Longtime Colorado Rockies radio broadcaster Jack Corrigan has seen plenty of mediocre teams in his 24 years as the play-by-play voice of the organization. But this year’s team appears destined to not only be the worst he has ever seen, but maybe the worst in modern MLB history, which Corrigan did not see coming entering the season.
Sitting at 18-60 on the year, the Rockies are on pace to finish worse than the 2024 Chicago White Sox team that finished 41-121, the worst record in modern MLB history.
Corrigan knew, based on the roster on paper, that this year’s Rockies team would have its fair share of struggles. But being this bad was not something that he saw coming, which he detailed in a recent conversation with John Baggett of the Cowboy State Daily Morning Show with John Baggett.
“There was some understanding that this was going to be a transitional year between injuries, maybe some misjudgments on guys being ready or guys having the talent to be successful,” Corrigan said. “Plus, just the way the schedule played out, the sort of strength of schedule that the Rockies have dealt with in the first two and a half months all contributed to the start they’ve had.
“I told people before spring training started, I said this will be a different team and they will be better at the end of the year than they are at the beginning, but that it could be challenging at times. I don’t think people thought it would be this challenging.”
Broadcasting games for a team that has been outscored by 202 runs this early into the year can obviously bring its fair share of challenges in regards to retaining viewers in uninteresting games.
But for Corrigan, disappointment is something that he says he learned to live with far before his broadcasting career ever started.
Interestingly, Corrigan detailed that he once auditioned for a part in a Shakespeare play while in college, only to be beaten out for the role by Christopher Reeve, who would, of course, go on to star in the original Superman movie. This taught him that sometimes, disappointment is something that is inevitable, much like it appears to be with this year’s Rockies team.
“I learned to handle disappointment,” Corrigan told Baggett. “That’s why things like what the Rockies are going through right now is no big deal. I’ve gone through the ups and the downs.”
While some broadcasters would be discouraged by what they are seeing with the Colorado Rockies, Corrigan instead sees his role as an opportunity to peak the interest of any potential new listeners so that they can fall in love with the game like he did as a kid.
“Whether your team is good or bad, that night might be a great story,” Corrigan added. “So, you go into that game with enthusiasm. There’s somebody coming to that game for the first time, or there’s somebody there who spends a big chunk of their annual income to be a season ticket holder because that’s how much they love the game. So there’s that obligation to bring all the elements of the game, good and bad, to that listener, to make it appealing.”