It’s not fun.
This game we all love isn’t supposed to stab us in the back. The business side isn’t supposed to get in the way of the passion. Late on Monday night, the reality of the pain that comes with being a fan smacked fans of the Colorado Rockies hard. It was the first time pain like that was felt since nearly four years ago, when the club dealt Ubaldo Jimenez.
With all due respect to Jimenez, he wasn’t Troy Tulowitzki. Tulo, the face of the franchise and perhaps the most talented player to ever wear purple pinstripes, was supposed to be with the Rockies forever. He inked a long-term deal in 2010, right when the Rockies were supposed to go on their meteoric rise to the top of the National League for years to come. He represented the official end to the mediocrity that plagued the team for the vast majority of the 2000’s, ending with a couple of fun runs late in the decade.
Trade talk has been percolating for years. Rumors swirled that the Rockies, who had spiraled out of respectability instead of rising to the top of the pack, would deal their star before he got too old and lost value. Despite the rumors, Tulo remained with the Rockies. It led to Rockies fans feeling like the move would never happen, which was perfectly fine with the vast majority of them.
In May, Joel Sherman of the New York Post broke news that Tulo was meeting with his agent in Los Angeles to discuss if it was time to ask for a trade. The Rockies were in the middle of a losing streak that reached 11 games and another hot start was proving to be a mirage. It angered fans and made them feel a variety of emotions. Some were upset that the Rockies front office hadn’t provided enough talent to surround their superstar, others felt that Tulo wasn’t being much of a team player, accepting his responsibility in the failures of the team.
After the meeting, Tulo made it very clear that he had no intention of being traded and that the rumors of the meeting were completely overblown. The problem was, the only reason Joel Sherman could break the story is if someone close to Tulo or his agent had let him know about it. There was smoke, and where there is smoke, there is fire.
It is easy to speculate that the Rockies got the message. It wasn’t time to trade Tulowitzki because the team hadn’t fallen out of contention and Tulo hadn’t played healthy enough to show his value to other teams. However, as the deadline approached, the Rockies clearly got serious.
The return for Tulowitzki from the Blue Jays might not excite anyone. Clearly from his comments in the Denver Post, Nolan Arenado isn’t impressed. However, emotions get in the way of rational thought. The reality is, Tulo is 30-years-old and has a history of injuries that haven’t resulted in 15-day disabled list trips, but 60-day and season-ending trips to the DL. His value simply isn’t what it was three years ago, despite the fact that he played well enough to earn a trip to the All-Star game earlier in July.
Whether the Rockies won or lost the trade isn’t relevant today. Rockies fans are rightfully upset. Their emotions are showing. Their love for the Rockies is on full display, even in anger.
Part of the sadness comes from the reality of what the trade means. Even though it was clear the Rockies weren’t close to contention, the trade signifies the end of an era. It acknowledges the rebuilding process and embraces the idea that it is time for significant change. It slams the window closed for fans that felt there was still room to win during the dynamic duo era of Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez.
Fans are also upset at what seems to be a slap in the face to Tulowitzki on the way out the door. He was promised by ownership a head’s up about what was coming. He had been a good soldier and said the right things as the deadline approached. He had told the fans and the media that he wanted to remain in Colorado, even if that wasn’t the truth. He apparently had been promised by the Rockies the opportunity to be involved in the trade process. Instead, he was blindsided and traded to a team that he probably isn’t excited about joining. That hurts Tulo and it angers fans.
The problem is, in any breakup, there is no good way to do it. In the day and age of social media, there was no way to keep the deal quiet long enough to address Tulowitzki and keep him in the loop, especially as the deal was being hammered out in the midst of a baseball game. The news was a shock to Tulowitzki, and frankly, it probably wasn’t handled well by the club. Simply said, there is no way to handle a trade well. You are shipping a guy to a different team. The idea of making that an amicable move is far easier said than done, especially when the media is breaking news minutes after the trade is done.
It hurts fans because 2007 was when many people became fans of the Rockies. Tulowitzki was a huge part of those phenomenal memories, and in Colorado, fans seem to root for the names on the back of the jersey as much as the name on the front of the jersey. Rockies fans don’t just want the team to win, they want to win with the guys who they have fallen in love with. It’s tough to accept that even if the team eventually wins, it is going to happen without a fan favorite. The feelings aren’t about making the team better, they are about nostalgia and realizing that things aren’t going to play out the way that fans had envisioned when things went so well in 2007 and 2009.
There is no denying how difficult today is for fans. It is tough to see the star and face of the franchise be treated like a trade chip. It is a questionable move, and whether or not the Rockies win the trade won’t be known for years.
Fans are allowed to be hurt. They are allowed to disagree and they are allowed to be upset. That is part of being a fan.
The thing about being a fan is that the moments of suffering make the joys of winning that much more enjoyable. For Rockies fans, that day will eventually come, and the windy road that was required to get there will be worth the ride.
