Purple Dinosaur Podcast

Your, my, and our Colorado Rockies return from a seven-game road trip to open up a nine-game homestand this weekend at Coors Field, and they do so at 15-17 overall this year. Last year at this point? They were 17-15. So basically, what we're saying, is that 3-12 start to the year that had us all tearing our hair out and losing our minds has meant virtually nothing. It also means that they're trending in a terrific direction as they return home for this season-long homestand.The Rockies have won 12 of their last 17 games and arrive at Coors Field with 22 runs over their last 18 innings, finishing off their seven-game swing away from Denver with two straight wins over the Milwaukee Brewers. A lot of things are headed in the right direction for this team, including its continued hot bats and steady enough starting pitching.There are still points to discuss with some areas of concern. Though Ian Desmond has shown improvement in certain categories, his overall numbers are still quite bad. With Raimel Tapia's ascen

Your favorite Colorado Rockies podcast is back for another week, and your favorite baseball team looks like a real baseball team again! After nabbing the series finale over the Nationals on Wednesday, the Rockies have now won eight of their last 10 games since a 3-12 start. Some of the reasons behind that include: a resurgent Nolan Arenado, Raimel Tapia discovering himself as an everyday player, and solid pitching that has been steady on its rough days and great on its best. We'll discuss all of those elements.Plus, does Tapia's emergence mean that Ian Desmond is finally being pushed into a platoon or reserve role? That seems unlikely given the team's steadfast dedication to getting him at-bats and playing time no matter, you know, the results. But the Rockies' young outfielder is crushing everything thrown his way lately -- just like he did at every stop in his minor league career -- and making himself a viable option to be a big league regular.We'll discuss the strangely tepid start to the season for most e

For the first time this season, we bring you an episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast with your, my, and our Colorado Rockies on a winning streak. After literally the worst start in franchise history, the Rockies have now won three games in a row and return home playing their best ball of the young season. Nolan Arenado is finally getting his bat going, belting homers over his last three games, and dudes like German Marquez are stepping up with huge performances. Better late than never, right?On this week's show, we'll dive into some of the positives of the last few games including Nolan's performances, Garrett Hampson and Raimel Tapia finding traction, and a decent early season showing from Tony Wolters both at the plate and behind it. We'll also discuss some of the things that are still a bit concerning with this Rockies club from Charlie Blackmon's struggles to Kyle Freeland's issues through his last three outings.Plus, a brief conversation about the new baseballs at Triple-A and how they're influencing n

It's probably no stretch to say that this is the worst start to a season in Colorado Rockies franchise history, and that's because of one thing: expectations. It's also cool that SCIENCE released the first pictures ever taken of a black hole this week because that's pretty much what the 2019 baseball season has felt like so far.FEAR NOT, loyal listener! Things will (maybe?) be fine (or they might not be, actually). We'll discuss some of the reasons the Rockies find themselves mired in a 3-10 start, what is to blame, how to cope with it, and -- most importantly -- some ways perhaps to get out of it. There are still some positive things to look at in the brutal beginning to this year, so we'll put a spotlight on those for a minute, but yeah, everything else feels pretty rough.We'd love to tell you that this is just a blip on the radar screen and all will be well, but the thing about baseball is that you never really know how anything is going to go. That's beautiful when things are going well. It's agonizing wh

Baseball returns to the Greatest Place on Earth (TM), Coors Field this weekend! That is the salve that cures all wounds which is good because the Rockies offense looked rather wounded the last week in Florida. It wasn't what you would call a great road trip through Miami and Tampa, but it also wasn't the abject disaster it felt like at one point. The Rockies will come home to Denver at 3-4 and get set to face the million-time reigning National League West-champion Los Angeles Dodgers.We'll discuss some of the things that seem to have plagued the Rockies' offense this past week from the injury to and absence of Daniel Murphy to young bats getting their first regular big league work to the fact that the Marlins and -- especially-- the Rays have some really damned good pitching.This week also brought the news of a contract extension for German Márquez, who has pitched quite well through his first two times out. We'll discuss that and break down some of the other items of note and concern and praise around Rockie

