One month ago, Carlos Gonzalez stood inside a batting shell at a public park north of Miami belting rockets to the palm trees over the outfield fence. The bleachers were empty but the wind was warm and even with the Rockies well into spring training two time zones away, Gonzalez was about to blow back to the team he never really left.
On Friday, one of the best players to ever don purple pinstripes returned to Coors Field with a chilly reception.
“What was it, 24 degrees?” Gonzalez asked after Atlanta ruined the Rockies’ home-opener with an 8-3 victory.