Many disgruntled Rockies fans are calling for owner Dick Monfort to sell the team, which Forbes has valued at $1.475 billion. That’s not happening, especially with his sons Walker (vice president of corporate partnerships) and Sterling (director of professional scouting) in the family business.
Still, with the Rockies off to one of the worst starts in major league history, fans deserve some answers.
I’ve requested an interview with Monfort several times this season and have been told it’s possible — at some point. Should that occasion ever arrive, here are 20 questions I would ask him:
1. What are your feelings about the current state of the team? Are you embarrassed by the poor play and poor record?
2. Considering that Coors Field is a publicly funded ballpark and that fans have shown the Rockies great support through the years, do you consider it your responsibility and duty to put a competitive team on the field?
3. Do you think the team needs a major shakeup on the roster, coaching staff or front office?
4. Is manager Bud Black’s job in jeopardy?
5. Is general manager Bill Schmidt’s job in jeopardy?
6. The Nuggets won an NBA title two years ago but shook up their team this year, firing coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth. Does that influence your outlook?
7. What message do you have for loyal Rockies fans?
8. Teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, Giants and Cardinals bring a lot of fans to Coors Field. Naturally, you promote those visiting teams as part of your marketing campaign. However, does it ever bother you when Coors becomes “Wrigley Field West” and fans of the visiting team drown out the home crowd?
9. Many knowledgeable people around Major League Baseball, and some people with your organization, believe that the Rockies are too insular. Given that, will you go outside the organization and bring in people with fresh ideas?
10. Would you consider hiring a president of baseball operations from outside the organization and instilling them with the power to make major baseball decisions?
11. If you were to step away from your role as the Rockies’ ultimate decision-maker, who would replace you?
12. You’ve admitted in the past that you’re sometimes “loyal to a fault.” Do you believe that has hurt the organization, and does that need to change?
13. It’s been suggested that the Rockies need someone from outside the organization to thoroughly review the organization, complete with ideas of what needs to change. Would you be open to that?
14. You’ve said that Major League Baseball needs a salary cap. Do you think that would help fix the Rockies’ losing ways?
15. If MLB expands to 32 teams in the future, would you favor leaving the National League West and getting out of the shadow of the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers?
16. Do you now believe that signing Kris Bryant to a seven-year, $182 million contract was a significant mistake?
17. Counting this season, Bryant is owed $108 million through 2028. Is there any way to renegotiate his contract so that it doesn’t gobble up so much salary over the next three-plus seasons?
18. You and general manager Bill Schmidt have consistently called the Rockies a “draft-and-develop” organization. Considering the Rockies are headed toward their seventh consecutive losing season, and quite possibly their third straight 100-loss season, does the “D&D” philosophy need to be tweaked?
19. As a follow-up, do you need to be more aggressive in the free-agent market?
20. Players are held accountable all the time. They’re sent down to the minors, cut, traded and scrutinized, often in a very public way. Should ownership be held accountable in the same manner?
Want more Rockies news? Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis.
