DENVER — Let purple reign! At least on Blake Street, if not in the Major League Baseball standings.
“We’re going to get rockin’ and rollin’,” said one Rockies fan, who did not wish to be identified for this story.
“The Rockies may suck, they may not,” said another fan on Opening Day in LoDo.
The Rockies are back, expectations are measured, and we're going 360.
Depending on your level of interest, baseball’s return might be the best news you've heard all week, a path to agony or both. The diehards are ready. Those are the fans keeping score at home.
As for the casual fan, you don’t need to love the Rockies to love being at a Rockies game.
In fact, when it comes to the Rockies, caring less might be more. It’s tough to love a team that doesn’t love you back.
“The owners know that Rockies fans are going to come regardless of what product they put on the field,” said a self-described life-long Rockies fan on Opening Day. “And I think they’re taking advantage of us. And that’s not cool. We’re going to be here regardless, but the need to appreciate us and repay us by investing in the team.”
“It was really hard to see a lot of our best guys get pushed out last year and that’s just a difficult thing to cope with as a diehard Rockies fan,” said a fan who identified as Mr. Purple.
Even though projections are bleak for a winning season, some fans believe the Rockies have the capacity to surprise.
“We are excited to see what the new players are going to do,” said a mom and Rockies fan. “What (Kris) Bryant brings to the team will be interesting.”
The players aren’t listening to their critics, either.
“It doesn’t really matter what those people say,” said infielder Ryan McMahon. “They’re not in the clubhouse and projections are projections. They’re never spot on. You still have to go and play the game.”
“I think we’re a ton better than last year,” said first baseman CJ Cron. “If we didn’t have that horrendous start - who knows how much better we would have been, so we’re hoping to come out of the gates a little stronger.”
“There’s an awesome vibe going on here right now,” said third baseman Kris Bryant. “Everybody seems to be getting along. The wins may not show, but there’s talent here.”
It’s a season of big sports events airing this fall on Denver7. Check out our upcoming schedule:
- Sept. 21: NFL Monday Night Football: Saints vs Raiders
- Sept. 29: MLB Wild Card Series
- Sept. 30: MLB Wild Card Series
- Sept. 30: NBA Finals Game 1 on Denver7
- Oct. 1: Broncos vs Jets on Denver7
- Oct. 1: MLB Wild Card Series (If needed)
- Oct. 2: NBA Finals Game 2 on Denver7
- Oct. 4: NBA Finals Game 3 on Denver7
- Oct. 6: NBA Finals Game 4 on Denver7
- Oct. 9: NBA Finals Game 5 on Denver7
- Oct. 11: NBA Finals Game 6 on Denver7
- Oct. 13: NBA Finals Game 7 on Denver7
Editor's Note: Denver7 360 stories explore multiple sides of the topics that matter most to Coloradans, bringing in different perspectives so you can make up your own mind about the issues. To comment on this or other 360 stories, email us at 360@TheDenverChannel.com. See more 360 stories here.
