11/4/09

              Robert asked that I post this for any Rockies fans that may be interested.

10/20/09     

How cool is this?  I saw this picture first thing this morning on the cover page of Mlblogs.com

Rockpile Rant was the Number 5 Fan blog on MLBlogs.com for the entire baseball season.

Thank you to everyone who visited the Rant this season.

                               It was an honor to blog for you and the Rockies...D

10/11/09          Phillies vs Rockies Game 3...Coors Field

Game 3, series tied, and back at Coors Field. The temperature although a factor didn't matter. This was a game I wanted to witness and how bad could a few hours in the cold be right?

Baseball and cold weather do not mix. Frozen Cracker Jacks suck. 

 To quote my pops " It was colder than a well digger's a-ss in January". I can proudly say that I attended the coldest post-season baseball game in MLB history....Can you?

                                                 Meet Statue Man. Andy and I ran into him while waiting for Robert in front of the Blake Street Tavern.

                                         I asked if I could take his picture.

He mentioned he gets paid to pose, but in true Rockies spirit he let us have a freebie. Nice guy although I think he was stoned...get it?

When Robert arrived we headed inside and had the pre-game burger and beer deal and watched the last quarter of the Broncos/Patriots game. The burger was excellent, the beer that came with the burger was a Budweiser..So of course it sucked. 

King of beers...I don't think so...Try damn near any Colorado microbrew and you'll never touch that fermented urine colored water again.

 This from a guy who doesn't drink more than a beer or two a month. Quality not quantity. 

Andy (from spring training) is a Chiefs fan and Robert supports whoever happens to be playing against Broncos . They both harassed me for being a Broncos fan until the game was tied and then suddenly insults ceased.

Shortly after the game went into overtime I had the last laugh. Remember fellas, never insult a Broncos fan in a Denver bar :).

                            Student beats the teacher, Broncos are 5-0.

Robert kept us at the Blake Street too long and by the time we walked over to Coors Field we were about fifty people back in line. When I reached my spot in the pavilion it was 6:18 and batting practice was in full swing.

Unfortunately, the Rockies continued their trend of leaving within 15 minutes of their fans arriving and I totally missed them.

Missed them during batting practice on my last chance of the season. I was a little bummed.

Batting practice was a total bust as it's hard to hit cold balls when you've got cold balls. Shutout during batting practice at my last game of the season.

Andy and I headed over to the Rockies dugout because we could see them over there warming-up.

                     Did I mention it was about 30 degrees at this point?                     Carlos didn't seem like the cold weather bothered him.

While I was standing there taking pictures Garratt Atkins tossed his ball into the crowd. The ball was diverted by a bobbled catch by someone in the second row and bounced back into the forth row. I was in the fifth row and reached down to grab the ball at the same time as rather large fella.

The dude actually fell onto the ball trapping my hand underneath him.

Wonderful, there I stood as-s in the air bent over a seat and my glove hand trapped underneath him  chock full of man boob.

I must admit it was warm, but there was no way I was digging around in there for a baseball.

  Denied the last tossed-up ball at my last game of season. Thanks anyway G, next year.

Back at the pavilion we watched as they stretched out the massive flag during the playing of the National Anthem.

                                                Lots of balloons.

                                                    Lots of Military folk. Lots of smiles..Andy from Spring Training. Andy wanted me to mention it was cold.  

Seeing Yorvit's son toss out the first pitch warmed me up a bit. That was cool.                                                            Dan and Emily                                                                      Robert                 Electric blankets were aplenty in the first row of the pavilion, great idea.                       Here is video of the crowd cheering on Helton.

For a playoff game the crowd was kind of mellow. I'm sure this was because of the temperature. I can't say for sure but I didn't see "The Wave" the entire game. That's a start.

Around the sixth inning Dan let Andy and I use a set of tickets from a couple of people who had left early. So the last three innings we watched this game from the first row of the pavilion.

                                            Thanks Dan, that was very cool.

                        Here is a shot of Dan and Emily's holding thier sign  

                                                 Here's what the sign said:

I had a feeling I was going to catch a home run ball at this game, but all feeling was gone by the seventh inning especially in my toes. The temperature was 27 degrees and there was a slight wind.

