In the fast-paced world of professional sports, decisions can turn on a dime. Just 24 hours after Colorado Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt stood firmly behind manager Bud Black, despite a dismal 6-32 start heading into Saturday’s game against the San Diego Padres, the landscape shifted dramatically. By Sunday, the Rockies had announced Black’s firing, a move that seemed inevitable after an embarrassing 21-0 loss the night before, dropping the team to 6-33 and cementing one of the worst starts in MLB history.
That Saturday night defeat wasn’t just a loss; it was a humiliation that demanded attention. In a season already marred by struggle, such a defeat was a tipping point, and the Rockies responded with the easiest, most visible change they could make: firing the manager. But let’s be real—dumping Black isn’t going to fix the deeper issues plaguing this franchise. It’s like putting a fresh coat of paint on a house that’s falling apart; it looks like you’re doing something, but it doesn’t address the foundation.
The bigger picture for the Rockies is grim. This isn’t just a bad season; it’s part of a troubling trend. Back-to-back 100-loss seasons, followed by a 94-loss campaign, paint a picture of an organization that’s struggling to find its footing. And unless something drastic happens soon, this could be a third consecutive 100-loss season, potentially setting a new low for futility in Major League Baseball. No manager, no matter how ineffective, is responsible for that level of dysfunction. The problems run deep, from a roster that looks more Triple-A than major league to an ownership group, led by Dick Monfort, that hasn’t shown a real commitment to winning.
Firing Black is the kind of move that says, “We had to do something,” but it’s not the something that will make a difference. Warren Schaeffer steps in on an interim basis, and while he’ll bring his own approach, the results this season aren’t likely to change much. Come offseason, the Rockies will likely hire a new manager, someone who’ll talk about changing the culture, playing the right way, and building an identity. It’ll sound good, make for great headlines, but as long as the roster remains thin and the ownership’s approach stays the same, it’s all just noise.
Black took the fall for this mess, but he’s not the one who created it. The real challenge for the Rockies lies far beyond the dugout, in rebuilding a team and an organization that’s lost its way. Until that happens, changes like this are just window dressing, not solutions.
