It was a youth league play. Only the youth leaguer sitting next to me would never have done it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s illegal,\u201d Easton English said. The 8-year-old from Parker then rose higher in his seat in Section 126 at Coors Field. \u201cThat is Illegal!\u201d<\/p>\n
Sure is. When you\u2019re on the express train to 100-plus losses, you\u2019re going to come up with creative ways to lose over 162 games. The Rockies managed to find a new one on Saturday against the big, bad Yankees.<\/p>\n
The Local Nine gave up a 10-spot in the top of the fifth that featured three walks, seven hits, 14 batters and a viral moment from second baseman Adael Amador<\/a>.<\/p>\n As Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt looped a single over the infield and into short right, the sublime gave way to ridiculous. At game speed, Amador appeared to lose his glove in midair as the ball went whizzing over his head. Only on replay, it didn\u2019t look as much \u201close his glove\u201d as \u201cfling his glove at the ball during mid-flight.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t talked to him about that,\u201d Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer said after Colorado was smushed, 13-1,<\/a> dropping to 9-43 in a season that\u2019s still got 110 games left. \u201cI\u2019m not quite sure what that was. We\u2019ll get to the bottom of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Actually, young Easton already did. MLB rule 5.06 (4) (C) awards the batter and runner three bases if the fielder is adjudged to have deliberately thrown his glove at a live batted ball and said glove touches that ball. There\u2019s no penalty if the ball is not touched or the removal is perceived to have been accidental. Amador told The Post\u2019s Corey Masisak, through an interpreter, that the glove accidentally slipped. The umpiring crew agreed.<\/p>\n Amador stayed in the game. Goldschmidt\u2019s single made it 9-1 Yankees. The Bronx Bombers plated two more after that to put the game away, so the airborne glove became a moot point.<\/p>\n But back in Section 126, where Easton was watching the game with his family, it became another Rockies learning experience. Another perfect example of what not to do.<\/p>\n Easton, you see, is a center fielder with the Parker Knights 8-and-under baseball team. His father, Kevin English, is one of the Knights\u2019 assistant coaches.<\/p>\n \u201cYou ever see a flying glove in Parker?\u201d I asked Kevin.<\/p>\n \u201cNever seen it,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n \u201cYou ever teach a flying glove in Parker?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNever would teach that,\u201d he countered. \u201cDon\u2019t think it would ever come up beyond t-ball.\u201d<\/p>\n English brought the crew to 20th & Bleak because it was a rare Saturday matinee and because Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was in town.\u00a0He expected some jaw-dropping moments. He didn\u2019t count on a teaching one.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, that was like 8U ball, that one,\u201d Kevin said. \u201cThat many runs (in an inning)? That\u2019s what youth baseball is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n Come for the party deck, stay for the life lessons. The Rockies are 2-10 since firing manager Bud Black, and Colorado finishes May with the Cubs and Mets on the road.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody knows it\u2019s not Bud\u2019s fault,\u201d Kevin said. \u201cThat\u2019s a good baseball guy right there.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin knows good baseball guys. In the English family, the pastime is more than a legacy deal \u2014 it runs in the blood. Kevin\u2019s dad, Randy, was a pitcher at Oklahoma State in the late \u201970s. As a Poke, his position coach was Tom Holliday \u2014 father of Rockies legend Matt Holliday and grandpa of next-gen baseball standouts Jackson and Ethan.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery now and then, (my dad messages me), \u2018Hey, the Rockies, they just (stink), don\u2019t they?’\u201d Kevin chuckled. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Yeah.’\u201d<\/p>\n Yet English wants to watch the games with his son, the way his dad watched games with him. Even if it means forking over $89.99 to the team directly for streaming access, or $19.99 per month.<\/p>\n \u201cI like bringing my son out because I\u2019m trying to teach him young,\u201d Kevin continued. \u201cIt\u2019s a game of failure, right? \u2026 You\u2019re going to fail more than you succeed. \u2018Watch them do the little things. Watch them hustle. Watch them just do little things over and over before the play.’\u201d<\/p>\n Watch them chuck a glove at a single while it\u2019s in the air!<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s kind of funny, because my son never really showed a ton of interest in baseball (before this year),\u201d said Kevin, who, yes, named his Easton after the iconic baseball equipment company.<\/p>\n \u201cI never made him play. I\u2019m not going to be like that. But this year, kind of his first year at it, we\u2019re going pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, Dad says, their Knights had more wins (12) than the Rockies (nine) as of Saturday night. Must be the coaching.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you rooting for the Rockies or Yankees?\u201d I asked Easton.<\/p>\n \u201cYankees.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow come?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAaron Judge.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat advice would you give Rockies players right now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey should pretend it\u2019s a scrimmage and have fun. Don\u2019t worry if people are on base. Just do what you do.\u201d<\/p>\n Please don\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, (Easton) asked me, \u2018Are the Rockies any good?\u2019 It\u2019s like, \u2018They\u2019re not that good, no. But, you know, they have been good. They have been to a World Series. Rocktober, that was fun<\/a>.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cBut you just tell them, like, \u2018Hey, you\u2019re going to be on teams that aren\u2019t always the best, right? They\u2019re not always good, but your attitude and effort is what you can control when you go out there and you play hard, right?\u2019 So, yeah. You know, (the Rockies) are not going to be bad forever.\u201d<\/p>\n He chuckled again.<\/p>\n \u201cAt least, you hope not.\u201d<\/p>\n