Right Rockies fans, it’s time to get back to basics. Yes you love your team and chances are you’ve supported them from day one, but how much do you really know about them? Here we’ve got together a few interesting facts for you regarding the team and in particular their history. With any activity or hobby you have from a sport like football, to games at http://www.partycasino.com/, it is always great to get some background info on them. It really will give you a deeper understanding of your team and help to make you the best fan there is.

So here we go, here’s some great facts and tit bits of information for you.

They were established in 1991 and began to play 1993. It has been a long and complicated history trying to bring a Major League Baseball team to Colorado. Do any of you remember when the Pittsburgh Pirates nearly relocated to Denver in 1985 after the Pittsburgh drug trials?

The team hasn’t been without scandal particularly when it comes to ownership issues. In 1992 the accounting and embezzlement scandal at Phar-Mor really made things hard for Monus and Antonucci and led to them having to sell their stakes in the franchise. It didn’t help that they sold them to trucking-company executive Jerry McMorris, remember him? He had a pretty bad relationship with the other partners and on top of that he had big issues with his trucking firm which lead to legal issues.

It’s not all controversies though. Over the years the team has had success and has made it to the playoffs. It is often thought that the recent money management of the team has really helped them. We’re sure you’ll all have your own reasons for loving the team and following them. They love your support and it’s great that we can all get together and discuss their past, present and future.

Jeff Francis says he will have exploratory surgery on his pitching shoulder next week and will likely miss the 2009 season. Francis said Thursday he will return to Denver for the operation. “I’m not counting on coming back,” he said. Francis has had pain in his throwing shoulder since May, but he reported feeling less discomfort during spring training. MRIs haven’t shown a clear-cut problem. He was 4-10 with a 5.01 ERA last season. Francis was a vital part of the Rockies’ run to the World Series in 2007. He spent a stint on the disabled list during the 2008 season before being shut down early in September.

Looks like another young gun will be fighting for his spot in the rotation now that one spot has been opened to complete the rotation of Cook, Jimenez, Marquis, and DLR.

The Colorado Rockies traded for outfielder Matt Murton on Wednesdsay morning. Murton split time last year with the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics as well with both organizations minor league teams. Murton started out his career in the Boston Red Sox organization but was traded to the Cubs in the Nomar Garciaparra trade. He is an average hitter that will hit the occasional home run but he is more of a double hitters while played ok defense.

The Rockies sent the As infielder Corey Wimberly for Murton. Wimberly recently went undrafted in the Rule 5 draft and hit .291/.370/.345 in Double A for the Rockies.

Ubaldo Jimenez just received a very nice raise from the Colorado Rockies as they two agreed on a four-year contract that will keep Jimenez in a Rockies uniform for quite a while. The contract is $10 million in guranteed money as well as club options in 2013 and 2014.

He will receive $750,000 in 2009, $1.25 million in 2010, $2.8 million in 2011 and $4.2 million in 2012. The club options are for $5.75 million in 2013 and $8 million in 2014. There is a $1 million buyout on the options

Rockies General Manager Dan O’Dowd had this to say:

“We like the type of kid he is,” Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd siad. “He’s got tremendous character and integrity. I think he’s bought into everything we’re all about.

I think he has a chance to be an ace with his ability, but he has some areas he needs to improve on before he’s able to do that.”

Congrats to the Rockies and Jimenez on getting a deal worked out!

It was a busy day on Wednesday for the Colorado Rockies as they signed five different players to minor league contracts. The two big names that most people will know are Scott Podsednik and Matt Belisle. The other three players that were signed to minor league deals were Dan Ortmeier, Edwin Bellorin, and Cedrick Bowers.

All the players are expected to be invited to spring training where they will compete for a major league roster spot.

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Jason Marquis is the newest member of the Colorado Rockies and he will be thrown right into the starting rotation when he comes to spring training. Marquis had played the last two seasons with the Chicago Cubs but was a back of the end starter for them and was often skipped over in his starts.

The Rockies sent the Cubs reliever Luis Vizcaino in exchange. The Cubs will also pay $875,000of Marquis’s contract. Marquis will be a free agent after the 2009 season. He went 11-9 with a 4.53 ERA last year for the Cubs.

Marquis also swings the bat very good as he has a career .206 average with 40 rbi’s. He can also hit the long ball which he did a couple of times for the Cubs.

Good move for the Rockies even though they improve the payroll by $5 million.

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The Colorado Rockies have been wanting to pick up a left handed relief pitcher that could serve in the setup role and on Tuesday it looks like they got their man. Alan Embree has agreed on a one year contract which is being rumored to be around $2.55 million. The contract and terms won’t be announced until Thursday after the Rule 5 Draft.

Embree went 2-5 with a 4.96 ERA in 70 appearances for the Athletics last season. He pitched previously for the Giants (1999-2001) and Padres (2002 and 2006).

Keep checking back as we are reporting any transactions as soon as we hear about them. The Winter meetings are going on Las Vegas right now, so there are a lot of things floating around.

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The Colorado Rockies are bringing back ex-manager Don Baylor. Baylor will be the teams new hitting coach news sources reported on Monday in Denver.

The team also brought in Jim Tracy to serve as the bench coach and Rich Dauer as third base coach. Jim Wright becomes the bullpen coach and Brian Jordan will be the strength and conditioning coach.

The only coaches that were retained from last year are first base coach Glenallen Hill and and manager Clint Hurdle.

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On Monday the Colorado Rockies and Oakland Athletics worked out a trade that will send Matt Holliday to the Oakland Athletics. The Rockies will be getting Greg Smith, Huston Street, and Carlos Gonzalez back from the A’s in exchange for Holliday.

This deal is decent but I was hoping for a little bit more for Holliday. Smith is a pretty wild pitcher that doesn’t serve well for Coors Field. Street is a good reliever that will need to fill in for Brian Fuentes who the Rockies let walk away. Gonzalez, 23, saw his first big league action last season and hit .242 with four home runs and 26 RBIs in 302 at-bats.

What do you think of the deal Rockies fans? Leave us a comment and let us know!

It sounds like Matt Holliday will indeed be traded this off season as reports are really heating up about the New York Yankees wanting him. Holliday has said in recent interviews that he does not think the Rockies can compete every year like he would like and that his contract extenstion talks were not a distraction to the team. I won’t doubt Holliday one bit but I do know that Rockies fans are going to hate seeing him play for another team.

It sounds like the Rockies are after Ian Kennedy of the Yankees but he would not be the prized jewel of the trade. The Rockies could be looking at a Robinson Cano possibly and also Kennedy in a deal. Look for a trade to happen in the month of December. It will be intersting to see who the Rockies are able to get for Holliday. And who knows, it could be from a different team then the Yankees.

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