Aaron's Real Opinions (Yikes!)

HOME-GROWN ROCKY SUCCEEDS IN BIG APPLE!
08-26-05

One of the biggest frustrations of Colorado Rockies fans is to watch the team bring a player forward and then watch his experience be a disaster. The same has happened to proven winners imported to the Mile High city -- such as Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle -- who cost the Rockies over $100 million and never performed. (By the way, how many businesses are so insulated from reality that they can blow $100 million and walk away as if they had only dropped an ice cream cone on the ground?)

In the pitching hell known as Coors Field, many seemingly good or even potentially great pitchers fall apart. The latest extreme story showcasing involves Shawn Chacon, who grew up in Greeley, Colorado, and was traded this past July by the Rockies to the New York Yankees for two no-name pitching prospects. If the Rockies have half the success with their prospects that Chacon already has had, they may be happy. Don't hold your breath. Major League Baseball's Website recently declared "Chacon King Of The Hill In N.Y." Can you imagine that happening to a Rockies' player?

Chacon lost game after game before his trade. How could this exciting pitching prospect descend to such depths? Was it a lack of maturity on his part regarding pitch selection? Was it a lack of knowledge of hitters? Was it a lack of hitting or defensive support? Was it the club's manager? Was it team management?

In New York, where sports fans are known to be the most critical in the nation, Chacon already has won three of four decisions and is the toast of the town. None other than the New York Times reported, "Chacon, a right-hander, has allowed no more than three earned runs in any of his six Yankees starts. The same pitcher who went 2-20 for the Rockies from the 2003 All-Star Game break until the trade is 3-1 with a 1.80 earned run average as a Yankee." Holy cow! Can we have him back as the new Shawn Chacon or would his fate revert back to his lack of success in Colorado?

Cynical National League fans might argue that the American League is not as good as the senior circuit but few in baseball believe that today. As the A.L.'s consistent victories in contemporary All Star games and the World Series have shown -- and thanks to the movement of players across leagues at a pace similar to the that of U.S. border crossings -- there no longer is any discernible difference between the two leagues. No, in explaining Todd Walker's success with the Cubs or that of any other number of now highly-performing former Rockies players, we can only guess it's not us or anything we do -- it must be the altitude and the thin air.

As another success story is built after a departure from the Rocky Mountains, all we can do is wish Shawn Chacon well. He now is with a team in contention for a playoff spot -- something no one expects from the Rockies for some time -- and is playing in the nation's biggest city and media market. He is supported by players with names such as Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi, Tino Martinez, and Bernie Williams, among others. What Rockies pitcher wouldn't die for that kind of line-up behind him? Maybe we'll just have to enjoy the World Series vicariously thanks to Shawn Chacon?

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Aaron Harber hosts "The Aaron Harber Show," seen Fridays at 9:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm on PBS Station KBDI-TV Channel 12. Please go to www.HarberTV.com for more information. Send your comments and topic suggestions for both columns and TV shows to Aaron@HarberTV.com. You also may view programs on a 24/7 basis via the "Broadcast Videos" section of the Website. Many of Aaron's columns also are available on the Website on the page entitled "Aaron's Opinions." You often can find them in The Colorado Statesman (www.ColoradoStatesman.com) as well as in The Denver Daily News (www.DenverDailyNews.com).

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