FanPost

Dismantle the Humidor and Let the Blake Street Bombers Fly Again

Every franchise has an identity. The Colorado Rockies earned their stripes in 1995, when the homer happy conditions of a PED fueled era and Coors Field came into existence. Excitement was palatable as a sold out crowd of 50,000 watched the purple pinstripes play havoc with the opposing pitchers. It was the best of times for Colorado baseball.

From 1995 - 1999, the Bombers consisted of Dante Bichette, Andres Galarraga, Larry Walker, and Vinny Castilla (or Ellis Burks). At their height in 1996, they scored 961 runs and averaged 900 runs in that span (strike shorten season of 1995 adjusted). The Rockies bashed opponents at Coors and hit plenty of dingers elsewhere (200, 221, 239, 183, and 223 total team home runs, leading the NL every year in that span except for 1998). During the 1995 season, Galarraga hit 41 homers, Castilla 40, Bichette 26, and Walker 49. In 1996, Rockies won 55 games at home. In those first three years at Coors, Rockies had winning seasons in three of them and won the Wild Card once. The die had been cast.

In the years since and with the advent of the humidor, the Rockies have struggled to find their identity. With Dan O'Dowd at the helm, the team has been rebuilt, reimagined, reengineered, and ridiculed. Besides a brief renaissance in 2007 and a whole lot of luck, the team made its sole World Series appearance but since then has struggled. Because of this, the Rockies management has decided to come full circle and declare a rebirth. By hiring Walt Weiss, the Rockies turned an eye to the past and maybe a desire to return to their offensive prowess. With the addition of Dante Bichette as the hitting coach, the hope is a return to the 90's. With both Weiss and Bichette having played at altitude and understanding the particulars of baseball at Coors, we as fans can only hope that they find that missing home swagger.

The Rockies hope to rekindle this power with the help of Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, and Wilin Rosario. One way to do that is to remove the humidor. Can we all admit that the Rockies will never consistently be able to field a good starting pitching staff? Rockies should realize that instead of paying pitchers, pretending the humidor actually makes a difference, and just stock up on power hitters. The humidor has given too much hope to opposing pitchers and has demonized our own offense. Instead bring back the Bombers, win 50 games a year at home (Rockies have faltered to 38 and 35 wins the last two years) and try to steal some wins on the road. This has shown success in the past. In this new age of dominant pitching, make going to Coors Field fun again, let opposing pitchers be fearful, and let the Bombers fly!

Eat. Drink. Be Merry. But the above FanPost does not necessarily reflect the attitudes, opinions, or views of Purple Row's staff (unless, of course, it's written by the staff [and even then, it still might not]).

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