KOA Radio 850

April 1, 2014: Aurora, Colorado – Aurora broadcasters Mark Gunter and George Crocker sit down with Roberto Rosado, new manager of the Aurora Borealis, to discuss the coming season and learn more about the man who’ll be leading the team in 2014.

Crock: Whooooo… hooooo… it’s baseball time in the big city, boys and girls!  I mean, hey, hey, hey… time for Aurora baseball.

Gunt: Indeed it is, George.  Today, the Borealis open the 2014 season here at home against the Yuma Bulldozers, with Bill Bradley taking the mound.

Crock: Good ol’ Slappy.  This has got to be his year, Mark-O.  Man, we saw a lot – and I mean a lot – of changes this off-season, eh Marky?

Gunt: There have been, both for the Borealis and many of the teams around PEBA.  Perhaps the biggest change is down in Tempe, where the Knights no longer have Markus Hancock and Conan McCullough to lean on.

Crock: Dude… when I heard those guys were leaving Tempe, I thought to myself, “George Crocker, one of those guys is going to look sa-weeeeet in Aurora blue,” but instead, look what Hancocky has got on now.  Did you see those highlights?  That dark Bears blue?  Just looks wrong.  What was the Boy Wonder thinking?  Why ain’t he here?

Gunt: That’s a great question, George.  I guess part of that comes from the changes we see here in Aurora.  Three major players are gone: Pexego, Quiñones and Ramos.  In their place, we have Coleman, Muñóz and MacComie.  I’d have to guess that the uncertainty about Coleman making the jump to the majors was a big factor in the negotiations.  I’m sure Tempe wanted Rod Johnson, who Topham probably wants to hold as insurance.

Crock: Man, oh man… how quickly they forget!  Ah… Georgie Thompson?  King George is gone as well, off to the land of giant Italian turnovers!

Gunt: Yes, and King George.  There has been a lot of discussion on the talk shows about the loss of these players.  There are some angry fans out there.  I personally think the biggest loss is Ramos.  He was a big piece of that shutdown ‘pen.

Crock: I don’t know, Marky-Mark – I’ll miss El Chupacabra.  He sure was a colorful guy.  His antics in the dugout during games have been a blast to watch.  I mean, the dude’s a total comedian!

Gunt: Well, George, let’s find out what the new man in charge thinks about this year’s team.  Folks, joining us today is Aurora manager Roberto Rosado.  Welcome to A Crock of Gunt, Roberto.

Rosado: Well, thank you for having me, guys.  I’m really excited to be here in Aurora and to get this chance.  I can’t think of a better job in all of baseball.  The talent in this organization – top to bottom – is phenomenal.

Crock: Dude… totally welcomed.  I mean, dang, you could have stayed in Connecticut and remained a Nutmegger.  I thought to myself, “Why would I, George Crocker, ever want to be a Nutmegger?”  I mean, what is a “nutmeg”, anyway?

Gunt: I think it’s a spice, George…

Crock: A spice?  Who names a team after a spice?  Come on!  That’s like naming a team after a bunch of stars or something!  Nobody does that!

Gunt: (shaking his head)

Rosado: Well, in answer to your odd question, George, I spent the past seven seasons in Connecticut and despite our never finishing better than third, I really enjoyed working with Alonso.  Real classy guy.  When Juan retired, I knew this was a spot I’d love to work in.

Crock: So how did that happen?  I understand you and Mikey Topham are, like, lifelong pals?  Did you use some favoritism card on him?  Maybe got some good dirt on him?  What gives, Double R?

Rosado: Well, it’s not quite like that, George.  Mike and I do have some ties in the past, but aside from that, it was all handled very professionally.

Gunt: You both are from San Francisco.  Did you have some form of a relationship prior to your joining Aurora?

Rosado: Keep in mind that I’m seven years older, so it’s not as if we were schoolmates or anything.  Even if we were the same age, we definitely would have run in quite different circles.  He grew up in The Heights and I was out in The Mission.  No, I meet Mike Topham while I was coaching at Stanford and he was a student there.

Gunt: So tell us about that.  You seem to have had a meteoric rise in the coaching profession, starting at the high school level, moving through the collegiate level and onto the pros.

Rosado: Well, I knew I never was going to get very far playing.  I had some interest from scouts in high school, but it went nowhere.  I wanted to stay active in baseball, so I went the coaching route.  Mike was a senior at Stanford when I began there.  He was a volunteer scorekeeper for us and, well… baseball has been known to bring guys from diverse backgrounds together.  Anyway, he interviewed a number of guys, including Ken Crouch.  I was surprised they didn’t promote him.

Crock: Cool… so enough with the history lessons.  Tell us, Rosey Rob… how many games are you going to win the Desert Hills by this year?  What do you think about Hancocky being in Bake-a-feld?  Early computer prognosticators have you coasting to a title.  What… do you think of that?

Rosado: Phew… please, one question at a time, George.

Gunt: That’s just the way he is, Roberto.

Rosado: It’s hard for me to say.  Having spent my entire PEBA career in the Imperial League…

Crock: The Inferior League, I believe you mean.

Rosado: Ah… whatever… I’m not real familiar with the teams over here.  I know Aurora seems to have the top record every year.  I know Crystal Lake and Bakersfield are tough every season and that Fargo and Omaha are vastly improved.  Even Duluth is improved.  Our goal is to make the playoffs.  If we do so with 90 wins or 120 wins, the playoffs are the playoffs and once you’re there, who knows what happens.

