Remember the day Neifi Perez donned a catcher's mask?

Chris Jaffe of the Hardball Times does. In fact, Jaffe penned a fun — or maybe more accurately for us, painful — article on the game this morning to mark it's 5,000th day-versary.

Yes, it really has been that long, but it honestly seems like it was last year that I was listening to the fading signal of 850 KOA on my little hand held radio. Same as I did when Hideo Nomo tossed his no-hitter at Coors Field. Same as I did when the Rockies scored 11 runs in the seventh inning to rally past the San Diego Padres.

Thank God for satellite TV and internet streams.

Anyway, I'll let you venture over to Jaffe's article for all of the details, but not before pointing out the irony of Rockies reliever Jerry Dipoto being right in the middle of the wild half inning that decided that game. Of course he's now the general manager of the Angels, and if his first winter is any indication, he's going to continue helping the Angels for a long, long time.

Enjoy.

Hardball Times: 5,000 days since bizarre ending to Rockies-Angels game

Tuesday Links and Things: We got drama

I love how Dan O'Dowd is trying to change the clubhouse culture to be something more positive and professional... and then he says the following to the Denver Post last week.

"I would say he could have worked a little harder this winter. I am not really happy about that," O'Dowd admitted. "I don't think it will be an issue by the time we get to camp. But it has to get to a point where he has maturity and discipline and realizes that this in his career."

I've liked or understood pretty much everything O'Dowd has done this offseason... but not this. Going public with these concerns/criticisms is completely unnecessary and really just plain silly. It's the type of thing that has absolutely no business leaving the clubhouse, and can actually go a long ways towards harming the developing relationship between the rebuild clubhouse and the front office. Not saying it will, or that the players will play with any less passion if they take offence to O'Dowd's confrontational quotes, but it's not the right message to send.

O'Dowd has to know better. He has to chose his battles more wisely than this. Calling out Ian Stewart after you've given him several chances is one thing. To call out Jhoulys Chacin this forcefully is another thing completely. It's regrettable. And to do so without having first visualized and/or communucated with Chacin makes it regrettable and embarrassing.

And sure, it's possible O'Dowd's concerns prove valid. We all understand how badly the Rockies need Chacin to be in shape and performing at his best. We also understand how that O'Dowd might need Chacin to be better than his best to keep his job, so it's perfectly fine for him to be concerned. But there were better, far more simple ways to handle this. Like, say, a face-to-face conversaion in his office after making an evalation for himself.

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