Purple Dinosaur Podcast

A true rarity in PDP history: a show recording DURING a Rockies game! And they were winning while we recorded! And then...

On this week's edition of the show, we give credit where credit is due: Ian Desmond has been solid as of late. We discuss his resurgence and how it impacts the Rockies lineup in a positive way going forward. Speaking of resurgence, Carlos Gonzalez has looked like someone turned his internal clock back five years, and it's been among the most exciting recent developments in baseball. Can the 32-year-old outfielder keep it up, and what does THAT do for the Rockies lineup?

And then there was that Dodgers series. Hooooo boy, that Dodgers series. We discuss at length, what it said about the current state of the Rockies (and the Dodgers) and what it could mean going forward. Good teams learn from their most embarrassing moments. Unfortunately, the Rockies' bullpen has had a lot of those lately. With the D-backs coming to town this weekend, the Rox have an opportunity to make some progress. Doing so will require better execution than during that Dodgers series (and the game during which we recorded this!).

All that and more on the 136th episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast. Write it on a piece of cardboard and carry it to the top of a 14er for a nice dating app picture!

Is Jon Gray An Ace™ or is he not An Ace™? That is the question on the minds of some corners of Rockies Twitter, and on this week's episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast, we attempt to parse what is a complicated and layered discussion by pointing out one overriding thing question hanging over that question itself: what's the point of that conversation? If Jon Gray is An Ace™, then that's great. Everyone wants An Ace™ and would love for Jon Gray to be An Ace™. But if Jon Gray is not An Ace™, as we have been constantly told on Twitter he is not, what's the end game to that conversation? Telling Jon Gray? Applying for a loan at the Federal Ace™ Relief Department? Mining the South Platte for An Ace™?

The conversation about Jon Gray needs to go deeper and showcase what's been bad and what hasn't been so bad. We try to shed some light on those things in this week's show.

Plus, we all know that Rockies Twitter is not deserving of Connor Farrell (some might call him our own Ace™), but we have him anyway. Connor stops by the show to give his thoughts on Jon Gray, Kyle Freeland, the Rockies' start to 2018, and to tell us about his new podcast, "That Guy Sucks!" which you should search for and subscribe to right now.

All that and more on this week's edition of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast! Mix it up and stain your deck with it!

Really! Though it feels like the sky is falling at times, the Rockies are a first-place team heading home from an acceptable, though not dynamite, 4-5 swing through nine games on the West Coast. This week, we discuss how it's OK to acknowledge that there are problems wth the Rockies and their current roster construction and how that doesn't mean that you're maligning how certain individuals on that roster are as human beings. It's at tricky concept, but hang with us.

Plus, we discuss some doozies of #AskPDP questions from which Rockies would be best-suited to be in a modern day version of "Homer at the Bat" to what the best post-loss late-night snack is (booze) and whether or not Charlie Blackmon may one day surpass Carlos Gonzalez as an all-time Rockies great, which is a more difficult debate than you might initially think.

It's the 134th episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast. Shave those sideburns with it!

As the Rockies continue to search for solutions at the plate that don't apparently consist of playing good younger players, we discuss what could possibly be done to turn "the team you know is gonna hit" into a team that, you know, actually hits. What are some potential solutions that lurk in Triple-A? Just how bad has this offense been from a historical perspective in franchise history? (Hint: REALLY bad) And while things continue floundering on the hitting side, what positives are there to look for from the pitching depth in the organization?

Despite all the struggles, the Rockies are a game and a half out of first place behind the suddenly collapsing D-backs. If the division is really within their grasp, will the Rockies make any substantial moves to capture what could be their first National League West title?

Plus, if a lineup comprised of the worst hitters in franchise history went up against a healthy Clayton Kershaw, how long would it take them to get a hit? Probably forever.

All that and more in the 133rd episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast. Leave it half-wrapped on your bleacher seat in San Francisco and watch a vulturistic seagull fly awa

For all the hand-wringing and consternation over certain things in Rockies Land, your strong, fighting costumed Colorado baseball men are five games over-.500 and positioned well right behind the D-backs in the National League West. The Giants are old as heck, and the Dodgers are dealing with injuries to just about anyone who has set foot on the field at Dodger Stadium. The Rockies, despite a struggling lineup and struggling bullpen, won six straight prior to a series-ending loss to the first-place Angels. Why? Starting pitching. The Rockies' starting rotation has been nothing short of brilliant over the last two weeks, featuring the best staff ERA in the big leagues. We'll discuss.

The main theme of this week's episode is patience. The age in which we live, especially due to Twitter, makes it so we have to freak out at everything in the instant in which it happens. A baseball season is anathema to that. The 162 games of a baseball season are a looooong marathon, and being at five games over the .500 mark seven weeks in is a good thing because -- if sustained -- by midseason, that puts you at 10 over, and by August you're 15. See what we're getting at? The Rockies have played far from their best ball, and they're still getting good results with a good Brewers team coming to town for the weekend.

And yes, we talk about Ian Desmond and why it's OK to feel bad for a guy who's struggling at his job even if he makes a considerable amount of money. 

It's the 132nd episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast! Toss it on the grill for a Mother's Day barbeque!

