Ubaldo Must Stay

With the MLB trading deadline right around the corner there has been increased talk about the possibility of the Rockies trading Ubaldo Jimenez. It would be a mistake to trade Ubaldo at this point because he is a big piece to the Rockies future. He is the ace of our pitching staff and we are not so far away from winning that the team needs to take 4 steps back to take a small step forward.

If Ubaldo Jimenez was still struggling to control his fastball and hadn't won more than 2 games then it would make more sense to get rid of him. He has pitched well for the last 2 months and even though he gave up 5 runs in his last outing, he didn't pitch poorly. Arizona hit some well placed pitches and took advantage of some bloopers and inexperienced players. Jimenez has been pitching well enough to win games but hasn't always gotten enough run support to back him up. He is the ace of the staff and the one guy that I believe the Rockies will be able to count on in the future to win more than 15 games per year.

The Rockies have some real issues with their lineup and I don't see how dealing Jimenez fixes those problems. There is currently 1 player on the Rockies that is hitting over .300. Future Hall of Famer, Todd Helton is the only starter pulling his weight in the lineup this season. There has been a revolving door of players at 2nd and 3rd base as well as right and center field due to ineffective bats. How does trading Jimenez solve those problems? It won't. Trading Jimenez will result in the Rockies getting one solid position player and a few prospects for either pitching or position players. Either way, we won't get a comparable pitcher so the rotation will suffer and one consistent bat in the lineup isn't enough at this point.

I have a plan that looks to the future and helps the Rockies gain what they desperately need. It is time to cut ties with several players that have been disappointing for an extended period of time. Dexter Fowler and Ian Stewart need a fresh start somewhere else. Fowler, a switch hitter has a glitch in his swing that doesn't allow him to be consistent at the plate. he holds his hands to far away from his body and doesn't have a level swinging plane so he tends to swing under the ball often. He also lacks intelligence on the base path at times and makes decisions that cost the team during critical times. Ian Stewart has the batting average of a pitcher and for a long time this season had an average that was even worse. I'm not talking about a few week slump, he hasn't been able to hit the broad side of a barn this season with a bat. I believe he has 1 RBI for the season. These are guys that have failed to produce on a consistent basis and we have found other that can fill those roles better so let's see if we can find some other potential talents to coach up and see what happens.

With the additions that this team has made in Ellis and Blackmon, why would we want to trade the ace of our pitching staff. 3 position players is all we need to take the next step towards a division title. 3 players that don't have to be special, just consistently good in order to make a real difference. Tulo and Cargo will get their acts together at the end of the season and lead us into next season with greater expectation that can only be met with the proper pitching staff. Jimenez is the anchor of the staff with deLaRosa coming back healthy as well. Loosing Jimenez will this season will take 3 years to recover from and the Rockies don't have that kind of time to figure things out.

The Rockies aren't far away from winning. They need a few pieces to compliment the core players that they already have in place. Trading Ubaldo Jimenez removes one of the core players to the Rockies success in the future and sets the team back. The Rockies need to take a step forward by getting rid of dead weight and bringing in new talent. Ubaldo needs to stay for next years Rockies to have a chance.

It's Just a Ball

I need to start by saying that am in no way making fun of the tragic event that occurred over the weekend and I do feel really bad for that firefighters family. Accidents happen and the death of a husband, friend and father is not something I take lightly.

Every person that goes to a baseball game is excited at the possibility of catching a foul ball or home run. For some it could be the highlight of their summer. That is why when you see a foul ball on TV there is a huge crowd of people willing to jump all over each other in order to catch it. Home runs are a little more exciting because it actually has an impact on the game. People go crazy for these balls and sometimes it is at the detriment of themselves or others. People, it's just a ball.

After the tragedy in Texas the talk was all about the fact that 4 people had fallen over a railing and how the design of the park may need to be changed. I don't think that changing the rails will keep people from falling. The rails aren't the problem. People have fallen over the rails at Coors Field here in Denver attempting to catch a ball they have no business going after. The guy who almost fell 20 feet last night at the Home Run Derby is proof of that. the railing was plenty high to keep him from falling over but he had a better chance of catching home runs if he stood on a table. Going after his 4th home run ball this jerk goes over the rail and thankfully was caught by friends and family. Was it worth it? The ball wasn't anywhere near him and he almost died for his 4th ball. At least the man in Texas was trying to get just 1 ball for his kid.

I might understand if someone were going after Jeter's 3,000th hit and did something kind of dumb to get it, but most of these balls are absolutely worthless. I don't think anyone has ever paid good money for a foul ball. I'd estimate that 99% of all the home runs ever hit had no real significance so they won't sell for much either. What are people risking their lives for? A memory, a souvenire, a story to tell your friends. What good are any of these things if you hurt or kill yourself in the process. How great would it be to catch a ball if you hurt someone else in the attempt? Is it worth it? I don't think the kid that watched his dad die in Texas thinks that it was worth it. Why? Because it's just a stupid ball.

Tanking a Season is a Disgrace to any Sport

Listening to 104.3 The Fan today, a local Denver sports radio station, I heard a conversation that blew my mind and had me swearing at the radio. Today on the radio I heard a conversation about throwing an entire season in order to gain a #1 overall draft pick. I was disgusted at the thought and disturb by commentator defending the strategy of such a move.

I'm a competitive person and still compete in rec. leagues in order to quench my thirst for the thrill of playing. I have never failed to put forth a solid effort in a game or even taken a play off where it was possible for me to make a difference in a game. Throwing a play is disrespectful to your team and the game that you play. In this case the game is football. The conversation was about the Broncos possibly throwing the season in order to gain the first pick in the draft in order to gain the 1st pick overall in next years draft in order to draft Andrew Luck out of Stanford. There are several reasons why this a terrible idea and none that make it a good one.

The Broncos haven't been relevant in football since Jake Plummer took the team to the AFC Championship game several years back and Shanahan blew the game. Since that time the Broncos have had one of the worst defenses in the league and an offense that has been struggling to find an identity. They haven't made the playoffs in at least 4 years and just fired there 2nd coach in 3 years. This team is in danger of falling into the trap of loosing. A trap that Detroit and Arizona have never really been able to step out of. Throwing a season to get a specific player in the draft would cement the Broncos on a loosing path. This team needs to fight. This team needs to figure out how to win again. This team needs to find it's heart and there is no heart in purposefully loosing games.

Football is my passion and, though I am not a "fan" of the Broncos, these kinds of statements and ideas upset me. These ideas come from small minded people that know nothing about the competitive spirit and how easily an organization can lose it. John Fox is not a quitter and he won't even entertain such an idea. he is going to push this team to be better than they were and to fight for every yard that they gain. The defense will punch teams in the mouth and put forth it's best effort. If the team looses, it looses but in the process they will figure out what it takes to win.

There is no need to end the season last in order to get the 1st overall draft pick. Trades have been around a long time and if the Broncos are a QB away from being great then they can always make a deal in order to get the guy that they want. There are no guarantees in the NFL and great college players don't always make the transition. You need to try and win with what you have and then improve on positions that were sub par on the season. It is possible the Broncos already have the QB of the future in Orton, Tebow, or Quinn (who I haven't given up on yet). There is no need to set the team back 5 years in order to pick up the hot name next year.

Loosing is for losers. Winning comes to those who prove they want it. If the Broncos were to throw a season in order to obtain a draft pick then they would have shown their true colors. Fox hasn't been a looser and he won't start now.