get as much as possible in return.

Once that dust has settled, take another look at the roster and see what you've got. If you still need a CF, go throw cash at V. Wells, T. Hunter or A. Jones instead of Matthews, Jr or Juan Pierre. Use those resources to go out and land some bullpen help or another front-end starter. Whatever the case may be, those FA signings are the final piece of the puzzle; they're not what gets you there.

I really think there's light at the end of this tunnel, although I understand the frustration of hearing what sounds like "wait til next year". I really do think, in this case, it actually is all about next year, though.

rockieprogress · 12-09-2006, 12:06 PM

Anybody read Dave Kreiger this morning?

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drm...202450,00.html

It plays into this thread IMO.

Roxpert · 12-09-2006, 01:36 PM

Krieger mentioned two interesting things he learned from Monfort:

1. The Rockies have to "get it done" next year, which presumably means more success than they had last season, or they will replace Hurdle and O'Dowd. This "is their report card", according to Monfort.

2. Monfort sounded more aggressive about increasing payroll eventually to the $70 million range. OF course, by the time he does that, the MLB median payroll will be $90 million, but what the hey! He's going in the right direction!

I'm glad that The Cooler will FINALLY be on the "firing line" this coming season; it's about 2 years too late, but I knew Charlie might come around eventually. And I have no real problem with O'Dowd being replaced either, especially if he doesn't show the creativity and aggressiveness in the trade market that was supposed to be his calling card when he arrived here.

Monfort sure sounded frustrated with Jennings and Atkins in that article. Seems he thinks they are hiding behind their agents, which he lauded Francis for not doing. Does this mean that Atkins could also be eventually shopped (we do have Baker, who could replace him, and Stewart after that)?

rockieprogress · 12-09-2006, 02:17 PM

That's exactly what I thought when I read the article. Atkins might be sent packing in the near future. It's certain that Holliday while be gone, and I say good ridance. All the stats in the world mask the fact that he sux in the field, but at least the organization knows that he''s soft when it counts. THAT was refreshing to see IMO.

Lots of people flame the Monforts without ever hearing their side of the story as far as what is REALLY going on with the organization. Its nice to see some kind report about it.

Then again, with the creampuffs reporting here (while knowledgeable, they lack the intestinal fortitude to ask harder questions) , its a wonder we even got something as small as this.

Hey Cowboy, maybe you need to schedule a dinner meeting...

Roxpert, I disagree with your 2 year timeframe. Without the players needed, its unfair to judge the Manager. Last year was the first year that he had the planets line up with his pitching staff, and his fielders develop into a semi-cohesive defense.
Now is the time of judgement, but at the risk of jinxing the team, should he be fired if 2 of the SP's go down with injury early in the year?
I would say that if the GM doesn't react to an uncertainty like that, it would be likely his job should be replaced with someone more likely to be decisive.

With the farm system being strengthened, and there are NO reports that I can find that say its not LOADED, DO'D has done what the franchise has needed.
Well except one thing. Replacing the failure in the dugout. That trigger should've been pulled right after the All-Star break last year. If the team goes on a losing streak of 5 games this year, and I don't care WHY it happens, just THAT it happens, and the GM doesn't do something, they BOTH SHOULD BE REPLACED.

Man this horse carcass is getting ripe...

Newman · 12-10-2006, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rankal

The $80 million dollar payroll level THIS year? So you want Gil Meche, Nomar Garciapara, and Ted Lilly? Because that's about all you'd get. Going out and spending this year would be stupid --- and while we know the Rockies are fond of dumb decisions, I for one am happy this is one time they didn't go out and do the dumb thing.

Nice quote feature.

If we stay at $55M payroll, won't we always be amongst the have nots?

Spend some money now, build the payroll up to where we can compete! Spend it on the right personnel of course. We need talent, damn it.

And then keep improving.

Not spending money (STAY THE COURSE) continues the same old same old frustration and losing.

12-07-2006, 09:26 PM	#1 (permalink)
Newman Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Aurora Posts: 524	Until Monfort sells the Team/ Astute fans can only dream Other teams are spending money as if it were the Monopoly version of MLB. Not us. Winter meetings are almost over and we have managed to sign LaTroy Hawkins! Wow That should sew up last place for us. Really what is there to write about while we have this shallow pocketed, no vision owner who chooses not to compete. I know, I know there is that awesome battle in CF between Cory Sullivan and Torii Hunter's cousin. WooooooooooHooooooooooo! Every team in our division will upgrade except us. We are declining. They are going to trade Jennings. That seems obvious. And that sends a message to Matt Holliday and the other regulars. There is no future with this team. As soon as you start earning real money you will be dealt.