The title of this, the 131st episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast, could really be applied to any episode ever based on the feedback we get from listeners, but this time, it's in allusion to the fact that really nothing makes sense about the Rockies so far in 2018. They can't hit, and up until the last week they couldn't pitch, yet they head into the final leg of a three-series road trip with a 17-15 record. How...wha? Huh? Well, take it while you can get it because teams that win when things aren't going perfectly are a heck of a lot of fun to watch when things start going better.

This week, we discuss a lot of topics but go deep on the decision to send Ryan McMahon to Triple-A Albuquerque. Why was that the move? What else can the Rockies do to try to jumpstart their offense? And how on earth is Ian Desmond still struggling this badly?

Plus, the National League West is off the a strange start, as well. While nobody can seem to slow down the D-backs at the moment, the Dodgers have lost Justin Turner, Yasiel Puig, Corey Seager, and Hyun-Jin Ryu this year for extended stretches of time -- including losing Seager for the season due to Tommy John surgery. If the Rockies get start taking consistent steps forward offensively, can they distance themselves as the team to contend with Arizona?

It's the 131st episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast! Melt it down and spread it on top of some taco's!

We recorded a really great 130th episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast this afternoon...or so we thought. Half of the episode didn't record. So here is the second take on that first great episode, and you know what? We think it's just as fine and dandy as the first one. It's a free podcast, you get what you pay for.

But the PDP returns for the final podcast of April! This week, we'll discuss The Ian Desmond Conundrum and how long a big league lineup can continue to carry him on a day-to-day basis. Especially with the return of David Dahl (apparently real!) and what looks like a heating bat for Ryan McMahon (amazing what happens when you get regular playing time!) how much longer can Desmond continue to strictly hit grounders to the right side before he's rotated out of a regular starting role?

The Rockies hit the road at 14-12 despite not playing anything approaching their best baseball as of yet. Jon Gray and Kyle Freeland looked great their last times out. Will that momentum spread through the rotation? And what's up with Jake McGee and Bryan Shaw?

Plus a look at Jenny Cavnar's historic (and terrific) debut on TV play-by-play for the Rockies, including how you should feel about the trolls who try to tear a moment like that down. All that and more on the 130th episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast! Toss it into your backpack and go on a nice spring hike with it!

The Rockies are the owners of the worst-hitting offense in the National League. They went like 1-for-1,000,000 with runners in scoring position over the last two series. They have only gotten taco's once this year. Ian Desmond has three hits in his last 49 at-bats. Nolan Arenado just served a five-game suspension, and Gerardo Parra could be up next. Charlie Blackmon's leg is falling off.

And yet they...just...won five out of seven in Washington and Pittsburgh? What?

Things are weird but going pretty well for your strong baseball men in purple! Through 20 games, the Rockies are 11-9 and now 9-5 away from #Coors. Unfortunately, there are cracks in the surface. Nobody seems to be able to hit. The starters haven't gotten deep into games. None of that has proven to be a huge issue so far. We'll discuss a bit as to why.

Plus we're taking your #AskPDPs on the lineup and bench, what video game we'd most like to play on the new board at #Coors, and food (always our fave). All that and more on the 129th episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast! Pack it into a pizza box and deliver it to your friends!

So Nolan nearly got drilled yesterday and then lost his dang mind, charging the mound to try to tear Luis Perdomo limb from limb. Perdomo threw his glove and ran away, terrified, as you or I would do, a move that garnered him "a ton of street cred" according to one dweeb in the San Diego media. On this week's PDP, you'll hear some reaction from Rockies manager Bud Black, outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, and the man himself, contender for the heavyweight crown, Nolan Arenado. Anyway, the Rockies scored five runs immediately following the melee and won. Was that due to the fight? Eh, maybe. Are baseball fights good? Nah. We'll discuss.

It hasn't been a terribly inspiring start to the 2018 season, and we'll try to lay out some reasons why. (Hint: they're not always going to hit!) Plus, Ryan McMahon is on the big league roster to open 2018 and is barely playing. We'll dive into why that seems like just an abjectly terrible idea. Alos, the Rockies announced Charlie Blackmon's extension last week basically right after we recorded and posted our episode, so of course we didn't get to talk about it. We'll explain our thoughts and hangups on said contract and also why it could be good.

It's the 128th episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast. Wad it up into a compact ball and chuck it at a friend!

The Rockies are a .500 ballclub through four games which means the only reasonable reaction is rash, irresponsible takes about how they're either the greatest or worst team of all time. Unfortunately, we don't really excel at either of those things, so we're here to tell you what's going well this season and what could be going better. There's some on each side! That's how sports usually go!

Ian Desmond's (relatively) hot start is something to celebrate, as is the bullpen's. Trevor Story is cold to begin the year, but it might not be as bad as you think. Plus, the Rockies are leading the Majors in home runs after four games, none of which came at Coors Field. So that's fun!

We field a lot of #AskPDPs this week from qeustions about this weekend's weather for the home opener to food options at Coors Field that include a Rocky Mountain Oyster Po' Boy. It's the 127th episode of the Purple Dinosaur Podcast! Deep fry it in ya griddle and serve it up with some cocktail sauce!