Colorado Rockies news and links for Thursday, September 19, 2024
I was eight years old when it was announced that Colorado would be awarded a baseball franchise. Born and raised in the state of Colorado, up until that point, I was naturally a fan of the Bash Brother-led Oakland Athletics, with a father who grew up in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado as a fan of the Big Red Machine in the 70s.
My brother, father, and I finally had a common team with which to bond over our love of the game of baseball.
Friday and Saturday nights in the summer turned into appointment viewing on Channel 2 to watch the expansion team build an identity and quickly become a contender behind the bats of the Blake Street Bombers. My stepfather would split season tickets with three other people, leading to 5-10 games a year on the first base side of Mile High Stadium and then Coors Field with him, my mother, and brother. Baseball and the Colorado Rockies quickly became a part of so many family traditions.
In 2007 — during the only nine-month stint of my life living outside of Colorado — I lived in Las Vegas and made a future bet for the first and only time, along with my dad and brother, wagering that the Rockies would win the National League at 100-1 odds in May. This led to daily phone calls with my father in September where we recapped and rejoiced discussing the previous evening’s win. Phone calls with my brother, screaming about the play-in game against the Padres and whether we were jinxing things, would soon follow, and the rest was history.
In 2008, my mom was very excited to go to a game in which a Matt Holliday bobblehead would be given away. My brother, in town from Texas where he had gone to college, and I would be attending the game with her, and she wanted to make sure we got there early enough to get a bobblehead. The new tradition of “taco’s” had been introduced, and I did not miss a single opportunity to get my four tacos for a dollar that season. My brother and I were in the world’s longest line at Taco Bell and, needless to say, my mother missed out on that bobblehead. Even though her disappointment was clear, she did make sure to tell us she was just happy we were all together to attend a Rockies game. She unexpectedly passed away that fall at the age of 49, and I cherish that memory of her and our team that was at the core of it.
Fast forward to July of 2022.
My wife and I were on a rare vacation without any of our three children, walking on the beach of San Diego, discussing our desire to bring our kids there and visit Petco Park. My oldest son’s passion was in line with mine as he also loved baseball and the Rockies, leading my wife to express interest in him being able to see all of the ballparks. We talked a little more and decided that we would not only see every stadium, but watch the Rockies play in every Major League ballpark.
We were quickly in planning mode and checking into the schedule to see what we could make work with three kids heavily involved in sports and other extracurriculars, not to mention our two jobs. The perfect first trip became clear, as my son’s birthday typically falls on Labor Day weekend — a week before fall sports start — and the Rockies were playing the Cincinnati Reds. We booked a hotel within walking distance of Great American Ball Park and the plan was in motion.
In the two years since then, we have seen the Rockies play in 11 MLB stadiums. Our family has had experiences we would never otherwise do and bonded over so many things. We have hiked, visited National Parks, amusement parks, beaches, lighthouses, historical sites, traveled by plane, train, bus, trolley, subway, ferry, and automobile, crammed a trip to Minneapolis in between a youth baseball tournament ending on Sunday afternoon and another game on Tuesday evening, been on road trips totaling over 3,000 miles, and on and on and on.
We have gotten to see the goofy personality and kind heart of Justin Lawrence in the bullpen, had balls tossed up to us from numerous players, interacted with many fans of opposing teams, seen unique details of various stadiums, enjoyed local food and drinks, seen a few road wins by the Rockies, and sang our own renditions of The Outfield’s “Your Love” as Charlie Blackmon (each of my kid’s favorite player) walked to the plate.
We also experienced a dramatic time when Brenton Doyle, fresh off my son buying his first-ever jersey with his name and number on it, was unexpectedly pulled from a game in San Francisco shortly before the trade deadline. From our seats, I immediately panicked as I went to X to see if anyone knew anything. While it would be unexpected, rumors were swirling about Doyle being traded, and we couldn’t rest easy until we finally found out that he was just being pulled as an injury precaution, and he is still on track to be around as a centerpiece of the rebuild.
Sports fandom is a funny thing, and people all have different experiences and ways to be a fan of their favorite team. There has been a lot of negativity from fans, or supposed fans, of the Rockies as of late.
“The owner doesn’t care about winning!”
“They are a feeder team for the big market teams!”
“Why would you support a team that doesn’t have interest in winning?”
For me, the Rockies will always mean family, and I will always be an optimist of what they can be and do in the future.
I have seen some dark days turn into an unexpected run to a World Series, and I will always choose to think that the team is on the brink of doing that again. To me, that is what makes fandom so fun. And I will always cherish my wife for loving my son and me so much that she wants us to have the experience of seeing our team play in every MLB stadium.
Games of catch with my dad have turned into games of catch with my son. Hearing about Tim Raines and Andre Dawson has turned into telling my son about Todd Helton and Larry Walker. While my wife and other two children are mostly in it for the ballpark snacks, the sport and the Rockies have been the glue that has held together the memories we are making in real time.
Keep an eye out for us as we have the potential to see the Rockies play at nine new stadiums on the calendar for 2025, depending on what we can make work with everyone’s busy schedules!
#RowlandRockiesStadiumTour
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Hilliard turning heads, plus 4 other takeaways from finale loss | MLB.com
The Rockies fell to the Diamondbacks 9-4 yesterday, but Thomas Harding identifies five major takeaways from the six-game homestand.
Each team’s breakout prospect from the ‘24 season | MLB.com
The 2024 season is winding down and the Arizona Fall League is right around the corner. Sam Dykstra, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo identify each team’s breakout prospect from the season. For the Rockies, it’s Sean Sullivan (No. 7 PuRP). Do you agree?
Rockies’ Antonio Senzatela excited for return to big-league mound | Denver Post ($)
Antonio Senzatela made his first start since May 10, 2023 after battling a torn ACL and Tommy John surgery. Senzatela pitched three innings, allowing two runs on four hits with two strikeouts and two walks on 67 pitches. Patrick Saunders caught up with him pregame about how he was feeling about his first start in nearly a year and a half. He also provided injury updates on Germán Márquez, Lucas Gilbreath and Brendan Rodgers.
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