DENVER -- Part of the magic of Rockies manager Bud Black was his ability to keep his team even-keeled after a big loss. So don't expect finishing in third place for the Baseball Writers' Association of America National League Manager of the Year Award, despite leading the Rockies to a second straight postseason appearance, to faze him.
The Braves' Brian Snitker, who took a team that was expected to finish third or fourth in the NL East to the division crown, took the award. Snitker took 17 first-place votes, the Brewers' Craig Counsell took 11 and Black received one. Last year -- when Black took a team that hadn't had a winning season in six years to the postseason -- he was a runner-up to the Dodgers' Dave Roberts.
:: NL Manager of the Year voting totals ::
Black's Rockies were eight games out of first place on June 28, but they posted the NL's best record the rest of the way -- 55-30. Tied with the eventual NL champion Dodgers after 162 games, the Rockies fell, 5-2, at Dodger Stadium in the NL West tie-breaker. The Rockies would go on to beat the Cubs, 2-1, in 13 innings in the NL Wild Card Game at Wrigley Field before being swept by the Brewers in the NL Division Series.
Black, 61, shepherded the Rockies through numerous pressure points.
The offense struggled all season, hitting a franchise-low .256 overall and .225 on the road, also a franchise low. While the pitching staff set club records for strikeouts (1,409) and opponents' batting average (.250) -- and starters posted a 4.17 ERA that was second-lowest in the franchise's 26 years -- the rotation's June slump put the team in its eight-game hole. The Rockies also experienced some colorful losses -- while closer Wade Davis set a club record with 43 saves, his six blown saves and some other late-game bullpen meltdowns led to some gut-punch losses. A 1-5 road trip in September temporarily put the Rockies out of playoff position.
Throughout it all, a steely Rockies club had a tendency to fight back, often immediately after a tough loss. For example, after the Rockies served up five home runs in an 8-5 home loss to the Dodgers on Aug. 10, the Rockies won thrillers the next two nights on the strength of home runs by rookie Ryan McMahon, who Black helped usher through some tough early-season games and a couple of demotions to Triple-A.

"If you don't have emotional wins to counter the tough losses, it makes it tough to sustain momentum," Black said on Aug. 12, the day after McMahon's three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth provided a 3-2 win over the Dodgers. "And we've had some good wins in amongst these tough losses to keep a high level of confidence."
To qualify for the postseason, the Rockies had to win nine of their final 10 regular-season games. In the end, the bullpen that at times struggled was a strength, and the starting staff carried the team when the offense was hit-and-miss.
It all resulted in a 91-72 record -- one win fewer than the club record -- and another Manager of the Year mention for Black.