Morning Links: Rockies News 8/21

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Rockies got a much needed victory last night in Philadelphia. They play two more games against the Phillies before heading to Miami for a series with Marlins. Here’s what else is happening with the Rockies:

From Jack Etkin: A Beautiful Swing Slows Down (Sports on Earth)

"When the Rockies drafted (Todd) Helton, their manager was Don Baylor. He issued an edict: No one in the organization was to do anything with Helton’s swing. Not even the slightest tinkering. Nothing. When (Clint) Hurdle arrived in Asheville, Hurdle could see why.‘The swing mechanics, the swing plane — it was a beautiful swing,’ Hurdle said. ‘It’s a picture-perfect swing. All the basic hitting mechanics were in the swing. Every one you could ever want.‘That’s where it started, and there was never a doubt in my mind this guy was going to be a big league hitter, was going to be an offensive game-changer.'”"

From Bryan Kilpatrick: Tuesday Rockpile: The at-batthat defines the Rockies’ struggles (Purple Row)

"Colorado has a chance to do something that it has had trouble doing over the past few months: mount a significant rally on the road.Then, an at-bat that exemplifies the team’s struggles over the past few years happens.Michael Cuddyer looked at a first-pitch slider, which is fine, but then proceeded to flail at two more out of the zone, posting an out on the scoreboard without even putting the ball in play, much less getting a runner home.”"

From Joe Posnanski: A dozen days in the life of Barry Bonds (HardBall Talk)

"Then there was Bonds. And he’s an entirely different category. You can argue, if you like, that every single thing Bond ever did on a baseball diamond is tarnished and blemished and unworthy of memory. That’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it. The counter argument is: Whoa! That’s all. Whoa! It seems to me that even if you THINK you remember how ridiculous he was, you probably don’t. I didn’t. I went back and found 12 games he played from August 10 to August 21 in 2004. I kind of picked the games at random — I was only going to do one series, but then I kept going because, frankly, it still absolutely blows the mind. He broke the game, that’s what he did. He tilted it. He blue screened it.”"