Colorado Rockies Baseball Game

Ashley and I decided to go to a Colorado Rockies game today (Wednesday). They were playing the Houston Astros (who have the one of the worst records in the National League), so tickets were pretty easy to come by. I didn't work and Ash did, so I decided to walk to the light rail and meet her downtown. Here are some pics on my trip.

This is the front of our apartment complex. It's a pretty nice place.




Just to prove I walked, I took this photo of my shadow as I walked on the sidewalk to the light rail station just up the road from our apartment.




After about a 15 minute walk, I made it to the RTD Station. The trains there take me right to downtown Denver.




After purchasing my $3.50 one-way ticket, I headed up to the train station.




For a June afternoon, the temperature was pretty warm, so after taking this photo, I took shade shelter before the train came.




The light rail stop had "door" painted on the ground to let its riders know where the doors to the trains are located. Very helpful!




First one on the train.




I wish I could tell you what this structure is, but I tried to Google it and couldn't figure it out.




This huge blue bear appears to be peeking into the Denver Convention Center in downtown Denver. After researching the bear, I found it is a piece called "I See What You Mean", and it stands 40 feet tall.




After getting off the train, I only had to wait a few minutes before Ashley came to pick me up and we could go park.




I did have a quick second to take a photo two of the many very tall buildings in downtown Denver.




Being from the Bay Area back in California, Ashley and I are partial to the San Francisco Giants and AT&T Park, but Coors Field is a close second being such a beautiful ballpark with downtown as a backdrop. This is shot from the top row of what they call the "Rock Pile". These are $4 tickets and if you don't mind getting baked in the sun, it's a great spot to watch a game.




Two pre-game show dudes talking shop on FSN Rocky Mountain.




You'd be hard-pressed to find a BETTER bullpen in the big leagues. And this is the VISITOR'S bullpen. What an awesome place to warm up and watch a game. You have real trees and a huge waterfall. Really cool!




The Rockies bullpen is to the left, and has no special amenities or attractions.




One really quick funny insider story...Back when I was at Arizona State going to school, I worked for the Arizona Diamandbacks as their bat boy (Ashley called it being a bat man, because I was in my 20's when I did it). So traditionally, the youngest relief pitcher in the bullpen had to bring the coffee and the snacks (ie. gum and sunflower seeds and candy, etc) out to the bullpen every day before the game started. But the players didn't make the rookie just bring it out normally, they made him bring it out in a bright pink bag so as to embarass him. Well, 10 years after I stopped working with the D-Backs, it's good to see that the tradition still lives on in Major League Baseball. Here you can see Rockies relievers Randy Flores (from left), Matt Bellisle, and Matt Daley walking out to the bullpen before the start of the game. Notice that Daley is wearing a nice pink HELLO KITTY backpack, surely loaded with game-time snacks for him and his teammates to munch on during the game. Hope you enjoyed that little side-story....




It's very funny to me that it takes five groundscrew guys to water the infield prior to the start of the game. The reason they do that is because they don't want the hose to drag on finely manicured infield.




Everything has to be perfect in the big leagues, even the pitcher rubber on the mound is cleaned with a rag prior to the start of the game. Sometimes, if it's really dirty, they'll spray-paint it white to make it look good for TV.




Long gone are the days of using actual chalk to line the first and third base lines. Nowadays Major League Baseball teams use white paint, as seen here as the groundscrew paints the left hand batters box.




And the Rockies take the field!




The Rockies scored one run early, as Melvin Mora slid safely by Astros catcher Humberto Quintero.






After three innings we decided to get some snacks (no I didn't have to wear a pink backpack) and we moved further down the third base line in the upper deck for a different view of the game.




Rockies' Jonathan Herrera speeds around third base to score the tying run.




The "Rock Pile" was packed because they did half off tickets, so they were only 2 bucks and lots of people took advantage.




In the 7th inning, we moved down to the lower level and found some empty seats (they were not hard to find.)




The game was tied going into the bottom of the 9th inning and the Rockies were threatening and during a pitching change for the Astros, this fan got up and danced hoping the hometown team would walk a way winners.




Even the Rockies mascot "Dinger" got into the act trying to pump up the crowd.




It wasn't to be though... In the top of the 10th inning, the Astros loaded the bases. Before the first pitch was thrown to Carlos Lee, I PROMISE I said to Ashley "Watch this dude hit a grand slam." No joke, the very first pitch, he lines a homer to left field and it puts the Astros up to stay 6-2.




Lee is congratulated at home plate by the guys he just drove home.




Colorado did get one runner on in the bottom of the 10th, but they went quietly and what was remaining of the crowd headed for the exits. (Most people started leaving before Lee's homer even landed in the outfield seats in the top half of the 10th.)




A while back Ashley and I found this secret parking garage near the Pepsi Center that only charges a flat rate of $5.00 after 5:30, so we park there every time we go downtown to see an event. Shhhhh...don't tell anyone about it!




We had a great time at the ballgame, even though the home team lost. Starting Thursday, I go to my regular night shift at the Boulder PD, working from 8:00pm - 6:30am. It's only 4 days a week, which will save me 80 miles per week in gas. I'm looking forward to my trip back home next week to see my fam and to go to the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach with my brother. It should be awesome!