Rocktober!

It might be the 1st of October in the rest of the world, but here in Denver it is Rocktober.  Rocktober is what the Colorado Rockies organization started calling this month when the team went to the the World Series back in 2007.  And once again, the term is being used now that the Rockies are in the playoffs this year. However, since the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers finished with identical records, there will be a one game playoff today to see who will be the division champion and who will be the wildcard.  As you can see from the photograph above, it is obvious the Rockies seem pretty confident after their big win over the Washington Nationals yesterday afternoon. Confidence is good, but I have to add that the last time these two teams met, the Dodgers won all three games.  And if the Rockies lose today, as the wildcard team they will face a one game playoff with either the Chicago Cubs or the Milwaukee Brewers.  And the Rockies are not good in one game playoffs.

In any case, my friend Mark (seen in the photo on the right) and I attended yesterday's Rockies - Nationals game, and had a pretty good time.  There were a lot of home runs by the Rockies, and Charlie Blackmon, one of their start players, hit for the cycle (hitting a single, double, triple, and home run, all in one game).  And for the first time this year, the people sitting around us were not obnoxious.  Perhaps they understood the momentous nature of the occasion.  Or perhaps they were just worn out after a wild Saturday night in the surrounding LoDo neighborhood.

After the game, the players made their traditional walk around the ballpark, thanking fans for their support during the year and throwing various Rockies paraphernalia into the stands.  I myself spent the time taking photographs of the players instead of trying to catch a souvenir.  And since we were not able to get to the first row, I had to photograph around the various fans waving their arms to encourage the players to send treasures their way, which I found quite annoying.  But hey, I need to mellow out and not be such a curmudgeon, right?  That's what I keep telling myself. And despite the obstructions, I did manage to take the photograph of Carlos Gonzales, another one of the Rockies star players, looking relaxed and happy, at least for today.  Good luck Colorado Rockies.  I'm afraid you'll need it.