Another season of baseball is upon us. The winds and cold of a winter past are behind us, and the green grass and blue skies of the summer await. At least until, like, mid-April when some annoying blizzard forces the Rockies to postpone a couple of games but whatever.The 2019 PDP Season Preview Episode is here! We'll break down the Rockies roster position-by-position and give our thoughts on how they stack up with the rest of the division and the National League.Plus, we got a raft of #AskPDP questions in for this week's edition. I mean...not a literal raft, that would be a weird way to submit questions. but we got a bunch of questions, and we'll dive in.It's the 159th episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast! Get up early on Opening Day and dunk your donut in it!

On this week's episode of your favorite Colorado Rockies podcast, we talk a whole lot of baseball-related things that aren't even the Colorado Rockies! Either we are sorry or you're welcome. This week's topics include Mike Trout's insane extension and a larger conversation about the changing economic realities of the game that have led to things like contract extensions for young stars such as Blake Snell, Alex Bregman, and Eloy Jimenez. What does that mean for the Rockies and teams like the Rockies? We'll examine.Plus, the Cactus League is nearly behind us! What do spring training stats mean, exactly? Well...not much. But there are still some things we can glean from them. We'll tell you what they are.The Rockies entered the 2019 spring without a whole lot of question marks on their roster. That feels like a massive change from (checks notes) every other season in franchise history. We'll discuss a couple of areas in which personnel moves will still need to be made. All that and more are on this week's episo

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Yes, Manny Machado is now a Padre. Yes, one or two or three National League West teams are still in on Bryce Harper. Despite it all, Anthony and Tyler are oddly upbeat in the latest episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast.On this week's edition of the show, we dive into Machado's deal and what it could mean for Nolan Arenado's extension situation with the Rockies. Plus the Padres are obviously a better team today than they were last week, but does Machado's signing put San Diego near contention in 2019? What are the odds Harper ends up in the division and, depending on which team it's with, does that shift the balance of power?Ian Desmond is headed to center field as Charlie Blackmon and David Dahl will flank him in right and left respectively. Just how much does that help or diminish the Rockies' defensive prowess in the outfield? And remember when we were all flipped out for 24 hours after a tweet that suggested Mark Reynolds was going to get a look at second base? Phew! That was a close one.It's the 156th e

Less than a month remains until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, and YOUR Colorado Rockies have made one big (?) offseason move in signing noted controversy-free second baseman Daniel Murphy. In addition to not being a polarizing guy at all, he's going to be asked to play first base in Colorado, apparently, a position where he doesn't have aw hole ton of experience. So that's a thing that's gone on this offseason.We'll break down the Murphy signing in baseball and non-baseball terms and attempt to put into perspective what the last couple of offseasons in baseball say about the free agent market as a whole.Plus, the Rockies are headed for arbitration with Nolan Arenado. Is that a bad sign for his future with the organization or just the way this thing was probably headed all along.Finally, we field a bunch of #AskPDPs and try to imagine all kinds of dystopian futures where Adam Ottavino is a Yankee and Nolan is a Dodger and life is rendered meaningless. It's the 155th episode of the Purple Din

You, the loyal PDP fan, have been clamoring for a new episode in recent weeks, so here we are. And it's great to be here to talk about...??????? The Rockies have done nothing but hire a hitting coach and acquire a couple of minor league catchers so far this offseason, so we'll attempt to make some lemonade out of those lemons.But really though, what is the plan for this offseason? Will Jeff Bridich finally decide he's ready to trade prospects for established big league talent to fill yawing chasms of productivity in his lineup? Or will he stick with his young guys and maybe -- wait for it -- actually give Bud Black the go-ahead to play them in 2019? They've gotta do something! Plus, what does the Rockies' reluctance to discuss dealing Brendan Rodgers say about Nolan Arenado's possible future in purple pinstripes?Plus Larry Walker's Hall of Fame candidacy is finally getting its moment in the spotlight. While Walker might not make it into the Hall this year, his support is skyrocketing. We'll take a look at wha

