Keeler: Former Rockies wish Dick Monfort would clean house: “You want to be proud of where you played”

Dave Veres once saved games for Dick Monfort Now he s pleading with Monfort to save a cratering franchise from itself It s more than just one or two changes the former Rockies closer informed me by phone Monday It s got to be a whole new everything It s been the same group of leaders for years Throughout the whole organization nothing s really changed a whole lot What s the definition of insanity Doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting a different outcome I d love nothing more than for the Rockies to get that thing back on track But it s just crazy The crazy is the National Pastime s new national punchline Yet it s inevitably been there Buried inside the walls Creeping into the floorboards When you ask Veres how the Rockies Experience differed from the other four baseball franchises he played for the ex-righty reliever and current Cherry Creek High School pitching coach recalled his first spring training with the Cardinals This was February of The previous November he d been traded to St Louis along with Darryl Kile and Luther Hackman after two seasons with the Rockies When the new guys in red arrived one of the first things they heard was a warning Don t make any plans before Halloween the Cards reported him We re playing through Halloween Fast forward a bit Veres has a pal who owns a ranch in a neighboring state He noted this pal stated him a Rockies athlete once called asking to reserve a spot at the ranch for him on Oct That s the mentality the mindset Veres sighed And when you have that within the organization It spreads It festers The rot seeps in and never leaves The floorboards start to creak and give Then one day they give way altogether opening a hole into the cold dark basement below You re - and everything feels broken Because it is Consider this Scottie Scheffler won three PGA events between May and June During that stretch the Rockies also won exactly three times As somebody who lives here it s hard to ignore Garrett Atkins the Rockies slugging third baseman from - texted me Monday I ll hear You see the Rockies lost again What do you think the dilemma is I m sure it s the same questions the media players coaches front office are getting daily from everywhere It s got to be frustrating for everybody in the organization because it seems to be the same story every championship Turn the challenge on in the fourth inning and they are losing - We know Monfort the Rockies CEO isn t going to clean house to appease the snarky columnists in town So do it for the alumni Dick Do it for the former Rockies who ve watched your baseball ops besmirch the sweat the toil and the legacy they left between the lines Do it for Atkins Do it for Veres who now thinks twice about putting on his beloved Rockies pullover before heading out to the gym Why would they want to sell Veres laughed I remember back to the Dodgers previous ownership when fans would come in the third inning and leave in the seventh Their model was We get the same number of fans if we win or if we lose so why should I put money back into the association At least that s what I heard it seems like that s the highway the Rockies have taken lately Veres isn t tossing sour grapes He s been too busy winning state titles with the Bruins to get riled up about old grudges He just calls it as he sees it Bud Black was a scapegoat Veres announced What can you do Your hands are tied as a manager If you re dealt the roster you have it s not like you can make somebody a better competitor or a different pitcher Buddy s Rockies were - when he got the boot Warren Schaeffer s Rockies were - after Monday s series opener at Miami New manager New hitting coach Same owner Same GM Same results We ve all done the math I feel bad for the fans Atkins reported Everybody knows what a great sports town this is I run into people all the time who were at the playoff games and felt the ability at Coors Field Everybody just wants that back Related Articles Rockies conclusively get to double-digit wins on June amid worst -game start in MLB s modern era Rockies lose home run duel with Mets fall to - as historic losing continues Rockies Journal Keeping company with the infamous colorful Cleveland Spiders Rockies infamy continues with - loss to Mets record now - Rockies option struggling Michael Toglia to Triple-A Albuquerque Veres wants it too The first Rockies pitcher to save -plus games in a season here in bought a house here -ish years ago when he became Colorado s closer Dave eventually pitched in postseason games from - with the Cardinals and Cubs In the meantime he fell in love with the Front Range putting down roots in Douglas County He raised a family here The nest is empty now and Veres was babysitting his kid s kids working in a few swim time around the storms when I called him Monday to talk shop Do your grandkids know or care about the Rockies I required Does Coors mean anything to them other than food and a good time I guarantee they don t know Veres replied I guarantee they don t Which breaks his heart a little too As a fan you want it to succeed here Veres disclosed As a performer you want to be proud of where you played They feel for the current Rockies They ve been there The season is a marathon a nine-month flight through stormy weather that takes off on Valentine s Day and lands sometime in October No one wants to lose Veres continued I m sure they re tried of being the butt of the jokes It just wears on you What s the state of this franchise I wondered in a word Disappointing Atkins mentioned Frustrating Veres added Dave still keeps that Rockies pullover in the rotation though It s kind of funny Veres revealed I indeed thought about it one time Should I wear my Rockies sweatshirt in populace I still love this meeting I m still a fan And being a local guy now they re my hometown company I want them to be triumphant Hopefully they can figure it out because it s a great place to play With a great fan base that wants and deserves what preponderance fans want Sanity If only for a summer Want more Rockies news Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis