The Rockies have turned down the $5 million option for 2010 for right-handed pitcher Rafael Betancourt, but will continue to negotiate toward a deal. The Rockies could be covered if they don't re-sign him, however. If they offer him arbitration and he signs elsewhere, they'll receive two early picks in the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft because he is a Type A free agent.

Sporting News announced today that the Rockies' Jim Tracy and the Angels' Mike Scioscia were named managers of the year in the National and American leagues, respectively. The passionate writers who blog the game agree.

The Baseball Bloggers Alliance sent a press release announcing their choices. The BBA Web site has the story.

Rockies fans usually smile when they remember 2007. What a giddy time. But things went kind of downhill at the very end, and I'm not talking about the sweep at the hands of the Red Sox in the World Series.

The mainstream postseason awards system essentially ignored the Rockies. Then-Rockies star Matt Holliday was pushed aside in the Baseball Writers Association of America for the Most Valuable Player Award, which went to the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins. By no means was Rollins a flimsy choice. He was heart and soul of a Phillies team that has become dominant. But some of the reasoning against Holliday -- mainly that Coors Field inflated his numbers -- ignored the fact the Phillies play a homer-friendly bandbox, Citizens Bank Park. That, and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki losing out to the Brewers' Ryan Braun for NL Rookie of the Year (Braun struggled so much defensively that he later changed positions, while Tulowitizki's glove made a huge difference), reinforced the feeling that among local fans that the writers who vote paid no attention to the Rockies until it was unavoidable. Holliday was the only player to earn a Louisville Slugger Silver Slgger Award. No one won a Rawlings Gold Glove Award despite an outstanding overall defensive performance.

At least Tulowitkzi was taken care of outside the traditional media voting. He earned a 2007 Fielding Bible Award from ACTA Sports, which bases the award on a scientific system, and fans voted him the NL's outstanding rookie via MLB.com in The Year in Baseball Awards.

Now, though, one major honor has come the Rockies' way. Sporting News has named Jim Tracy its NL Manager of the Year, and Tracy is a favorite for the BBWAA's manager award.

Now is a good time to look at a couple of other possible awards for the Rockies.

-- Tulowitzki is up for a Gold Glove again. Rollins, however, has won the award the last two years. It's hard to beat an incumbent, and Rollins had a slightly higher fielding percentage, .990 to .986. But it's hard to ignore Tulowitzki's overall role in the turnaround. And the baseball people who vote tend to let offense creep into the equation. Tulowitzki had a much bigger year offensively.

-- That's why Tulowitzki should win his first Silver Slugger Award for his complete offensive season -- .297 (including .344 after the All-Star break), 32 home runs, 92 RBIs and 20 steals.

-- How about first baseman Todd Helton for the various NL comeback player of the year awards? He finished fourth in the NL in batting. Who expected that after back surgery at the end of last season?

-- By the second half, Helton began showing his former range. He has a shot at his fourth Gold Glove. By the way, the Rockies haven't had a Gold Glove winner since Helton won his last, in 2004.

-- I doubt center fielder Dexter Fowler will win Rookie of the Year, but it'll be interesting to see where he finishes in the voting.

Any other thoughts on awards?

Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS are starting at 12:37 p.m. (MT). Let's say that's not exactly prime time.

That fact bothers Phillies Game 2 starter Cole Hamels. He said as a player he can't let it bother him, but starting games so early is a disruption, and a little disrespectful.

"In being the defending World Champs, I think it's kind of a little weird that we kind of get both games at 2 o'clock," Hamels said. "I don't think it's fair. I definitely don't think it's fair for the fans, because this ais all about the homefield advantage.

"I understand TV ratings, ut I think at the end of the day most players would rather play when they're both comfortable, and that's kind of what we've trained at, either 1 o'clock or 7 o'clock, and I think that's more fair for us."

Hamels has some points. But it's a discussion that Rockies manager Jim Tracy would rather not have.

"I don't get too overly involved in it because the schedule makers are not going to ask me my opinion," Tracy said. "I understand Cole's point. This is a very good team. They are the defending World Champions. They obviously have a right to an opinion.

"But as far as me weighing in and saying I'd rather done this, I'd rather done that, at 18-28 back on the 28th of May, I'm tickled to death to have a game to play. I really don't care what time it starts." 

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel loves the matchup. Most of the Rockies' feared hitters are left-handed, and the Phillies will start lefties Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels in the first two games of the National League Division Series. The Rockies hit .264 against right-handers and .253 against left-handers during the regular season.

