Sunday was a bizarre day at Coors Field, even by Rockies standards.
The club’s decision to fire manager Bud Black was no surprise. It was like a thunderstorm building over the Rockies. Anyone paying attention could see it coming. Big-league managers don’t survive 7-33 starts after back-to-back 100-loss seasons.
Black surely saw it coming, too, though he never said so publicly. He remained classy, upbeat and professional until the end.
“We never saw a change from him,” veteran third baseman Ryan McMahon said.
But the timing of the Rockies’ decision was awkward. And the explanation provided by owner Dick Monfort made Black, if not the scapegoat, then certainly the public fall guy for a dysfunctional franchise that’s on pace to lose more games than any team in big-league history.