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Friday, April 15, 2011

INDT: Time for Colorado Rockies fans to take the next step

Introducing YOUR Colorado Nawrockies!

For years it was acceptable. For years, there when other clubs came to visit Coors Field, it was understandable that fans for the other teams outnumbered Rockies fans. After all, the Rockies were in the middle of an identity crisis for most of those years.

Those days are over.

These are not your father’s Rockies.

With the Chicago Cubs heading into town, there will be an inevitable sea of blue filling the green seats at Coors Field. These fans aren’t your typical visiting fans, however. These fans are loud, they talk trash, and they have a superiority complex, despite the fact that they are arrogantly cheering for a team who hasn’t won a World Series since Theodore Roosevelt lived in the White House.

...There is no way to keep Cubs fans out of Coors Field over the weekend, however, it is possible for Rockies fans to drown them out and make their presence a moot point.

It is time for Rockies fans to step up and embrace their team.

Repoz Posted: April 15, 2011 at 09:39 AM | 53 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: cubs, media, rockies

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1. Leroy Kincaid Posted: April 15, 2011 at 11:30 AM (#3797812)

This sort of thing, whether it comes from the media or fans is horse-hockey. If people would rather spend their time and money on something else (or if they prefer to go to a game and not scream like a mental-case), too fudging bad.

2. Lassus Posted: April 15, 2011 at 11:39 AM (#3797815)

It is time for Rockies fans to step up and embrace their team.

What Leroy said. Fcking spare me. (I have a friend in Denver who just bought season tickets, too.)

3. Zach Posted: April 15, 2011 at 11:50 AM (#3797818)

Colorado's a nice, relaxed atmosphere to see a game. There's not a lot of passion, but you can get great seats for 10-20 bucks.

The flip side of that is that there aren't many homegrown fans. It'll be a while before a big draw like the Cubs or the Red Sox doesn't outdraw the home team.

4. Infinite Yost (Voxter)

Posted: April 15, 2011 at 12:01 PM (#3797823)

If they stay in contention fairly regularly for another ten years or so, there'll be plenty of young fans who don't remember a time when the Rockies weren't a going concern that was worth one's time. It'll be a while before people paint their torsos purple for every game, but I can't see what's too terribly wrong with the way things are now. This is a pretty healthy franchise.

5. Tom Nawrocki Posted: April 15, 2011 at 12:46 PM (#3797846)

I've been to plenty of games at Coors Field, and I've never once seen fans of the opposing team come close to outnumbering Rockies fans. Of course, maybe those people hide their allegiances out of fear of getting beaten to a pulp in the parking lot.

On the other hand, I've never been to a Cubs game at Coors Field, in part because they jack up the ticket prices for those games. Cub fans are welcome to spend $250 to come see their team three times a year; I'd rather go see the Rockies play the Astros or Pirates for cheap.

I've also never heard of In Denver Times before.

6. SoSHially Unacceptable Posted: April 15, 2011 at 12:49 PM (#3797849)

These are not your father’s Rockies.

That's primarily because there were no Rockies when you were born.

7. Crispix Attacksel Rios Posted: April 15, 2011 at 12:57 PM (#3797854)

Well, there were, but it was a hockey team. How were their fans?

8. SoSHially Unacceptable Posted: April 15, 2011 at 01:06 PM (#3797869)

Well, there were, but it was a hockey team. How were their fans?

There weren't many, but those that existed all wore big, bushy, red moustaches in honor of Lanny McDonald.

9. Dan Evensen Posted: April 15, 2011 at 01:13 PM (#3797877)

You know, there was a time about 14 years ago when the Rockies sold out 200+ straight games -- right after the strike, no less...

10. jacksone (AKA It's OK...) Posted: April 15, 2011 at 01:34 PM (#3797888)

I've been to plenty of games at Coors Field, and I've never once seen fans of the opposing team come close to outnumbering Rockies fans. Of course, maybe those people hide their allegiances out of fear of getting beaten to a pulp in the parking lot.

Never been to a game with the Red Sox in town have you?

11. Tom Nawrocki Posted: April 15, 2011 at 01:55 PM (#3797917)

Never been to a game with the Red Sox in town have you?

Nah, they jack up the prices for those, too. The last time the Red Sox were here, the preseason schedule listed four tiers of prices: Bargain, Basic, Premium, and Red Sox. No thanks.

12. Brian

Posted: April 15, 2011 at 02:00 PM (#3797919)

I was in Minneapolis Wednesday and they had a day game (Sadly, I was in on business) but I noticed that an incredibly large percentage of fans were wearing Twins jersies. After that asshat article saying grown-ups don't wear jersies I had to laugh. Had to be close to 50-60% in jersies and 80-90% in some kind of Twins gear (Sweatshirts, Jackets, hats). Also, I have to mention there were a lot of very good looking women wearing jersies and caps. Damn.

