The Purple Row staff shares their favorite memories of Todd Helton

The Toddfather has left his mark on both the Rockies franchise and their fans

As Todd Helton prepares to take his place in the MLB Hall of Fame, we thought it would be a good time for staff members to reflect on their memories of The Toddfather.

The ceremony starts at 11:30am MT.

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Sam Bradfield

My late maternal grandfather was a baseball guy, always intent on helping his grandkids appreciate the game. He taught as us how to keep score, and I do remember hearing that my first-ever baseball game was called on account of bees (which happens often in Phoenix in March).

Unfortunately, though, Grandpa died when I was six years old, and the rest of my family was not sports-oriented. So I did not grow up watching many sports, especially not boring baseball.

But then 2007 rolled around, and a few things happened during my freshman year of high school: I joined the marching band, and the Colorado Rockies went to the World Series.

That sparked my interest in learning about football and basketball, so I knew what was happening while we were playing in the stands, and it captivated my interest in baseball. It certainly helped that I still had a childhood friend who was still living in Phoenix who was a hyper-competitive, diehard Arizona Diamondbacks fan. When both teams made the NLCS, we bet $20 on that game — I won the bet, obviously, but it’s been nearly 17 years and I never got my $20 . . . .

But another thing happened during that crazy season: For better or worse, I became a Rockies fan. And part of becoming a Rockies fan stemmed from watching this iconic moment:

My mom’s family is from Chicago, so half of them are Cubs fans, and the other half are White Sox fans (my grandpa was a White Sox fan himself). They know heartbreak. So seeing a player who had been with the Rockies for over a decade — a team with very little team success during his tenure — react with such genuine elation really helped suck me into the fandom (that said, I was more of a Troy Tulowitzki fan during Rocktober, but I digress).

Since I started my fandom relatively late, I don’t have a ton of core memories about Todd Helton, but like Renee, I appreciate the steadiness that The Toddfather brought to the team.

Who can forget this moment?

And hearing so many stories from other players about how he affected them (Todd and the Toddlers, anyone?) just goes to show the impact Helton has left on this team. I always get a chuckle out of him telling Nolan Arenado to get off his parents’ cell phone plan, among other things. He understood his role, and has helped shape this franchise.

You don’t get your number retired (or a horse as a retirement present) for just any reason, after all.

That said, I’m so incredibly happy that the Toddfather will have his legacy immortalized in Cooperstown. He is so deserving, and I can’t wait to see what this next chapter means for him, his family, and the Colorado Rockies.

Congrats, Todd!

Paul Elliott

Growing up, Todd Helton was my favorite player and one of my favorite reasons to go watch the Rockies play. Being left handed myself, I always tried to be like Helton. Whether it was doing my best impersonation of Todd’s batting stance in the backyard playing wiffle ball to wanting a black first baseman’s glove, I wanted to play just like him. Helton played the game the right way and inspired me to do the same growing up to be the best ball player I could possibly be.

Back in 2010, my youth baseball team played a tournament in Arizona during Spring Training. This was the final season the Rockies would play at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson before moving to Salt River Fields. The facilities at Hi Corbett allowed more access to the field that the players practiced on and before the Spring Training game that day, I was able to watch the team practice. After the practice, I was lucky enough to get Todd Helton’s autograph. My mom, who loves to take pictures at every family outing, failed to capture this special moment, but the baseball is still one of my prized possessions.

My last memory of Helton playing on the field was his final home game at Coors Field. My family somehow got tickets to the last game on the first base side. Unfortunately, I got stuck in line for the restroom with my little brother and ended up missing Helton’s famous last home run, only able to see the ball land in the right field seats from the concourse. Overall, it was still a memorable night to send off Helton’s career as a Rockies.

Please enjoy my blurry iPhone 4 image of Helton’s last at-bat at Coors Field.

For me, Todd Helton will always be the Rockies. Congratulations to the one, true Toddfather on joining MLB’s elite company in Cooperstown!

Evan Lang

For me, what really stands out is the ever-present-ness of Todd Helton during the formative years of my baseball fandom. I was just really becoming a baseball fan when Helton made his debut and then became the Rockies’ starting first baseman. Until I graduated high school Todd played in virtually every game and only first missed significant time in 2008.

Whenever I watched the Rockies on TV, whenever I listened on the radio, and whenever I went to Coors Field with my Dad, Todd Helton was there.

Todd Helton is the true face of the Colorado Rockies, and represents everything good that this franchise stands for. He was a master of the game but also always a student. He was a steadfast professional, but those who he let into his inner circle knew of his penchant for humor and practical jokes. In an era dominated by home runs and steroids, Todd Helton took a contact-first approach to hit it where they ain’t and became one of the best on-base players of all time.

The Rockies have had many good—even great—players: Larry Walker; Vinny Castilla; Andrés Galarraga; Charlie Blackmon… but none of them are truly on the same level as “Mr. Rockies” that Todd Helton is. A Hall-of-Famer now but also criminally under-looked and ignored both now and in his hey-day. Quietly one of the greatest doubles hitters and defensive first baseman in the history of our wonderful sport. Helton should have been more lauded, won more awards, and been inducted into the immortality of the Hall much sooner.

At the end of the day, though, none of that matters. He was ours. Through every moment of my childhood he was truly ours and we knew true greatness when we saw it. Todd Helton getting inducted into the Hall of Fame is just the final validation of something we have all known for years.