Bone chilling cold. I guess mentally when you attend a football you expect it. But cold weather and baseball can really fu-ck you up.

You've still got all the same sounds and smells at the stadium so your mind thinks it's warm. You owe it to yourself to at least experience it. I had on three layers you might be wise to try four.

         Extreme cold baseball happens so rarely it's funny to watch how people react. 

 That got me to thinking if this was the coldest post-season game in history..Captain Earthman must have been serving the coldest beer ever served at a post-season game right?

Props to you Captain Earthman for setting a new record and finishing another season.

Hey I just call em as I see em :)                                                   The Rockies fan holding that sign was true to his word.    During a break in the innings the young ladies who toss out the T-Shirts positioned themselves in front of the pavilion. I stood up and moved over by Robert where there was a gap in seats and parked myself in front of the ladies and their oversize slingshot. 

I had seen these girls in action many times and they always bobble one. I've just never been close enough to catch their mistake.

Until today,...about the sixth or seventh T-Shirt they launched was a dud and the rolled up T-Shirt spun and flew about twenty feet directly to me. I leaned over the rail, reached out and caught it perfectly....Mine.

                     Actually it'll be Krista's,  it wont fit me after the first wash.

                                               Random crowd shot

                             Giambi, tried but couldn't do it this evening. 

                                   Look at the fans behind Helton.

     Here's video of Tulo's last at bat. I can't blame him. At the time I was piss'd too.

                                                          And that was it.

 It was an interesting walk back to my truck. It was after midnight, my feet felt like ice bricks and I had to be at work in a few hours.

 From a baseball viewers point of view this Rockies/Phillies series has been great. No shutouts, close games, lots of stragegy on both teams part.

But from a Rockies fans point of view, now we're down 2-1. This series and the Rockies season could be over at completion of one more home game. 

Rockies,  please make it last a little longer. I bet I'm not the only guy with a huge honey-do list :)

10/10/09

I can't believe it. Tomorrow I'll be at Coors Field watching my Colorado Rockies host the Phillies in Game 3 of the Division Series.

They did it. After a confusing/frustrating 2008 season the Rockies are back. Back to hopefully prove to the world 2007 wasn't just a fluke.

This Rockies team is a different playoff team than it was in 2007. This time the Rockies didn't make the post-season on a last minute historic run. The Rockies played solid baseball for most of the last half of this season and thus deserve to be exactly where they are.

I'm loving the fact that this Phillies series is split. Coming back to Coors two games down would have been really tough to overcome. Now it's even, the Rockies are at Coors Field for two and this series could end right here at home.

Onward and upward baby. 

Tomorrow's game will probably be the only post-season game I'll be able to attend as the tickets are very expensive. I'm just happy I have the chance to attend, take a sh*t-ton of pictures, and cheer on the best team in baseball.

Guess who'll be with me....Andy from Spring training. Here he's posing with his first ever homerun ball.   It's only appropriate that he be there with me as he and I attended the first five Rockies pre-season games together earlier this year in Tucson.

                     Remember the Mobile Blog Unit?...Oh Yeah..Good times.

I've been plugging this team online in blog form for two years now. I believed then, I believe now.

Rockies...Have fun with this but never lose sight of the goal. We want a World Series Championship in Colorado.

The Colorado Rockies are "home grown" and are on their way to being well known. 

The combination of teamwork, friendship, skill, and a big hearted skipper who tells it exactly like it is has enabled the Rockies to flourish this season...

Tomorrow I want to see a stadium full of Rockies fans giving it their all.  I personally plan to lose my voice. Give me a shout if you see me on TV. I think I sit just behind Dan.

    Go Rockies, don't worry if you see the cold wind blowing, those are the winds of change...D

10/6/09

Alternate titles: Buck vs Truck and  Deer Wrecks My Day Then Hops Away Leaving Me To Pay.

So the Rockies vs the Phillies on Wednesday. I knew the Rockies would do it. I helped you believe all season..Yadda Yadda..I seriously need to Rant...Go Rockies

Ok I'm sitting at my computer, it's 4am and I'm waiting for daylight so I can assess the damage on my truck. I know I at least need try to pry away the bumper a few more inches so it doesn't rub on my tire and puncture it. Then get my butt into work.

