It's All-Star Weekend!

It's All-Star Weekend here in Denver, and that summer baseball classic will take place at Coors Field - seen in the photograph on the left - this Tuesday night. Between now and then, there are all kinds of events that will take place, including the "MLB All-Star Play Ball Park" at the Colorado Convention Center, which will include a traveling version of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The last time the All-Star game was in Denver, back in 1998, I went with Colin, the young son of my friend Robin, a former co-worker at the long gone Hatch's Bookstore. We had seats in the Rockpile, where the view was only slightly better than from the parking lot, but it was definitely worth the experience. Back then the tickets were pricey, and - no surprise -  they cost even more today, and so my attitude this time around mirrors that of Ed, my former DU Bookstore boss, speaking about the rodeo: "Once is interesting, twice is a mistake."

Not surprisingly, all the hotels, restaurants, bars, and other businesses are out of their minds with joy that the game is being held here, and there are signs and murals all over town, such as the one in the photograph on the right, at the entrance to the downtown Sheraton hotel. The local news programs are spending all their time covering the events leading up to the big game, and one station is even broadcasting the evening news from the rooftop of McGregor Square, right across the street from Coors Field. The All-Star game in Denver back in 1998 was the highest scoring game in it's history, and as I recall, the national media thought Coors Field was a joke because of all the hits. The game lasted for hours. Now that the baseballs here are put into a humidor to compensate for the altitude, perhaps this time they will have a different opinion.

The crowds will be huge in downtown Denver this Tuesday, consisting not only of out-of-towners and local baseball fans, but thousands of the Millennials and Gen Zers who live here, don't care about baseball, but love to party, no matter what the excuse. There will be a huge festival on Larimer Street, just two blocks to the east of the ballpark, and there will also be something called "All-Stars on Larimer Block Party" between 4:00 and 8:00 P.M. on Larimer Square, five blocks to the south, and seen in the photo on the left in calmer times. All the media outlets have been doing nostalgia pieces on the 1998 All-Star game, and I was shocked to learn that Glory, the beanie baby given out to fans at that game, is now worth upwards of $500, one of which is sitting on my living room bookcase. Think what it will be worth in another 23 years, when I am 91. I'll be rich! And by the way, do they still even make beanie babies these days? I haven't kept up on these things over the last several decades. A very bad habit indeed.