12-08-2006, 12:40 AM	#4 (permalink)
Below C-Level Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 55	Payroll Issues It's one thing to criticize ownership for not spending money wisely, but it's another thing altogether to criticize Monfort and O'Dowd for not spending. The truth is, I'm not sure this is a great off-season to be aggressive buyers in the free-agent market. Look at the value, or lack thereof, that teams are getting with some of these contracts, let alone the length. Next year is a much better year to be in the FA market, so I think it makes sense to devote time, energy and resources to other areas, such as the Francis extension and deals for Atkins, Hawpe, Jennings and Holliday. Maybe they get done, maybe they don't, but that's a much better way to spend your time than throwing ill-conceived contract offers at Gary Matthews, Jr, Gil Meche, Miguel Batista or Adam Eaton. The market for Jennings and Hawpe, in particular, is still forming. I think the Rockies have actually had a pretty good off-season thus far. They locked up Francis through 2011 at well below market rate. What do you think a 6'5", 25 year old LHP would command coming off a season in which he posted an ERA just North of 4.00 and a WHIP of 1.29 in Coors Field? He had the 6th lowest OPS allowed (.725) in all of baseball among pitchers 25 and younger. Better than Felix Hernandez. Better than Justin Verlander. Better than Dontrelle Willis. If they can sign Jennings, that's great. If they can't, I think the last week establishes that they'll get a pretty significant haul in return from him once some of the Pettittes and Zitos of the world start falling into place and people are left without that FA SP they'd targeted. Why not wait it out and sell high if you're Dan O'Dowd? And more importantly, why not sit out this spending spree on mediocre talent and focus instead on locking up your young players and/or saving your resources for players who will make an impact on the field, not just in your wallet?

12-07-2006, 09:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
Newman Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Aurora Posts: 524	Remember when this was such a fun time of year? Remember when we should have signed Biggio, except that Bob Gebhard tried to lowball him (that cheap bleep). Along the way we've had shots at Piazza, at Jim Edmonds, and countless others, IN THEIR PRIME! Back then McMorris would spend the money, usually on the wrong players, but at least the fans had something to get excited about. We had something to write about, argue about, fret about. Now...it's nothing. We sign a middle reliever who had a bad season last year. I can't wait to get season tickets because of that! You're supposed to be strong up the middle to build a winner. We have Ianetta at catcher who is extremely unproven. Tulo at short, also unproven. The worst CF in the league. And Matsui at 2B, a guy the Mets got rid of because he couldn't get it done there. I call that weak up the middle.

12-08-2006, 09:35 AM	#5 (permalink)
Roxpert Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Denver Posts: 1,015	Below C-Level, excellent post. I am an advocate of the Rockies getting their team payroll level at least to the MLB median of $75 to $80 million instead of the paltry $55 million or so they will spend in 2007. However, TIMING is everything, and now is not necessarily the right time to be commiting cash to suboptimal talent. The inefficiency in the market could better be exploited via trades. I hope they are smart enough to pull off wise trades of Jennings, Helton, and even Fuentes. They are sitting pretty with the "cards", and at some point they have to play them.

12-08-2006, 06:35 PM	#6 (permalink)
Below C-Level Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 55	I agree, Roxpert. I would like to think that "the plan" ultimately culminates in a payroll that is back in the top half of MLB. I think their history establishes that they're not afraid to spend, but they were burned pretty badly and are understandably reluctant to have that happen again. I think, in the long run, that will be a good thing. The farm system is very strong and the major league roster (save a couple of holdovers) is young and relatively inexpensive. The time to aggressively jump into the free agent pool is next Winter, when the lineup features a full season of Iannetta and Tulowitzki and Jimenez, Roe, Morales and Stewart are a year closer to contributing. Maybe Jason Jennings is still here, maybe not- but if he's gone, he'll likely have brought back some young arms or a CF in return. Depending upon what happens with Helton, Holliday and Hawpe, that's the makings of a real good, young lineup. And that's the lineup you supplement with a couple of free agents ($15-$20 million) to get you back to where you need to be. If they don't spend next Winter, then that's an issue. But right now, I think it's all making sense and in keeping with the plan.

12-08-2006, 08:41 PM	#7 (permalink)
Rankal Banned Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 84	Have to agree with Below C-Level and Roxpert. I'm happy the Rockies aren't spending. Do I want Vernon Wells? Alfonso Soriano? Of course. Do I want the Rockies to spend the entire team budget (see: Helton) on them? No way. The Rockies did the smart thing this off-season and didn't over-spend. They locked up Francis, who they see as a potential #1 for us later down the road, and picked up some bullpen help. Okay, not really, but they're trying to without spending the bank. Give it another year. Or until the big teams have to unload all these players for cheap and are willing to pick up their contracts (see: Hampton, Walker).

12-08-2006, 09:33 PM	#8 (permalink)
Newman Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Aurora Posts: 524	"The plan"?? This is the cynical, skeptical, sarcastic thread. C-Level, you actually think they have a plan? Did Rumsfeld have a plan when he kept saying, "in another six months..."??? I agree with Roto, errrrrrrr the Big Jackass' last sentence, which used to be a thread at the old site, "...let's keep praying..." I heard one of the shills on local espn afternoon radio, Dave somebody, say that maybe the reason the Rockies haven't made many moves in the hot stove league is because we are happy with our personnel! I'm thrilled. We will be battling SF for last place and be out of it in June once again. I was going to label this thread "Boycott the Rockies" but I know how that annoys some people. Still, where is there any hope? Do you see any light at the end of the tunnel with this ownership? I don't. I agree with Roxpert. We need to be at the $80M payroll level this year. Well, that's not going to happen. So I should have confidence that they will make good trades? When every team in the league knows we HAVE TO trade Jennings, or get nothing for him, how much do we expect to get? And even if we get something good in return, it sends a bad message to the team and to the fans. This owner has shallow pockets and will not pay to keep home grown talent here. Period. Monfort doesn't want to compete, doesn't have to compete. He just needs 25,000 chumps a night to semi-fill Coors Field. I think that's his magic number. WE have a bad owner. (Where's the beat the dead horse icon? I miss it).

