ORLANDO, Fla. — When Rockies’ owner Dick Monfort arrived at a local hospital around 10 a.m., the worst was over. Manager Jim Tracy was resting comfortably after being diagnosed with a mild irregular heartbeat following his collapse at the Dolphin resort nine hours earlier.
Tracy’s mood sat in stark contrast to the scene described by Rockies’ coaches Carney Lansford and Tom Runnells late Monday night. After socializing in the hotel lobby, Tracy fell as he approached the elevator to return to his room. Witnesses said Tracy, while alert and responsive, was eerily pale. He briefly stood up before emergency personnel transported him to an ambulance on a stretcher.
“I think it scared him,” Monfort said. “He seemed fine, but again I saw a different person than they saw when it happened.”
Following a battery of tests to rule out a heart attack, blood clot and stroke, Tracy was discharged. Son Mark and wife Debra drove the 54-year-old Tracy to his part-time home in Bradenton, Fla., despite his desire to remain for the remainder of the winter meetings.
Tracy will travel to Denver soon for additional tests because doctors are still unsure what caused the episode. Leading up to his collapse, Tracy was worn down a bit following a cross-country drive to Florida.
“It was shocking. I was coming in here and heard about it,” said reliever Rafael Betancourt, who stopped by the Walt Disney World resort to visit Rockies’ officials. “He’s done so much for me, and I am just thankful he’s feeling better. It was just so unexpected.”
Dexter Fowler and Eric Young Jr. were among the Rockies who tweeted well-wishes to Tracy. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki admitted he was “stunned” when a friend texted him the news.
As an isolated incident, Tracy’s scare is chilling. But it comes just seven months after former president Keli McGregor’s unexpected passing. McGregor died in a Salt Lake City hotel room due to a viral heart infection. He was just 48.
“After everything we’ve been through, it was hard to hear the (news about Tracy),” general manager Dan O’Dowd said.
There were no indications that anything was wrong Monday. Tracy met with reporters around 5:30 p.m. during a scheduled media season in the team’s hotel suite. A popular figure with countless friends, Tracy spent much of the evening talking baseball in the lobby, telling stories.
“I saw him. And he looked fine. Then I heard about what happened later. It was shocking,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “He’s a great man. You just hope he feels better.”
Rockies’ assistant athletic trainer Scotty Gehret and Runnells stayed with Tracy through the night. There were anxious moments before the most serious tests came back negative.
Tracy, signed through 2012, has compiled a 157-121 record with the Rockies. He earned National League Manager of the Year honors in 2009 after guiding the club to the playoffs.
“He wanted to stay here (at the meetings),” O’Dowd said. “But he looked tired. He needs to get some rest.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