This morning as I was leaving the cabin on my way to work in the city a deer and I crossed paths or should I say lanes.

The mighty buck was bobbin when he should have been weavin and chose to take the low road instead of the high road.

 I saw his big as's (literally) from a distance due to my keen eye (kept ever so sharp from tracking baseballs), but by the time my truck and the deer were up front and personal I was still moving about 15 MPH....Boom.

Truck 1- Deer 0 

After the deer and my truck collided I didn't see him.

 I was angry so I hopped out of my truck and ran toward the front of it and commenced to giving that big buck a piece of my mind.

 I guess my cussing at it brought it to it's senses because that big buck shot up, shook his head and bolted away jumping over a guard rail in the process and headed back into the woods. 

Revised score, seems this one was a draw.

 Smart move on his part, that truck wrecker didn't want to mess with me I was piss'd. Beyond piss'd. I wanted that buck to come at me. I wanted my tie-breaker. I wanted me some justice.

That buck straight up f'ked up my truck.

Now I've got two jacked up vehicles and it's not like my VW bus is a daily driver. Our place is looking like an auto junkyard.

So here I sit typing away my adrenaline and frustration instead of wrestling with a buck at three in the morning on a cold windy mountain road. 

Things I Recently Hate:

I hate the fact that a deer had the f'kin gall to be on the road this morning when I was. Nobody else was out there. Why today, why me? Any other day I love deer. This morning I'm thinking venison.

At least my airbag didn't deploy.

I hate that when I try to be good to people, people don't get it...c'mon people recognize when someone does something cool for you. I try to when someone does for me. People who actually care are a rare breed, they make good friends.

I hate that the statement I hear all the time".Wait till you spend your first winter in the mountains" is so true. but damn you for saying it.

I hate that winter hasn't even begun and we've had our share of "mountainy things" happen. Things like hitting a deer, squirrels putting pine cones in your sewer vent...You know normal everyday stuff.

I hate that dental clinics tell you they accept your medical insurance, then when the bill arrives it tells you a different story. You call them and say "WTF" and they act like they're doing you a favor when they cut the bill 20%...Gee thanks. You lied and I have to pay...That seems fair.

Insurance company 1- Ranter 0 ..You can only complain cause you sure can't fight it.

I hate that busses don't operate at the time I go to work. I really could have used public transportation today.

I hate that despite attending 44 Rockies games this season a home run ball still eludes me. Most of you have seen me in action,... I'm awesome..ok I'm decent :)...My time will come I guess, I just hope I have a vehicle to get there when it is time.

I hate that the Rockies Phillies series in Philly is on so early. I'm going to miss part of game two. The whole country should be on the same time...we could get used to it.

I hate that now I'm totally freaked about driving. The problem for me is even when you are in complete control of your vehicle you're not. There are a lot of other factors beyond your control that can cause you to have an accident as I'm rapidly discovering. 

                                              I swear I'm a good driver

I'm done, I feel a little better and my hands have stopped shaking. How was your morning?  :)...D

9/30/09

Couple of things before I go into the Rockies/Brewers. Today was Edition 1 of my new bi-weekly column called "Ranter's Banter. It's over at MyGameBalls.com and I plan to have some fun with this. Go over and check it out.

                                    Feel free to leave a comment there or here.

Be easy on me as writing a column is a little different than blogging and I'm just gettin my feet wet :) Also remember I get paid for none of this so I operate on the honor system. I'm honored when you take the time to stop by and check out the Rant.

9/29/09                           Brewers vs Rockies Game 1

The drive to Coors Field today was filled with mixed emotions. I was feeling a bit sad because I knew this would be the second last batting practice of the regular season and to me that is what signals winter's on its way.

Actually the fact that I've been scraping my truck windshield a month before any of you is more of a signal of winter is almost here.

I was heading to the game early to have a burger and a cold one with Nick (aka The Happy Youngster).

He was in town following his Brewers and we had arranged to meet earlier. We met at 20th and Blake (Coors Field) and Happy showed up with his buddy and fellow ballhawk Kenny.

