Man, it's kind of fun having some expectations. Hopefully they deliver.

Rockies playoff pursuit in the details - The Denver Post

Rockies playoff pursuit in the details

By Troy E. Renck
The Denver Post
Posted: 02/27/2010 01:00:00 AM MST
Updated: 02/27/2010 02:10:25 AM MST

Jim Tracy set the standard for his Rockies in Friday's first full-squad workout of the spring: No detail will be overlooked. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post )



TUCSON — Never. That's how many times the Rockies have made consecutive playoff berths.
Never. That's how many times the Rockies have won the National League West Division.
The pursuit of both goals officially began Friday at 10:46 a.m. as manager Jim Tracy emerged from the conference room at Hi Corbett Field. The boss had just given his state-of-the-team address to his players. The message was simple: To accomplish big things, no detail is too small.
"I told them how good they are, to embrace the expectations," Tracy said. "There are a lot of teams that think they are good. The Yankees, the Phillies, the Tigers, the Angels, the Twins. What is the separator? We have to do the little things well."


If this sounds familiar, it's because it is. The Rockies talked of the importance of executing fundamentals before the 2008 season and again last spring. The difference is the leader, Tracy having replaced Clint Hurdle. Tracy has created focus and accountability, which were lacking as the Rox imploded following their lone World Series berth in 2007 and early last year before Hurdle was fired.


"Whatever he says to you, that's who he is and what he means. He doesn't lie. He tells you straight how it is," shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. "If he tells me I am the No. 4 hitter and playing 162 games, I believe it, and you know he believes it."
In short, the Rockies trust their manager. That hasn't always been the case. It is a bit ironic that the Rockies have never had higher expectations yet have never seemed looser.
"(Tracy) definitely creates a calming influence, no doubt about that," first baseman Todd Helton said. "You saw how it translated last season. We have all the confidence in the world in him and his leadership."


The Rockies didn't respond to Hurdle's sense of urgency last spring and pressed through the first two months before his firing. Tracy made his mark by using a consistent lineup, pushing his starting pitchers harder and demanding more aggression in every facet of how the Rockies played. It fostered strong loyalty.
Tracy has been demanding this spring in his own way. He doesn't raise his voice, and Girl Scout troops curse more. But he will stay on a back field and work with a pitcher on comebackers for 30 minutes. And his fingerprints were present when Franklin Morales repeated a pickoff drill to second base several times Friday.
"I don't want us to be surprised by anything," Tracy said. "It's early now, but when it's (opening day), it's not early anymore. That's just an excuse when you get off to a slow start. We need to be ready with the same intensity from the first pitch to the last."
Tracy can ask that of his players because they see it in him. Jason Giambi has played for three organizations and a potential Hall of Fame manager in Joe Torre. And he insists he's never seen a manager influence a game like Tracy did last season.
"It's incredible how far he can think ahead in a game. He would tell me, if this happens, Seth (Smith) is going to hit here, and then that will set you up to hit in the ninth against this pitcher when we get a guy on. He would set it up like a chess game, and then I would watch it transpire."


Hang around this team for a few minutes and it's clear the players buy what Tracy's selling. General manager Dan O'Dowd has praised the team's quiet confidence this spring and how they no longer fear the hype. The key for Tracy will be navigating bad patches. Because, in four months on the job last year, the team was 74-42 and, other than a few pitching injuries, never was clobbered by adversity.
"The difference is that he doesn't quit on you if you make mistakes," second baseman Clint Barmes said. "It's hard to put into words how much it means when you know your manager is going to back you, push for you, but also tell you exactly what he wants. He's a big reason we got to where we were last year and why we expect bigger things this year."
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com


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