DENVER -- Even before Dante Bichette became one of the Rockies' earliest stars, manager Don Baylor knew how to ignite the outfielder's underlying confidence.
In the early 1990s, Baylor told Bichette he had the talent to "run the league." After becoming the Rockies' manager for the inaugural 1993 season, Baylor made sure the club acquired Bichette, put him in the No. 3 spot in the batting order and watched him blossom into a four-time All-Star.
But it was another confidence-building session that told Bichette more about Baylor, who passed away early Monday from complications from a 14-year battle with multiple myeloma, a cancer that weakens bones.