Winners vs. Losers

Just a few thoughts before the good stuff.

A DITr welcome to another new reader, Mike Sosnowski, from Denver and a Yankees fan. At least Kevin Brown had enough sense to punch the wall with his non-pitching hand.

Now that I think about it, there is a slight resemblance between Frank Francisco of the Texas Rangers and Bobby Knight. (I wrote this Thursday, BEFORE Win, Lose and Drew came out on Friday.)

Friday night while watching the rox, it finally dawned on me the difference between a winner and a loser. A winner is Eric Gagne and a loser is Shawn Chacon. Now, I like Shawn Chacon and I want him to do well. He’s a fellow Coloradoan and a product of the rox’ draft and minor league system, so there are compelling reasons to wish him success. Unfortunately, he hasn’t experienced much success in the last year or so. Gagne and Chacon do have something in common. Both began their careers as a starter, but concerns emerged about their arm strength and were converted to a closer. That’s where the similarities begin and end.

To begin with, Gagne set a mlb record by converting 76 save opportunities straight to begin his career as a closer. Chacon blew his first save opportunity of his career. Taking a look at 2004 stats paints a vastly different picture also. Gagne is 7-3 with 17 walks, 109 strikeouts, 42 saves in 44 chances and has an era of 2.00. Chacon, on the other hand, is 1-9, with 47 walks, 50
strikeouts, 34 saves in 43 chances and has an era of 6.68. Browsing the boxscores from Friday and Sunday will provide an accurate snapshot of both of these pitchers.

In Monday's RMN(Rocky Mountain News), Chacon was quoted as saying that he hopes the rox "keep the faith in him" and keep him as closer next season. I have no idea what Hurdle and Dealin' Dan will do, but I can tell you that I cringe when Chacon comes into a close game. We as sports fans tend to have a short memory (often times that's good). Last year the rox ran off Jose Jimenez for similar short-comings in the closer role.

My opinion is that the only success Chacon will enjoy will be as a middle reliever. If there had been occasional signs of brilliance with missteps along the way then the rox would have a legitimate reason to stick with Chacon as the closer. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. The alternatives are few and far between for the rox, but Chacon as the closer for the 2005 season is not the answer in my book.

There will be several questions for the rox heading into next spring, but the role of Chacon, and who will be the closer, should be high on that list of questions.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

I couldn't focus on one central thought this week, just a lot of little ones. So, here you have it.

It's a good Monday morning. The Broncos won. The Raiders lost. 'Nuff said.

Welcome to new reader Matt Ridpath from Kansas City. A royals, and presumably Chiefs, fan. Don't worry Matt, I expect the Chiefs will return the favor December 19 at Arrowhead.

Is it just me, or did anyone else think it might be a long night after the Chiefs' first drive? We never did figure out how to slow down Holmes, but the Chiefs didn't have much of a passing game after the first quarter. I guess all that talk about Bailey's impact on the defense wasn't all, you know, talk.

For years now there's been the debate about whether the Broncos' success in the running game was the system or the running backs. Griffin is no doubt a talented back, but I think it's more obvious now than ever that it's the system. Thank you Alex Gibbs and good luck in Atlanta.

For all his talent, Portis was getting too big for his britches. You don't do that with Shanahan and stick around very long. I'm sure it didn't go unnoticed by very many Broncos fans that Griffin outperformed Portis.

Is anyone surprised the USA lost in it's bid to win the World Cup in hockey? I guess a better question is, does anybody care?

I saw this morning that Barry Bonds hit home run 699 yesterday. Now, I've never been a Bonds fan, and I can't stand the body armor he wears on his right arm, but to hit 700 home runs for a career is a remarkable feat. Given the fact that his walk totals have increased the last few years makes his home run totals even more impressive. The guy only gets one or two good ab's per game. Plus, the Giants have almost no protection for him in their lineup. If the guy doesn't get tired of being intentionally walked, he should pass Hank Aaron for the all-time home run total sometime in the 2006 season.

I could do Drew Goodman's job (but then, who couldn't). As I was watching the rox on Saturday, Garrett Atkins was at the plate. I thought to myself, if Atkins hits a home run here he'd be the ninth rockie this season to get his first mlb home run. Sure enough, Atkins hit a home run and you know what was the first thing Drew said to George Frazier?

By the way, on Saturday, Garrett Atkins became the ninth member of the rockies this season to hit his first mlb home run, in case you didn't know that. In 2001, the rox also had nine players hit their first mlb home run. In their history, the rox have had 51 players hit their first mlb home run .

The rox' pitching overall has been rather awful for the majority of the season, but the bullpen has had more than its' share of lowlights. After yesterday's 12-run ninth inning, the pen has 31 losses and a 5.54 era. Toronto's pen has 32 losses to lead mlb.

