Between the University of Colorado’s big 29-27 win over the Georgia Bulldogs in Boulder and the Broncos’ win in Tennessee, the fact that the Rockies’ 2010 season came to a merciful close over the weekend flew largely under the radar. Perhaps that’s a good thing, considering how the team played down the stretch. The Rockies’ season-ending 6-1 loss Sunday to the St. Louis Cardinals brought the 2010 campaign to an end, marking a disastrous skid: losing 13 of their final 14 games (via The Associated Press). The Rox finished with a record of 83-79, third in the National League West and nine games behind the NL West champion San Francisco Giants (via MLB.com).

Rockies manager Jim Tracy tells The Denver Post, “I’m not going to sit here and make excuses as to why this didn’t happen or that didn’t happen. It’s black and white for me.”

For everything that went wrong this year—injuries, slumps, poor play (via Yahoo! Sports)—at least a couple things went very well for the Rockies. Tops on the list could be the emergence of outfielder Carlos Gonzalez as one of the game’s best young stars. Gonzalez couches his reaction to winning the NL’s batting title this year in terms of what it means for his team, writes The Denver Post. CarGo finished the year with a .336 batting average, 34 home runs, 26 stolen bases, and 117 RBIs, providing the Rockies with a solid building block going forward.

Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki also logged a big year, despite missing 33 games with a broken wrist. The Post notes in a separate article that Tulo belted 40 RBIs in September—an MLB record—but he calls the season “a failure” and is already preparing for a grueling off-season workout schedule.