Since the very first moment of the Colorado Rockies first season, I was a fan. Even before that, really. As soon as I heard we had a major league baseball team coming to Colorado, I was onboard. I was already a New York Yankees fan; now I could add a local team to the mix. I enjoyed basketball and hockey, too, but not like baseball. It had a special place in my heart.
My brother, Scott, played. He was a pitcher. If it were not for the addictions and demons he succumbed to, I have no doubt he would have made the majors. He threw fast, was a great hitter and was an ace at running the bases, lighting fast as he was.
My ex-husband, John, played baseball on scholarship in college and was also quite the accomplished player. He, and many other men in my life, taught me the finer points of the game. Both of my sons played, and my daughter played softball. I have said this before, so I apologize in advance: I will watch baseball anywhere, anytime. I have even been known to find an empty, random field in the middle of Kansas or California and just sit, thinking of all those in my life who loved the game, many of whom are no longer walking this Earth.
The Rockies have always been a ho-hum team if you keep track of wins and losses. They have made the playoffs several times and even the World Series once (where they were swept by the icky Boston Red Sox). But nothing like other teams, like the Yankees, who go to the playoffs almost every year. It's not that they haven't had talent; they have had some of the best players to ever play the game on their teams, namely Larry Walker, Todd Helton, Charlie Blackmon...and Nolan Arenado. All of that changed, of course, in early February.
Arenado was the Rockies best player and the best third baseman in the MLB. He is, arguably, the best to ever play the game at his position. He came to the Rockies in 2013, but it seems like yesterday. The fans fell in love with him and I did, too. He was handsome, humble and perfect until he opened his mouth to speak. He was not the most articulate player, but he isn't quite 30 years old so we will give him some time.
Nolan was a fan favorite, of course, and responsible for so many dramatic plays and wins for the Rockies. He was nearly unstoppable. And quite elusive. For years, my husband, Ric, and I have gone to Spring Training in Arizona. We have gone to countless games and I have countless pictures of the players and me. We have gone to picture day at Coors Field twice, a great opportunity to meet the players and get photos with them. Even though I have managed to get photos with almost all my favorites, Arenado has managed to evade me. I guess that will only continue now that he plays for a team hundreds of miles away.
Several years ago, I came this close (picture me with my index finger and my thumb nearly touching). The woman to my right was getting his autograph and decided she needed TWO things signed. The audacity of some people. Because of that, I missed my turn, as the National Anthem started to play, and Nolan turned tail and ran. Ric documented the moment on his phone's camera, me with my outstretched hands that screamed, "Come back" and Arenado's, well, back. Not exactly the look I was going for.
I mentioned that the Rockies have much talent and they do. But their management stinks. Everyone knows this and many fans have walked away because of it. After they made the decision to trade Nolan to the St. Louis Cardinals, I believe many have walked away for good. I'd like to. I just can't.
You see, I have an emotional attachment to the Rockies. I remember their first game like it was yesterday. We were shopping and Joseph, my first born, was just a little guy then. He was hardly old enough to know what baseball was, but I think he was dressed in a cute little Rockies outfit and he was so excited! We watched many games together, snuggled on the couch in the evening while John was working the night shift. He loved the game.
Later, when James came along, he loved it too. The three of us went to many, many games each year, back when I homeschooled them and we could take off whenever we wanted to. I kept a black tote bag in my bedroom closet dubbed "The Rockies bag." It was stuffed full of candy and other treats that was reserved just for games. Some of my best memories from their childhood was when the three of us went to Coors Field.
My boys still go to an occasional game with me and I cherish those times. But most of my Rockies games are attended with Ric these days and, for that reason, remain very special. Not just Rockies game, but any other team at any other stadium. It is something we bond over and love, love, love. I won't be turning my back on a team just because their management is horrible. I mean, I can't change the name of my Jeep, Chuck Nazty, to something else, right? Or get rid of my two favorite purses, you know, the ones with the Rockies logo all over them.
I will miss Nolan Arenado. He's a cool kid from a place I love, Newport Beach. He is a class act, one that is so much more deserving of the way he was treated in Denver. I wish him all the best with his new team.
There are many different types of grief. Rockies fans like me will be in mourning over this bad move for a very long time.
Godspeed, Nolan. Watching you play baseball was one of many thrills I've had in my life. Until we meet...