Gunt: Very true.  With a new GM in Crystal Lake, who knows where that franchise will go over the course of the season?  Couple that with the financial crisis in Tempe and this could be the most unpredictable season in PEBA history.

Rosado: Truly.  With the changes that have occurred in Connecticut, I’m kind of sad I moved.  It’s going to be a fun season up there in New England, what with Pexego and Barrón moving up there.  Now, speaking of Barrón, I must say that it would have been fun to have Markus come to Aurora, but I’m not sure he is the end all to Bakersfield’s dominance.  Tempe was successful because Conan complemented him well.  I think if Barrón had stayed with the Bears, things would have been different.

Gunt: Speaking of complementary pieces, what are your thoughts of Aurora’s recent pick-up, Juan Silva?

Rosado: Juan is a true professional.  He has had three consecutive outstanding seasons, discounting the 2011 season in which he was hurt.  He certainly showed the past two years that he hasn’t missed a beat.  We are excited to see what he can do in the PEBA.  He reminds me an awful lot of Pedro Barrón.  If he pitches like “Rival”, then we really didn’t lose out in the pitching sweepstakes that took place this off-season.

Gunt: So I see you have inserted Silva into the 4-spot in the rotation and moved Chávez into the 5-hole.  That’s very different from what you planned at the start of spring, when Reyes was going to be #5 and Chávez #4.

Rosado: Chávez had an outstanding year in 2013 and we wanted to reward that in some manner.  Reyes was clearly our fifth-best starter, but now with Silva… well, the line is a little blurred.  Placing him in the 4-slot breaks up our two left-handed arms so Frankie and Artie don’t go on back-to-back days.

Crock: So tell us, Rodeo Rob-O: The Goat Sucker is now a… you said they were a spice, Mark-a-licious?

Gunt: Yup…

Crock: Okay… he’s now a spice.  So this kid, Coleman… will he be up to the job?  Ol’ Pexego drove in 162 two seasons ago.  Can Kenny match that?

Rosado: Well.  Pexego was… is… a special talent.  We can all agree with that.  I can’t comment on any of the negotiations that went on last year aside from I’m sure he was asking a lot and I’m guessing they were looking to save some dollars, what with the prospect of bringing Barrón or McCullough to town.  I think Coleman will be okay –he’ll give us what we need.  In some ways, he reminds me thus far of Octávio.  He has excellent bat speed and hits the ball very well to the gaps.  From what I can tell, Coleman makes more consistent contact, so what he may lack in average, he may simply make up with balls in play.

Gunt: What would you like to see for Coleman’s rookie campaign?  .280, 20 HR, 80 RBI?  Based on his minor league numbers, he should be able to pull that off.

Rosado: I think those are fair stats.  For now, Ken will hit eighth after Wilson Berry.  With our lineup, he should get ample RBI opportunities.

Gunt: 2013 was a banner year offensively for Aurora.  Tell us what your expectation for 2014 is.

Rosado: It’s certainly hard to envision a team being more offensive than last year…

Crock: More offensive?  That’s great!  That’s a total gut-buster!  Man… you are the best!  I love those double enterics – just gets you rolling on the floor.  You know?  ROFLing!

Rosado: Well, George, I didn’t mean it like that.  Anyway, as you know, the team made a concentrated effort to run more last season, especially with the arrival of En-guo.  Don’t expect that to change this year.  Aurora stole 216 bases last year and this year we are shooting for 250.  We lost some power – okay, a lot of power – with Pexego and Quiñones leaving, so we hope to make up for that with a more aggressive approach on the bases.  Having Brad Cain on the squad should help us with that goal, as he has speed to burn as well.

Gunt: And on the mound?

Rosado: I’d say we have an excellent mixture on the mound.  Our staff is mostly a young one – only four guys are 30 or older.  Lara is 30 and Silva 31.  Yet it is a very experienced staff.  We do have two rookies in the bullpen this year with MacComie and Gordon, but I think they will perform well.  We had the best staff statistically in the league last year and, frankly, I don’t think we need that to be the best team with the offense we run out on the field.  Maybe my biggest concern is getting Bradley on the mound for 30 starts and 200 innings this year.  That seems to be a problem for him.

Crock: So dude, break it down for me.  What I hear you saying is that this year’s team doesn’t need to be better than last year to win a title?  That’s freaking warping my mind!

Gunt: (to himself) I think it’s already warped…

Rosado: George, I think that’s what I am saying.  I’m extremely lucky to have been given control of a team chalk full of talent and I’d be lying if I told you I had any expectation other than winning the Rodriguez Cup this season.  I was brought here to win, and win we shall do.

Gunt: Well now… very good.  You heard it here first, folks, and I must say I agree with Roberto Rosado.  Thanks for joining us.  Good luck in today’s opener.  George, any thoughts?

Crock: Thoughts?  Are you kidding?  Me, George Crocker?  Do I have any thoughts?  I sure do.  Look out for Al Edwards!  Aurora has won the Royal Raker the past three seasons with three different players and big Allie E. is going to make it #4.  All he needs is to be a little more selective at the plate and an already dangerous hitter goes dyno-mite on the league.  I see the Borealis taking it all, and A.K. and Nelly?  Payback is going to be hot and cold and Borealis blue all over!

Gunt: Wow… a bold proclamation there.  Then again, do you expect anything less from George Crocker?  I didn’t think so.  Enjoy the game.