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Rockies' Fans and Revenues Are Vanishing Into Thin Air
From New York Times
By JOE LAPOINTE
Published: June 14, 2005
In his big office at Coors Field in Denver, General Manager Dan O'Dowd of the
Colorado Rockies keeps a sheet of paper covered in colored lines, most of
them disconnected, some almost straight, others quite curved, a seemingly
abstract impression of - what?
"Coors Field," O'Dowd said. His son drew the picture two seasons ago at age
2. "I always leave that on my desk," O'Dowd said. "It reminds me of the
reality of life."
Indeed, the current reality of the franchise is a picture difficult to
discern. The Rockies have the worst record in the National League. The team
is rebuilding with a roster that is baseball's youngest and one of its lowest
paid.
The Rockies play in a charming stadium at high altitude, making it a funhouse
for hitters and a house of horror for pitchers. Born in the 1993 expansion,
the Rockies have had their initial romance with fans fade. Attendance has
plummeted along with their winning percentage, revenues and franchise
valuation.
The team's principal owner, Charles K. Monfort, made an analogy to a dot-com
company after the burst of the speculative bubble. He said the financial
difficulties were being fixed, but he added: "You're not going to make a lot
of money in this game. You're not going to make any money, in fact, from what
I can understand."
O'Dowd, speaking of the skills mixture on the roster, said, "Quite honestly,
we're not sure which formula completely works here yet." With a chuckle, he
added, "We finally hit rock bottom around here, or are in the process of it."
The Colorado pitching coach, Bob Apodaca, said the team needed durable,
determined pitchers who were not worried about earned run averages and were
not afraid of hitters making contact, guys who could bounce back from
adversity.
The Rockies work in a place where breaking balls do not always break in the
mile-high air, and where fly balls sometimes land over the fences or in front
of, or in between, outfielders on baseball's largest lawn. Shawn Chacon, a
veteran Rockies pitcher, was asked how to build a pitching staff there. "Get
as much offense as you can," he said.
Discussing Denver's peculiar challenges, the team's president, Keli S.
McGregor, said, "There's a lot of experienced baseball people who come here
and scratch their heads and say, 'You know, I'm not really sure what I'd do.'"
Others speak more harshly. Bud Selig, the commissioner, recently told of a
phone call from an owner whose team endured a run-filled visit to Coors. "He
was outraged," Selig said. "He said: 'Any ball hit up in the air is gone. You
can't allow that. It's making a mockery of the game.' " Selig said he told
the owner, "Well, I can either blow Coors Field up or move the team."
It would seem hasty to destroy or vacate a 10-year-old stadium that was part
of the retro era that blended modern convenience with old-fashioned
architecture. Coors Field spurred a business boom in its downtown
neighborhood in a city where football, basketball and hockey have thrived.
From some seats, fans can gaze at the sun setting over the Rocky Mountains.
Inside the stadium, behind the outfield fences, are rock gardens, evergreen
trees and water jets bubbling in a pond. They spurt high to celebrate the
home team's home runs.
There are plenty of them, even though the foul lines stretch 347 feet in left
field and 350 feet in right, and the fence is 415 feet away in center field
and 390 and 375 feet in the power alleys. Baseballs have been stored in a
humidor since 2002 to counteract the drying effect of Denver's low humidity.
That has subdued hitting somewhat, but balls here still seem more alive.
The Elias Sports Bureau says Rockies games at Coors Field lead the major
leagues in runs a game this season (11.88) and since the stadium opened in
1995 (13.30). Colorado home games also lead in home runs a game since 1995
(3.05) and are 11th this season at 2.24. And home runs tend to increase in
the warmer months.
Games at Coors Field have been called arena baseball and compared to
slow-pitch softball. Tony Gwynn, the former batting champion for San Diego,
said batting here was like hitting golf balls on the moon.
Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals won a game at Coors on May 30 with a
three-run home run off Jay Witasick by pulling a slider, low and away, over
the left-field fence with an awkward swing that looked as if it were
one-handed in his follow-through.
"Nasty pitch," said Pujols, who called the 5-4 victory "a weird game."
Chacon said: "That was probably the most surprising home run I've ever seen
here. And I've seen a few, man. I've seen some real far ones. I've seen a
couple broken-bat ones. But that one was just mind-boggling."