Last Thursday, the royals scored 26 runs in the first game of a doubleheader and were shutout in the nightcap.

Enough rambling for one day.

200/200

These days, as Colorado rockies(see "To 'R' or Not To 'R'") fans, it seems we must resort to either reminiscing or looking to the future. Allow me to reminisce for a bit. (I will look forward in a future article.) There was a period in the mid to late 90's when the rox put up offensive numbers that were staggering. I dug into my good ole' lahman database to look up some statistics.

Author's note: There's a handful of sources I refer to for baseball statistics and information. 1) A database of statistics from 1871-2003 by Scott Lahman available at www.baseball1.com. 2) www.retrosheet.org - My favorite - too much information to list here. 3) www.thebaseballcube.com - see #2. 4) www.baseball-almanac.com - Records and other fun stuff. 5) www.baseballamerica.com and www.minorleaguebaseball.com - Minor league scores, stats, etc.

Here's what I found. The rox led the NL in home runs from '95-'99 and runs scored '95-'97. They had one of the best collections of power hitters for any one team ever. Did they benefit from playing at Coors Field(CF for short)? Absolutely, but to what extent will forever be debated. Regardless, it was an impressive offensive era.

One particular year sticks out in my mind, 1996. This team was not only powerful, but also fast. That team became, and remains, the only team in MLB history to hit 200+ home runs and steal 200+ bases in one season. Team statistics like this require more than one or two players having a great season. Nearly every starter and a couple reserve players contributed to this remarkable season.

Here is the primary lineup and their home run and stolen base totals. "EY", Eric Young, 2B, eight home runs and 53 stolen bases to lead the NL. Ellis Burks, CF/RF, 40 hr and 32 sb. Young and Burks were known as "E-train" for their ability to get on base in front of the 3-5 hitters. Dante Bichette, LF, 31 hr and 31 sb. "The Big Cat", Andres Galarraga, 1B, 47 hr(led NL) and 18 sb. Now, at first glance, 18 stolen bases may not seem like much. However, it's a lot for a guy who has "Big" as part of his nickname. (Another longtime firstbaseman, "The Big Hurt", Frank Thomas, has 32 in his entire career through August 2004.) Larry Walker, RF, 18 hr and 18 sb. Walker was injured for much of the season and only played 83 games. Not bad for half of a season. Vinny Castilla, 3B, 40 hr and seven sb. Bichette, Galarraga, Walker and Castilla(and Burks by some) were called The Blake Street Bombers. Jeff Reed, C, eight hr and two sb. Walt Weiss, SS, eight hr and 10 sb. John VanderWal was the primary pinch hitter and even contributed five hr and two sb. Given Walker's injuries, the fourth outfielder, "Q", Quinton McCracken, played 124 games and had three hr and 17 sb.

A couple of interesting facts should help put these statistics into perspective. For many years, 30/30, 30 hr and 30 sb in one season, has been considered a major accomplishment. From 1871-2003, only 38 times has a player reached 30/30. In 1996, the rox had TWO players, Bichette and Burks, that were 30/30 guys. This had been done only once before, in 1987 by Howard Johnson and Darryl Strawberry for the New York Mets. The rox also had four players with 100+ rbi. In 1996, this had not been done in baseball since 1980 by the Milwaukee Brewers in the AL and had not been done in the NL since 1929 by the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs.

It's truly rare to find a team of players with the combination of power and speed to reach the levels the rox did in 1996. I think it's safe to say that baseball may not see another team with statistics like that for quite some time and, we as rockies fans may never see a season like it again. I feel fortunate that I was there as a fan to witness that season.

To "R" or Not To "R"

For the last year or so, Scot and I have identified the Rockies by either the "Rox" or "rox", depending on their current level of play. This became known as "taking away the capital R" when they were playing poorly and "restoring" it when they played well. When DITR was formed, the process was formalized under the direction of the Designation Committee. As you might have guessed, the committee is comprised of Scot and myself. So, in actuality, there's abolutely no difference at all. It just sounds more impressive to have a committee. (I work for a not-for-profit where committees abound and rule supreme.)

Anyway, the Designation Committee held its' first official meeting earlier this last week and determined to take away the capital R. Meeting minutes indicate this was decided largely due to the current 7-game losing streak as well as losing 13 of the last 15 games. Consequently, until further notice, you will see changes in the following references for the Rockies and this column. The Rockies will be referred to as the "rox" and this column will be referred to as "Diamond in the rox" or "DITr". I will post updates immediately as the Designation Committee meets and warrants changes to this designation.

DITr by-laws indicate that the Designation Committee gladly accepts reader comments and considers them in all matters. The committee, however, has the final say and will do whatever it wants to.