Ticket Insider

Part II of the Colorado Trip - Coors Field

May 8th, 2008 Posted by: Dust Devil

Hello,

Now, I couldn’t pass up a chance to head over to Coors Field with all the time I had on my hands Saturday afternoon, May 3. I’ve always been a huge baseball fan and one of my goals is to one day hit all the major league parks in the country.

The Rockies and the Dodgers were slated to play one another at 6pm that day. I arrived plenty early so I would have lots of time to check out every nook and cranny possible before settling into my seat.

It is a very, very nice ballpark, set in the Lodo, or lower downtown. The exterior has a cool, brick, old-time baseball look to it, with a massive clock to greet all visitors. It seemed to me that traffic and parking are not issues at this venue. They allow you in an hour and a half before game time, so I came back at 4:30pm.

Baseball as it is meant to be, outdoors and open-air. I guess we have to have the roof and the AC in Phoenix, but I do miss an open-air yard. The Dodgers were in the midst of batting practice and - surprise, surprise, infield practice! Rarely do I see that on the major league level during BP anymore. The entrance I came in put me right behind home plate, so I began my walk around the field, starting down the third base line.

Out in left field is a nice little area for the kids to hang out when they get restless. As you continue behind left and center field there is a massive jumbotron right above you, crystal clear picture quality. There is a set of bleachers above everything in center, which is called The Rockpile. Quite a bargain, I believe seats in that area are only $4.00. I guess that’s why that area was so packed that night. The Sandlot Brewery is behind the right field stands. Owned by Coors, this brewery wins awards on a yearly basis at the Great American Beer Festival.

After buying a friend a shirt at their team shop, which was nicely put togther and had lots of room to maneuver around in, I made my way to my seat. 19 rows behind the Rockies dugout so I could laugh at them if need be. I should have worn my Dbacks gear. The seats are very comfortable with lots of leg room and the fans are very friendly. The concessions were run in a unique manner. You walk up, give your order, are handed your food, then turn around to another line to pay. Sounds confusing and overdone, but it works very well because there are lots of people working both ends. I liked the system, much quicker than at Chase Field.

You cannot appreciate what the altitude really does to the ball at Coors Field until you are there live to witness it. All I know is I nearly jumped out of my seat at the shot Matt Holliday hit into the left-center bleachers. It was awesome and so was the game. I had to leave after five innings, but the score was already 9-6 Dodgers!

This is a nice field and a great representative for MLB. Too bad the Rockies play in the same division as the Dbacks, but I do wish them well.

Later today, Part I of the trip. I had to save the best for last!

Cheers!
The Dust Devil

Colorado Rockies Official Site http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=col
Colorado Rockies Premium Tickets http://www.tickco.com/sports/mlb/colorado_rockies_tickets.htm

Filed under: Venue News & Reviews