Two nights later, Cardinals pitcher Matt Morris won an 8-6 game despite
giving up 10 hits and 5 earned runs in six innings. During a four-run
Colorado fourth, Morris said, he was "just spinning cutters up there" because
his pitches stopped breaking.
"I lasted long enough to get the win, which I'm almost embarrassed about,"
Morris said with a sheepish smile. "They say there is no such thing as a
cheap win, but this is pretty close. I'm lucky. This place just messes with
your mind."
And Morris visits only once this season. Jason Jennings, in his fifth season
with the Rockies, went seven innings in a 2-1 victory, his 25th victory at
Coors Field, more than any other pitcher. Only three games here, which all
ended 2-0, have had fewer runs.
Rockies Manager Clint Hurdle said playing a 2-1 game here was like "eating
spaghetti in a white shirt."
When asked if he liked pitching at Coors Field, Jennings blinked and replied:
"I don't think anybody would tell you they like pitching here. But I embrace
the challenge."
Is Coors more difficult on pitchers physically or psychologically? "Both,"
Jennings said.
Going into last night's games, Colorado's earned run average of 5.68 was tied
for last with Tampa Bay among the 30 major league teams. It has never been
better than 24th. That was in 1994, when there were 28 teams.
When Colorado made its only playoff appearance, as a wild-card team in the
strike-shortened 1995 season, its E.R.A. was 4.97, the third worst in
baseball. Dave Duncan, the Cardinals' pitching coach, said curveballs at
Coors had a different role.
"You have to use it more as a chase pitch rather than a strike pitch," he
said.
Could Duncan work here? "I don't think there is any circumstance in which I
would feel comfortable as a pitching coach in this ballpark," he said. "It
would challenge me beyond my ability to accept the challenge."
Some who have accepted the challenge were broken by it. Mike Hampton came to
the Rockies as a free agent in 2001 and started 9-2. After that, he was 12-26
and was moved in a three-team trade via Florida to Atlanta. On a recent visit
to Boston, Hampton said Coors Field was harder on pitchers than Fenway Park.
"The feel of the ball is different," he said, referring to Coors Field. "It
is by far the toughest place to build a pitching staff."
Leo Mazzone, the Braves' pitching coach, said Hampton was in a state similar
to shell shock when he left Colorado after two seasons and joined the Braves.
"He was trying to make the ball do way more than what it could do," Mazzone
said. "That's what happens when you go to that place, and it's the reason why
a lot of guys struggle. They overexaggerate everything to try to make it
work. I don't really think it ever will."
But there is hope for pitchers who grow up in Colorado's system and know no
other home park. Jeff Francis, whom the Rockies chose ninth over all in the
2002 draft, was 6-0 in his first seven starts at Coors Field.
"I'm confident pitching here," Francis said. "I don't know what it could be.
I'm sure I'll go through some troubles."
Days later, on June 8, Francis allowed 5 runs and 12 hits in a 15-6 loss to
the Chicago White Sox at Coors.
After going through a hitting phase as the Blake Street Bombers, the Rockies
tried hiring free-agent pitchers like Hampton and Denny Neagle, then
emphasized speed and defense. Now, they want to build by drafting what they
call character players who can be groomed.
Every two years, O'Dowd said, the best 25 prospects are brought to Denver in
the winter to stay with local families and take seminars about the social and
psychological skills they will need to cope.
"We are trying to let them know as an organization that we're going to try
and love them as people first and performers second," O'Dowd said. "This is
the hardest personnel model to figure out in all of professional sports."
O'Dowd said the park affected hitters as well as pitchers because hitters
become greedy and try for extra-base hits instead of merely advancing runners.
St. Louis shortstop David Eckstein said his teammate Larry Walker, a former
Colorado right fielder, told him the Rockies beat visiting teams in the
mid-1990's by hitting line drives to the wide gaps in the outfield while
visitors "would try and go big fly."
When asked about how his former team might fashion its pitching staff, Walker
said, "They have to be the type of personalities who are not worried about
personal statistics."
O'Dowd agreed, but he said that was a problem because baseball rewards
personal statistics. He said pitching was 60 percent to 70 percent of the
game at most parks but not at Coors Field, which creates a problem in
building a roster because half the games are on the road.
Scott Boras, a top player agent, recently told The Denver Post that Coors
Field first seemed like a Rubik's Cube, a solvable puzzle. "But now it's
become a black hole," he said. "The baseball intellect that drives so many
organizations doesn't serve this one marketplace, and it's to the detriment
of the franchise."
