After three decades, Dick Monfort needs to mercifully sell the Rockies
Mar 30, 2023, 6:00 AM
I like Dick Monfort.
That’s not a popular opinion in Colorado, but it’s one I’m willing to share. There are a lot of reasons for this stance.
For one, I think the Rockies owner has his heart in the right place. I think he’s really tried to win, which is why I’ve defended him in the past.
Monfort constantly gets accused of being “cheap.” That’s been an unfair characterization for most of his tenure.
Despite not having a mega TV deal like big-market teams, he’s still opened up his checkbook as much as possible. When the Rockies were a playoff-caliber team in the latter part of the previous decade, they had a payroll that was in the top half of the league.
That might not sound all that impressive, but in a sport that doesn’t have revenue sharing and is without a salary cap, that’s an impressive statement. Typically speaking, the Rockies position on the spending list was higher than their standing on the revenue chart.
To me, that’s all a fan can ask from an owner. They shouldn’t be asked to operate in the red, but they should be expected to spend every dollar possible.
For the most part, Monfort has done that. In a sport that is designed to put his team at a disadvantage every season, he’s pushed spending as much as can be reasonably expected.
He’s also been a good steward of the team’s most-valuable asset – Coors Field. Despite being the third-oldest park in the National League, the Rockies home stadium is still a jewel. It’s a great place to watch a ballgame, in large part because of Monfort and his staff.
The upgrades to Coors Field have been excellent. That starts with the Rooftop, a much-maligned remodel that was brilliant. Monfort and company took bad seats, which were retro-fitted into the stadium’s original design after the team drew huge crowds to Mile High Stadium during its first two seasons, and turned them into prime real estate. Anyone who says they don’t like “the party deck” either hasn’t been there on a game day or they’re fibbing a bit.
The positives don’t end there, however. Monfort has also been active and accessible.
For most games, he’s in his seat behind the Rockies dugout. He’s not hiding in a suite. He’s not off in Los Angeles tending to other business, while his seats sit empty every game. He’s there, rooting for his team just like every other fan.
That’s commendable, as is his willingness to engage with the fans. Obviously, Monfort has had some missteps when exchanging emails with the team’s faithful, but at least he tries.
When was the last time Greg Penner or Stan Kroenke had a conversation with a real fan? Like most sports aristocrats, they don’t interact with the peasants.
Monfort deserves credit for being different. He’s more of a “man of the people” than most professional sports owners.
All of that said, the time has come for a change. As the Rockies embark on their 31st season, with the 30th anniversary of the team’s first game just around the corner, the franchise has hit an all-time low.
By almost every measure possible, that statement is undeniably true.
Based on the numbers, they’ve been less competitive. According to FanGraphs, the Rockies enter the season with almost no chance of winning. They have a 0.0% percent chance of winning the NL West, something they’ve still never done, and only a 0.3% chance of earning a wild-card berth. Yikes.
They’re over/under for wins is 65.5. If they fail to reach that total, they’ll flirt with their worst season in franchise history, as they’ve only completed one full campaign with 65 wins or less (64-98 in 2012). Quite literally, this year has a chance to be an all-time low.
Not all losing seasons are created the same, of course. If a team is rebuilding, trotting out a bunch of 20-year-old prospects on a nightly basis, there’s at least a reason to tune in. The future at least looks promising.
That’s not the case with the Rockies. They’re the deadly combination of bad and old. Aside from Ezequiel Tovar, who is a potential star at shortstop, Colorado’s roster is a mix of overpaid veterans on the downside of their careers and journeyman who’d be in triple-A with most organizations. They have the fifth-oldest roster in Major League Baseball.
This translates to a lack of interest. In the history of the franchise, there’s never been a less-anticipated season. In part, that’s because there aren’t players worth watching.
There are no Blake Street Bombers. There’s no Todd and the Toddlers. There’s no Tulo, Cargo, Nolan or other star that’s worth the price of admission.
A quick glimpse in the stands will support this notion. Other than Charlie Blackmon, there won’t be a jersey worn by a fan that represents a current player. There will be a lot of past stars, however.
Don’t buy that this team is devoid of name recognition? Ask a co-worker to name 10 players. Take the under. By a wide margin.
The worst part of this situation, however, is that there’s no end in sight. There isn’t a reason to believe that things will change.
In 1999, the Rockies hired Dan O’Dowd as their general manager. At the time, he was a rising star in baseball, part of a great front office in Cleveland. In the nearly quarter decade since, the team has never conducted a search for a new GM.
When O’Dowd resigned in 2014, the Rockies replaced him with an internal candidate, Jeff Bridich. When Bridich bailed in 2021, Colorado followed a similar plan, promoting Bill Schmidt.
In other words, it’s more of the same. Rinse and repeat.
That’s literally the definition of insanity. The Rockies are doing the same things repeatedly and hoping for different results.
Thus, it’s time for a change. It’s time for something new.
Monfort gave it a noble effort. He did his best. Now, it’s time for him to cash out, walk into the sunset and let someone else take a stab at things.
He’d certainly benefit financially from the move. The Rockies are valued at $1.475 billion dollars. The Monfort family has been a part of the ownership group since the inception of the franchise, getting in on the original $95 purchase price. That’s a tidy profit.
A new owner with fresh ideas, deeper pockets and grander aspirations is needed in Colorado. The time has come for a change atop the Rockies structure.
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