I receive numerous emails about the Rockies. I save the best of those emails, the ones that are thoughtful, reasonable, and not written by social media Neanderthals.
From time to time, I check back with the fans who send me those emails to gauge their mood. Their mood is this: I’ve never seen so many avid, longtime Rockies fans this angry. Even worse, I’ve never sensed this much apathy from the fan base as a whole.
So, when Clint Hurdle, the new interim hitting coach, met with media members on Saturday morning, I asked what he would say to those disgruntled fans.
“Well, fans always need to feel what they need to feel, and I think they’re tired of hearing things,” Hurdle said. “We need to give them some action. We need to give them some on-field support, something they can buy into, and something they can rally around and hope for as well.”
Whether Hurdle can begin to turn things around after Colorado’s 3-15 start remains to be seen. Like many of my email pals, I’m skeptical about the talent Hurdle has to work with.
But, at least, the Rockies did something by firing Hensley “Bam Bam” Meulens and putting Hurdle back in the dugout and coaching next to the hitting cage.
Hurdle’s Rockies roots run deep, and his passion for the organization runs hot. That was clear Saturday morning when he answered questions in his booming voice. He said he put a uniform back on because he wanted to help.
“There’s probably been situations where you’ve had people reach out to you for help in some hard times,” he said. “And you can talk about being a friend, you can talk about being a helper, and in some situations, the best thing you can do is not talk about being a helper — go be a helper. And that’s basically what it came down to.”
Hurdle managed the Rockies for parts of eight seasons from 2002 to 2009, leading them to their only World Series appearance in 2007. Before becoming the manager, he served five-plus seasons as the club’s hitting coach under Don Baylor, Jim Leyland and Buddy Bell. Before that, he served as Colorado’s minor league hitting instructor from 1994 to 1996.
Current manager Bud Black, who has talked at length with Hurdle about the move, said, “Time will tell” if Hurdle can awaken Colorado’s hibernating offense.
“I know this, Clint is going to pour his heart into this,” Black said. “We’re hopeful that Clint can help ignite an offense that has been a little stagnant.”
“A little stagnant” is an understatement. Here are some grizzly details, entering Saturday afternoon’s game against the Nationals:
• The Rockies scored 52 runs to open the season, the fewest in the majors and the fewest through 18 games in franchise history.
• They led majors with a 29.6 strikeout percentage, ranked 27th with a 7.3 walk percentage, and were tied for 29th with 12 home runs.
• Last weekend, they were held scoreless in a three-game sweep in San Diego, the first time in franchise history that the Rockies have been shut out in three consecutive games. They had just nine hits during the Padres series (12 total baserunners), the fewest hits in any three-game series in franchise history.
Black and Hurdle have discussed some team hitting concepts that need to be changed, as well as some individual adjustments.
“Clint knows what he wants to do, based on what he has seen from our group,” Black said. “He has a plan, and for him, it makes sense. We are adding a guy that we think can help. That’s the bottom line.”
Fans will be glad to hear that Hurdle is not necessarily preaching patience. And he plans to be a tough taskmaster.
“Well, there needs to be some urgency,” he said. “You’ll hear people say, ‘We’ve only played 18 games.’ Well, we’ve played 18 games, and there’s been a common theme in most of the 18 games.
“We need to reverse the theme. We need to get the foot down, and we need to get some traction on offense. And one of the things I do share with people: When you talk about traction, sometimes that comes with friction. And when you have conversations, it’s not going to be all feel-good. There needs to be reality. There needs to be honest self-evaluation.”
As for his message to the fans, Hurdle said he’s dealt with anger and apathy before. In 2005, for example, the Rockies, amid a youth movement, hit rock bottom. They averaged 23,634 fans per game, ranking 14th in the National League in attendance.
“I’ve been a part of that apathy back when there were some very lean days when I was the manager here from ’02 to ’06,” he said. “There has to be hope … but (the fans) choose whether they want to or not. I’m just hoping that they’ll hang in there with us a little bit longer.”
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