I posted this in the offseason thread and was encouraged to create a separate fanpost with a poll. I'm curious about the breakdown on PR between students, professionals, working, non-working, retired, etc rowbots. I get the feeling a majority are students but I could be wrong, of course. 

If you care to do so, you can elaborate in the comments, it's always interesting to hear what people do. (ie professional in what, student where majoring in what...you get the idea).

Which is the subject of this fanpost...

About two years ago, I had tickets to opening day, and I was so totally excited about it. Then, I got the idea from somewhere (maybe from my dad?) that I should make a sign to express my enthusiam about the fact that the baseball season was back. So I did. "Baseball is Back!!!" Notice the THREE exclamation points. And then, much to my delight, the sign was so popular that I was in the newspaper, and even in the Rockies magazine. I spent that year gathering autographs on the page with my picture, and of course, that was the year of the World Series.

Last year, I managed to get a ticket at the last minute, and so I brought my sign and my magazine. The sign was a hit. The Rockies lost badly, and the magazine was lost, in perhaps one of the most disappointing days in baseball I have experienced. The season was nothing like I was expecting, and by the offseason, I had had it with baseball, and effectively tried to ignore everything about it.

Of course, then spring training poked its nose in the door, and I can't help it. I suddenly realize just how much I missed baseball, and I forgive (mostly) everything I was on a soap box about before. What's the point? Baseball's back.  Like a little kid on Christmas morning, when the two hours before you can actually start opening presents are torturously long, so were all those games in ST this year. And now, finally, wonderfully, the baseball season is back.

This year, of course, I am in New York City, and I believe the sign has been lost in kid-moved-out cleaning. However, I would love to see it back this opening day. I am currently having trouble finding a picture of it, but I'm sure someone can track it down, and if I not, I can provide a good explanation of what it looked like. I would love it if someone could recreate it (I know this is really short notice), because what hey, no matter who's been doing what or trading who or who got injured or who thinks we'll suck this year...

Baseball is Back!!!

I was thinking about this after my recent excursion to the new Yankee Stadium, and I thought since I am currently trying to avoid a paper (though it's following me around), it would be a great time to make a fanpost about it.

I have noticed in my various wanderings between the east and the west - AKA between Colorado and New York City - that there's quite a culture shock. I know. Surprise surprise. I could easily see that in my day to day life, the people, the atmosphere, etc, and I know that there is a huge difference in the sports as well, but yesterday I was finally able to experience it and really put a finger on what exactly is different. It's easy to say, the teams in the east have more money, they have Steinbrenner, etc, but that doesn't say much about what that does exactly to the feeling of simply attending a game as a simple fan.

First of all: I paid thirty three dollars for a seat I could have gotten at Coors for nine. That's not remarkable, again, we all know things cost more in New York than they do in Colorado.

The atmosphere of the stadium, though, was, to me, remarkable. Coors will always be the prettiest ballpark in my mind, but I'm biased. Still, the area around Coors is very open, lots of places to walk. Lower downtown is a lovely place of town now, with the performing arts center and the convention center. Yankee Stadium is cramed into a mess of subways, overhead passes, trains, and well, city. The difference is startling. Sitting in the third deck of Yankee Stadium, you see city. Sitting in the third deck of Coors, you see a wall of mountains. Already at Yankee Stadium, the second you get off the subway, then, there's a different kind of energy and tension, just because there has to be with so many people and so much going on around the stadium.

Inside Yankee Stadium, it's a madhouse. The team shop is the size of a small museum. The sheer amount of people is a huge difference from Colorado. Usually when I get into Coors, I will wander around and then head down to the first baseline to watch BP and see if the guys will sign when they come out to warm up, maybe talk with the ushers. Not so in Yankee Stadium. Even before the game, tickets are checked, and no one but the true bigshots with enough money to pay three hundred dollars for a trip to the ballpark are allowed to go down that close to the field. The ushers are there as crowd control only. They aren't even called ushers - they are security personnel. 

I suppose it has to do with the way the clubs are run, but the Rockies are so much more approachable than the Yankees. I had fun at the game, of course, when you take away everything I'm a fan of whoever's playing baseball, but it made me miss long evenings at the ballpark in Colorado, when the sky turns pink and orange for the sunset, and it's just relaxing to hang out and watch some baseball. Of course, say what you want about fans who don't care about the game and are just socializing, but there's something to be said for an atmosphere that allows baseball to be a fun night out, which is something that I found to be almost nonexistant in Yankee Stadium.

I'm sorry if this is all totally obvious to you, but I was really struck by the whole difference in energy, and thought I'd try and articulate it.

I've been curious about this for awhile, so I thought I'd put the question out there and see what you guys have to say. There's no right answer. I kind of feel like I know what most people will say, but what the heck, here goes.

Basically, I'm wondering how to choose to root for teams and how you decide to stick with them. Do you root for the team or the players? Do you come to root for the team because of the players and then just stay with the team, or do you follow your favorite players to other teams? If a team trades most of your favorites, can you still root for that team as easily? What attracts you to a team essentially, the organization, or the players?

Again, I'm not looking for any particular answer, I'm just curious.

