Please note: the quotes inserted come from http://www.purplerow.com, one of the better baseball blogs.
Today was another in a long series of goodbyes. Some things just shouldn't happen.
Troy (deep breath) Tulowitzki (deep breath) is a (deep breath) Toronto (deep breath) BLUEJAY?!The last time a trade this big happened at Coors Field, the staff ace left...and the owner got Romano's Macaroni Grill in return. Now, THAT's a crappy owner on par with Jerry Jones (no link inserted by design on THAT name).
Most readers of this blog won't care, but I do. You watch a guy play for 120 nights a year for a full decade, you get to expect seeing him. This man was the face of the entire franchise, and most of the current talent on that team can point to Troy as a reason for their success.
He was everything I wanted in a player: A ferocious competitor, a superstar you could build around, an incredibly hard worker who took prospects under his wing in the offseason, and a guy who understood how special it was for a fanbase to attach itself to a player who plays his entire career in one city.The fate of a baseball team looms small in the lives of most people on this planet. To be honest, I openly admit that includes me. It's nice, but not necessary for happiness. I get all of that. I feel for the person who wrote:
Today is the saddest day of my life that didn't involve someone I'm close to dying. It hurts that much.Look, I think--if you know me & my situation--that you can see the analogy. A boy can get tired standing on the pier waving goodbye to everything...repeatedly. The glass isn't half-full or half-empty--it's HEAVY after you hold it this long. Life doesn't ALL have to stay the same, but I'm trying to figure out what's left of the Paul Henley that lived in, say, 2010...or 2013, for that matter.
They're not just giving up a 30-year-old player, though. They're giving up the chance of having another franchise legend to slot next to Todd Helton in the pantheon of Rockies greats.
Tulowitzky autograph values kind of drop in Denver, long-term. No fan base will love Troy as deeply. Suddenly, a "franchise player" stands on the cusp of becoming a "journeyman player." Eventually, all these guys end up with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, anyway. This one still stinks, though. If he wins two World Series rings in Toronto, why would he become the first Colorado entry into Cooperstown? In fact, consider this: Troy Tulowitzki worries that his son, Taz, won't remember when his dad played in Denver. Again, I can relate as a father. I'm fighting to stay relevant from 366 miles away. These trades change stories for generations, too.
"Yep--I can remember seeing Troy when he [insert whatever event you choose]. That was back when he played for Colorado and all...no really...he USED to be a Rockie (sic). Really. No. I MEAN it..."
Whatever:
Ask an Orioles fan what kind of package that would have made it acceptable to deal Cal Ripken in 1995. Ask Padres fans what Tony Gwynn trade would make them go back in time and make them pull the trigger themselves.Time is the great arbiter.
I leave for Budapest (that's right...Hungary) on August 4, 2015. I leave to "celebrate" what would have been my 25th wedding anniversary. If things are all going to change, anyway, at least SOME of that change should come from me. "My turn" should start at some point...perhaps this is a way to begin said turn. Follow my Instagram account to see what I find in what seems to be an incredible place. That account is Think17. That moniker is the mark of yet another dead dream.
Even as the major league team was terrible, Tulo was something to dream on. Now, that dream is dead. Not being able to watch him as a Rockie anymore is a devastating blow.Hey, some dreams die.
Quote me on that one. I'm cool with that. Plans change. People change. Circumstances change. Everything changes. When it gets ugly, fight back.
Fight back, good reader. Fight back.
So--PROPS to D.J. LeMahieu, who plays at Wrigley Field with a chip on his shoulder because he remains convinced that the Chicago Cubs quit on him just a little early...
Props to those who have stuck with me--including my future hosts in Hungary. I've had "friends," "employers," "neighbors," and "family" desert me and leave me to wonder What the Hell Just Happened. I'm becoming convinced it doesn't matter what happened; it really only matters what happens.
