Celebrate one last game with us… TONIIIIIIGHT!
It’s official. Charlie Blackmon announced his retirement on Monday, and the final week of the season has been dedicated to honoring his illustrious 14-year career playing mile high baseball.
There have been so many on- and off-field moments throughout Blackmon’s tenure that endeared him to so many fans and helped keep the Rockies on the map. He means a lot to this franchise, and has meant a lot to fans across Denver, Major League Baseball, and the world.
In light of this news, the Purple Row staff wanted to share their memories of the bearded outfielder and what he meant to them as Rockies fans.
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Joelle Milholm
Charlie Blackmon made being a Colorado Rockies fan fun. Despite often being outnumbered by followers of other teams at Coors Field, it was magical to sing “tonigggggghhhhtttt” in the crowd before he walked up to the plate. It was even more special knowing how much Charlie was a student of the game. You could bet he’d watched film, done his homework, put in extra hours in the batting cages to either re-adjust to elevation or re-adjust to playing out of Coors Field. His work ethic was admirable as he proved the power of a good routine and preparation. While he is treasured by Rockies fans, Blackmon gave the baseball world a chance to see him in all his glory as he was mic’d up during the 2018 All-Star game and talked with Joe Buck while playing right field. That’s when he revealed the beard’s origin story, explaining that he had it going into the 2014 season, he made the big league roster and became an All-Star for the first of four times. He said he wasn’t superstitious, just “a little ‘stitious.” It’s a beautiful phrase.
Off the field, Charlie was just as fun. His “Tunnel Vision” UCHealth commercial is Blackmon in a nutshell. As a carved-out tunnel is revealed behind his locker, in true “Shawshank Redemption” style, Charlie’s voice talks over him crawling through the air ducts of Coors Field. He looks at the camera wordlessly, eating a banana, while narrator Blackmon says, “read my lips.” It’s the flat-lined comedy Blackmon excels at.
That commercial might only be matched by another UCHealth commercial, “Charlie Blackmon’s Secret Fishing Spot,” encouraging folks to “rock their routine.” Of course, Charlie takes care of himself by taking a day off in a place where he has “no worries, no stress — and I can just sit and watch the water.” Then the center field fountains fire up, it’s clear Blackmon is at Coors Field. Doused in water with a fish in the net and slyly spitting water out of his mouth, he never breaks his camera stare. Blackmon is famous for his love of fishing, but I never realized how important it was to him and how he humbly approached the game of baseball all the way back to the beginning. At RockiesFest this year, Blackmon told his story to Jack Corrigan when asked about what it was like to come up through the organization and now bring his kids to Coors Field.
“It’s different. In my head I thought — I am a realist — what are the chances I get to play for a long time? I thought there would be this huge gap where I get to play baseball, I would make enough money to buy a really nice van and get to go fishing for like five years. And then I would come back to the real world and get a real job, and then get married and have kids. I just kinda thought there would be this gap, so I guess it’s the plan A I didn’t know I wanted or needed, but it’s been really cool to experience with my family. My daughter is three now and she knows this place, recognizes this place, and knows Dinger by name. It’s cool and hopefully she’ll be able to remember some things from Coors Field.”
He never imagined he’d play 14 years and write his way into the top tiers of most Rockies record books. I feel lucky and grateful that he did.
Mario Delgado Genzor
The first ballgame I ever attended at Coors Field this past August was an experience I’ll never forget for many reasons—not the least of which being that it happened to be the Todd Helton ceremony game. Between Blackmon catching Helton’s first pitch and the way the entire crowd got together to sing his walk-up song whenever he came up to bat, and cheered a little louder than they did for anyone else whenever he put good wood on the ball, I got to see the kind of reactions Charlie Blackmon elicits from Rockies fans in person, and it was a lovely thing to be witness to. It’s a cliché, but it really does feel special whenever that “to-niiiight” plays in that ballpark. On top of being a pro’s pro by all accounts and a good Rockie for years, the warmth he received from the crowd was what I’ll truly remember whenever I think about Chuck Nazty.
Skyler Timmins
I wrote more about what Charlie Blackmon meant to me in a recent article, but what has always stood out to me is his personality. In terms of personality, Blackmon ranks high, if not at the top, of the list in Rockies history. From the moment he was called up and regaled fans with the tale of his initial call-up where he was chilling in a hot tub, he has never shied away from who he is. He developed himself into one of the premier personalities in the game thanks to his quick and dry wit along with just general quirkiness when he was a stoic professional preparing to play baseball.