  We walked a couple blocks over to the Blake Street Tavern, talked some snaggin, had a tasty burger and then headed back to Coors Field to line up for batting practice.

                          Happy's easy to spot in the outfield. This is his signature T-Shirt.   BP was a good time. The Rockies gave us sixteen minutes today but I forgot all about that when the Brewers came up to bat. Good times were had as they scattered baseballs all over the pavilion. I managed to catch two.  My first was a ground rule double hit by J.J. Hardy which cleared the first row. I had to jump about a foot in the air to catch it but it was all mine. The second was a beautiful hit by Mike Rivera which I caught mid-pavilion. Lots of play today, just the way I like it.

                                         I think Happy and Kenny each got three.

         Way too many people to attempt autographs today so I just took action shots...Enjoy

                                               Starting pitcher Jason Marquis.                                                     Hill and Jimenez                                                                Cook and Giambi

                                              Everyone looking relaxed                                                            Tracy with his look.

                                                    To be continued...D

10/5/09

Man that was a long wait but life supercedes blogging and I've got a few things going on besides baseball.

     However,.... this was such a fun game I feel bad for taking so long...So sorry...D

The Happy Youngster positioned and ready. Those seats would really pay off the next game :)

             I got a little excited trying to take this picture,....but you get the picture.

                                        I love the look on Garrett's face.

Nice to see Hawpe finally found his swing. If he's like me he probably left it on top of his hat.

                                        Dexter Fowler and lemonaid.

A few of the Brewers making small talk during a pitching change. This is baseballs version of watercooler chat in the workplace.

    What do you think they're talking about? Cars? Women? Jock itch spray? 

                                                            We'll never know?

Rockies needed this win and they got it. Props to Happy and Kenny for hanging out with the Ranter pre-game. If you ever see those two buy em a beer they're good people.

                                                                Go Rockies...D

9/26/09                                      Cardinals vs Rockies Game 2

I hope I'm not the only Rockies fan concerned with the Atlanta Braves. My friend Andy(from Spring Training) may be a Rockies fan, but deep down his # 1 team is the Braves. So now I have him on a daily basis reminding me of the differences between our two teams schedules.

I have confidence the Rockies will prevail, but the Braves schedule is cake. The Dodgers may have cinched their playoff appearance but they still have home field advantage to play for.

Although the Cardinals are a respectable team I really was hoping for a sweep at home. That didn't happen. Ubaldo started the game by walking the first two batters and then it was down hill from there with the Cardinals scoring three in the first inning.

 The Rockies had it tied up by the fourth with a two run homer from Hawpe, but those would be the last runs scored by the Rockies in this game.

 The Cardinals went on to add another run in the seventh and two more in the ninth to take the Rockies 6-3 in front of 47,741 Rockies fans anxious for a post-season in Colorado.

This was the first time I had a chance to see Matt Holliday since he was traded. Matt seemed content and watching his mannerisms out in left field reminded me of years past.

                                            His demeanor hasn't changed a bit.  Matt was cool to the fans during batting practice and I watched him toss up several baseballs including one to me. I'll attribute it to Matt recognizing me as a fellow MLBlogger and he was hooking a brotha up. Thanks Matt. I gave that ball to my UPS driver who happened to be be at the game with his wife.

The Rockies were out on the field for 16 minutes today during the fan's part of BP.

 I skipped taking Rockies pictures as I was concentrating on catching a BP homer. I should have took pictures....Nothing, it's as if they were trying not to hit any out?

Batting practice was jam packed. Look at all those Cardinals out there red messing with my flow.

Today was a special day for Dan's daughter Emily. The sign speaks for itself. Congrats Emily, that's got to be some kind of record right? First pitch of the game.

Pujols is a big dude, he makes stocky Torrealba look small.

That would be a strike for the big guy.

Matt at bat.

Brad Hawpe had a sweet left field homer.

  Wins, we need wins. It's simple, we win and we get to play in October. At times when I watch the Rockies I believe I'm watching the best team in baseball.

                                                 Just not this particular time.

