Coors Field Instantly Became One Of My Favorite Ballparks

Doug Pensinger. Getty Images.

I'm not a religious person at all. However, when I was in Colorado, it felt as close to heaven as anyplace I've ever been. I can see why Stephen King chose the state to be the location of good in The Stand. I spent most of my last week in awe of the Rocky Mountains and how great Denver was.

If you told me my retirement days would consist of waking up whenever I wanted, maybe go see a movie and then walk to Coors Field to catch a game, that would sound pretty good to me. It hits over 90 in the summer pretty regularly but there is such little humidity, it doesn't even feel that hot. It's an awesome place and I love it. That will end the Colorado ball washing for this blog at least. Or at least I'll try to dial it back the best that I can.

Doug Pensinger. Getty Images.

I now have Coors Field 3rd on the list of stadiums I've been to. I only have Camden Yards and PNC Park in Pittsburgh ahead of it. I haven't been to every stadium (yet) but I have been to 17. It's not one thing that makes Coors Field so great, it's more they do everything really well. The sightlines are fantastic and if you get cheap seats up top on the first base side, you can see the Rocky Mountains in the distance. The sunset there is incredible.

The field makes for an interesting game to watch too. Due to the altitude, they have the walls pushed pretty far back. For example, it's 415 to dead center. Because of that, they have the largest playing field in baseball. You see some crazy shit like backup catcher Jacob Stallings legging out a triple. In a game that has become home run or bust, it's fun to see contact plays having more impact.

I've now seen Wrigley Field, Guaranteed Rate Field and Coors Field all for the first time in the past couple of weeks. I have Coors Field ahead of those parks. It has bigger concourses and is just a more comfortable place to be than Wrigley. Wrigley feels more important but Coors Field is a more comfortable place to watch a game. Older parks like Fenway and Wrigley lose more and more charm each time you go. I do like Wrigley quite a bit more than Fenway but maybe it's just because I've been to Fenway so much more.

The purple ring around the seats is a cool element. If you sit above those seats, you are a mile above sea level. It's the only place that can make that claim in the entire MLB.

Dustin Bradford. Getty Images.

There isn't much bad to write about this place. Dinger kinda sucks. Finding dinosaur bones while they were building Coors Field is a great reason to have a dinosaur mascot but Dinger is pretty lame. He was also incredibly unenthusiastic. Sort of waved his arms a couple times and didn't seem to give a shit about anything going on in the game.

They don't have much history to talk about at Coors Field because the Rockies have been so shitty for much of their 32 seasons. They've only won 84 or more games four times. But even with that, they are doing their best. They have these cool banners throughout the concourse honoring great Rockies moments.

I also liked the A-Z display in the club section. They do need a team Hall of Fame and I think that could be really cool. Start with Todd Helton and Larry Walker and then induct one player a year like the Patriots do. You could even do a purple jacket for each 

member. With the care that went into the team history, I bet that day will come.

I just overheard JackMac tell Hubbs that I love Coors Field so much, I want to have sex with it. That seems extreme but to be fair, it's all I've been talking about since I came back to the office today. I really do love this park and Colorado as a whole. Last year, my wife and I went to St. Thomas. It was a perfectly fine trip last summer at a fine resort. It was just...fine. Going to Colorado and seeing those mountains, getting to see a show at Red Rocks and experiencing this ballpark was mentally refreshing. 

Coors Field really is a special place in a special place. If you haven't been and love baseball, it's a must. Hopefully, you'll see my old bony ass retired out there in 25 years walking to the game after a big day of going to a matinee.