Denver Is One of the Best Baseball Cities, and We Have No Idea Why
For some reason, Denver is ranked in the top 20 as one of America's best baseball cities. And we have no idea why.
Sure, teams struggle everywhere, and even the best are bound to lose sometimes. But after Nolan Arenado was traded to the Cardinals, after he and all Rockies fans wanted him to finish his career in a Rockies uniform, it felt like the final straw.
And yet? Denver sports fans persevere.
I will say this about sports fans in Colorado: you all are loyal. And oh, so hopeful all the time.
The sports following in Colorado is equal parts admirable and pitiful. But I can respect standing by your team. Fans saw a glimpse of their patience maybe paying off with how the Denver Broncos started the season, but that fizzled quickly and frustratingly.
Meanwhile, Rockies fans have had probably the most frustrating fan experience of them all. It seems that every year, there's really no plan. There's no real strategy to drafting, trading, and so much is done while simultaneously feeling like nothing was accomplished.
In 28 seasons of the Rockies organization, the team has made it to the playoffs five times.
For perspective, the Yankees, while I really don't care for them and they have about 89 seasons on the Rockies, they've made the playoffs 57 times in the time they've been around. That's a Rockies playoff appearance percentage of about 18% versus a Yankees percentage of about 49%.
It's really comparing apples to oranges in a way, I know that. And Wallet Hub still confidently has Denver as the number 20 best baseball city. But I doubt you could find any Rockies fan who will not express some concern over playoff success and management confidence.
But, I digress. Coors Field is fantastic and honestly one of my favorite parks in the MLB. But a pretty park with gorgeous sunsets seems like a far stretch to make it one of the proudest and best baseball cities on its own.
Worst Trades in Colorado Sports History