Disgruntled Rockies fans talking about boycott of 20th and Blake
Q: All of us baseball fans know owner Dick Monfort knows how to create an environment of fun for us fans (and his pocketbook), but absolutely stinks at putting together a winning product on the field. His general choices and loyalty, we could go on and on about. My question is: What exactly does it take for Major League Baseball to force (or encourage) an owner to sell the team for the benefit of MLB and the city they reside? It has been obvious to all of us that Monfort has no clue about his baseball acumen. An ownership change would be great for the fans and the city. Thanks for your continued insights into our baseball nightmare.
Tom, Denver
Patrick: Tom, in 1921, Major League Baseball owners spelled out the the broad power of the commissioner like this: “The Commissioner has the power to take action against clubs or players if he believes they’ve done something that strikes at the integrity of the game or the public trust in it.”
So, there is precedent for MLB forcing an owner out. The one that comes to my mind is Marge Schott, who owned the the Cincinnati Reds from 19841999. She was suspended from baseball for the 1993 season after it was reported that she referred to Jews as “sneaky bastards” and African-Americans as “gorillas.” She had also said that “Adolph Hitler was good in the beginning, but he went too far.”
In 1999, she was pressured by MLB to sell the Reds.
But there is no way baseball is going to “force” the Monforts to sell the Rockies. There are teams that have much lower payrolls than Colorado and teams that haven’t sniffed the playoffs in years. Seattle hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2001.
And Rockies fans are not the first, or the last, to be upset by the actions of ownership. In
Jan. 2018, more than 42,000 Pittsburgh Pirates fans signed a petition for Bob Nutting to sell the team.
Q: In the last installment of your Rockies Mailbag you offered your take on the current movement among some Rockies’ fans to “boycott” the home team, in the hopes to convince the current awful ownership to either improve or sell the team.
You wrote: “As for the “boycott the Rockies” movement, I’m not a fan of it. I’m not going to tell fans how to spend their money, one way or another. Moreover, a big drop in attendance would hurt business in LoDo and also would hurt stadium workers. An empty Coors Field on a summer night is not going to convince Monfort to sell the team.”
Just curious, what would you recommend a frustrated Rockies fan do in these troubled times?
Derald Hagberg, Leadville
Patrick: Derald, I really don’t know the answer to all of that. As I said, it’s completely up to the fans how they want to spend their money. And, believe me, I’ve received a lot of emails from fans who say they will not participate in a seasonticket package this season.
In the wake of two bad seasons, topped off by the trade of Arenado, I get the fans’ anger. And, of course it’s not the fans’ “duty” to follow the team. My point was this: there are a lot of people who rely on income at the concessions stands, etc. at Coors Field, and I would hate to see them get hurt by fans not showing up.
I also know that fans have told me that they will still support the bars and restaurants in LoDo by showing up to watch games on TV at bars and restaurants. I just wonder if most fans would really do that on a consistent basis.
I imagine that consistently losing baseball will reduce crowds at Coors Field, even without an organized boycott by fans. The Rockies’ lowest attendance in franchise history came in 2005, when they averaged only 23,930 fans per game. Rocktober happened two years later but I don’t think the drop in attendance had anything to dowithit.
Q: It seems obvious that Rockies ownership is more concerned with maximizing profits than with chasing championships. With that being said, why not turn off the humidor and go back to the Blake Street Bomber days?
The games were entertaining, the expectations were never too high, and the box scores were must-reads every morning.
Plus the longer games will result in increased beer and concession sales. If the World Series isn’t even remotely possible, at the least the product on the field would be entertaining.
Eric, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Patrick: Eric, all I can say is, “Please, Baseball Gods,” don’t ever let that happen! We have enough four-hour games in LoDo as it is. Besides, the Rockies, Diamondbacks, Mariners, Mets and Red Sox already have humidors. Five more teams are reportedly set to add humidors to their ballparks.
MLB wants fewer runs scored, not more. The Rockies are never going to unplug the humidor. What they need to do is build a better offense that makes life miserable for opposing pitchers who enter Coors Field.