Before Justin Morneau beat Josh Hamilton in the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium Monday night -- the commencement of two days of All-Star festivities -- your Colorado Rockies finished were swept by the New York Mets in front of a national audience on ESPN to complete the first half of the season.
Disappointed after losing three straight to the Mets, I neglected to watch the game the final game of that series Sunday evening. I did receive a text mid-way through though from a friend in New York, however, which said something to the effect of, “Are you watching this, you poor bastard?” which I knew meant another Rockies loss.
But later that night, I caught the beginning of the replay of the game. I was about to turn the television off when broadcasters Joe Morgan and Jon Miller announced that here, with a piece on Matt Holliday, was Peter Gammons.
Holliday is without doubt my favorite Rockies player of all time. Loved Galarraga, loved Larry Walker, but forget it, it’s Holliday. So if there’s a piece on him, I’m going to watch. But what I saw got my blood boiling. First came the Holliday lore: how he was the best player to ever come out of this organization; how for the past few seasons, his numbers have been on par with Albert Pujols; how his agent is capitalist-soul-sucker Scott Boras; and how Holliday will be a free agent come July of 2009.
Gammons then pointed out how the Rockies – who are struggling mightily -- are faced with the tough decision of getting some choice reparations in exchange for dealing Holliday before the trade deadline, or biting the bullet and losing some coin in an effort to keep him around for a potential late season run. If any of this is news to you, you are not a Rockies fan. Scroll down further on this website and there is sure to be a picture of a naked chick or a sandwich somewhere that you’ll probably enjoy.
What was most apparent in the segment was Gammons’ tone. I may be a bit touchy when it comes to the Holliday topic, but it seemed to me Gammons was suggesting that both the Rockies and Matt Holliday would be complete buffoons to prolong his stay in the Major League backwater that is Colorado -- the pennant we won last year be damned.
I know the Rockies have officially shat the bed this season, but if last year taught us anything it was to believe in miracles, right? And that those miracles are a lot more achievable with Holliday on the roster, correct? The bleeding chin? The chants of MVP?
Gammons’ piece had an unmistakable come-hither tone, as though it were a message to Holliday to join the elite ranks of Major League Baseball, to leave behind his geek Colorado friends and sit at the cool kids table. The sad thing is Gammons is probably right. Baseball-speaking it probably makes more sense for the Rockies to get as much as they can for the man because it looks like Holliday is going to be gone soon. But here’s where I counter with some pretty sound logic: fuck all that. Holliday is baseball embodied, a pure joy to watch play. We are lucky enough to have him, I say keep him until the absolute last possible second. Shit, he’s probably already made more money for the organization in jersey sales than what we’re worried about wasting by keeping him through next year. Colorado Rockies: keep Matt Holliday as long as he will stay here.
And Matty, here’s hoping you’ll choose to stay in Colorado for a long, long time.
At least until you start sucking like Helton. – Adam Cayton-Holland
