The same Colorado Rockies … different season.
The team returns to Denver for its home opener Friday after an abysmal start to the 2024 season. The Rockies went 1-6 in the first week of the season against the defending National League champions — and division rival — Arizona Diamondbacks, and a potential playoff team in the Chicago Cubs.
It wasn’t pretty. Kyle Freeland didn’t make it out of the third inning of his third career Opening Day start. The inning saw the D-Backs explode with 14 runs on their way to a 16-1 win. It didn’t get any better for Freeland. He later got roughed up in a 12-2 rout courtesy of the Cubs.
In the Cubs series, the Rockies were also victims of an inside-the-park home run by Christopher Morel. Former Cub player and the Rockies’ highest-paid player Kris Bryant finally got his first two hits of the season in Wednesday's series finale. It didn’t help much as they lost 9-8.
The Rockies seemed to have picked up from where they left off last year when they lost a franchise record worst 103 games. But one thing is for sure, fans are still coming to Coors Field: The team consistently has one of the better-attended ballparks in Major League Baseball.
Carrie Henry is a bartender at Jackson’s LODO across the street from Coors Field. Since 2007, she has worked there on and off. So, she has seen the team’s highs and lows.
“I remember the World Series, the one game we did get to host. Sad as it was, only one here in Denver, shoulder to shoulder, you couldn't move,” Henry said. “I would say opening day and St. Patrick's Day are the same. You can barely move through the building. It's fun, high energy. It's a blast and a half, but very much so at the end of the day, the staff loves to just sit down, breathe, and for some reason, we keep coming back. We just love it here. It's a really great family culture at Jackson's.”
Henry has also been witness to some of the team’s worst seasons. That doesn’t stop Jackson’s LODO from having fun with how bad the team is.
“We had kind of a funny little gimmick we did. We called it “Die Hard Day” last year. And when the Rockies had their hundredth loss, we were doing Coors Lights for a dollar — a hundred pennies,” Henry said.
She hopes they won’t have to do it again this season.
Allison and Shane Haynes frequently visit Jackson’s LODO. The Minnesota couple moved to Denver 10 months ago from Oklahoma.
A bad start to the season hasn’t stopped them from believing the team’s fortune will turn around during the season.
“I think anything's possible. I definitely have high hopes for the team because we are a city that supports our team,” Allison Haynes said.
Shane Haynes, however, said, well, win or lose, their fandom isn’t just about the Rockies anyway.
“It's always fun to go to the … bar before the game and just hang out, have a few drinks, and then even if your team's getting crushed by the third inning, it's always still a good time.”
