The world seemed a different tint Tuesday. The orchid flowers in a woman’s dress. The lavender hair ties in a girl’s pigtails. Heck, even the color of the trash cans on the 16th Street Mall took on a new meaning.
The day after the biggest win in Colorado Rockies history, Denver was accented in purple.
“I think it’s great,” said die-hard Rockies fan Susan Whitcomb.
She was standing in line at Coors Field to buy tickets for the National League Championship Series, one whole playoff step beyond the division series that the Rockies start today. She was wearing a purple skirt and a purple turtleneck beneath her sweater. From her ears dangled purple earrings, and a purple medallion hung from her neck.
“They made the city remember something that’s special to all of us. … We can stop for a minute, come to a ballgame for four hours and not think about the traumas of the world,” she said.
In contrast to the horn-honking jubilance following Monday night’s big win, Tuesday’s celebrations were subtle. There were no pep rallies or parades. The Sports Column bar, cater-corner from Coors Field, closed at 2 p.m. to recuperate from Monday night and prepare for today’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Instead, all the cheering Tuesday took place around water coolers and in the dresser mirror. The win made it cool to wear purple again.
Rachel Wartes bought a new No. 5 Matt Holliday jersey on Tuesday – to go with her ever-expanding collection of Rockies stuff. She already has a couple Rockies hats, a Rockies lighter and a Rockies towel.
“That’s a lie. You don’t actually have a towel, do you?” her brother, Jonathan, asked.
“I do,” Rachel said. “I’m a big geek.”
A block from Coors Field, a purple Rockies flag fluttered from the end of a construction crane. A couple weeks ago, just as the Rockies began their long winning streak, Jeremy Pospisil, the crane’s operator, crawled 100 feet on an inches- wide bar suspended 130 feet off the ground to put the flag there.
He says he won’t take it down until the season is over.
“Everybody who drives by has to look at my Rockies flag,” said Pospisil, who adopted the Rockies as his team just a few months ago. “Everybody who walks down the street has to look at my flag. It reminds them of what the team is doing.”
And then there is Donald McIlwean. McIlwean, who said he is homeless and not much of a baseball fan, likes seeing the boost the Rockies have given to people around the city.
So when he found a purple- and-white Rockies shirt in the street Tuesday, McIlwean took off the shirt he was wearing and put on the Rockies shirt.
He didn’t really mind that it had a mustard stain on the sleeve.
“I’m happy for them,” he said. “When a team wins, it’s good for the town.”
John Ingold: 720-929-0898 or jingold@denverpost.com
By the numbers:
.340
Matt Holliday’s batting average, enough to win the National League batting title this season
0
The number of retired Colorado Rockies numbers
1
The number of no-hitters thrown at Coors Field. Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers did it in 1996.
42
The only number retired for all major- league teams. It belonged to Jackie Robinson.
80,227
Number of fans at Mile High Stadium’s first Rockies game on April 9, 1993. That set a team record.
26 million
The number of hot dogs sold at ballparks during a major-league season.
Sources: Baseball Almanac; Colorado Rockies;
Reconstructed fan
Know a lot about baseball? Know next to nothing? Here are some random tidbits for die-hard fans, jump-on-the- bandwagon fans and fans of the wrong teams.
City of Brotherly Tolerance
It’s OK to be a Phillies fan in Denver. Sort of. Here are few places where it’ll be fine to root for the other guys.
Large Marge’s, West 39th Avenue and Kip ling Street, Wheat Ridge 303-463-4549. Marge is a real person, with real South Philly roots. She’ll be happy to make you a cheesesteak, to go, before the games.
Denver Public House, 1920 Blake St., Denver, 303-295-0800. This self-proclaimed Denver headquarters for the Philadelphia Eagles is just a stone’s throw from Coors Field. Let’s hope nobody throws any as Rockies fever heats up -it’s actually a stop for Rockies regulars too
Pat’s Steaks and Bar, 1624 Market St., Denver, 303-534-1333. This Lower Downtown hangout is the official home to the Penn State alumni club and very Philly-friendly. They’ll have the game on.
Faking It
Wanna sound smart about baseball without really trying? Pull out some of this stuff during the game.
Attention to detail
The easiest way to look like a savvy baseball fan? Clap heartily when a Rockies hitter grounds out to the second baseman – and advances a runner from second to third base in the process. Though the less knowledgable will wonder why you’re cheering an out, you know that these are the little things that help win ballgames.
Laying it on the line
Most pitchers can’t hit a lick, but they work hard on making useful outs such as the sacrifice bunt – “sacrificing” an out – that allows a runner on first or second base ample time to advance into scoring position. The Rockies’ Jeff Francis is particularly adept at this underappreciated art, which earns well-deserved high-fives upon his return to the dugout.
To catch a thief
When a runner steals a base, don’t automatically blame the catcher for not throwing him out. Elite base-stealers – keep an eye on the Phillies’ Jimmy Rollins – swipe more bases by getting a jump on the pitcher’s slow delivery toward the plate than they do off a catcher’s late throw.
– Kevin Simpson
A Rockies cocktail
Why just wear your team colors? Drink in the Rockies’ run with this purple libation.
Purple Reign Cocktail
Ingredients
1 generous shot vodka
Splash blue curaçao liqueur
2 shots cranberry juice
Splash grenadine
Lemon twist for garnish
Glass: Cocktail (martini)
Directions
Fill mixing glass halfway with ice cubes. Add vodka, curaçao and cranberry juice. Stir. Drizzle in just enough grenadine to achieve true Rockies hue. (Too red? Add more curaçao.) Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish and serve.
(Make it even Rockies-er: Serve it in a highball glass over a few rocks with a garnish of red grapes.)
– Tucker Shaw