12-09-2006, 01:34 AM	#10 (permalink)
wolf213 Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Thornton Co Posts: 190	I totally agree with you Rankal. I would like to see the payroll in the 75-80 million dollar range, however, to spend that kind of money this offseason would be stupid. Everyone knows that the team should spend more money, but I think this isn't the time to do it. Your going to end up spending a lot of money on a lot of garbage. I think the time to complain is going to be next offseason when Players like Wells, Jones, Hunter, etc will be on the market. If we don't make a run at them then, then we might have a point, however in this market it makes no since pay Department Store prices for Wal-Mart type quality.

12-09-2006, 09:21 AM	#11 (permalink)
Below C-Level Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 55	I agree that the "wait til next year" refrain can get a little stale, but in this case I think you really do need to resist taking a short-term view. The fact is that the farm system is strong. They're not saying "give us some time to dismantle the roster and rebuild the farm system". That's been going on for a while now. At this point, they simply need to follow through- that means (a) getting their young talent up to the major league level without overdoing it, (b) locking up the 0-3 and arbitration eligibles who are going to be cornerstones going forward and (c) trading away the assets that they cannot sign to long-term deals to ensure that they at least get as much as possible in return. Once that dust has settled, take another look at the roster and see what you've got. If you still need a CF, go throw cash at V. Wells, T. Hunter or A. Jones instead of Matthews, Jr or Juan Pierre. Use those resources to go out and land some bullpen help or another front-end starter. Whatever the case may be, those FA signings are the final piece of the puzzle; they're not what gets you there. I really think there's light at the end of this tunnel, although I understand the frustration of hearing what sounds like "wait til next year". I really do think, in this case, it actually is all about next year, though.

12-09-2006, 12:06 PM	#12 (permalink)
rockieprogress Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: aurora Posts: 183	Anybody read Dave Kreiger this morning? http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drm...202450,00.html It plays into this thread IMO.

12-09-2006, 01:36 PM	#13 (permalink)
Roxpert Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Denver Posts: 1,015	Krieger mentioned two interesting things he learned from Monfort: 1. The Rockies have to "get it done" next year, which presumably means more success than they had last season, or they will replace Hurdle and O'Dowd. This "is their report card", according to Monfort. 2. Monfort sounded more aggressive about increasing payroll eventually to the $70 million range. OF course, by the time he does that, the MLB median payroll will be $90 million, but what the hey! He's going in the right direction! I'm glad that The Cooler will FINALLY be on the "firing line" this coming season; it's about 2 years too late, but I knew Charlie might come around eventually. And I have no real problem with O'Dowd being replaced either, especially if he doesn't show the creativity and aggressiveness in the trade market that was supposed to be his calling card when he arrived here. Monfort sure sounded frustrated with Jennings and Atkins in that article. Seems he thinks they are hiding behind their agents, which he lauded Francis for not doing. Does this mean that Atkins could also be eventually shopped (we do have Baker, who could replace him, and Stewart after that)?

12-09-2006, 02:17 PM	#14 (permalink)
rockieprogress Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: aurora Posts: 183	That's exactly what I thought when I read the article. Atkins might be sent packing in the near future. It's certain that Holliday while be gone, and I say good ridance. All the stats in the world mask the fact that he sux in the field, but at least the organization knows that he''s soft when it counts. THAT was refreshing to see IMO. Lots of people flame the Monforts without ever hearing their side of the story as far as what is REALLY going on with the organization. Its nice to see some kind report about it. Then again, with the creampuffs reporting here (while knowledgeable, they lack the intestinal fortitude to ask harder questions) , its a wonder we even got something as small as this. Hey Cowboy, maybe you need to schedule a dinner meeting... Roxpert, I disagree with your 2 year timeframe. Without the players needed, its unfair to judge the Manager. Last year was the first year that he had the planets line up with his pitching staff, and his fielders develop into a semi-cohesive defense. Now is the time of judgement, but at the risk of jinxing the team, should he be fired if 2 of the SP's go down with injury early in the year? I would say that if the GM doesn't react to an uncertainty like that, it would be likely his job should be replaced with someone more likely to be decisive. With the farm system being strengthened, and there are NO reports that I can find that say its not LOADED, DO'D has done what the franchise has needed. Well except one thing. Replacing the failure in the dugout. That trigger should've been pulled right after the All-Star break last year. If the team goes on a losing streak of 5 games this year, and I don't care WHY it happens, just THAT it happens, and the GM doesn't do something, they BOTH SHOULD BE REPLACED. Man this horse carcass is getting ripe...