The Sports Fan Project

(This is the second in a series of submissions from The Sports Fan Project contributor, Tim Russell, who embarked on a seven baseball stadium tour earlier this summer. You’re able to see his first installment here.)

Walking into a stadium for the first time usually sends a tinge of excitement down my spine. Not sure why that happens, but it sure hit me as I walked into Coors Field in Denver in June.

It may have been because it was the first major trip since before the pandemic. Or it may have been due to not having my brother along for the ride. This was the fourth stadium without him and every new visit gets a weird feeling as I walk in and see everything for the first time.

As you might recall, I lost my brother, Todd, five years ago, just five stadiums into the journey for 30. Sometimes it hits me harder than other times. This time was a bit harder, but I consider that a good feeling as it reminds me that he is walking in with me. And I carry a photo of him with me on every journey.

Coors Field was the first stop on Diamond Baseball Tours‘ “Rockies Plus College World Series” trip. It was seven games over eight days, traveling by bus. Coming from Detroit, I flew into Denver and then flew home from Kansas City, MO.

Coors Field is quite a unique experience. It was the third “retro” ballpark, after Camden Yards in Baltimore and Cleveland’s Jacobs Field, now Progressive Field. The red brick color scheme helped it fit well into the surrounding neighborhood, Lower Downtown (or LoDo as the locals call it). Like most downtown stadiums, the ballpark helped revitalize the LoDo area.

It’s now the third oldest park in the National League, but it has really aged quite well. It opened in 1995.

When building the stadium, they realized with the thinner air, the ball would fly further, necessitating fence distances be further. It’s 347 feet to left field, 390 to left-center, 415 to center, 375 to right-center and 350 to right.

By comparison, Comerica Park in Detroit features 345 feet to left, 370 to left-center, 420 to center, 365 to right-center and 330 to right.

Being as isolated as it is, in terms of Major League Baseball, you usually have made a bit of a journey to get there. It is very similar to Seattle in that regard so it’s worth it to take an extra day or two and visit the surrounding cities. Being a part of the tour made that a little difficult with a somewhat tight itinerary, but I was able to visit family in the Boulder area before starting the tour.

Walking through the stadium feels very comfortable with the wide concourses. It gives off a nice open feeling as you are able to walk around the entire stadium. Stadiums get bonus points, in my book, for allowing a complete tour around the stadium.

One of the first things that immediately draws your attention is the Rocky Mountain Forest out in center field, known as Fjallraven Forest. The area features seven different kinds of Colorado trees, as well as Navajo ruby sandstone, and granite marble boulders.

Located right next to the Forest is what’s known as The Rockpile, center field bleachers where you can get seats for a buck.

But enough of action at field level, let’s go higher up. How about a mile high up?

There is a social area in right field, named The Rooftop. It features two full-service bars, a burger joint, cornhole, couches, and drink rails, in case you want to watch the game.

But the most prominent feature is the ring of 865 purple seats around the stadium at exactly 5,280 feet above sea level. Living up to its name as the Mile High City, you can actually sit a mile up and watch the action.

While I did make the journey up there – it was quite high – I did not stay up there long. But it was quite scenic, especially being able to see the Rocky Mountains in the distance. But you should definitely bring your binoculars if you’re going to watch the game from up there.

That is one drawback of the stadium, though. The Rockpile makes the stadium feel a little closed in. It is also oriented toward the Rockies, but that cuts off any view of the downtown skyline that a lot of newer stadiums seem to feature. While it’s great to see the Rockies from the stadium, you need to be fairly high to really enjoy the scenery.

Food-wise, I didn’t partake in much at the ballpark. They do have Berry Kabobs, which are strawberries, bananas, and brownie bites served on a stick, drizzled in white and milk chocolates.

Some of the food options I did not try include Rocky Mountain oysters (fried bull testicles) and the Elvis Shake, which is a banana and peanut butter shake.

Oh yeah, there was a game too. The Rockies used a five-run fifth inning to take an 8-3 victory over the San Diego Padres and sweep the weekend series.

I’m sure the win made the Rockies’ mascot, Dinger, happy. Yes, the team has a big, purple dinosaur as their mascot, but thankfully, this one isn’t as annoying as Barney. But there is a reason for the dinosaur mascot, when building the stadium, fossils were found that could possibly be 66 million years old.

Like I said earlier, it’s always nice to explore the area around the ballpark. Although this time, I wasn’t able to walk around as much. A few blocks from the stadium is a small museum, called The Ballpark Museum. While small, I have heard it is well worth the time. Sadly, this time I wasn’t able to visit, but it would definitely be on my list to hit should I make a return to Denver.