This has not been two good weeks for beleaguered Rockies owner Dick Monfort. It started with him going off on couple of frustrated fans who ripped him in an email by saying they shouldn’t come and they don’t deserve a baseball team. Then, he managed to turn more Rockies fans off by saying he thinks his baseball management team is doing a good job. Finally, he told Rockies season ticketholder Christine Voss in a breakfast meeting that if he fires his baseball people, he is worried about breaking the Rockies’ culture (insert laugh track).
The Denver Post has been running stories of Monfort in not a positive light. It features negative stories from fans about him. It has portrayed him as a bumbling fool.
Monfort continues to get roasted by Rockies fans and three sports radio stations in Denver for being out-of-touch when it comes to his blind faith on Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd and Rockies assistant general manager. He comes off as a dumb man when he does interviews.
Of all Coloradans awaiting for the Broncos to start training camp, it’s Monfort. It means the media can focus on the state’s popular sports team than talking about this disgraced owner. He knows that the Rockies get no attention the minute the Broncos start training camp, and that’s just the way he likes it.
This has been Monfort’s M.O. for a long time. The Rockies get off to a good start, but once they fall apart in July, the media stops paying attention with the Broncos in camp. He knows he can get away with his team stinking late in the season since no one cares.
Monfort did not anticipate the Rockies being this bad in June. Who can blame him when his team were off to a 23-16 start? Instead, the Rockies fell apart in June, especially when Nolan Arenado was injured. The media was able to focus on them early, and that’s why Monfort was getting criticized since there was nothing to talk about in June. He was hoping the team stink later this month, so everyone would ignore him.
While the Rockies owner does not like the attention he is getting, this is a great thing for Rockies fans. It means their team is being called out for incompetence and negligence. This should hold Monfort accountable. Maybe the outcry by fans and negative PR from the media will get him to think things have to change if the Rockies have 100 or more losses.
There will be more attention on the Rockies if they get to 100 losses. Not even the Broncos can save them and Monfort. It’s bad enough fans are ticked off right now, so it will only get worse. The Denver media will pounce on the Rockies if they reach that tragic number of losses.
The only thing intriguing about the Rockies now is whether or not they have 100 or more losses. The wins this season are irrelevant. Sorry, but 74 wins should not get anyone excited. Not when the team is likely going to have their fourth losing season in a row.
Here’s hoping the Rockies lose 100 games or more. That way we will find out what Monfort is going to do. The spotlight will be on him. Is he going to stick with his baseball people or will he be fed up that he finally fires them? It could get ugly if he does keep them.
Plus, this owner deserves to see a 100-loss team after the disrespect he showed towards his fanbase by telling fans not to come if the experience and product is bad.
Winning 74 or more will not motivate Monfort to make changes. For this owner, 70 wins or more is success since he can cite this nonsense about injuries and stuff. He has such low standards for him to be okay with 70 wins. This is the type of approach that ticks fans off.
Plus, losing 100 or more games will put more media pressure on him. That’s the one thing he loathes, so more negative media coverage is a good thing if it forces him to make changes.
There’s no reason to watch the Rockies. There’s no reason to get worked up on losses. There are other better things to do in life than to watch a bad baseball team.
With the Broncos taking center stage, it’s football season.
This is just the way Monfort likes it. He does not have to deal with annoyance such as emails from fans or doing interviews with the media. He can collect his money with no one bothering him.
Rockies fans deserve better than this guy owning the team.
Contact or follow Leslie Monteiro: @LightRodWriter
Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