O'Dowd added that the altitude wore down players physically so that they must
be rested more, but that the fatigue on starting pitchers forced relievers to
work more. He said all the sophisticated scouting reports and performance
statistics were less valuable at Coors Field.
"You can take a lot of that here and open up the window and throw it out,"
O'Dowd said.
幾個有關的要點
"The Colorado pitching coach, Bob Apodaca, said the team needed durable,
determined pitchers who were not worried about earned run averages and were
not afraid of hitters making contact, guys who could bounce back from
adversity."
在這裏投球的投手需要有不擔心era及勇於與強打者對決的特質
Games at Coors Field have been called arena baseball and compared to
slow-pitch softball. Tony Gwynn, the former batting champion for San Diego,
said batting here was like hitting golf balls on the moon.
在這裏棒球變慢速壘球，在這裏打擊像在月球上打高爾夫球
Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals won a game at Coors on May 30 with a
three-run home run off Jay Witasick by pulling a slider, low and away, over
the left-field fence with an awkward swing that looked as if it were
one-handed in his follow-through.
哇!在這裏Pujols隨便揮一揮就出去了
Two nights later, Cardinals pitcher Matt Morris won an 8-6 game despite
giving up 10 hits and 5 earned runs in six innings. During a four-run
Colorado fourth, Morris said, he was "just spinning cutters up there" because
his pitches stopped breaking.
I lasted long enough to get the win, which I'm almost embarrassed about,"
Morris said with a sheepish smile. "They say there is no such thing as a
cheap win, but this is pretty close. I'm lucky. This place just messes with
your mind."
Matt Morris在這裏也被k的很慘，just spinning cutters 他是建議投cutter嗎？
他覺得這是個會摧毀投手意志的地方
"You have to use it more as a chase pitch rather than a strike pitch," he
said.
看樣子滾地球投手比三振型投手好用
Could Duncan work here? "I don't think there is any circumstance in which I
would feel comfortable as a pitching coach in this ballpark," he said. "It
would challenge me beyond my ability to accept the challenge."
看樣子Coors不只是投手的惡夢也是投手教練的惡夢
Some who have accepted the challenge were broken by it. Mike Hampton came to
the Rockies as a free agent in 2001 and started 9-2. After that, he was 12-26
and was moved in a three-team trade via Florida to Atlanta. On a recent visit
to Boston, Hampton said Coors Field was harder on pitchers than Fenway Park.
"The feel of the ball is different," he said, referring to Coors Field. "It
is by far the toughest place to build a pitching staff."
有名的山上一條蟲山下一條龍的例子Mike Hampto
Leo Mazzone, the Braves' pitching coach, said Hampton was in a state similar
to shell shock when he left Colorado after two seasons and joined the Braves.
"He was trying to make the ball do way more than what it could do," Mazzone
said. "That's what happens when you go to that place, and it's the reason why
a lot of guys struggle. They overexaggerate everything to try to make it
work. I don't really think it ever will."
看樣子連勇士的名投手教練都沒摺
But there is hope for pitchers who grow up in Colorado's system and know no
other home park. Jeff Francis, whom the Rockies chose ninth over all in the
2002 draft, was 6-0 in his first seven starts at Coors Field.
Rockies的救世主Jeff Francis
Every two years, O'Dowd said, the best 25 prospects are brought to Denver in
the winter to stay with local families and take seminars about the social and
psychological skills they will need to cope.
"We are trying to let them know as an organization that we're going to try
and love them as people first and performers second," O'Dowd said. "This is
the hardest personnel model to figure out in all of professional sports."
看樣子Rockies培育投手有自己的一套，還重視交際與心理
Scott Boras, a top player agent, recently told The Denver Post that Coors
Field first seemed like a Rubik's Cube, a solvable puzzle. "But now it's
become a black hole," he said. "The baseball intellect that drives so many
organizations doesn't serve this one marketplace, and it's to the detriment
of the franchise."
野球大的老闆好像也沒什麼辦法幫Rockies填投手的洞
總之在Rockies投球的投手要有不重視個人數據的特質
另外Rockies從1993年到2005年在國聯只有兩年era沒有殿底，除了93，94年在
Mile High stadium其他都在Coors,沒殿底的兩年為98跟2000都是排15
而且觀人數從平均每場50000人以上到現在平均每場只有兩萬多人
--
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