The 2018 Rockies season came to an end in disappointing fashion last week, and after taking some time to cool down, the PDP returns for its annual postmortem. We'll look back on the National League Division Series and try to dissect what went wrong against the Milwaukee Brewers.There isn't much left to discuss about the NLDS, though, so this episode is a forward-looking one. The 2018 Rockies season was a success. It didn't end the way any of us wanted, but there's no other way to look at it than another step in the right direction. Even with that, the Rockies have many pressing issues heading into the offseason. We'll look ahead at some of the biggest decisions that are coming over the next several months before another big season opens in Colorado.All that and more is here in the 153rd episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast. Weave it into a nice pair of socks for the cold winter ahead!

Welp, here we are again. Come Sunday afternoon, the Colorado Rockies will -- yet again -- be playing for their 2018 lives after dropping their first two games of the National League Division Series in Milwaukee.To get you set for Game 3 at Coors Field, we've got a fiery PDP. It'll start with us yelling to (and with...and at) you about some of the terrible takes regarding this Rockies offense. Colorado's bats have been nonexistent during the playoffs so far. Is that all Nolan Arenado's fault because he said in June that he wanted to play in big games and that's the one thing Denver sports radio has clung to from this season? No. Is it symptomatic of a mediocre offense with long-problematic fault lines that are being exposed on baseball's biggest stage? Yeah, that's probably more accurate.After we yell for a while, we attempt to get down to some facts and rational explanation as to why things could -- and should -- get better starting with Game 3. The Rockies won 36 of their final 50 games at Coors Field this y

For the first time in the PDP Era, as all things are and should be measured, the Rockies are on to a real postseason series, and what a way to get here. Kyle Freeland starred for 6 2/3 innings, Tony Wolters (!) (!!!) (Tony Wolters!) came through with a two-out, go-ahead single in the top of the 13th, and the Rockies took down the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field to punch their tickets to the National League Division Series.We look back at an absolutely insane game, some of its most crucial moments, some of its most pivotal decisions, and just how the Rockies made the impossible happen. Kyle Freeland announced his status as the Rockies' emotional rock with his dominant performance, but for the Denver kid and his childhood team, it meant more than even that. We'll discuss. Plus, just how and why did Nolan Arenado and Javier Baez end up hugging at third base?! (Aaaaaadorable.)With the win, the Rockies move on to play more meaningful baseball in 2018. The Milwaukee Brewers finished the season with the best record in

And it all comes down to this. After faltering in their pursuit of a division title this weekend and coming up short in yesterday's tiebreaker game in Los Angeles, the Rockies are once more relegated to fighting for their playoff lives in the Wild Card Game. We'll look back on what went wrong against the Dodgers, why Dodgers fans are so cocky despite needing a 163rd game to fend off the Rockies for the division crown, and what it means for the division.Tonight, Colorado visits Chicago for a matchup with the surprisingly-non-division-champion Cubs at Wrigley Field. Denver's own Kyle Freeland (he's from Denver, had you heard that before?) goes to the hill with his hometown team's season on the line. The Rockies have fared well at Wrigley in recent years. What has to go right tonight to save the season?There isn't much else to say for this one. Just try to enjoy the moment. It's sudden death baseball, and it's an EMERGENCY WILD CARD GAME FREAKOUT episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast. Swig some down to alleviat

