Coors Field

When I moved to Boulder in 1984 the Denver Zephyrs were the only baseball team in the area. They were a feeder team for the Milwaukee Brewers who were at times my favorite childhood team. I only went to a few ballgames because it just wasn't as exciting as seeing the Phillies at the Vet.

Somewhere around my Junior year in high school the Rockies blew into town. I remember one particular Ferris Bueller-esque afternoon in May when some friends and I didn't go to 5th, 6th or 7th period and caught the 1:05 game instead. That was when the Rockies played at Mile High Stadium, a stadium designed for football. The Rockies had immediate success and had huge attendance in the first few years.

The drivers for all the fans must have been the lack of a professional baseball team for so long, the immediate success of the new team and a marketing scheme that worked: cheap tickets with a cute section name (the Rockpile).

The success (presumably) allowed Denver to build a beautiful new ballpark right in the middle of Lower Downtown. The area underwent redevelopment around the same time and in anticipation of the new ballpark; high-end lofts, bars, restaurants and night clubs littered LoDo. I'm not sure when opening day was at Coors Field. I have faint memories of attending the first game but that might be a figment of my imagination. The fact of the matter, though, is that attending a game at Coors Field really is an experience.

Every year I look forward to when the Phillies roll into town so I can go to at least one game. This past Friday was my '06 game. The Phillies won on the strength of a pair of Chase Utley dingers (including a Grand Slam) and in spite of poor bullpen play. Whether it was the 70 degree evening, the ballpark, the hot dog or the pleasant company (another post...) it was one of my most memorable nights.