Wednesday was a perfect night for World Series baseball.
Rockies fans packed seats under the stars in downtown Denver, enjoying hot dogs, peanuts and even the occasional beer.
But “Take me out to the JumboTron” didn’t sound so good, and besides, the score was, well, distressing, so there wasn’t any singing.
“I heard the game first, then I saw the screen, and I thought, ‘No way,”‘ said passer-by Sara Loveless after seeing the Colorado-Boston series opener being broadcast in Skyline Park at 16th and Arapahoe streets.
Armed with a 40-foot-tall, inflatable screen and a bunch of lawn chairs, the Downtown Denver Partnership and Denver’s Parks and Recreation Department pulled off a last-minute home run to bring the away game home for Denver baseball fans.
“We want people to realize that you don’t need a ticket to be part of this history,” said event manager John Kerns. “But it was a big uphill battle to get this worked out.”
The two groups had to get permission from the Fox network and Major League Baseball for the broadcast, Kerns said, and couldn’t advertise the event.
So it was up to fans to wander into it on the mall.
“We were going to go home for the game, but we’ll find some warm clothes and stay here,” onlooker Julie Dettbarn said. “Maybe come back in our Halloween costumes for Saturday.”
All World Series games will be shown on the big screen in the park. Canned 3.2 beer is allowed, and vendors will sell peanuts and hot dogs for the complete ballpark experience.
One problem: Home runs look great, but errors are 40 times as bad on the big screen.
Cassie Hewlings: 303-954-1638 or chewlings@denverpost.com