Why was an extremely successful baseball player still driving his Jeep Grand Cherokee he had in high school, only to run out of gas on the side of the road? Why did he feel the need to wear the tiniest shorts possible along with a headband like he was Larry Bird during a team basketball tournament? Why did he wear nothing but full-on waders during an on-field casting competition in spring training? Unlike a lot of players, we got to understand who Chuck was as a person and that is what endeared him to me. The beard, the mullet, the general weirdness of a guy who figured “Chuck Nazty” was a great Twitter handle because it sounded cool. He always reminded me of my older brothers and was another role model to look up to. He was great on the field but my favorite memories will always involve who he was when he was just being Charlie Blackmon, nothing more.
Renee Dechert
Last week, I was waiting in line somewhere — I don’t remember, but it was the kind of quotidian task that goes with being an adult — when The Outfield’s “Your Love” started playing over the sound system.
If you’re a Rockies fan, all you need is that opening guitar riff — just a few seconds worth — to take you completely out of whatever you’re doing at the moment and place you in the stands (maybe even the Purple Row!) at Coors Field as you wait for Charlie Blackmon to finish his warm-up swings and approach the plate.
I realize Charlie is retiring, and he’ll probably lose the signature beard and mullet, and we’re probably not going to hear The Outfield at Coors Field any time soon. But for me and Rockies fans everywhere, when time that song plays wherever I am, #19 is back in the game.
That seems like a pretty cool legacy.
Sam Bradfield
I’ve been on this beat since 2017 and there have been a lot of players and a lot of moments and a lot of memories made. However, I think the greatest thing about Charlie Blackmon was his ability to quietly go about his business but also bring the crowd together. Just like the Tulo chant before it, every time I hear “Your Love” by The Outfield in the wild, I unconsciously sing “TONIIIIIGHT!” It doesn’t matter what city I’m in or whether I’m at another sporting event or in a coffee shop or in a bar… I just can’t help it! Even my friends and family who “aren’t sports people” know this song, and they also sing along if we’re together and hear it on the radio.
And I think that’s the amazing thing about Charlie — he chose that song as his walk-up music, he’s stuck with it for many years, and it’s become such a phenomenon at Coors Field and within Rockies fan culture.
There have been so many fun Charlie Blackmon moments, from the 2017 NL batting title to the prospect of a .400 season in 2020 (that sadly ended with a, albeit poetic, .303 average) to his infamous All-Star game outfits to his 2018 mic’d up interview and even the “Step Brothers” photoshoot with former teammate Nolan Arenado.
And one more moment that will stick with me for a while happened last weekend at Dodger Stadium. I moved to Los Angeles a year and a half ago, so now the only time I see the Rockies live is when they come to play the Dodgers. So far, my record there is not great. I’m 1-6 in seven games (granted six of those have been Rockies games, and the other one was a Reds game). However, the singular Dodgers loss I’ve seen happened last Saturday when the Rockies won 6-3. In a weekend where folks weren’t sure of Charlie’s future, he made sure to hit one last home run at Chavez Ravine — a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to bring the score up from 4-3 to 6-3 and secure the victory. They lost the next day, but I’m glad I got to see at least one victory, and one final Chuck Nazty bomb.
This all said, singing “TONIIIIIGHT!” with my friends and family, no matter where we are, is potentially Blackmon’s greatest off-field legacy that will live on through Rockies fans for years to come.
Congratulations on a well-earned retirement, Chuck Nazty!
Evan Lang
I’ve had the distinct pleasure of meeting Charlie Blackmon twice in my life, both in the last few years. The first came when I was watching batting practice and he came over to say hello. I asked him to autograph my “Chuck Nazty” bobblehead—the one with the American flag shirt and realistic hair—and you could tell he got a genuine kick out of this thing existing.
The second came at RockiesFest this past January. I attended as a fan and got lucky enough to make it through the line for an autograph session he was sitting in on. After he signed the ball I had brought with me, I threw him a changeup.
I took a small Rockies-themed bandana out of my bag.
“Chuck,” I said. “This is going to sound crazy, but will you sign this for my cat?”
He—and the other players in the session—laughed. Blackmon looked up at me from the table and with a smirk said, “You know… You could have said like, ‘niece,’ right?”
“Well,” I replied. “I’m not going to lie. I don’t have a niece. I do have a cat.”
To his immense credit, he chuckled again and signed the bandana.
Charlie Blackmon is somewhat of a reclusive Rockie. We all “know” his on-field persona, but much like his predecessor Todd Helton, he tends to keep to himself. I consider myself very lucky that twice I believe I was able to see his personality shine through away from the field of play.
Blackmon has been one of the faces of the Rockies for essentially my entire adult life. He’s had several extremely exciting seasons like his unforgettable 2017 campaign and two playoff runs. I probably own more Blackmon merchandise than I do of any other Rockies player past or present. I legitimately think “Your Love” by The Outfield is a good song—though maybe it’s Stockholm syndrome at this point—and will never hesitate to sing along at the top of my lungs both in and out of Coors Field.
