Denver always wins on opening day, even when the Colorado Rockies lose. The Rockies indeed fell 10-6 to the L.A. Dodgers today for the 2019 home opener, but for Denver this is always a day of celebration. Opening day for baseball regularly brings an April buzz to the city and marks the start of a busy and lucrative season for the local economy. The ballpark at 20th and Blake in downtown Denver is also among the most charming and exciting parks in all of major league baseball.
When Coors Field opened for business back in 1995, it changed the complexion of Denver, Colorado permanently. This became the heart of downtown and energized what had been a quiet and run-down urban wasteland. Surrounding businesses thrived and new hotels and luxury apartments soon followed. Expansion near Coors Field and along the Platte River continues to this day with major re-development and improvement happening nearby at Union Station, the Highlands, RiNo and other neighborhoods. Denver continues to build on this great success and every season the atmosphere becomes more dynamic and electric.
Opening day in Denver, 2018 was the coldest game in Rockies history. Snowy and bitter with a first pitch temperature of 27 degrees. Today the temperature at first pitch was 69 degrees and the crowd took full advantage of the warm early spring day. Denver partied in the cold last year and partied in the warm this year and nothing seems to ever slow this train down. Broncos games are also major events and every year there are some stadium acts that go off big. But the Rockies home opener is the single biggest party of the year in Denver, every year.
The Rockies are a family-friendly organization but there are definitely some kids playing hooky with their parents’ consent. Local businesses also tend to get in on the fun with many sales teams office-ing from the nearby watering holes. Most of the bars near Coors Field have rooftop patios that are packed from morning until game time, and then after the game until last call. Coors is a local brewery after all and, win or lose, most of Denver goes home drunk on this day.
Light rail trains, buses, rideshares and cabs, all do a brisk business whisking rowdy fans quickly from the city center. When close to 50,000 people spill out of Coors Field tottering back and forth, the Denver Police Department does an excellent job of keeping the peace and maintaining order. There have rarely been major incidents surrounding baseball games in Denver and this is largely testament to local law enforcement. Rockies fans tend to be peace-loving and even for fans of other teams, Denver is pretty welcoming.
Opening day allows Denver to show off; its good nature, its neighborly spirit, its beautiful weather, mighty mountain views, and even the burgeoning vitality of its baseball team. Every year seems more grandiose, and still more peaceful than the last. This is suggestive of a deepening maturity, of an expansion in stature, and a growing prominence on the national stage. The real estate market in Denver is very strong and coincides with a rise in the local culture. As the Mile High City elevates even further, opening day downtown is similarly reaching new heights.
Tomorrow the tickets will be about 80% less expensive. The kids won’t have to skip school on Saturday. The beer will still flow and the fans will still party. The nearby bars will crank and bank. The old-timers will worry about relief pitching and the difficulty of scoring more runs than the opponent. Its baseball season again and LoDo is more than ready. Go Rockies!
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