If the past four weeks had unfolded differently, Cole Geiger would have been at soccer practice. Instead, he hopped out of his mom’s car on a cool October evening and scrambled to join his Arvada Rebels teammates as they loosened up their arms in the outfield at the Lutz Sports Complex.
Yellow leaves still clung to nearby cottonwood trees. Warm weather hung by a thread. And two teams of 9- to 12-year- olds seized the moment to prolong the magic of a baseball season unexpectedly energized by the Colorado Rockies’ World Series run.
“It’s been crazy,” said Robin Gilliland, Cole’s mother. “I thought he’d do competitive soccer, but Cole has decided he wants to pitch. The more we watch the Rockies, the more we’re hooked.”
While the big-league club captures the imagination of suddenly rabid fans across the metro area, youth baseball players, parents and coaches also revel in the autumn glow. They see renewed passion for a sport usually gone dormant by now, watch kids connect – both as fans and players – with a new generation of Rockies and anticipate a new wave of participants come spring.
“When the Rockies first came, there was a huge increase in youth baseball,” said Susan Brown, president of Arvada Junior Baseball, which claims to be the state’s oldest kids’ league. “But then, that excitement declined and participation declined with it. So this will be huge for us.”
Registration boost
Brown expects an increase of 10 percent to 20 percent when registration opens next spring for the organization, which serves up to 1,000 kids ages 4 to 14. In recognition of the Rockies’ achievement – and to capitalize on unprecedented enthusiasm – Arvada announced free registration for next spring’s mini T-ball for 4-year-old future Heltons and Hollidays.
But even the fall league, which features little or no practice before a schedule of weekend games, has generated a nearly forgotten enthusiasm for October baseball.
“On Sundays, I’m used to seeing people in football jerseys,” said Brown. “Now they’re coming to games wearing Rockies jerseys.”
After rain spoiled the previous weekend’s schedule in Arvada’s fall baseball league, 9-year-old Cole skipped soccer practice for the chance to play in a rare weeknight game.
He wore a No. 5 Matt Holliday T-shirt that’s just a stop-gap until he can procure the replica jersey of his true favorite – the player who has single-handedly shifted his athletic allegiance to baseball.
“Troy Tulowitzki,” Cole said almost reverently. “He’s just good – he’s my favorite player and he sets a good example.”
Rebels coach Ryan Norton said his team jacket now attracts inquiries from total strangers in line at the grocery store.
“I guarantee that when the Rockies win the World Series, it’s going to be a madhouse for registration,” Norton said.
More itching to play
Kids seem to be contracting a strain of Rockies fever whose symptoms include a growing itch to play baseball.
Activity may be winding down at Slammers, the indoor baseball training facility in Lakewood, but enthusiasm for the sport has carried on, said pro shop manager Morgan Hansen.
“We’ve seen a resurgence in people asking about winter camps – we’ve had a ton of calls about those, especially for 5- to 7-year-olds,” he said. “It seems that a lot of kids from that age group want to get involved early. We’ve definitely seen that more in the last few weeks, when interest in the Rockies has been high.”
The Rockies’ impact on youth baseball won’t be felt until February, when players begin signing up for the next season, said Andrew Turner, manager of baseball for the Arapahoe Youth League.
And it depends on whether the big-league team can sustain its success.
“I think it’s based on whether this is a fluke or if the Rockies keep moving forward – are they constantly competitive, does the hype stay around for more than this one year?” he said. “If so, I think you’ll see it flow down to the youth level.”
Other signs of gathering interest have surfaced in the fall leagues whose play has tracked the Rockies’ streak into the postseason.
A lesson in flipping the game
It’s been a while since youth coaches freely referenced the home team as a model for winning baseball. But when Denver youth coach Jesus Apodaca found his fall team trailing 5-2 entering the final inning, he invoked the exploits of the local heroes.
“Before that inning, we came together as we normally do, and I asked the team who’d been watching the Rockies,” said Apodaca, who saw every kid’s arm shoot into the air. “So I told them that one of the major things you notice about the Rockies is that it doesn’t matter how much they’re losing by or who they’re playing, they feel they can win at any given time.”
His players came through with some clutch hits and wound up winning 7-5.
As young players start to identify with the Rockies’ emerging talent, something else has begun to happen: Kids emulate success.
“It’s a lot easier when you can point to the hometown team and say, ‘Did you see how they reacted, did you see the passion they had?”‘ said coach Greg Holstine of the Arvada Rattlers.
These are heady times for young baseball stars.
Bedtimes have been extended for youngsters like Cole Geiger, who fought fatigue until shortly before midnight – on a school night, no less – to watch the Rockies finish off the Arizona Diamondbacks for the National League pennant.
His mother watched his eyelids droop until first baseman Todd Helton squeezed the final out. Then, while the Rockies celebrated, one newly minted fan surrendered to sleep with a barely audible parting comment.
“Sweet.”
