03.31.24: Outside the stadium

Major league baseball opened its 2024 season last week.

For cities in the southern half of the U.S. or cities with domed stadiums, it’s time for baseball fans to settle comfortably into the stands and watch a leisurely paced game. In cities without domed stadiums, watching spring baseball games can require a sweatshirt or coat.

And in some places (I’m looking at you, Denver), early season games can require a snow plow.

The Colorado Rockies play in Denver’s Coors Field. And while some other cities (New York, Cleveland, Chicago, Cincinnati) have occasionally had early April games delayed or postponed by surprise late-season snow, in Denver it’s always a strong possibility.

Denver opens the 2024 season with seven games on the road before returning home April 5 for the Rockies’ home opener. I’m sure ticket holders will be keeping an eye on the weather forecast.

I grew up a baseball fan, although in recent years I’ve paid less attention to the game as other activities have kept me busy. But I still enjoy visiting stadiums — I’ve attended games in at least 15 current or now-retired stadiums and visited six or seven others — and, if an opportunity pops up, would enjoy attending a game again.

I visited Coors Field on a beautiful June morning almost two decades ago and grabbed this photo of the stadium behind a statue, The Player. The nine-and-a-half-foot-tall statue, which stands atop a four-foot base, was donated by the Denver Rotary club in 2010. It’s the same figure used on the Branch Rickey Award, named for the late Major League Baseball executive who signed Jackie Robinson as the first black player in the majors. The Branch Rickey Award is presented annually to the major league player who best exemplifies Rotary International’s motto of "service over self."

Engraved on the base of the statue is a quote from Branch Rickey: "It is not the honor that you take with you but the heritage you leave behind."

A statue, The Player, stands outside Coors Field in Denver, Colo., home of the Colorado Rockies baseball team.