I don't have the gift of gorgeous prose like my sister Silverblood does, so this will be fairly short, but hopefully get the point across.

My Rocktober experience began in April. Rocktober without the season would have been awesome, but for me, it just would have been cool, not the amazing wonderful Rockies extravaganza that it was. I was present at 15 games last season, caught in between my junior and senior years of high school. It's a good place to be, finished with the stress of junior year and not having to deal with the idea of leaving for college yet. I knew my senior year would be easy, so I could just enjoy the summer...and attend a ton of baseball games, since I wasn't yet pinching every penny. But anyway.

First there was opening day, with the start of the "Baseball is Back!!!" sign tradition. It was a huge hit and I was in the Rockies Magazine. That magazine came with me to every game during the regular season, and every game I was down by the first base line. I finished the year with 11 autographs, including Tulo, Todd, and a slew of my other favorites. (What happened to the magazine this year is another story and should be left alone). Then photo day occurred, which was a really fun, casual, and relaxed time to meet and greet the guys, without the push of too many people. Then there was the fourth of July, which featured a sneaky dash past the usher into section 148 to get on the field for the show. There was a crazy mad ninth inning rally on Silverblood's birthday when we were there, and then another crazy rally when Todd hit the game winning HR off Saito. I know I was at that game, but I have to admit I don't remember a lot about it.

I have the ticket to prove I was at the Saturday, September 29th game, but I can't for the life of me remember it. I know I went with my older sister Darcy, because Silverblood was already at college. I think it was exciting and loud and all that. I was a little upset because of the night previous, and I'm fairly sure Tulo hit his grand slam then, which I thought was awesome especially for the curtain call afterwards.

See, I don't remember events about Rocktober, and you'll notice this as we go on in this story. The only game I remember clearly is the tiebreaker, but everything else is just impressions. I remember feelings. I remember the noise, and that the most amazing thing in the world is 50,000 people yelling 'YEAH!" at the exact same time. I remember how excited Denver was about the Rockies and how awesome I thought it was, especially since I clearly remember freezing in an empty third deck some chilly night earlier in the season. I remember reading the paper, and reading "Rocktober" on my calculus 3 test because my teacher was a Rockies fan.

I was in rehearsal the last day of the season, but I remember being really anxious about the Rockies and checking my cell phone at every break possible to see if Silverblood had sent any updates. I knew the Padres were winning, and I thought that was it, but later discovered they'd lost. It was the bottom of the eighth when I got out of rehearsal. Driving home, I didn't think I was going to listen to the game until I heard someone else listening to it with their window open, so I was curious and turned it on, dying with every pitch Manny threw in the ninth.

As soon as I got home I wanted to know what the deal was for tickets the next day, and I sent my family out to check at the King Soopers- but they were sold out. So I got on the website, and was placed on the online equivalent of hold. I opened the web and forgot about it until I suddenly noticed that I wasn't on hold anymore. What followed after was a mad dash to enter all the info so I could get the tickets before they expired. And then, I had two tickets, for me and my friend Betsy (who posts on this site). In the very top row of the stadium, third base side.

And let me tell you, they were so very worth it. The game was ridiculously nerve wracking and tense, with plenty of reasons to sit down, shut up, and put your head down, and more reasons to stand up and scream. Everyone was into the game from the very first pitch, which was amazing. There's nothing like that feeling, to know that everyone's paying attention and is cheering their lungs out for the Rockies. I remember screaming and dancing, and of course sitting down, completely silent, when the ball went over the fence in the thirteenth inning.

But then we all know what happened, and I just remember high fiving complete strangers, jumping around, and wondering why Matt wasn't getting up. I didn't want to leave. It hadn't really set in yet, we were going to the playoffs.

I watched the next two games in pieces. I was in class at a community college during most of them, but when I had breaks, I plopped down in front of the TV in the lobby, playing the game of course, and watched. I wasn't too worried, at least I don't remember being, and it was just like riding the wave.

My last game of the season was game 3 of the NLDS. I don't remember a ton about the game itself. I remember we got the rally towels and it was just as loud and exciting as before. I think the game was really tight but I don't remember being tense. I remember being confident - whether I actually was is another question. I remember that once the Rockies went ahead the stadium went mad, and it was a simple thing to seal the deal, and we were going to the championship series. We stayed awhile to watch the celebration, and I just remember being completely and totally happy.

The rest of the story you all know. I didn't go the NLCS for financial and technical reasons, but I watched all of them on TV and jumped around and screamed with the best of them. The last great day of Rocktober was when we won the pennant, and then Rocktober magic kind of petered out. You all know what happened.

Rocktober was just a ridiculously exciting time in my life for many reasons, and that summer was one of the best I've had...maybe the best. Rocktober was just an amazing conclusion to such a summer. There will never be anything like it, and unfortunately everything will be compared to it, but it was just incredible. I have a hard time describing it because it wasn't specific. For me at least, it was rush of emotion and impressions and excitement, best remembered in  my head and hard to detail.

Go Rockies. Thanks for all that. And please, let's have a better '09 season.