13. Avoid Running At All Times- S. Paige Posted: April 15, 2011 at 02:07 PM (#3797927)

The Rockies are a pretty well run team, and because of their unique playing conditions, the front office has been forced to do some creative things. I think a book about their brief history would be pretty interesting.

I also think they'll win the NL West this year.

14. Tulo's Fishy Mullet (mrams) Posted: April 15, 2011 at 02:16 PM (#3797940)

15. Hang down your head, Tom Foley Posted: April 15, 2011 at 02:28 PM (#3797955)

It took 40 years for Angel fans to outnumber fans of the older teams at home games.

16. Tom Nawrocki Posted: April 15, 2011 at 02:33 PM (#3797957)

It occurs to me that those inflated ticket prices are having a direct effect on the phenomenon this article describes. If I'm a Red Sox fan living in Colorado, I have roughly three shots every six years to see my team in person, so I'd be willing to pay a lot of money for that.

But if I'm a Rockies fan, picking eight or ten games a year to attend, why would I pay horribly inflated prices to go see the Rockies against a team I don't care about? I can pay half as much to go see the Diamondbacks or Reds. That ticket pricing creates a real disincentive for Rockies fans to attend those Red Sox games.

17. I Left Tim Raines Down In Africa Posted: April 15, 2011 at 02:34 PM (#3797959)

Rockies fans aren't paying attention yet. It's not even Rocktober. (retch)

18. NJ in NJ Posted: April 15, 2011 at 02:36 PM (#3797960)

Can we talk Tulowitzki?

19. Tom Nawrocki Posted: April 15, 2011 at 03:02 PM (#3797980)

He's hitting .364/.491/.909. He leads the league in homers, slugging, OPS, and OPS+. Those numbers aren't Coors-flated, either; for the season, the Rockies have played four games at Coors, four at PNC Park and four at Citifield.

His next home run will be the 100th of his career.

20. bads85 Posted: April 15, 2011 at 03:06 PM (#3797986)

It took 40 years for Angel fans to outnumber fans of the older teams at home games.

And even that might be fleeting.

21. bads85 Posted: April 15, 2011 at 03:08 PM (#3797987)

...There is no way to keep Cubs fans out of Coors Field over the weekend, however, it is possible for Rockies fans to drown them out and make their presence a moot point.

This is turf mentality. Left unchecked, it devolves into the Dodger Stadium situation.

22. Infinite Yost (Voxter)

Posted: April 15, 2011 at 03:14 PM (#3797996)

He's hitting .364/.491/.909. He leads the league in homers, slugging, OPS, and OPS+. Those numbers aren't Coors-flated, either; for the season, the Rockies have played four games at Coors, four at PNC Park and four at Citifield.

ETA in Yankee Stadium: July 2012.

(Kidding. He's no more likely to end up there than King Felix, which is to say, not bloody.)

23. SoSHially Unacceptable Posted: April 15, 2011 at 03:31 PM (#3798016)

But if I'm a Rockies fan, picking eight or ten games a year to attend, why would I pay horribly inflated prices to go see the Rockies against a team I don't care about? I can pay half as much to go see the Diamondbacks or Reds. That ticket pricing creates a real disincentive for Rockies fans to attend those Red Sox games.

And season ticket holders can probably recoup a substantial part of their investment by peddling the highest-value games to desperate Red Sox or Cubs fans, while still catching the vast majority of the games featuring the team (the Rockies) they do care about.

24. bads85 Posted: April 15, 2011 at 03:50 PM (#3798037)

And season ticket holders can probably recoup a substantial part of their investment by peddling the highest-value games to desperate Red Sox or Cubs fans, while still catching the vast majority of the games featuring the team (the Rockies) they do care about.

Without a doubt. Up until a few years ago before the bottom fell out of the secondary market, one could make enough money to pay for the entire season by moving a few of those high value series.

25. Tom Nawrocki Posted: April 15, 2011 at 04:08 PM (#3798062)

Just in case you guys think I'm being miserly by not wanting to buy tickets to the Cubs series this weekend, consider this: Upper deck outfield reserved seats for this Saturday night's game are going for $70 apiece. (Not surprisingly, there are still tickets available.) So if I want to take my family of four, that's $280, plus various "convenience fees."

Or I can wait two weeks and go see the Rockies vs. the Pirates on Saturday night, April 30, and sit in those same seats for $17 a pop. My whole family would cost $68. In other words, it's a $200-plus premium to go see the Cubs.

Hey, I'm not made of money.

