but I also want to be careful in giving too much credit to Helton being out of the lineup for our new found offense. I think the offense could have been nearly as potent w/ Helton in the lineup, but we didn’t have many other guys hitting the way they are now, especially w/ RISP. Torre was starting and doing nothing, Taveras could not get on base, Hawpe was inept and Tulo was doing nothing at the time. Torre has now been replaced w/ a productive Iannetta, and we all know the other guys have trended upward. I just think our offense would have come around even w/ Helton in the lineup.

Don’t get me wrong, I like this lineup a little better, and it could be even better w/ Spilly in CF. I think our D is certainly not as good however. I think I have come to realize just how good Helton is when you watch Atkins, JoKo, or even Baker at 1B. He saves the team a lot of errors over the course of the year, and his defense is missed.

I think the Helton situation is a good lesson for GMs. When signing that long of a deal, use some options at the back end. If the team had team options on Helton right now, they could decline the option and try to sign him to a better deal (assuming there is a place for him on the roster).

Heck, even if Helton had a player option, it is conceivable that he could decline the options for the good of the team. Maybe he wouldn’t do that (after all, we are talking about a lot of money), but it’s possible.

As things currently stand, the only way out of the contract is retirement or career-ending injury, unless I’m missing something. There’s simply no way to renegotiate a contract downward – the union wouldn’t sign off on such a deal. A-Rod tried to tweak his deal many years ago when Texas was trying to trade him to the Red Sox, and the union nixed the suggested, which I believe was a no-interest deferral (but I could be wrong about that).

I love Helton, but the money’s a killer.

Yeah, I was referring to disability insurance, which used to be VERY common. It appears that some teams are self insuring.

This articles indicates that some teams are still carrying the insurance, at least on the big dollar contracts.
http://proathletesonly.com/news/featured/insurance-lowers-risk-protects-teams-in-big-contracts/

This article from 2004 indicates that the Rockies had disability insurance on Mike Hampton at that point. If they had insurance on Hampton, surely they would have had it on Helton … and surely they would have kept it after 2004, since I think he was already encountering some problem at that point.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/features/040314money.html

Magic Number – none of this is meant to isult Todd. The simple fact is that injuries have robbed him of skills and he’s just not the player people expected.

Let’s put away the pen lights and shine a flood light on the situation.

The big bad Rockies 7-1 streak sans Helton was preceeded by something like a 2 and 12 streak. The last time Stewart was up he hit about .150. Is he all better??? He sucked. He’s not ready to push Atkins to push Helton out of the way. Koshansky is a homer-or-nothing defensive liability. The base-running of Stewart and his other youth movement boneheads helped ice the loss today (Pirates 6-4) . If you want to talk about wasted money, let’s talk Naegle, Hampton, Hawkins and the latest O’Dowd bounced check, Vizcaino. All Helton ever did was lead his team to the World Series last year, win batting titles.
He left hitting about .260 lo so many weeks ago. He had his average up above .300 before, obviously, sometihing started bothering him. If you really think he’s a wash, you’re not worth listening to. The guy is a Hall of Fame Candidate. i won’t blab about his stats. Let’s just say they’re epic.

This big “win streak” the Rockies are on right now has come against who???Pittsburgh. Clueless Cincy? And now dumping two when it counted the most. This team without Helton folds like their baseball cards. Every now and then they all have a nice hitting day. I’m glad. But they are lost little boys when left to the wizdumb of Hurdle and O’Dowd.

Helton is a hitting scientist when healthy.

I, too, am puzzled about his recent trouble with called third strikes and strike-outs in general. That doesn’t seem to be back problem, but i don’t know.

I just think it’s classless and so newbie fanby to trash Helton for his performance this year.

There’s more to come for him, boys and girls. Just you wait and see.

Frankly, I’m ready to see him traded. The team without him is listless big-engine offense with no soul. Hurdle and O’Dowd are buffoons. Let him go play for somebody who will appreciate him.

And I’ll follow him wherever he goes.

I don’t think anyone’s a Helton hater … it’s not his fault that he has encountered the back troubles. But it’s pretty obvious that it has sapped him of the power that the Rockies were expecting when they shelled out the big money. He hasn’t topped 20 HR since 2004.

Yes, he remains an OBP god, and his defense is excellent – but OBP/defense 1B don’t typically make 16.6M per year (19.1M in 2011).

As for the “newbie” comment … I’ve been a fan since December of 1992, so I probably don’t qualify as a newbie :)

What else would I be doing here. I just can’t stand by and watch people tear Helton down because he’s hitting .260 and has a bad back. That is short-sighted bandwagon Roctober thinking. My guy Todd Helton gets points for hanging with his team - and being paid well - and just being him. Certain people on he current Rox don’t deserve my devotion. I won’t name them, but I will name the others who do. They all have something in common: class, humility and loyalty: Aaron Cook, Spilly, Jimenez, believe it or not, Jeff Francis, Ianetta. These guys keep me going, keep me a Rox fan. Most of you don’t know this, but Francis will be back. It is 10:01 p.m. on July 30, 2008. You heard it here first. Francis will rip off five wins for the Rox upon his return. If everybody else does their job, the Rox will gain one game on the Snakes every week for the next six weeks. This one’s coming down to the wire. If Hurdle and O’dowd stay out of the way, it’ll be sweeter than last year.

Now, I’m stepping out and saying this. What say you???

If your dreams are wrapped up in Holliday (too selfish at the plate) and the immature Tulo (who has promise if he shuts up and gets to work), there’s hope.

I have not forgotten that these guys made it last year, and they can do it again.

Hurdle, chewing gum, and O’Dowd Wizdumb be dammed. These boys, with Helton and Francis back, know the way.