Last week, after the Rockies were swept in Los Angeles and looked to be on death's doorstep in 2018, we hosted a show that featured a comedian and a whole lot of #AskPDPs so we didn't have to think much about how bad that series was and what it could have meant for this season. This week, things are just about as different as they could possibly be.The Rockies head into the final series of the season on a seven-game winning streak, with a magic number of 3 to clinch the division title, and facing a Washington Nationals team that is no longer in contention this year. More than that, they hold their postseason destiny in their own hands which is something we've not often said about the Rockies heading into the last weekend of any year. Sweep the Nationals, and you've won the division. Win two out of three from the Nationals and, if the Dodgers drop one game in San Francisco, you're division champions. Win *one* from the Nationals and, if the Dodgers drop two...well you get the point. It's all out there to be ha

Ah well, this sucks. The Rockies are 1-5 to start the biggest road trip in recent memory including a three-game sweep in Los Angeles that took them from a half-game lead in the National League West to a 2.5-game deficit. There's really no sugarcoating the fact that All Things Are Bad Again And Nothing Is Good. But while things are terrible for the moment, the season is somehow far from over. This Rockies team has been left for dead no fewer than a dozen times only to rally and shock us all, so do they have more left in them? We'll see.We attempt to help you forget your frustration this week by bringing on Andrew Orvedahl as our guest. One of the legendary Denver comedy trio The Grawlix as well as Coach Fairbell on TruTV's "Those Who Can't" attempts to keep us on the ledge by, you know, reminding us that the world will still exist even if the Rockies don't make the playoffs. Actually we don't really get that far into justifying a continued reason for existence as Rockies fans. Mostly we just joke around and tr

Kyle Freeland's brilliant 2018 season continues bringing people back to maybe its only historical comparison in Rockies history: that of 1994 starter Marvin Freeman. Well do we have a treat for you on Episode 148 of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast. The one and only Marvin Freeman himself joins the show to look back on his sterling, strike-shortened '94 season that saw him place fourth in National League Cy Young voting and do things most people would now regard as impossible in the early days of the Rockies franchise. We'll rap with Marvin about that year, the Rockies' playoff squad in '95, his time learning from Greg Maddux and the rest of the '90s Braves, his reputation as a glue guy in the clubhouse, today's Rockies, what young pitchers need to know to be successful, the state of baseball in 2018, and a whole lot more. There's even a story in there about an $80,000 violin bow you don't want to miss. (Really.)After Marvin, we catch up with one of the unlikeliest Rockies in recent memory, reliever D.J. Johnson.

This weekend is the series you've always dreamed of. It's the final full month of the regular season, and your, my, and our Colorado Rockies are in first place and welcoming the Los Angeles Dodgers to town for the first of a three-game set. The Dodgers pushed back Clayton Kershaw's start to Friday to line up with Jon Gray. This is it. Everything is on the line over the next three weeks. This is the whole point of your fandom, so GET EXCITED, KIDDIES.We'll discuss Trevor Story's insane Wednesday night game, what's made him so good this season, and where the Rockies would be without him this year. Plus, German Marquez continues to be a star in the making and a worthy component in a potential postseason rotation along with Kyle Freeland and Jon Gray.Since we missed last week, we try to make it up to you in a weak way by answering a rash of #AskPDP queries from what times of day are sufficient to call "brunch" and what the most nerve-wracking games have been for fans in franchise history. All that and more on the

On the verge of an unbelievably perplexing and frustrating series loss to the San Diego Padres, the Rockies had their week saved by none other than Ian Desmond on Thursday. Desmond belted a walk-off homer to sink San Diego and lift the Rockies to a series win that continued a pattern of late rallies and thrilling walk-off wins for a Colorado team that now finds itself heading into the weekend just one game back of first place. That's the good news. The bad news is that it made us record a podcast, so you win some, you lose some.This weekend begins (stop us if you've heard this before) a crucial stretch for the Rockies this season. St. Louis arrives at Coors Field with Colorado eyeing retribution for a brutal road series a couple of weeks ago. The Rockies follow with road dates at Anaheim and San Diego. The time is now to continue the roll with a relative lull in the schedule.Plus, the Rockies brought back Matt Holliday this week! We discuss what the veteran's addition could mean coming off the bench and addin