Colorado Rockies: Homer shades, MVP chain, and getting clubhouse approval

The Colorado Rockies are hitting home runs and playing well at home. With that in mind, opponents are just going to take a nod from a popular GIF and, yes, have to deal with it.

Go ahead and search “deal with it” on Google and you’ll likely see a pair of shades dropping onto everything from a dog to Hollywood actors. Soon, don’t be surprised if you see some members of the Rockies in the search as well since the “deal with it” shades (dubbed “homer shades”) have become a part of their home run routine.

Here’s what you need to know about the new home run celebration routine from the Colorado Rockies

Following his 465-foot home run on Thursday afternoon against the Chicago Cubs, Sam Hilliard donned a pair of “deal with it” shades bestowed upon him as he entered the dugout. The same happened after Connor Joe’s blast. Trevor Story put on the shades twice on Thursday.

Sure, the sun was bright at Coors Field on Thursday, but the shades have nothing to do with just how bright it is. It’s another way for the Rockies to come together and celebrate the moments of individual victory, much like when the MVP chain is bestowed upon a player after Colorado captures a win.

So how did this new celebration come about?

"“I was talking with Mac (Ryan McMahon) and BRod (Brendan Rodgers) one night in a hotel and we were just thinking about something that we could do that was fun and different,” Hilliard explained. “We came up randomly with this idea of we’ll get some cool shades. I went on Amazon and typed in ‘sick shades’ and these popped up.”"

More from Colorado Rockies News

• A Colorado Rockies Thanksgiving
• Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon out for the season
• Colorado Rockies: Injuries shift look of roster ahead of Dodgers series
• Colorado Rockies: 3 things we appreciated from Tuesday in San Francisco
• What Bill Schmidt’s comments mean for the Colorado Rockies in 2023

After getting approval from Story and Charlie Blackmon (who tried out the shades after his home run on Friday night against Miami) to have them as part of Colorado’s new dugout culture, teams are now having to “deal with it” when it comes to the Rockies sporting the shades every time someone hits a home run.

"“I like them. They’re terrible to see out of,” Story laughed. “It’s funny. It’s something we can rally around.”"

And don’t worry, Hilliard said a six-pack of the “homer shades” was purchased on Amazon to make sure there were plenty to go around and last into the coming days. That’s a good thing during a six-game homestand where the Rockies belted 17 homers, including 11 in three games against Miami.

But there’s more to the homer shades, MVP chain, or any other celebration generated in the future than it just suddenly becoming a part of the Colorado dugout culture. As mentioned above, in the current clubhouse environment, Story and Blackmon have to give their approval to any new celebration. It’s part of their role as veterans and leaders among position players in the clubhouse.

While the celebration is fun, McMahon said that getting approval for the homer shades or anything like it is taken very seriously by the players.

“Sometimes the ideas come from different people, but, yeah, we want to have it run by us just to make sure it isn’t over the line,” Story explained. “Normally it’s all good and anything team-related I’m all about. It’s been fun.”

Has there been any ideas that have been suggested that have been rejected? Story said it’s possible, but didn’t want to delve any deeper than that.

Creating joy and lighter moments throughout the grind that is a 162-game schedule is important for any club, as is making sure that proper clubhouse etiquette is followed. When the homer shades are next donned, know the Rockies are checking both of those boxes as the dog days of summer roll on.