Tulo: I wanted to make it 'cool to be a Rockie'

Troy Tulowitzki probably didn't have the Coors Field homecoming he hoped for, but then again, what's another game after 10 years full of memories?

Tulowitzki returned to his old stomping grounds Monday for the first time as a visiting player, nearly 12 months after being acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays in a blockbuster trade that left the five-time All-Star "blindsided."

In his long-awaited return, the former Rockies shortstop was peppered with pregame questions, showered with "Tulo" chants, and adored with a standing ovation. So what if he went 0-for-4, he's certainly been through worse.

"When I got drafted here, people said these guys are terrible," Tulowitzki, who was selected seventh overall in 2005, told Tracy Ringolsby from MLB.com after Monday's 9-5 Rockies win. "They said you don't want to be a Rockie. You are just going to go there and lose. That immediately lit some fire in me. I wanted it to be cool to be a Rockie, for free agents to want to sign here, to be a place you can win."

During his tenure in Colorado, Tulowitzki didn't experience nearly as many wins as he would have liked. Although he led the Rockies to the World Series in just his second year, Colorado managed a winning record in just three of Tulowitzki's 10 seasons.

In spite of the losing, Tulowitzki can lay claim to putting Colorado on the baseball map. After all, his legacy continues to endure in the very same infield he became a superstar on, with youngsters Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story - two players he had a hand in schooling - helping usher in a new generation of Rockies baseball.

"Both great kids with their head where it needs to be. It's exciting to watch," he said. "It's a first time for me, where I'm on other end and seeing guys I took under my wing such as Todd (Helton) did to me and Matt Holliday. To see them have success makes it seem that much more special."