First an update on Casey Weathers. From the RMN:
[Weathers' injury] was officially diagnosed as a strained flexor muscle in his right forearm. The Rockies want club doctors to examine him to confirm the injury is not more serious.
Minor league director Marc Gustafson said Weathers, the Rockies’ first-round draft choice out of Vanderbilt in 2006, will be put on a rehab program with the expectation he will be ready for spring training.
Please don't be a more serious injury! We want to see Weathers get a spot in the bullpen at some point during the 2009 campaign instead of watching retreads fail and fail and fail. . . .
Also in the article, the coaching search receives a good deal of attention. The organization, it seems, would like Walt Weiss to become the hitting instructor, if he wants to be a full-time coach now. I can't really say much about that unless it happens, but I can tell you a bit about Walt Weiss and the 1985 draft.
The 1985 draft is one of the best drafts, if not the best, since 1965 (the year the draft started). Walt Weiss was the 11th pick of the draft, won the AL ROY award in 1988 (the third straight Athletics player to win it, after Jose Canseco in 1986 and Mark McGwire in 1987), became an oustanding defensive shortstop, played for the Rockies from 1994 through 1997, and finished his career with the Atlanta Braves.
But just take a look at the rest of that talent from 1985: B.J. Surhoff (1st overall), Will Clark (2nd overall), Bobby Witt (4th overall), Barry Larkin (4th overall), Barry Bonds (6th overall), Pete Incaviglia (8th overall), Rafael Palmeiro (22nd overall), Randy Johnson (2nd round/36th overall), and Mark Grace (24th round/622 overall). This article from 2002 will tell you even more about the 1985 draft.
Back to the vacant position that is the hitting coach. Greg Colbrunn and Tony Muser are possiblities for the job if Weiss doesn't accept. Colbrunn, we know, is a former Rockie. Tony Muser, as the article mentions, once managed the Denver Zephyrs. He also managed the Kansas City Royals from 1997 to 2002 (fired within days of Buddy Bell's dismissal from Colorado in April). He also had three solid seasons with the bat during the 1970s (73-75) but was done after a brief stint with Milwaukee in 1978.
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Terry Frei chimes in on the coaching staff, or more specifically, on Clint Hurdle's backside. Frei's bottom line:
Hurdle's still a good guy. As a manager, he has become indefensible.
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Pebble Report Update: Chris Nelson collected his first two hits in the AFL. The first was a solo homer in the eighth inning of Friday's game and on Saturday he had a single and two RBI.