Sunday Rockpile: Perspective and Expectations heading into the trade deadline

There has been a conversation sprawling from our community members in the comments section to the writer's staff here at Purple Row revolving around the age old battle of optimism versus pessimism. Some have suggested that the writing staff overall is too "rah rah" when it comes to covering the Rockies, that maybe we aren't critical enough and conversely it has been suggested that some of the commenters here as well as fans in the general community seem to love to hate their favorite team.

So here is my two-cents, for whatever that is worth (exchange rates have DC opinions valued near Peco levels) about what I feel is more of a disconnect than an actual disagreement.

It is difficult to admit, because one of the great things about baseball is that it is a shared experience, but we aren't all looking at the same thing. It seems perfectly reasonable to me that a number of people view the current struggles of the team as proof positive that they are as bad as we thought they could/would be and that it would be beneficial for the Rockies to make some moves to address these lackluster performances.

The problem is, that comes from the perspective that the Rockies were going to be bad this season, which was not how everyone felt during Spring Training. Our own perspective and expectations can alter how we view both winning and losing streaks, especially when making predictions.

I predicted before the season that the Rockies would finish above .500 and still be in contention (5 games back or so) going into September. It is only human nature to hang on to the idea that I was right until the math doesn't work and the same could be said for the people who predicted the team would be much worse than that. Why go back on what they predicted when there is ample evidence, including a very poor NL West and the team's record since April, to suggest that "being in contention" has been a mirage.

This extends to the actual Rockies too. How the Rockies' front office viewed the team entering the season can color their perception of what the team has done thus far and if they need to buy, sell, or hold at the trade deadline.

When we start from different places we can watch the same thing and disagree about what happened. This is part of what makes baseball and talking about baseball fun. It doesn't look great for my prediction this season, but it certainly looks better than some ESPN analyst's.

Remember the next time you feel that pull to accuse someone of being either overly optimistic or pessimistic that the truth almost always lies somewhere in between. Also, I feel like it's always a better tactic to prove your point with facts and statistics than allegations that someone else is bias in one direction or another. Otherwise, keep in mind that even though we are looking at the same thing, we may be seeing something completely different.

And now for something completely different. Links:

Another article on whether or not the Rockies should be buyers or sellers? Why thank you, Troy Renck.

Troy Tulowitzki talks to the Denver Post about the airtight defense on the left side of the Rockies infield.

Here is an interesting article from The Hardball Times about "stealing bases when it counts. It's an interesting look at the last decade of the most valuable (and also the most selfish) base stealers in the game.