Morneau has played for Team canada in the olympic qualifying.

My commiserations to Francis. Hopefully he will be traded and have a fruitful career with a team that has a future.

LOL you got jokes. I would venture to say you have no clue about the Rockies farm system and therefore have no clue about their future. Nice try though.

I'd say any team that has only managed 4 winning seasons in it's history (3 of those in the first 5 years) is pretty shit.

And what exactly does that have to do with their future? Nice answer there chief.

They didn't need him this year. It was a cheap move by the Rockies.

They've had 10 years of a 'future' and done bob-all so far.

In the Rockies standpoint, why risk letting one of your top prospects getting injured playing for some other team and hamper the future of your team? Its unlikely, but not outrageous.

I'll bet that if the US team had qualified and Francis had been American they'd have let him go.

Your point being?

A fairly obvious one.

There are double standards.

One rule for Americans and one rule for everyone else.

Oh shit, that only happens in the United States doesn't it, damnit I feel sooo STOOPID NOW!

Look at it this way.

Ronaldo et al were all released by their clubs so they could compete in the Olympic football competition.

I forgot how civil that was

They planned a month or so in advance where he was gonna start. They wanted him to get some more experience at Colorado Springs and then be allowed to make his first few major league starts in pitcher parks. Plus like BCWWF said, there's no need to jeopardize THE top prospect in system for a few games in the Olympics. So Francis wasn't going to the Olympics for any country. Keep crying though.

The thing is, The Rockies are going no where this year. Had they been in a pennant race or something, I could understand, but they're not.

Francis would have gained more experience of playing under pressure and gained the Rockies' orginazation some prestige points.

OK Hero, I understand what you're saying but understand this. The Rockies wanted to give him more experience at Colorado Springs in high altitude and then allow him to make his major league debut this year (get his feet wet) and start next year in the rotation. They've had success doing it this way (Jason Jennings, Aaron Cook). If they let Francis go to the Olympics, that wasn't going to happen.

Altitude?

Athens is @ 315 feet from sea level, man!

;)


I disagree with their decision. Francis didn't fuss too much about it.

I guess perhaps I'm cynical, but I wonder if The Rockies truely would have done the same thing for an Amreican player, had the USA been able to qualify a team.

Christ, Baseball is an Olympic sport?

Jesus has other things to do besides scan the internet looking for questions asked of him, Mackem. :n:

But if the US doesn't take the competition seriously by sending over their stars, isn't it a non-event?

Ach. I need that Jebus bloke again.

The US failed to qualify. In previous years they have sent college players and minor league players.

In Sydney the team contained Ben Sheets.

A first round pick and jewel in Brewers farm system.

Funny how the Brewers could see their way to releasing him for the US team but the Rockies can't see their way to releasing a francis for canada.

Because Europe and South America don't send their football stars to the Olympics makes it a stupid tournament that means nothing. Its the same thing with baseball, the Olympics isn't bigger than the MLB. Why should they delay/alter their plans on a top prospect by letting him go and play in a minor competition against worse competition?

If Athens was a big tournament and the Canadian baseball team was good/mattered, then it probably would have been different.

Also, was Hero joking about the altitude comment? I wasn't sure the point there :?:

Well that means they didn't take the competition seriously if they couldn't be bothered with qualification, plus are there any non-Americans released for the tournament (which I was leaning more towards in my previous post not just Americans).

Taking your first paragraph, don't the US major teams have like a second team made up of reserves of youth players, or even make it an under 23 tournament like the football/soccer one is.

I'm not taking a swipe at you personally but wouldn't you agree that if the US were there, which seems like the only country that takes the sport seriously besides Japan, it would give the tournament a bit more credibility. It could be baseballs version of the World Cup.

I'm not sure exactly what you are saying, but I think you are asking about farm systems. In major league baseball each team has I think seven minor league teams playing under it.

If the United States was playing in the Olympics it would be a bigger deal, but not if they were only sending college and minor leaguers anyway. There is a Baseball World Cup planned for next spring I think, where the top guys from the US, Japan, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela, Canada, S. Korea, all those countries will be there, that is what the major international baseball tournament will be.

Also, to prevent some more stereotyping from Moonax, a lot of the players playing in the Olympics are MLB minor leaguers. The Twins for example have two lower level guys, one a pitcher for Holland the other for Austrailia. So its not like we are holding everybody back for no reason. It would not be an advantage for the Rockies or the player to have him go to the Olympics, but I'm sure he will pitch in the World Cup.

Yeah and guess what? Sheets didn't make his major league debut until 2001. He didn't come back from the Olympics and get called up to the big leagues. What is it you don't understand about them wanting him to get some experience this year not only in the big leagues, but at Coors Field?

2001 which would be the following season - so what's your point? Sheets was pitching at AAA and could have been called up at anytime. Instead they let him go to the Olympics. One rule for Canadian athletes and one rule for American athletes.

And I refer you back to hero's point about experience of being at Sydney of being more value in the long run.

No wonder you are a Rockies fan. Obviously that thin air has effected you mentally.

What do you not understand about individual situations?

What part of double standards don't you understand?

The part where this is not the same standard

That is because it is a double standard.

If you look at it through the eyes of a close minded first grader, then you would be right

I hope you get out of the first grade soon then.

Lol, ok

Double standard? Uhhh, no. If the Rockies have a double standard against non-American players pitching in the Olympics then why is Chin-Hui Tsao pitching for Chinese Tapai? You're full of shit. Read this article from today's Denver Post:

Francis' time arrives

Check out the last four paragraphs. Why don't you understand that wouldn't be possible if Francis went to the Olympics? BTW, nice high altitude slam. You're a regular comedian.

I guess watching the Rockies you must be used to comedy.

You really should chill out and not get so pissy all the time.

Why if pitching at altitude is such a big thing is he pitching in the rarified air of Atlanta?

Could have got this start in Athens in a bigger game that mattered more.

Wow, you've really got no clue do you? I give up. You're obviously never going to get it.

It's all pretty clear. A pointless and petty move by the Rockies.

I think it's pretty funny that in sports where the US considers themselves the champs, their players don't even have the heart to go compete at the biggest competition of them all.

Don't have the heart? LOL