"Left-handed pitchers agaisnt Colorado, to me, definitely comes into play," Manuel said. 'I think with lee and Hamels, I think that we've got two top-notch pitchers going into the first two games of the series."

This also gives Manuel lefty J.A. Happ and righty Joe Blanton to pitch in relief should one of the two aces struggle. That would mean Manuel can limit the use of a bullpen that has struggled during the latter part of the season.

What a wonderful, sun-baked day here in Philadelphia. From the press box at Citizens Bank Park, the view of Philadelphia beyond the stadium is one of the most beautiful in baseball. I guess it's underrated, because hardly anyone waxes about it.

It's a great day for baseball. Too bad it's only the workout day. Wednesday's Game 1 forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of rain. The postcard-perfect day game is Thursday -- 69 with no chance of showers.

Speaking of the weather, be ready to bundle up for Saturday night's Game 3. The forecast says 44 degrees with a 40 percent chance of precipitation.

Rockies second baseman Clint Barmes confirmed what the camera of an eagle-eyed fan showed. He did not have possession of the ball throughout his ninth-inning play, which was ruled a catch. Barmes made the play on a soft Ryan Ludwick pop with runners at first and third in the ninth inning. Barmes then doubled Albert Pujols off first base, ending the Rockies' 4-3 victory.

Some thoughts on the play:

-- If you don't call it "the catch of the year," it's still the defensive play of the year. To hit the ground that hard and roll over, yet not have the ball squirt away is a feat in and of itself.

-- What's the big deal? The play isn't reviewable. And it's not like Barmes is going to stand up and say, "That ball landed." Even if he did, I don't think there's anything in the rule book to allow for that. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

-- It's good it wasn't a postseason game. The umpire down the right-field line would have been at roughly the same angle as the camera.

Barmes' quotes in an arranged media meeting on Tuesday weren't much different from when I talked to him on Sunday afternoon. I asked him then if the ball hit the ground, and he said he didn't know.

"I really don't know anything other than what I said on Sunday," Barmes said. "It all happened so fast and the ball ended up in my hand somehow and I wasn't sure if it was from off the ground or before it hit the ground. All I know is whenever I rolled and popped up, the ball was in my hand perfectly like I'd reached down and grabbed it."

Right-hander Jose Contreras, who joined the Rockies in an Aug. 31 trade to help the starting rotation, has looked good enough in two relief appearances to get manager Jim Tracy thinking.

Tracy used Contreras on Friday and Saturday against the Cardinals. Other than a Ryan Ludwick home run during Friday's 2-1 Rockies victory, Contreras has been stellar. His fastball is traveling at around 95 mph -- faster than when he starts.

Tracy has no intention of using him on Sunday, and he must have him available for possible multiple innings Thursday when Aaron Cook makes his second start since returning from a shoulder injury.

The use of Contreras must make sense. For example, Tracy is using him to start innings rather than having him jump into tight situations. But having an arm like that in the bullpen could be a boon to the Rockies in the postseason, provided they hold off the charging Braves.

Tracy said relief pitching could be a part of Contreras' future, if he is interested.

"He was throwing the ball as hard, maybe harder, last night as the night before," Tracy said. "This is a strong man. Can he handle doing something like that [beyond this season]? That's a conversation for down the road.

"But we're at a point of the season where you use your resources, whatever makes sense. What we've seen the last couple of nights makes sense. If that makes us as good as we can possibly be in the postseason, we'll entertain it.

"The next conversation is over the long haul, is he comfortable with something like that? Would he entertain an idea like that? Would he dismiss it and say, 'I want to start. I'm a starting pitcher.' You have to have a respect factor for a man of his stature. This is not his first or second year in professional baseball."

Rockies manager Jim Tracy emphasized Wednesday that left fielder Carlos Gonzalez's left hamstring is not strained or pulled. Gonzalez did leave Tuesday night's 11-10 victory over the Padres with tightness in the hamstring. But Tracy said that was for precautionary reasons.

Not putting him in the lineup on Wednesday was yet another precaution. It rained much of the day in Denver, and the temperature is likely not to be much higher than Tuesday's gametime temp of 48.

Seth Smith, who replaced Gonzalez on Tuesday, was in the lineup in left field and in the leadoff spot.

Tracy also announced that Rafael Betancourt, who suffered soreness in his right calf after pitching Saturday at Arizona, was to throw a touch-and-feel bullpen session, in hopes that he'll be available to return to game action soon.