Initially, we paused and then told the guy we were going to buy the cheap $5 tickets and be on our way. Before we could turn away, however, the guy stressed that he was holding club-level seats. He wasn't trying to make an extra buck. He was simply nice enough to give three tickets away to random baseball fans two minutes before game time. His one condition: We buy him a beer.
The baseball gods were smiling down on us.
Seats were incredible. Our complimentary tickets took us inside some glass doors and into the club level. Barely had to wait in a line for the concession stand or bathroom. It was a pretty chilly night — I'd estimate it was in the mid 40s by the third or fourth inning — but we watched some of the action comfortably from the warm club level.
I walked away from the game (Arizona won, 5-3) in an extremely jolly and thankful mood. The guy who hooked us up with the tickets — Art was his name — was an honest man who enhanced the baseball experiences of three close friends.
I can't say I blame us for initially being skeptical. There's a plethora of ways to screw people over at ballgames in the modern age. Fake tickets. Scalping. Who knows. This guy was a stranger who approached us out of the blue. Surely, we thought, he had ulterior motives. But he didn't, and for that, I thank the guy.
It was clear when the three of us entered the club level wide eyed and giddy, he was glad he gave us the tickets. Several times, he told us he was glad we were having a good time.
Coors Field is a solid, modern-aged stadium with a relaxed and happy-go-lucky atmosphere. The seats were comfortable; the field was beautiful; the scoreboard was nice.
Game-wise, I had a few observations:
• Dan Haren is a free-throwing pitcher who isn't afraid to attack the strike zone. He gave up a first-inning home run to Carlos Gonzalez, but that didn't stop his aggressiveness. Haren went eight strong innings, struck out 10 and only walked two on a pitch count of 115. I think he hit 92-93 MPH on the gun, but I may have missed a few fastball readings.
• Troy Tulowitzki is a fun player to watch. I attended the game in a Tulo shirt-jersey I bought earlier in the day from the Rockies store at the 16th St. Mall (one of my favorite blocks in the country). I had to support my fantasy baseball shortstop. He only went 1-for-4 at the plate and struck out twice, but I liked following him on the field.
• Arizona closer Chad Qualls continues to be shaky. The guy hit a max of 92 MPH and doesn't appear to have overpowering stuff. Colorado had the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth after Haren dominated the entire game.
• Justin Upton has all the tools. The Arizona right fielder is legit. I've read about him and noticed he's been rated in the Top 20 in fantasy drafts this year. Seeing him in person was awesome. He only went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and a walk, but I was really impressed when he stole second base. There isn't much that guy can't do on the field.
All in all a great night. It was made even better when you consider where my brother lives. We timed how long it took from when we left our seats in Coors Field to when we stepped inside his Lodo apartment.
Final reading: 4:59.4.
It took us under five minutes to walk back. Forget traffic! My brother lives in a sweet part of town.
And don't worry, we took care of our new buddy Art with some refreshments. It was the least we could do after such an unselfish act of kindness.
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