26. stanmvp48 Posted: April 15, 2011 at 04:15 PM (#3798067)

I live in Denver as well and have the same attitude. Is this standard practice for all teams?

27. McCoy Posted: April 15, 2011 at 04:17 PM (#3798069)

Not sure if Cubs fans this year are the usual road warriors this season. Their numbers at Miller Park last weekend were substantially lower than in year's past. Recent suckitude, and dragging economy I assume.

Back in the day when the Seligs owned the Brewers the Cubs-Brewers matchups took place in the summer and on weekends. After they sold the team the games got spread out and you started to see more games being played in the beginning. Put the series in the summer and on the weekend and the numbers would be normal.

28. McCoy Posted: April 15, 2011 at 04:22 PM (#3798075)

He's hitting .364/.491/.909. He leads the league in homers, slugging, OPS, and OPS+. Those numbers aren't Coors-flated, either; for the season, the Rockies have played four games at Coors, four at PNC Park and four at Citifield.

It's more like crappy pitcher inflated.

29. Javy Joan Baez (chris h.) Posted: April 15, 2011 at 04:32 PM (#3798085)

I live in Denver as well and have the same attitude. Is this standard practice for all teams?

It's very common to have different tiers of ticket prices depending on the time of year and opponent. The Cubs do this (premium games are typically against big divisional opponents like the Cardinals, plus of course the White Sox games). The Brewers do it (Cub games at Miller Park are premium).

30. Harveys Wallbangers

Posted: April 15, 2011 at 04:48 PM (#3798104)

I enjoy going to games at Coors Field. Great place to see a game and the team on the field is fun to watch.

31. Fly is talking about film ####ing magic Posted: April 15, 2011 at 05:02 PM (#3798133)

The Red Sox do not do this. You can easily attend a Sox/Yankee game for $25, just like a Sox/Royals game.

32. Lujack Posted: April 15, 2011 at 05:04 PM (#3798139)

Why buy from the club when there's a ton of tickets on the secondary market? $25 gets you in the door for the series, and you can slide down to better seats they are available. Or you can spend the same $70/ticket and get some nice seats in section 133 for the Sat game.

33. Bourbon Samurai stays in the fight Posted: April 15, 2011 at 05:09 PM (#3798149)

Just in case you guys think I'm being miserly by not wanting to buy tickets to the Cubs series this weekend, consider this: Upper deck outfield reserved seats for this Saturday night's game are going for $70 apiece. (Not surprisingly, there are still tickets available.) So if I want to take my family of four, that's $280, plus various "convenience fees."

Or I can wait two weeks and go see the Rockies vs. the Pirates on Saturday night, April 30, and sit in those same seats for $17 a pop. My whole family would cost $68. In other words, it's a $200-plus premium to go see the Cubs.

Ah, one of the few joys of living near the Nats! My seats are $10 for everybody, and after the 5th we wander downstairs and sit on the 3rd base line.

34. jmp Posted: April 15, 2011 at 05:12 PM (#3798158)

Back in the day when the Seligs owned the Brewers the Cubs-Brewers matchups took place in the summer and on weekends. After they sold the team the games got spread out and you started to see more games being played in the beginning. Put the series in the summer and on the weekend and the numbers would be normal.

It made sense to schedule the Cubs to get maximum attendance years ago, before the Brewers had their recent stretch of 2.7 mil+. Now that the Brewers are drawing well, they sell plenty of tickets during the summer, and can get a bigger Cubs bump in other parts of the season.

35. Starring RMc as Bradley Scotchman Posted: April 15, 2011 at 05:31 PM (#3798194)

Time for Colorado Rockies fans to take the next step

...time to viciously beat a random Diamondbacks fan into a coma.

36. stanmvp48 Posted: April 15, 2011 at 06:56 PM (#3798358)

"Why buy from the club when there's a ton of tickets on the secondary market? $25 gets you in the door for the series, and you can slide down to better seats they are available. Or you can spend the same $70/ticket and get some nice seats in section 133 for the Sat game. "

"Ah, one of the few joys of living near the Nats! My seats are $10 for everybody, and after the 5th we wander downstairs and sit on the 3rd base line."

Really hard core at Coors about moving down into empty seats. I will generally buy a cheap ticket and walk around. I enjoy watching the game from the concourse. Lots of good looking female customers. That is the best thing about the stadium.

37. LionoftheSenate Posted: April 15, 2011 at 07:06 PM (#3798371)

Can we talk Tulowitzki?

No kidding. This guy blew up last Sept with 14hr in 15 games and now 7 quick to start the year. Where is the talk?