Congratulations, Todd. I have never been more proud to be a fan of the Colorado Rockies as you take your rightful place amongst the legends of the game.

Renee Dechert

Lots of folks are going to describe personal memories of Todd Helton’s on-field accomplishments — and they should because he’s one of the great players in Rockies history! But I wanted to take a slightly different approach with my answer.

I really loved how Helton became the face of the franchise at a time when the club needed him to assume that role. One way that came through was in the promotional advertisements the Rockies produced.

It was a way to convey Helton’s presence and leadership. Plus, the man really knew how to convey a mood. So with that in mind, I went with this one:

The Rockies would do well to find again that focus Helton brought to the team.

Congratulations, Todd! You’ve earned your place in the Hall of Fame!

Joelle Milholm

I was 14 years old when Todd Helton became the starting first baseman for the Colorado Rockies. As someone who loved the Blake Street Bombers, especially Andrés Galarraga, I couldn’t believe Galarraga was leaving Colorado as a free agent who signed with Atlanta to replace Fred McGriff. In 1997 during his last season in Colorado, The Big Cat, at age 36, hit 41 homers. I couldn’t imagine who could possibly replace him.

Enter Todd Helton.

It didn’t take long for me to come around. While he wasn’t the outgoing leader most teams make the face of the franchise, he was an amazing baseball player and the silent, hardworking leader the Rockies needed. The experience of watching his at-bats was an absolute treat that often resulted in a hit. He made beautiful scoops and stretches at first base. Year after year, he methodically stamped his name all over the Colorado Rockies record books and it’s hard to imagine anyone passing him — like ever.

Of the many memories, Helton’s pivotal role in Rocktober in 2007 is what comes to mind. The run to the World Series was one of the greatest sports phenomena I have ever witnessed, and it caught fire with Todd’s walk-off homer against L.A.’s Takashi Saito. It resulted in the third win of 11 straight in September and 14 wins out of the final 15 of the regular season, including Game 163. His moonshot. His helmet toss as he trotted down the third base line. The epic Superman fly into the crowd of celebrating teammates at home plate.

That’s Helton to me. He could have been traded to the Red Sox before the 2007 season and the Rockies would have had a completely different trajectory. Instead, he played his entire career in Colorado. He became the Toddfather and there is nothing better than having his place enshrined in Cooperstown.

Skyler Timmins

I was but a wee youngster during the prime years of Todd Helton’s career. I was more concerned about what Mr. Rogers had to teach me in the morning on PBS and learning how to play Super Smash Bros. on our Nintendo 64 so I didn’t get to watch his incredible 2000 season. Luckily, my love and appreciation for Helton was developed via osmosis by my Dad and older brother. I didn’t know much about the Rockies in the early days, but I knew two things: they had a dinosaur for a mascot (cool!) and the first baseman was really good.

Like many folks, my favorite memories of Helton stem from the 2007 run to the World Series. I remember laying in bed listening to the game on the radio, (I was supposed to be asleep), and silently cheering when he belted the walk-off against Saito. However, for the sake of diversity, his retirement announcement has always stuck with me.

When Helton announced his retirement in 2013, it was with as little fanfare as you could muster. It was late in August on a Sunday afternoon as the team was playing in Arizona and the Denver Broncos were playing at home. In a world where the best in the game go on season-long farewell tours, Helton went the opposite route. I had been in denial for years since 2009 claiming he couldn’t retire because he needed to win a ring with the Rockies. Unfortunately, that was never the case and he quietly announced that his time was coming to an end.

Helton was a role model for how to play the game right. He was the model of consistency and worth ethic. He took pride in his defense and worked hard on his plate approach. Most importantly, Helton played with humility. The way he announced his retirement has always stuck with me because as a player he deserved so much more celebration and recognition, but he declined to hunt the spotlight. Despite the struggles he has had in his life, he has remained a good man full of humility. What more could you ask for from your childhood hero?

Mac Wilcox

Unlike my colleagues, I wasn’t born into the Rockies fandom. Being the filthy transplant that I am, I grew up in a White Sox household, totally enamored with the exploits of greats such as Frank Thomas and Mark Buehrle. When I arrived in Colorado at the tender age of seven, I had no intention of adopting a new franchise into my fandom, and had the mindset of keeping the Sox as my one and only allegiance.

That, of course, did not keep.

Instead, I went to Coors Field and was instantly blown away by the heroics of the Rockies’ tall, strapping first baseman. Helton’s quiet, subdued approach to the game of baseball belied an intimidating presence that, at his peak, was as terrifying to see enter the batter’s box as any in MLB.

Helton is unquestionably the pinnacle of Colorado baseball. He can look back on Coors Field as a palace that was built partly – maybe primarily – on his shoulders. Like a cowboy looking over his farm, Todd can see the results of his labor and be proud, now able to walk away with no regrets and leave the future of the franchise, of the farm, to the next generation.

There’s no doubt that I don’t become a Rockies fan if not for Todd Helton, and that initial interest in him led me to be able to write for Purple Row now. I’m so happy for Todd, for Denver, for the Rockies, and maybe most of all, for the fans that finally get to see their champion enshrined in Cooperstown. It’s been a long time coming, and I’m so glad we get to share it together.

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This is a repeat of the question from This Week in Purple, but it’s an important and relevant question:

What are some of your favorite Todd Helton memories? Who do you think will be the next Rockie to enter the Hall of Fame? Sound off below!

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