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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Rockies fans to rally for Tom Helmer

When Tom Helmer broke the news that his contract with Root Sports has not been renewed on Tuesday, Rockies fans instantly went into shock. Thirty seconds later, shock turned to anger. And now, a full 24 hours later, their anger has led them to organizing a Save Helmer rally set to take place this Sunday afternoon.

First and foremost, I would encourage fans to simply support Helmer as he comes to terms with the unfortunate circumstances, and then searches for his new gig (which he should have little to no trouble finding). But I also have to say it's pretty cool to see Rockies fans come together to show support for a guy whose passion for the game of baseball, for the Rockies organization, and above all, for the city of Denver, has been obvious since he debuted on the air six years ago.

If the cause means that much to you as a Rockies fan and/or a resident of Denver, then the place to be is the Blake Street Tavern at 2 pm on Sunday.

You can head over to South Stands Denver for more information.

I wish you all well on your peaceful mission to save one of your own. It may not be enough to rectify this situation, but your passionate plea should teach the suits and ties at Root that their audience won't be content with whatever they're being fed. Yes, you have eyes and ears that mean dollars to them, but you also have a voice. Let the them hear that voice loud and clear.

Tuesday Links, Things and Another Trade

Dealin' Dan was back in action on Monday, acquiring 32-year-old right-hander Jeremy Guthrie from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Heaven & Helton favorite Jason Hammel - he was a good #4 or #5 start dammit, and that's all I ever asked him to be - and reliever Matt Lindstrom.

The Rockies then avoided arbitration with Guthrie, inking him to a one-year deal worth $8.2 million.

It's another trade that has stirred up quite a bit of debate among Rockies fans and bloggers. The concern, as usual, is whether or not Guthrie - a flyball pitcher - represents a good fit in the hitter friendly Coors Field.

Obviously a high flyball rate is a scary stat to bring with you to Denver, as is the fact that rate has led to at least 23 home runs allowed in each of his first five full seasons. But that hardly predicts impending disaster, or even poor results with a switch to the National League. In fact, I don't think there's any reason to believe the number of home runs he allows will jump significantly, if at all, against the inferior lineups of the National League West, regardless of where he's pitching the majority of his games.

When I look beyond the numbers, I see a tough pitcher that has more than held his own against the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays and Blue Jays lineups. When I bring the numbers back into focus, I see a pitcher that posted an ERA under 4.00 in three of those five seasons. He lost a lot more than he won because the offense and defense supporting him were pretty dreadful, but the home run ball never killed him in Baltimore. It won't kill him in Denver, either, as long as he keeps the bases clean.

Unless Guthrie loses his edge, which is certainly possible when you go from facing those lineups four or five times each, to cycling through the Giants, Padres, etc., I think he'll prove to be an unspectacular, but solid #2 starter in the National League.

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Tuesday Links and Things: Dan O'Dowd speaks!

After a busy week that included trading for Marco Scutaro, the Rockies fell mostly silent over the past seven days. Well, at least from an on field transaction standpoint. We did hear a few words from general manager Dan O'Dowd, who spoke to 850 KOA's Dave Krieger about the Rockies offseason game plan and team chemistry things. 

That article leads off the links this week. Hopefully it doesn't swing at the first pitch. 

1. Dan O'Dowd: Rockies got rid of players who didn't "get it". 850 KOA

A lot of silly and pointless debates went on over Twitter over one specific comment O'Dowd made during this column.

"Quite honestly, I just feel like we needed to address our culture more than anything. We certainly need to address our talent, but I think talent becomes secondary if your culture is not where it needs to be. I think we had too many players, not naming anybody, that were more worried about collecting service time than actually worried about winning and playing the game the right way."

Actually, it was more over three little words: "talent becomes secondary".

Listen, folks, it's not difficult to understand what he's saying when you think about it in the proper context. He's not saying talent isn't among the most important factors in evaluating baseball players and putting the best roster together. What he is saying is that you have to also account for wasted and underachieving talent weighing the entire team down, which is exactly what the Rockies have been dealing with for the past two seasons.

What leads to wasted talent? Players the don't "get it". Simple. Players that don't put in the extra work to maximize their abilities. Players that, as he worded, are more worried about collecting service time. O'Dowd knows who's putting in the work, and he's absolutely correct when he says talent comes secondary when individuals aren't working to improve themselves, to improve the team, and when they're surrounded by too many people who approach the game the same way they do.

I get it. I have no problem with a word he said there. I understand the Rockies parted with a lot of "talent" (much of it wasted or unrealized) this offseason, and I agree they could have exercised more patience with certain players. But you can't wait forever. Sometimes you have to evaluate players beyond the raw talent and move on. Sometimes you're going to be wrong making that assessment. Sometimes that assessment is what finally motivates the player to work harder. But you can't be afraid to do it.

After last year's disaster, now was the time to make those decisions. Dan O'Dowd will have to live with the results, and I'm more than he's comfortable with that.

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Tuesday Links and Things: A look back at the Rockies active week

Quite a bit has gone down since last Tuesday's links. The Rockies did eventually sign Jamie Moyer to that minor league contract we discussed. Dan O'Dowd turned around and traded Kevin Slowey to the Cleveland Indians before he ever threw a single pitch in Colorado. And more importantly than those moves, he also acquired Marco Scutaro from the Boston Red Sox for Clayton Mortensen. 

Yes, that Clayton Mortensen.

All that activity means Rockies writers and bloggers had a lot to talk about this week. Here are a few of the more interesting opinions.

1. Starting with my own, of course. In case you missed it, here's what I had to say about the dealings. Heaven & Helton

2. O'Dowd's pieces fit together, but is it the right puzzle asks Andrew Fisher. Purple Row

3. A Farewell Letter to Kevin Slowey. Rox Pile

4. Long-time Rockies blogger David Martin gives his take on the Scutaro trade. Does he think the Rockies look better now than they did on October 1? Rockies Review

5. Logan Burdine provides a slight reassessment of the Rockies offseason following this past week's activity. Blake Street Bulletin

6. Todd Helton spoke to Mark Kiszla, thus making the usually unreadable Denver Post columnist's latest Rockies piece worthy of a glance, if only to read Todd's quotes. Denver Post

7. To close we venture away from Coors Field to Cooperstown, New York, where Michelle Hoag visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Read all about her trip and check out the interesting photos of Rockies memorabilia commemorating some of the franchise's biggest milestones. Rox Pile