                                        Go Rockies, Rock me for old time sakes :) ...D

9/24/09                                     Padres vs Rockies Game 3

I guess I'm not much of a Ballhawk. My stats this year are pathetic. I'm averaging less than a ball a game and that's barely noteworthy.

I don't think I'm slipping. I still catch 'em as good as I ever have. Actually I'm much better this year at maneuvering the pavilion bleachers and I've managed to keep myself injury free. 

Everybody has an excuse so here's what I'm going to attribute this lackluster snaggin season to:

The Rain.... If I attend a game and there's no batting practice or batting practice is cancelled due to weather that still counts as a game attended and no baseballs caught,...yep it's sad but true.

I've lost count of the number of BP's that have been cancelled or cut seriously short due to rain or lightning.

Here's another disturbing trend....Lately the Rockies have been cutting their BP short. Coors Field opens two hours early but by the time fans get inside the Rockies have already been out practicing for a while.

Normally fans who show up early get a half hour with the Rockies on the field.

This picture is of the Rockies leaving the field early. For the last several games the Rockies have been ending their BP shortly after I get myself situated.  

I hope the Rockies don't think I show up two hours early to watch the opposing team hit?  I arrived in my spot in the pavilion at 4:32. If you can't see the clock in the middle of the above picture here's a close-up of it....Thanks for the 13 minutes...glad you could spare it.Check this out, finally I get a rain free afternoon and for the most part batting practice is deserted (remember it's the Padres). My team leaves BP early (for the umpteenth time) and lets the uninspiring Padres take over the field.

No offense to Padre fans but in my opinion there is not a stingier group of MLB players in all of baseball. It wouldn't matter so much if they were littering the pavilion with home run balls, but for a team who has had the Rockies number of late these group of guys couldn't seem to hit a ball anywhere close to the fence.

Whatever Padres, be that way. Credit where credit is due...I will congratulate the Padres for their recent hot streak. Too bad it doesn't mean anything now. We're done with you, see you next year.

(I hate losing to the Padres at Coors).

  A ballhawk's worst nightmare... A whole section to myself and not one single ball hit there.

        Normally I don't take pictures during BP, but this one was a bust so here's a few.                                   For some reason Jorge De La Rosa was all smiles.

                      See what I mean. I don't think I have any other pictures of Jorge smiling.                                             Still smiling, must have been a good joke.  

                               Or maybe Jorge was laughing at Ubaldo's sunglasses.

 If you played professional baseball you could afford the cooler things in life like these special sunglasses. They actually snap into your ears and are guaranteed to never to fall off    :)

After BP or the lack thereof, I walked over to the Rockies side to take a few more pictures and maybe snag Garrett Atkins or Brad Hawpe's autograph.

Today I saw Chris Iannetta run past the fans and not sign. He (so I thought) has a pre-game ritual and always signs for a few minutes before he heads off to warm-up. Sup with that Chris, why are you breaking routine?

First to walk over and start signing was pitching coach Bob Apodaca...Very nice guy, signs his whole name and takes his time while doing it.    Next up is one of the coolest and easiest to talk to Rockies players....Clint Barmes.    A group Coors field employees were being recognized for something. Erik Young Jr was given the assignment of congratulaing each one of them.

Check out this lady...Either EY Jr tickled her palm or he told her the same joke Jorge was laughing at earlier.

                              A shot of the 850 KOA helicopter hovering above Coors Field.

                                 Miss Colorado's were in the house.

          I didnt' realize there were so many variations of Miss Colorado.

              Garrett Atkins for my friend Emily :)

Tulo and Seth Smith...Each a superstar this season. No time to be resting on our accomplishments though, this season isn't over yet.

    If you've ever wondered how they make those rectangles so perfect...now you know.

I respect both of these guys too much to bust on them so come up with your own caption for this picture. You can post it in the comment section if you'd like.                                                                       I'll let Atkins slide too.

 EY Jr taking on first pitch duties. I wonder where Jeff Francis is? Normally that's his job.

                       Told you that goatee would be back soon.                                   Here's Helton is doing his thing.

Chris seemed out of it. Maybe it's because Yorvit's having a great season? 

