Old Sweater
01-28-2008, 03:34 AM
In 2002, a humidor was installed to store baseballs at the manufacturer's specification. Since the discovery of the humidor, it has cast suspicion in baseball of the Rockies talent. Tampering with equipment, or more accurately, perceived tampering of equipment is an old phenomenon in baseball. That is in part why there is much discussion about the Denver humidor, and why Major League Baseball has not stepped in on the situation.
Since the installation and discovery of the humidor in Coors Field, runs and high scoring games have since gone down in frequency. The Rockies do not deny this, however, they point to the reason for balls flying out of Coors Field is not so much the elevation (5,280 feet above sea level), but the extremely dry air in Denver. They liken it to playing baseball with golf balls, as harder objects travel faster than softer objects when hit, like a baseball when kept at a humidity level recommended by the manufacturer. Columnists in Denver's newspapers also speculate that most players are stopping the use of steroids because of the increased testing and penalties, so fewer home runs are hit at Coors Field.
To the contrary, skeptics will say that any tampering of the equipment would create an advantage for the home team, and if it did not, then the changes might never have been made. These accusations arrived again through the course of the 2006 season, as the Rockies had their best year since 2000. However, this doesn't account for the fact that three of the Rockies’ four seasons over .500, including a playoff berth in 1995, came before the installation of the humidor, and their 2nd worst season in franchise history was 2004. Furthermore, Colorado was below .500 at home during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. In fact, the Rockies' 2004 home record (38-43) was the worst in franchise history since the 1994 Major League Baseball strike year, which was a shortened season. The Rockies best home record came during the 1996 season (55-26), which was before the humidor was installed. The following are the home records for each season in Rockies' history:
Some baseball followers have suggested that every major league baseball team should use a humidor. The Coors Field humidor is designed to keep the baseballs at the exact same size and weight as they are originally constructed for Major League Baseball. It is theorized that if every team had baseballs that were stored before the game in exactly the same conditions, it might serve as an equalizer for the teams, as well as eliminate the controversy of "tampering" with the baseballs.
To heck with every team having a humidor. Only the Rockies pitchers should have access to soggy baseballs!!! Of course we give the sun dried specials to the opponents.:)
Since the installation and discovery of the humidor in Coors Field, runs and high scoring games have since gone down in frequency. The Rockies do not deny this, however, they point to the reason for balls flying out of Coors Field is not so much the elevation (5,280 feet above sea level), but the extremely dry air in Denver. They liken it to playing baseball with golf balls, as harder objects travel faster than softer objects when hit, like a baseball when kept at a humidity level recommended by the manufacturer. Columnists in Denver's newspapers also speculate that most players are stopping the use of steroids because of the increased testing and penalties, so fewer home runs are hit at Coors Field.
To the contrary, skeptics will say that any tampering of the equipment would create an advantage for the home team, and if it did not, then the changes might never have been made. These accusations arrived again through the course of the 2006 season, as the Rockies had their best year since 2000. However, this doesn't account for the fact that three of the Rockies’ four seasons over .500, including a playoff berth in 1995, came before the installation of the humidor, and their 2nd worst season in franchise history was 2004. Furthermore, Colorado was below .500 at home during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. In fact, the Rockies' 2004 home record (38-43) was the worst in franchise history since the 1994 Major League Baseball strike year, which was a shortened season. The Rockies best home record came during the 1996 season (55-26), which was before the humidor was installed. The following are the home records for each season in Rockies' history:
Some baseball followers have suggested that every major league baseball team should use a humidor. The Coors Field humidor is designed to keep the baseballs at the exact same size and weight as they are originally constructed for Major League Baseball. It is theorized that if every team had baseballs that were stored before the game in exactly the same conditions, it might serve as an equalizer for the teams, as well as eliminate the controversy of "tampering" with the baseballs.
To heck with every team having a humidor. Only the Rockies pitchers should have access to soggy baseballs!!! Of course we give the sun dried specials to the opponents.:)