17

Tiff and I took in the last Rockies home game last night. It was not only our anniversary, but the final home game for a player that has been with the Rockies all 17yrs. of his career. He has put up Hall of Fame candidate numbers and beyond the tactile stats, he stuck with the Rockies even though most of his years with them showed little if any promise of October ball. The player is Todd Helton and if you couldn't guess from the picture, his number is 17.

It was a unique experience to see the ball club showing its appreciation for an amazing career. So often baseball players get traded, sent down, or just don't come back in the spring. To get to say thank you and good bye was an exciting thing to be a part of. If it sounds like my inner 8yr. old shuffling through his baseball cards is talking, that is true. What I love about the game is that part of me will always feel like a kid watching it. In that regard, occasionally a player or team can become elevated beyond my rational, adult thinking. But it's fun to believe and hope. I chose to focus on the fun of that and just enjoy it.

I was also great to watch Todd Helton hit his final home run at Coors Field last night. Thank you for the great memories Helton! It has been fun!

All Star Nostalgia

I went over to my folks place tonight to watch the All Star game with my dad. It was good, simple fun. My dad took me to the game when I was a kid. It was the '86 game in Houston and I still don't know how my dad scored the tickets, but I do remember grabbing the tickets from a mailbox on our way to the game. It was the first time I had ever seen the Astrodome full or any player from the American League. As a kid growing up loving baseball, seeing the best players in the game was a mind blowing.

Sitting with my dad and watching the game tonight felt really good.

The Yankees

My home team, The Colorado Rockies, are about to enter the final game of their series against the New York Yankees. It has been exciting to have the Yankees in town and so far the series is split. What is so special about the Yankees? They seem to epitomize an excellence in baseball, a legacy that few other clubs do. While they may not always be a championship team, they represent one. You can't look at the blue pinstripes without thinking about how many legends have worn that same uniform. Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle are just a few. To beat the Yankees, you feel a little like a part of that history. So many people love to hate the Yankees and for some pretty justifiable reasons, but I suspect the victory their teams might have would be all the sweeter for those reasons. I personally love the Yankees because they represent such a foe. They are the Yankees, unabashedly and without apologies. They back role players whose individual salaries are greater than some entire teams. However, it's baseball. One swing of the bat and even a rookie with no name recognition can win a game. No amount of money can buy a home run. That's why they are fun to play, especially f they are not in your league. This is only the 3rd time in 20 years they have come to Denver. It's fun and it's exciting. I also hope it ends with a victory for Colorado today.

Cubs Fan

When I moved to Chicago in 2000, I adopted the Cubs as a my new home team to cheer for. It made sense as I lived on the North side and have only lived in National League towns. Plus there was Wrigley Field in all its historic glory. I was quite happy cheering the lovable losers. I was even outside the ivory clad walls the night Bartman went down in goat filled infamy. Even that debacle could not sour my love of the Cubs and their, "always next year."

It wasn't until I moved three blocks from Wrigley that I started to disdain the red and blue. It wasn't even the team that did it. It was the obnoxious fans. At games and especially outside the ballpark, they were the most unruly and disrespectful group one could amass. The masses clad in blue and red seemed to get more rude, more obnoxious, and more out of control every year. I used to love going to the games and see a dad there with his kid and imagine how that had happened for generations in those very seats. Anymore it was like a frat house without class the next day.

I was done and in rebellion, turned in my "C" for a "SOX" on my hat. I rooted for the South Siders and jeered the "losers" often.

Now a couple years removed from my Windy City home, I am finding a nostalgic desire to return my fan dome back the Cubbies. I will not go to Coors Field when they play here (the Chicago fans are mostly embarrassing), but I do find myself want ing to cheer them on again this year. I was a fan long enough to believe in the next year idea. Besides, I would rather be cheering for them when it happens than bandwagon it in September.

Plus, barring a miracle, my Chicago and Denver loyalties will yet again not be put too much to the test.

Spalding Continuity

Just sitting here watching the highlights from last night's baseball game. I've got a cup of coffee, the dogs are walked, and I'm on the couch. The Rockies won one last night, so my highlights are more fun to replay. This is how you follow a team if you don't want to shell out the cable fees. All in all, this all feels very comfortable and very familiar. I have been enjoying close variations of this very routine since we lived in Los Angeles. No matter where we go or live, from April through September, baseball will continue to offer a comfort. My teams will win and lose every night. The coffee is hot. All is well, as a good friend was fond of reminding me.

Transpo Delema

I'm heading down to watch the Rockies this afternoon on my own. Without having anyone but my own preference to deal with, I am betwixt as to how to best get there. On one hand, it would be easy and fun to drive the Jeep down and snag some cheap parking near the stadium. On the other hand, I could take the ridiculously over priced light-rail and not have to deal with traffic, especially coming home closer to rush hour. It's a poor sign that RTD makes me miss CTA often. I want to take the light rail, but again it would be less expensive to drive and potentially faster.


What to do, what to do... Now I wish I had fixed the flat on my bike.

Baseball!

It's finally back! Baseball! I love baseball season because no matter the day, no matter the problems in life... there is a game of baseball being played to take your mind off of whatever it is that's troubling you! While I would have loved a Rockies win yesterday, I am excited to see them do well this year.