An unseasonably soggy week along Colorado’s Front Range was capped by a late spring snow storm that dumped about four inches of snow the evening of May 9 in Denver. The weather posed a serious threat to Enedina’s plan to treat Monica and I to a Mother’s Day baseball game at Coors Field in a contest that would feature the struggling Colorado Rockies playing host to the surging Los Angles Dodgers. Saturday’s game between the two teams had already been postponed due to inclement weather. Looking out our bedroom window early Sunday morning, I’d have wagered Sunday’s game would be rescheduled as well. But the tweet the Rockies posted that morning pretty much indicated it was game on:
Already working on left field.#Progress #RockiesEveryday pic.twitter.com/N3LvnFAELd
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) May 10, 2015
From the flurry of text messages exchanged between Enedina, Monica, and myself, one might have thought we were trying to decide how to best outfit ourselves for a January football game at Sports Authority Field instead of a Mother’s Day baseball game at Coors Field: “Do you think it’s safe to not bring my rain jacket and bring a warmer jacket?” “You think they’ll wipe the snow off the seats?” “Your mom is bringing a blanket. You might want to bring gloves, too.”
We met Enedina at the Wynkoop Brewing Company for lunch, then walked a couple blocks to the stadium. Underneath their coats, Monica and Enedina were sporting their Rockies colors. I was wearing my World Series Champions Giants cap (and was looking forward to booing the Dodgers).
Comcast was sponsoring a scarf giveaway day at the ballpark for the first 10,000 people through the gates. Given the weather and the Rockies dismal record, I thought Comcast might end up with a surplus of scarves. The box score said attendance was just over 30,000, but looking around the stadium during the game from our seats in Section 305, I’d say there were, at most, 20,000 fans actually at the game. The temperature never broke 45 degrees that afternoon but you’d never have known there’d been four inches of snow on the field just hours earlier (an aside: I’ve seen one or two night games at Candlestick Park in July and August with the fog rolling in and the wind blowing. Those games were colder. Jus’ sayin’). The groundskeepers did a great job getting the field and stadium ready for the game.
If only the Rockies played as well. When they met the Dodgers on Mother’s Day, they were in the midst of what would be an 11-game losing streak. There was a glimmer of hope the streak might be snapped when already down 2-0, Colorado scored five runs in the fourth inning against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. But Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa gave up three runs in the top of the fifth and let Los Angeles back in the game. The Rockies had a chance to counter in the bottom of the six, but Colorado’s big bat, Troy Tulowitzki stuck out with bases loaded to end the inning. L.A. went on to beat Colorado, 9-5.
It’s been tough sledding for Rockies fans this season. They’re currently last in the National League’s West division. They have no pitching to speak of and there’s a strong likelihood Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzales, the team’s highest-profile players, could be traded to retool the club.
Despite that rather dim outlook, I’d head back up to Coors Field to catch another Rockies game this season. I know Monica and Enedina would be game as well.
