Despite a run of disappointing seasons, Colorado Rockies fans packed Coors Field for the home opener Friday.<\/p>\n
DENVER \u2014 More than 48,000 fans flooded Blake Street outside Coors Field for the Colorado Rockies’ home opener, with attendance up more than 350 tickets over last year \u2014 a show of loyalty despite the team coming off a historically disappointing season.<\/p>\n
For many fans, the annual event is less about baseball and more about tradition.<\/p>\n
“Being the Rockies, it’s more of a holiday than anything, but hopefully, we get the win as well,” said one fan outside the stadium.<\/p>\n
Among those in attendance were Danny and Cary, a couple who made the four-hour drive from Gunnison specifically for the occasion \u2014 something they say they have done every year since 1999.<\/p>\n
“We live in Gunnison, we live four hours away, and we still make this drive every year for this,” Danny said.<\/p>\n
The optimism that filled Blake Street before first pitch, however, proved difficult to sustain inside the ballpark.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Honestly, I sneezed, and it was 6-nothing,” Danny said.<\/p>\n
Danny and Cary said they ended up spending part of their holiday outside of the ballpark. The couple acknowledged frustration with the state of the franchise.<\/p>\n
“We are a little bit disappointed, though,” Cary said. “We would love to see them build a team again.”<\/p>\n
Danny echoed that sentiment, saying the team’s roster uncertainty had dampened some of the in-game excitement.<\/p>\n
“We could say, OK, wait before we get another beer, so and so is up to bat, and oh, maybe he will knock in two runs, but we just don’t have that right now,” he said. “We didn’t even know the roster this year.”<\/p>\n
Still, neither Danny nor Cary was ready to walk away from the tradition entirely. Danny noted that there is only one home opener they have ever left early.<\/p>\n
“No, we left early the year that it was 25 degrees and snowing sideways. We did leave early that year \u2014 we have never left early on a beautiful day,” he said.<\/p>\n
That enduring devotion was a common theme among fans on Blake Street. One Colorado native said his allegiance to the team is unconditional.<\/p>\n
“I’m a Colorado native, I will always be a Colorado Rockies fan,” he said.<\/p>\n
For many, the draw of the home opener has less to do with wins and losses and more to do with community.<\/p>\n
“At the end of the day, it’s just everyone gets together and just has one big party,” one fan said.<\/p>\n
That sense of celebration was on full display even as the score mounted against the home team. When asked who the Rockies were playing, one young fan simply answered, “Phoenix.”<\/p>\n
They were playing the Philadelphia Phillies.<\/p>\n
Danny summed up the sentiment shared by many who made the trip to Denver.<\/p>\n
“It’s a holiday first and foremost for Rockies fans, for baseball fans \u2014 we have seen it since 1999,” he said. “We love it, we love this. We love beautiful blue skies in Colorado, and yeah, it’s great.”<\/p>\n