Troy Tulowitzki’s parting from the Colorado Rockies was not really an amicable one. Seven months later, it seems as though at least on Tulowitzki’s side, the bad feelings haven’t really subsided much.
Speaking to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Tulowitzki reasserted how much he hated being lied to by Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich, who told him that he wouldn’t be traded. According to Nightengale, Tulowitzki outright screamed at Bridich after being informed of his trade to Toronto.
“I’ll never talk to him, never talk to those people,” Tulowitzki said. “You get lied to, straight to your face, you get upset. I believe in forgiveness, but at the same time, I don’t plan on being friendly with them, or anything like that.”
Tulowitzki also said that he actually prefers Toronto’s older, smaller spring training facility to Colorado’s 185,000 square foot camp, and his reasoning raised a few eyebrows.
“I like this place a lot better than Arizona,” Tulowitzki said. “That place was like a country club. Guys got comfortable because it was so nice.
“This place has a better feel. It reminds you of spring training. The way it’s supposed to be.”
One of Tulowitzki’s former Colorado teammates, Nolan Arenado, took offense to that remark.
“I’ve told you that Tulo is my boy, and he still is my friend,” Arenado said, via Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “But obviously, Tulo has some anger still. I don’t know if it’s the right way to be saying it in the media, but that’s his business and that’s how he’s handling it.
“But I don’t think it’s a country club here. I think it’s just a matter of guys putting their work in. I don’t agree with the ‘country club’ statement.”
Arenado was admittedly shocked by Tulowitzki’s trade, and it’s clear there’s a fondness for him, but Arenado is probably right. While admittedly he was likely directly asked about his parting with Colorado, Tulowitzki has already made it clear that he was hurt by the deal, but he’s on a new – and significantly better – team now. It’s time for Tulo to put his head down and move forward.
