The Rockies and manager Jim Tracy are nearing a three-year extension, the Denver Post is reporting, though an official announcement on an extension will likely wait until after the World Series. Tracy took over for Clint Hurdle after Hurdle was fired on May 27 and led the Rockies to a 74-42 record and the wild-card berth in the National League playoffs. When Tracy took over, the Rockies were 18-28 and 14 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. Under Tracy, they challenged L.A. for the division title. That sprint to the playoffs makes this extension more or less a foregone conclusion. What team in their right mind wouldn't extend the interim manager that had his team playing at a 103-win pace over a large chunk of the season?
For Tracy, the extension completes the career rebirth he's had in Colorado after his firing by the Dodgers in 2005 and his disastrous two-year run in Pittsburgh in 2006 and 2007. Tracy's Rockies won more times in 114 games than his 2005 Dodgers, 2006 Pirates, or 2007 Pirates won in a full seasons. His laid-back style meshed with the Rockies, though, and he deserves the extension and the dropping of the interim tag. His task now? Lead the Rockies to a second straight winning season for only the second time in franchise history.
