The man that saved the Rockies has died.

[El Supremo]

McMorris, former Rockies owner, dies at 71

DENVER -- Whether it was to save Major League Baseball in Denver, or to simply save baseball, Jerry McMorris was the person people called.

He not only answered. He led.

McMorris put together the Colorado-based group that rescued the Colorado Rockies franchise in 1992, the year before it took the field, when the original ownership group fell apart because of legal issues. After labor discord forced the cancellation of the 1994 World Series, he spearheaded negotiations from the owners' side and helped bring baseball back to the field in early 1995.

McMorris, who at first didn't want to be involved in the franchise's day-to-day operation, was chief executive officer for the Rockies' first nine years and maintained a presence in the ownership group for 14 years. During his tenure, he oversaw record-setting attendance at Mile High Stadium and the successful opening of Coors Field, was a driving force behind a team that made the playoffs in its third year of existence -- a record at the time -- saw an All-Star Game at Coors Field and helped the game maintain labor peace and experience growth....

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120508&content_id=30731910&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

[bluedigger]

1. That's a shame.

Only the good die young.