38. Steve Treder Posted: April 15, 2011 at 07:11 PM (#3798378)

No kidding. This guy blew up last Sept with 14hr in 15 games and now 7 quick to start the year. Where is the talk?

Yeah, he's basically the sport's newest, brightest superduperstar, and Johnny Damon gets more ink.

39. Tulo's Fishy Mullet (mrams) Posted: April 15, 2011 at 07:18 PM (#3798390)

No kidding. This guy blew up last Sept with 14hr in 15 games and now 7 quick to start the year. Where is the talk?

Yeah, he's basically the sport's newest, brightest superduperstar, and Johnny Damon gets more ink.

Blame it on the mullet.

40. Fly is talking about film ####ing magic Posted: April 15, 2011 at 07:20 PM (#3798396)

I love Tulo, but newest superstar? He was a superstar in 2007.

41. Run, Mookie, Run Posted: April 15, 2011 at 07:31 PM (#3798415)

Can we talk Tulowitzki?

.444/.553/1.111 since switching from the fan-voted walkup song Firework by Katy Perry to third-placed Baby by Justin Bieber.

Other than that, yeah, he should be getting some more pub (webgems too).

42. Tom Nawrocki Posted: April 15, 2011 at 07:32 PM (#3798416)

I tried to hijack that Mets thread the other day into a Tulo thread, but no one would listen.

43. Steve Treder Posted: April 15, 2011 at 07:59 PM (#3798458)

I love Tulo, but newest superstar? He was a superstar in 2007.

No, he wasn't. But he legitimately achieved that status in 2009. Has someone of equivalent talent burst onto the scene more recently than that?

44. Russlan is not Russian Posted: April 15, 2011 at 08:03 PM (#3798463)

Tulo Kelly-Leaked the Mets. Not only did he make Citifield look like Coors Field, he made some game-saving web gem type plays. Amazing series.

45. Lassus Posted: April 15, 2011 at 08:12 PM (#3798490)

A friend of mine from Denver was inspired to actually call and gloat regarding Tulo just standing on our necks for what seemed like a week, which was not like him. When exposed to that sort of performance, you really have no choice.

46. Zach Posted: April 15, 2011 at 08:15 PM (#3798495)

Just in case you guys think I'm being miserly by not wanting to buy tickets to the Cubs series this weekend, consider this: Upper deck outfield reserved seats for this Saturday night's game are going for $70 apiece.

$70 for Rockies tickets? Things have changed since I left grad school. I don't think I ever paid more than 20 bucks.

47. Barry`s_Lazy_Boy Posted: April 15, 2011 at 08:24 PM (#3798507)

I'm glad that teams charge higher prices for more popular games. I'd rather they make more money than some arsehole scalper.

48. Steve Treder Posted: April 15, 2011 at 08:31 PM (#3798515)

I'm glad that teams charge higher prices for more popular games. I'd rather they make more money than some arsehole scalper.

Completely agreed. Variable pricing is about as fair and logical as ideas get.

49. Dingbat_Charlie

Posted: April 15, 2011 at 08:31 PM (#3798517)

22 home runs in 42 games since Sept. 1. I suggest Rockies fans invest in a coat of mithril to keep him healthy.

50. puck Posted: April 15, 2011 at 08:43 PM (#3798539)

But if I'm a Rockies fan, picking eight or ten games a year to attend, why would I pay horribly inflated prices to go see the Rockies against a team I don't care about? I can pay half as much to go see the Diamondbacks or Reds. That ticket pricing creates a real disincentive for Rockies fans to attend those Red Sox games.

It does create disincentive, but plenty of Rockies fans show up. The only time the crowd gets loud for the Rockies is when the Cubs or Red Sox are in town. It's kind of nice to hear that park loud. The first year of "GenR", 2005, the park was so quiet.

51. puck Posted: April 15, 2011 at 08:45 PM (#3798546)

Tulowitzki, heck, he's not even the best-hitting middle infielder on the roster. Re-post from the Dugout:

So, I want whatever Jonathan Herrera is taking: .458/.594/.708 in 33 PA thus far.

He's 26, went .277/.353/.346 in 960 PA over 3 seasons at Colorado Springs. He like, totally learned how to hit, right? I mean, Carney Lansford is a really good hitting coach.

52. Zach Posted: April 15, 2011 at 09:16 PM (#3798604)

I'm glad that teams charge higher prices for more popular games. I'd rather they make more money than some arsehole scalper.

In principle, yes, but nothing costs 70 bucks in Colorado. A season lift ticket is $409. One of my favorite Rockies deals was 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs and 4 cokes for $40 -- in better seats than Nawrocki's talking about.

It's just funny to see a higher markup on tickets than you usually see on beer.

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INDT: Time for Colorado Rockies fans to take the next step

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