Dear Rockies -

I had tickets to this game for nearly two months. When I bought them, I didn't expect a record like this. I didn't expect a six game losing streak or any of that. I could have stayed home.

Yeah right. The thought didn't even cross my mind. I knew your record was 15-27 and about the losing streak, and all that. Whatever. I've been good luck in the past. I guaranteed a win to everyone I knew, being the egoistical thing I am. But I have to say, I was honestly nervous on the drive down. What if you proved me wrong?

You didn't. It was a beautiful night for the game. Coors Field is pretty in the worst of times, and with the sun shining and Colorado remembering it's supposed to be spring, it was a wonderful night for baseball. It didn't start out so well, though, and I have to admit that watching a perfect game against you for five innings was a little disheartening.

But I bought a hot dog because it was baseball, and the kid was pitching amazingly. So I just waited, and then...voila. The magic came back. Not just the big guys, but up and down the lineup. You got a run. Herges gave it up, but I was counting on you to get it back. I went and got the obligatory ice cream so I wouldn't have to watch and by the time I got back, you were already working on tying it up.

It surprised me how many people were there and how loud they were. Apparently Denver still cares, and quite a lot. They stood up and yelled and got loud when the scoreboard suggested it. They were standing for the final two batters, cheering madly. I knew Fuentes wouldn't blow it. You were going to win. I'd guaranteed it. You weren't going to make a liar out of me now, at the very end.

I was the crazy one in the 25th row, left field field level. I did my spastic penguin dance during the 8th inning pitching change and screamed when you got your hits. I told you to do something useful with your lives, which you sometimes did and sometimes didn't.

So what I'm getting at through all of this is, who cares what your record is. I saw today the team from last year, and I remain absolutely convinced you'll turn it around. In a week, I will have graduated. In the past tense. This was in many ways a celebration for the end of the year, and you couldn't have made it better. I hope it's a celebration for you - for breaking the funk and getting into the good times.

So thank you for a wonderful evening at the ballpark, and here's to many more this season.

Yours truly,
Squeaky

I've figured it out, Rockies fans. I know exactly why we suck so much this year:

My Rockies magazine, the one with my picture from opening day, the one I took with me to every single game I went to and collected 11 or 12 autographs, including Hawpe, Tulo, and Helton, that one:

It's gone. I just realized it today. It's not with my other Rockies magazine, and everywhere I thought it was, it's not. I've turned my room upside down, and the basement, but no luck.

Sorry Rockies fans...rest assured I'll keep looking, but I'm running out of ideas...

Squeaky is one of those constantly happy, annoyingly optimistic sort of people. Put with an early bedtime and lots of sleep, I've decided the only way to deal with this schneid is to make fun of it. Everyone: Fans, Coaches, players, etc is taking this very seriously/sullenly. Not saying they shouldn't, just saying that's what I see. So my brilliant idea was to lighten it up a bit.

I woke up with the song "Heart" from Damn Yankees stuck in my head. Go figure. I think we need all our heart back...

Anywho. Here are my ideas for some improvement. Not really sure how any of them is supposed to work. At the very least it would make the games incredibly amusing to watch.

1. Pull up all the socks and turn hats inside out.
2. Dunk Tulo in the fountain for a symbolic "rebirth"
3. Change the colors for one day to neons.
4. Hold the bats upside down and convince the pitcher to roll the ball instead.
5. Whenever the pitcher is about to throw, all fielders turn in a circle. You can just imagine the batter thinking, "what the heck?!" and then striking out badly.
6. Change the lineup so it's exactly like last year's. Sans Matsui, otherwise the same.
7. Send everyone into a deep hypnosis induced trance and make them believe that it's October 2007.
8. Clone them all. Genetically enhance the clones and have them play the games, then send the real ones out as a super secret crime fighting force, complete with Matrix-like soundtrack.
9. Blow raspberries at the DBacks.
10. Strategically placed trapdoors under the field that are used to remove players when they are not doing well. Players will remain in time out for five whole minutes before being allowed to return.
11. Geysers that randomly blow the bases off whenever an opponent is standing on it.
12. Secret voodoo rituals held on the very top of the rockpile under the full moon at midnight, then repeated at high noon.
13. Release Iannetta and Buchholz from the bullpen bathroom where they were locked all of last season via battering ram and an army of dancing robots.

Thirteen reasons. Anyone else have any ideas?
Aside: I just thought I lost this WHOLE post. I was going to be SO upset.

I've seen a lot of people who've said they are going to the game tomorrow, so I was just wondering where everyone is. I'll be the girl with the "Baseball is Back!!!" sign and the Everday is a Holliday T-shirt. Feel free to show up and say hi - I could only afford one ticket, so I'll be alone, which is slightly retarded. But what hey. I'm in Section 144, Row 35 (I think) and seat 5 (I think). Somewhere in the general vicinity.

It should be a great time, win or lose!! Though a win would also be nice..and a few (three or four) homeruns would also be kind of cool. I would be okay with that.

Anyway, I'm planning to be there around 12:10, 12:15...I expect it will already be a madhouse!!

This can also be used as a thread to discuss the game afterwards, tomorrow afternoon.