If ever there were an ignominious symbol of failure among Denver teams, Mike Hampton ( after giving up a grand slam) might well be it. Him or Denny Neagle. (Associated Press file photo )
More than two months of baseball remain. The Rockies are well-known for going on late-season tears after being counted out. But, as it stands today, the 2011 Rockies are a top contender for "Most disappointing team in Denver pro sports history."
Harsh? Not when considering the hype over this year's team during spring training. Sports Illustrated predicted the Rockies would win the National League wild card, with one writer saying they would win the World Series. In a sampling of 45 ESPN baseball analysts and personalities, 22 picked the Rockies to win the National League West.
Colorado has a 49-56 record, with the pitcher some picked to win the NL Cy Young award, Ubaldo Jimenez, carrying a 6-9 record.
Not that the Rockies are the first local team to spectacularly fail to meet expectations. Remember the 2001 Rockies? The team that signed big-name free agent pitchers Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle? Greatness was predicted. They won 73 games.
Then there was the 2003-04 Avalanche team that had a top-six forward group of Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya, Milan Hej-duk and Alex Tanguay. Instead of a shoo-in for the Stanley Cup, that Avs team was the first in team history to fail to win a division title. It was bounced in the second round of the playoffs.
How about the 1988 Broncos? After going to the Super Bowl the previous two years, with John Elway still in his 20s and longtime Dallas Cowboys star Tony Dorsett acquired in the offseason, many penciled in Denver for another division title. It finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
"We definitely didn't have the kind of year we all wanted and expected," said Dorsett, the NFL Hall of Famer who led the Broncos in rushing with 703 yards. "We got off to a bad start and never really could get on a roll."
Best-laid plans
The luring of two ace left-handed pitchers in 2001 had Rockies fans excited. Hampton received an eight-year, $121 million free-agent deal, and Neagle a five-year, $51 million contract. With a solid lineup that included Larry Walker and Todd Helton, the Rockies were expected to contend for a playoff spot, but the season was a disaster. By 2003, Hampton and Neagle were with other teams, but the Rockies were still paying off those contracts.
"It just seems like with the Rockies, they haven't always done well when expectations were high and vice versa," said Scott Elarton, the Lamar native who pitched for the Rockies in 2001 and 2003. "When everyone has written them off, they seem to do better. But that team now still has a lot of great leaders on it. I wouldn't give up on them just yet."
Said Buddy Bell, who managed the Rockies from 2000 until early in the 2002 season: "Players are the ones who expect the most out of themselves, but it's baseball. Everybody is pretty good. That (2001) team, we didn't get the kind of pitching we thought."
Not a cure-all
Despite losing Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy to retirement in 2003, most pundits thought the talent on the Avalanche would be so overpowering it would still win a Stanley Cup without him. The additions of free agents Selanne and Kariya gave the Avs arguably the most star-studded top two lines in NHL history. But what looked great on paper didn't turn out that way on the ice.
While the Avs were first in the Western Conference as late as mid-February, injuries began to take a toll. Even when they were healthy, Kariya and Selanne never seemed to jell with the team.
"No question, it was a very disappointing year," Selanne said. "We really thought we could win a Stanley Cup with all that talent, but it didn't turn out like that."
The Rockies spent a lot of money last offseason signing young stars Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez to long-term contracts. Jimenez was coming off a career year. Maybe the Rockies wouldn't win a World Series, but nobody expected things to be as bad as they are now.
That, of course, has manager Jim Tracy scratching his head, searching for explanations and calling another team meeting this week.
"Everyone draws up a decent plan for themselves," Tracy said. "You work on it in the winter meetings. You come to spring training and work the plan until it's capable of being implemented. It hasn't gone the way we'd like so far.
"But nobody is feeling sorry for us."
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
Denver disappointments
While the Rockies still have time to turn things around this season, they are one of the most disappointing teams in Denver sports history. Reporter Adrian Dater picks five others:
1988 BRONCOS
Record: 8-8, missed playoffs
What happened: Denver was coming off two consecutive Super Bowl appearances, and hopes were high for a third with the continued maturation of star quarterback John Elway and addition of former Dallas running back Tony Dorsett. But while the offense averaged a respectable 20.4 points a game, the defense allowed an average of 22 ? and Denver finished 21st in turnover margin.
2001 ROCKIES
Record: 73-89, fifth in NL West
What happened: Free-agent additions Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle ? signed to a combined 13 years and $171.8 million in the offseason ? went a combined 23-21 with ERAs over 5.00, while the team ERA finished at 5.29. It took several years for the organization to get out from under those contracts.
1990 BRONCOS
Record: 5-11, missed playoffs
What happened: After finishing 11-5 the year before, not much of anything went right in 1990. Denver finished 23rd in total defense, and other than Bobby Humphrey had little running game.
2003-04 AVALANCHE
Record: 40-22-13-7, lost in second round
What happened: Despite a handful of likely Hall of Famers, including the offseason additions of stars Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya, the Avs failed to match lofty expectations. Kariya and Selanne combined for only 27 goals in 129 games.
2006-07 NUGGETS
Record: 45-37, second Northwest Division, lost in first round
What happened: Big names weren't the problem. The Nuggets had Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin and Allen Iverson, along with Nene and Marcus Camby up front. Defense was a problem, as Denver finished 26th in points allowed (103.7).
Source: http://www.denverpost.com/frontpage/ci_18573087?source=rss
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