Colorado Rockies: Calendar a reminder of what could have been

This morning dawned with a winter storm warning in effect for Denver and much of northern Colorado. It was anything but baseball weather … and that’s really the only glimmer of a good reason why baseball fans around the area should be thankful the Colorado Rockies are not hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight at Coors Field.

My mood this morning was as gray as the Colorado sky. I had had today circled on the calendar for quite some time knowing that the Rockies and Dodgers could potentially be playing Game 3 of the National League Division Series tonight at Coors Field. Of course, the Rockies would have to get past the Arizona Diamondbacks in order for that to happen. As we all know by now, they did not. An 11-8 loss in the National League Wild Card game in Phoenix is still a bit of a sore spot for many of us who followed the Rockies all season. A fun season ended way too soon.

Trust me, we have tried to tell ourselves that there is plenty of reason for optimism moving forward. We have tried to tell ourselves why we should not be disappointed that the season is over. In this article, I wrote about how this team arrived maybe even a year earlier than predicted and accomplished some great things despite so many injuries and hurdles to overcome.

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That is all well and good. Still, I look at the calendar and know that Game 3 could have been tonight in downtown Denver. At least it was scheduled to be played tonight. The weather might not have let that happen.

Instead, Game 3 will be played between the Diamondbacks and Dodgers tonight at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix. The high in Phoenix on Monday is expected to be 89 degrees. That is more than 50 degrees warmer than the predicted high in Denver today.

Yes, Colorado’s season is over. Still, it’s fun to think about what might have been tonight in LoDo. One more taste of Rocktober at Coors Field is something that we will have to wait at least another season to experience. One more time to hear the crowd belt out “TONIIIIIGHT” as Charlie Blackmon settles in at the plate. One more time to see Nolan Arenado being Nolan at third base.

Next: Rockies fans tell us which team they hope wins the NL pennant

It’s a cold day in Denver. It would have been a cold night at Coors Field if the Rockies had advanced. For now, we will try to let the thoughts of spring training wash over the thoughts of “what if” and “what could have been” on this chilly Colorado day that could have been so much fun.