I knew the announcement was coming. I essentially told my fellow colleagues here at Purple Row that if it didn’t happen during that last full week of the 2024 season I’d be shocked. Even though I was correct, that doesn’t mean I was prepared. It really is sinking in that for the third time in Rockies history my favorite player will be gone, and if I’m being honest I’m not quite sure how I feel about it yet.
Blackmon has been “Mr. Rockies” in our current era of the franchise. The guy who first comes to mind when you mention the team to both fans and non-fans alike. While I know he’s very unlikely to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, I think he sits among the most important players in this teams’ history. I want to see his number retired. I want to see him inducted into the first class of a real “Colorado Rockies Hall of Fame.” I want statues of him, Todd Helton, and Larry Walker outside the main gates on 20th and Blake.
It’s going to be very strange next season to not sing along with Josie being on a vacation far away. It’s going to be very strange to not come around and talk it over. I know my section is already running a bit long, but there are so many things that I want to say. I know Charlie Blackmon is a little bit older, but I’m just not ready to lose his love… TONIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!!
I am overjoyed to have witnessed Charlie Blackmon’s entire career. See you again, Chuck Nazty. Thank you for everything.
Paul Elliott
For nearly the past decade since Todd Helton retired, Charlie Blackmon has been the face of the Colorado Rockies. Chuck Nazty has been the fan favorite, and deservedly so. The mullet and beard, the walkup song, and the eccentric personality, Charlie Blackmon was always going to put on a show on the field too. His personality always reminded Rockies fans that baseball is fun and why we love the game.
I was lucky enough to be in attendance the final day of the 2018 season and got to witness Charlie Blackmon hit for the cycle to finish off a great season with a bang. During that season and 2017, Charlie Blackmon was the ideal leadoff hitter. Coors Field will not be same without Chuck leading off the first inning and the crowd singing along after the speakers cut off his walk up song.
Thanks for all the memories over the years and enjoy retirement!
Mac Wilcox
How do you pick one moment among countless in such an amazing career as Charlie Blackmon’s? It’s nigh-impossible, but for me, I’ve have to point to Chuck’s first Opening Day in 2014. I was in attendance with my father, sitting in right field and taking in our sixth straight Opening Day game. It was Blackmon’s first, though, and he cemented his star status by going 6-for-6 on that day in April, coming just a triple shy of the cycle and being the main driving force behind a dominant victory.
It was unreal. I had never seen such dominance at the plate in a live game, and I still get chills thinking about that day. To think I’d see this player not only become a mainstay in the lineup, but also an integral, unforgettable part of Colorado Rockies lore, is wild to me. I will always look back on Charlie Blackmon with fondness, not only for his play on the field, but for the kindness he showed every time we spoke in the locker room and in the dugout. The Rockies will continue, as all sports franchises must, but there will never be anyone quite like Chuck Nazty.
Thank you for the memories, Charlie. I hope you know how much you meant to Colorado!
Adam Peterson
I’ve been following Charlie Blackmon’s career since he was clean-shaven. I was there in those early months at Coors Field when only a smattering of people would yell “TONIIIIIIIGHT.” When we had our firstborn, the first player he learned to say was Charlie Blackmon (though he was not as excited as that little boy in the high chair) and his first shirsey was #19. Despite the not-at-all-age-appropriate lyrics, he heard “Your Love” enough to sing along when we made it to games.
Needless to say Chuck Nazty occupied a meaningful space in our family’s Rockies and baseball fandom. And while I could wax eloquent about his mic’d up All-Star appearances, or hitting for the cycle, or watching him play with intensity as well as joy, I think that fact speaks plenty.
But I’ll indulge myself with one story that I think sums up a large part of what made him one of the most accomplished players in franchise history. Early in my tenure covering the Rockies, I got the opportunity to go into the clubhouse and conduct some pregame interviews. I was interviewing Blackmon in the tunnel between the dugout and the clubhouse as batting practice was wrapping up. In the middle of the interview, former MVP Justin Morneau walked passed and took stock of the situation. He took one glance at Charlie’s prodigious beard and my large but comparatively modest one and said, “You guys talking beards?” I was supremely thankful for what I took to be a compliment. (To my everlasting shame, I have since lost any trace of that recording.) Charlie, to his credit, didn’t even break stride in his answer, because he was completely committed in that moment to baseball and preparing for the game ahead.
Denver sports fans fell in love with Chuck Nazty, as well they should have. But what they may not appreciate is just how locked in Charlie Blackman was to going out and performing the best he possibly could day in and day out. And because he did exactly that for 14 years, he will remain beloved by Rockies fans, not only for his personality, but for his devotion to the game and the team that gave him a shot.
Congratulations, Charlie. Thank you for all you’ve done for the sport and the team and enjoy your well-earned retirement.
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We asked yesterday and we’ll ask again: what are some of your favorite Charlie Blackmon memories? Share with us below!
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