                                                     Tulo and Don Baylor.

  These ladies need to practice this maneuver because they damn sure haven't mastered it yet.

  What's up with Glenallen Hill's hair? Did he lose a bet? I know the 80's are coming back but damn Gumby.

                     One of many pitching changes during this game.

                                        Bases loaded.

This game sucked. Padres win this one 5-4 and take the series 2-1.

 It pains me to watch this team drop the ball like this so late in the season when everything is on the line.

 Look out for the Braves, they're creeping up on us and have a lot of home games left. At this point we don't have to panic but lets not continue lose games to teams that we should be spanking.

Rockies it's time to kick it into high gear.

I know your tired, at times it's quite visible. The last couple weeks of the season is what separates the men from the boys and I don't go to Coors field to watch boys play baseball.

Step it up fellas, I'm starting to see a smugness in some of the Rockies players and I don't like that. Remember, the only reason you get to play this sport for a living is because we the fans pay to see you.  

Note to the higher salaried Rockies players....Lose the fu*king attitudes. I know the difference between confident and smug and unless you're Todd Helton you haven't been playing long enough to have one.

Stop this recent half-steppin, respect your fans and give them some love back, focus, play hard and win some games and we might not look like chumps in the post-season this time.

      Go Rockies, I still believe and I'm here to keep your azzes grounded...D

I'd like to say thank you to Jim from Utah who offered me his code to buy tickets for the NLDS series. Unfortunately, you had to purchase for all three games at once and the only seats left were the expensive ones. This Ranter doesn't make that kind of money...But that was a mighty kind thing to do.  

9/21/09

Alternate titles for this entry were: Oh The Pain as I'm Dissed Again and I'd Stand in Line but I'd be Wasting my Time. 

It's amazing how quickly things can change in this little town of Nederland. I filmed some video yesterday for my last entry of the surrounding mountains and there wasn't a speck of snow.

                            Today is officially the last day of summer. This is our front deck.

                                             Time to play in the snow.

 I have a feeling it's going to be a long wet winter. My kids wont mind, they don't have to drive into the city every day.                                            Hunter chill'n in the snowstorm.                                   Don't get me wrong I'm not bitch'n, it's worth it :) 

HOWEVER, I do have a one thing in particular I'd like to mention. I received an email from the Rockies today and I wasn't happy about it. Instead of me explaining it I'll just let you read it.

Dear Rockies Fan,

Recently you registered at coloradorockies.com for the opportunity to purchase 2009 Division Series tickets for games to be played at Coors Field. Unfortunately, your entry was not selected.

If you also registered for the Ticket Opportunity for the potential National League Championship Series and World Series games, you are still eligible to be selected and do not need to register again. The dates and times for the email notification for those Opportunities is posted on our website or can be found here. 

Thank you for participating in the 2009 Postseason Ticket Opportunity.

OK Rockies ticket people, just so I'm sure..Is this the only chance I have at Division tickets?

I mean I remember back in 2007 and the Rockies totally dropped the ball with the World Series ticket sales. Instead of holding back a few thousand tickets for the LOYAL fans who were willing to camp out for the chance to witness the Rockies in the World Series, they let all of the available tickets go on sale to the entire country at the same time online.

With that swift move they managed to piss-off a lot of loyal Rockies fans and fill Coors Field with more Red Sox fans than Rockies fans. That could straight-up happen again.

I hate this. I hate that after attending over 40 games at Coors Field this season the only chance of me watching a post-season game live is by the luck of the draw.

                                                     I hate random drawings. Why does it have to be this way? How do I know the drawing isn't just two dudes and a bucket who say Fu*k it?

Here's a thought...When the Rockies make it to the post-season lets save the Rockpile section for residents of Colorado only. Sure the Rockpile may leave a lot to be desired. But I'd be ok with a Rockpile ticket to the World Series..Wouldn't you?

C'mon Rockies Ticket people, don't let bad history repeat itself. Don't ignore the non-season ticket holder Rockies fans this time.

Explain to me why you can't just set aside a few thousand tickets for the local fans. Wouldn't you rather have us inside Coors Field? 

                                                      I care and I just wanna be there...D