Good cheer has been tough to come by at Coors Field this spring. But I found some Saturday night in section 144, row 2, seat 10, just down the left-field line from the Dodgers’ dugout.
That’s where Pete Taylor, a 58-year-old from Byfield, England, completed his baseball journey. By taking in a game at Coors, Taylor crossed off the final big-league park on his list. He now has seen a home game for all 30 major-league teams.
More impressive, he has watched a minor-league baseball game in all 50 states.
That would be an unusual trek for anybody. But what’s a guy from a rural hamlet of 1,200 people in central England doing traversing the States searching for America’s pastime?
“The first World Series I remember watching was ’97 between the Marlins and the Indians,” Taylor explained. “We were able to get it on the television. I loved it.”
Why?
“I love the philosophy of the game,” he said. “I love the way it’s integrated into society. And it surely must be the only sport in the world where they play 162 games a year. That amazes me.”
His favorite players are the Cubs’ Alfonso Soriano and the Yankees’ Derek Jeter.
“Jeter might be losing a little edge, but he’s still class,” he said.
Taylor had planned to complete his journey last year, but surgery for a detached retina put a crimp in those plans. He finished up this spring, taking in games in Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Diego, Phoenix and, finally, Denver.
“I can now say that I have officially been to a home game for all the major-league teams,” he said. “But I think it’s more interesting that I’ve seen baseball played in all 50 states.”
Saturday night was cold, misty and gloomy in LoDo, perfect for an Eng- lishman.
“This is a nice evening,” Taylor said with a wry smile.
His LoDo experience included a late lunch at the Wynkoop Brewery, once owned by Denver’s mayor.
“Shickleburger? Upenheimer?” Taylor kidded.
Informed it was John Hickenlooper, he said, “I was close.”
So what’s the proper Englishman’s assessment of Coors Field?
“Very nice,” he said. “I thought the centerpiece (at 20th and Blake) was very nice in how it opens up to the whole neighborhood. Nothing beats going to a ballgame.”
With that assessment, it was time for a Rockie Dog and a beer.
Patrick Saunders covers major-league baseball. Contact: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@
