I walked around Denver's Ballpark Neighborhood yesterday afternoon to soak in the atmosphere of Opening Day, and as usual, the bars were all packed, especially the patios, such as the one at the ViewHouse, seen in the photograph on the left. I have learned over the past few years that many, if not most, of these revelers are not really there to watch baseball, but just to party. When it gets close to first pitch time, they do not head to the ballpark to take their seats, or even go inside the bar to watch the game. It is as if they are not conscious a baseball game is even taking place. I think this is what is referred to as the casual fan.
At McGregor Square, just across the street from Coors Field, there is a giant television screen showing the game, and with beverage service provided by Mile Post Zero, the adjacent food hall, they can still party and occasionally look up to catch some of the action - the best of both worlds. The photograph on the right shows the fans in action right before the game. It was a fairly pleasant day, sunny with a high of 51 degrees, and so a perfect day to spend outdoors. And the Colorado Rockies won the game, defeating the Washington Nationals 1-0, thanks to ace pitcher Kyle Freeland, a product of Thomas Jefferson High School here in Denver.
And in fact, a lot of fans did attend the game - a sellout crowd of 48,250 no less. This, despite the fact the Rockies are predicted to be one of the worst teams in baseball this year. Happily, they were playing a team that is predicted to be even worse. Was Colorado's 1-0 victory a sign of good things to come, a darkhorse candidate to make the playoffs, thanks to a stellar pitching staff, or was it simply a case of two terrible teams unable to get any runs across? Time will tell.
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