Bud Black is a relentlessly positive person.
In all of my years covering professional sports, I don’t think I ever known anyone who’s more comfortable in his own skin. But this terrible Rockies season seems to be wearing on the manager. You can sense it in his postgame interviews. His answers have been shorter, and a bit terse.
Last Monday night, after the Rockies were blanked, 7-0, by the Padres in San Diego, I started to ask Black about the “Coors Field Hangover” theory. He knew immediately where I was headed, and before I could finish my question about why the Rockies struggle to hit on the road, he cut me off with a definitive “no.”
Black, of course, is not blind to the Rockies’ road woes, but he was in no mood to go down that path immediately after another loss.
I didn’t blame him. As charismatic and as likable as Black is, even his patience has limits — with unreliable relievers, a punchless road offense and baseball beat writers.
In past years, before COVID-19, when the clubhouse was open to reporters, I could ask players about the mood of the team. I could get a sense of their feelings about their relationship with the manager. That’s not possible right now.
But I did reach out, via text, to three of the Rockies’ best players to get their sense of how Black is steering the ship through these choppy waters.
“Obviously, everyone is frustrated,” shortstop Trevor Story said. “But Bud brings the energy and optimism every day. That goes a long way.”
Said infielder Ryan McMahon: “I think he’s frustrated, and rightfully so. I’m not really sure how you are supposed to handle all of this, but Buddy has shown up with the same energy every day, no matter how the day before went.”
And this from outfielder Charlie Blackmon: “Everything seems easier when you’re in first place, but when you aren’t, everyone is tested.
“Buddy fosters intense competitiveness that guys respond to. Our guys are grinding and making adjustments and working toward becoming a better team.”
Because of Black’s friendly persona, fans might not understand just how competitive he is. When the Rockies play poorly, Black smolders. We don’t see it often, but he has a temper. His players have seen it. But he chooses not to air his team’s laundry in public. That’s not his way.
Black is not without faults. No manager is. I’ve been puzzled by some of his in-game moves, especially when he’s pulled a starter when I believe they could have pitched another inning.
But managing a big-league club is so much more than the chess game on the field. It’s about maintaining relationships over a long season, and knowing how to treat players as individuals. Black’s recent chat with Josh Fuentes helped Fuentes lighten up, have fun and start producing. That’s a prime example of Black’s people skills.
Even if the team continues to lose, as I suspect it will, Rockies’ management would be foolish to fire Black this season.
He’s under contract through 2022, but if the club goes outside the organization to hire a new general manager this fall, Black’s career in Colorado could be over. I hope that’s not the case. He would be a key building block for the rebuild ahead.
