The best thing about rock bottom is the bottom part. It has no delusions of adequacy, and knows its friends are Antarctica, the 1997-98 Denver Nuggets and “Tiger Blood” Charlie Sheen.
The worst thing is the rock. Or in this case, the Rockies. They are playing baseball so poorly that there is a growing suspicion that they might do it worse than any team in the modern history of the sport. For 64 years that honor has belonged to the 1962 Mets.
With the Rockies, it is not some dramatic failure. They are mundane in their awfulness. They don’t pitch particularly well, they don’t hit particularly well, and if that doesn’t undermine them, they run the bases like they are being chased by bees.
The Rockies woke up Saturday with an 8-24 record. They are on pace for 40 wins. The Mets finished 40-162. That was an expansion team. What is the Rockies’ excuse? They consider themselves a draft-and-development organization, but they don’t draft or develop well. Brendan Rodgers is their best domestic player drafted since 2015. And he’s hitting .237 with one home run.
The Rockies make up for their lack of power by striking out too much, third most in the league. They average 10 Ks per game, making opponent pitchers look like a blend of Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson.
Colorado ranks last in ERA (5.79), hits allowed, and batting average against (.288). So, it should come as no surprise that the Rockies were the first team ever to trail in each of their first 31 games, a streak snapped Friday. Outfielder Jordan Beck and pitcher Chase Dollander, both terrific prospects, cannot be counted on to save them from the indignity of history.
The Rockies say things about playing with heart and working hard. These are phrases uttered by high school and college teams. As former manager Clint Hurdle was fond of saying, MLB is “not a try-hard league. It is a do-good league.” The Rockies are not good. How bad can it get? It’s time to start tracking them with the ’62 Mets.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley needs a long suspension from the NBA for his actions Thursday night. Twice he threw a basketball into the stands, once hitting a fan. Then he declined to answer questions from a reporter postgame because she did not subscribe to his podcast. Maybe Beverly can translate his pod to Chinese because that’s where he should be playing until the All-Star break next season. …
Congratulations to former cornerback Chris Harris Jr. on his retirement. He was the charter member of the No Fly Zone. Next stop? How about the Broncos Ring of Fame? …
The Avs set a record for goals in a five-game series by grounding the Jets. They are more explosive than the Fourth of July. If Alexandar Georgiev remains viable, anything is possible. …
After the Nuggets dispatched the Lakers, Darvin Ham talked like a coach who knew he was going to get fired. He was right. Ham is not Erik Spoelstra, but does anyone look at the Lakers roster and believe they are better than a 47-win team? Former NBA 3-point whiz J.J. Redick is being floated as a possible replacement. I am sure it has nothing to do with him doing a podcast with LeBron James. Total coincidence.
The NFL schedule should be released late next week. Rooting for the Broncos to open the season vs. the Steelers. You know, just because.
MAIL TIME
So are we all just assuming that Javonte Williams is cooked (with the drafting of Audric Estime)?
— @esp1371, via Twitter
Running back Javonte Williams made an inspirational return from his knee surgery last season. But his early return and rehab took its toll, in my opinion. He averaged 3.2 yards per carry over the final 10 games. To form a one-two punch with Estime, Williams needs to regain the burst that allowed him to run with violent intentions.