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Bigger than Baseball
“This is a day I'll remember forever – it was that special,” Connor Joe said moments after Trevor Story struck out for the final out in a ninth inning comeback that wasn’t meant to be -- a comeback playing second fiddle to Connor Joe's comeback. “Being one-year cancer free. To be called back up to the big leagues, getting a start, hitting my first [career] home run....I couldn't have written it up any better.”
The Circle of Baseball
The 91st MLB All-Star Game included a special tribute to Hank Aaron, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 86. He started in the Negro Leagues, and though he may not have intended it, he became a civil rights icon through his deeds and words. MLB honored Aaron before the game, and the entire week emphasized the legacy of athlete activists, from the Negro League players to those standing up for voting rights, and from Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente to the big leaguers and alumni in the Players Alliance, whose mission is to “create an inclusive culture, where differences are leveraged to elevate racial equality and provide greater opportunities for the Black community, both in our game and the places we live in, play in and care about most.”
Players Alliance Connects with Kids at Inclusive Clinic
Sonny Lawson Field in Denver's Five Points neighborhood was the first field in Denver to host Negro Leagues games, it was the first field in Denver named after an African American, and -- based on Monday's clinic -- it may end up being the field where a future Cy Young Award winner first learned the grip for a four-seam fastball from baseball legend CC Sabathia.
Special Stars Take Center Stage in Denver
"I’ve got the luckiest job in the world,” said Cory Chandler of Special Olympics Colorado. “Seeing kids that normally wouldn't get to play baseball -- if you don't get a tear, then something’s wrong. They have so much joy. It's a blast, amazing. We had as much fun as the kids did!”
Negro Leagues' Vibrancy, Power Showcased
“I don’t want the only images of me to be the ‘downtrodden’ side of my journey toward citizenship in this country,” Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum said Saturday. “You've seen me in slavery, you’ve seen the hoses sprayed by the police, the police brutality that sadly continues to manifest itself to this day. But you can also relate to my success story, and the story of the Negro Leagues is one of the great American success stories.”
ASG Urban Garden Event Aims for Living Legacy
Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of “Hamilton,” defined “legacy” as “planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.” MLB and the volunteers who came out Friday may never see what grows out of the garden they planted on Friday. But those seeds will grow and contribute to the community for generations to come.
All-Star Week Youth Competition Fuels Dreams
Question: How do you get to Coors Field?
Answer: Practice! Pitch, hit, and run.
Harold Reynolds, Natasha Watley, Lauren Chamberlin, and more show up for youth baseball clinic to kick-off All-Star Week. For girls like Lily Miller (14) and Rozlynn Muguerza (13), it was a chance to set their sites and aim high.
Nolan: Still Nolan
He said he didn't expect everyone to "be all lovey-dovey," but that's exactly what they were as fans filled Coors Field for four days to welcome back the best of Blake St. Even Charlie Blackmon got a hug, despite Nolan's acknowledgement that "Charlie's not a huggable person, really, if you think about it,"
Relish the Rockies
Rough start to season includes parting ways with general manager Jeff Bridich. Fans wanted to can the man who traded Nolan Arenado, and three and a half weeks into the season, they got their wish.
But "Don't Worry; Be Happy!" The Rockies continue to frustrate folks who are ready to win, but they remain, as ever, a bottomless source of excitement for fans who find joy in the journey.
Peach Lemonade -- Atlanta's Loss is Colorado's Gain
Seventy-four years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrior with the Dodgers, Major League Baseball is being bold again, standing up for its values and for the rights of all citizens to have equal access to the ballot box by pulling the All-Star Game from Georgia, where new voter suppression laws are being passed by the legislature, and moving it to Colorado, a model state that sets the standard when it comes to empowering voters.
Catch up with Colorado All-Star and Georgia native Charlie Blackmon as he discusses the impact of MLB's actions. Click here for the full story.
All Over -- Again
As short as the season was, it was at least symmetrical. The Rockies started the year with an 11-3 run and bookended the season with an 11-3 loss to the cellar-dwelling D-backs on the final game of the regular season.
We should have seen it coming. In a city craving a Mile-High miracle, we were blinded by the statistical oddities that come from a two-week sample, believing a .400 season was imminent — even half-hoping the .500 mark could be in reach in Charlie Blackmon’s torrid season start. Click here for the full story.
Waiting for Rocktober
As the Planet went to press Friday afternoon, the Rockies were three games out of an improbable playoff spot with four games to play and four teams between them and a return to Rocktober. Realists figure the season is over, but don’t count the players among that lot. Where there is math there is hope.
Dr. Purple and Mr. Pinstripe
Maybe it started in “Summer Camp,” when the Rockies were limited to split-squad games. The Rockies are still playing with a split personality, collapsing on the wrong end of a 23-5 loss at home to the Giants on one hand, and days later becoming the first team to win a series against the Dodgers this season.
Colorado climbed back to .500 and stayed in the playoff hunt. They didn’t play their best baseball to clinch the series, but they played better than the best team in baseball.
The Game That Wasn't Played
In a moment as stirring as any ninth inning “LoDo Magic” moment, the Rockies tapped into a different kind of comeback Thursday, rewriting the record and making a statement that spoke louder than anything seen in the game in generations that can most generously be described as “silent.”
Click here for the story of the Rockies' stand for racial justice.
Democratic National Convention Resource Hub
Click the image to the right for a resource center to follow the 2020 Democratic National Convention. As a national delegate, I'm eager to share the experience as fully as possible with those interested in following along. The hub will feature schedules, videos, stories -- and any breaking news as it happens -- to help you identify opportunities to get involved and to catch up on any content you miss during the convention week of August 17-20. Thanks for your interest, and I look forward to sharing this experience with you.
Click here to visit my 2020 Democratic National Convention Resource Hub.
Baseball Survivor, (August 5, 2020)
Opening Day at Coors Field Friday had the flavor of a post-apocalyptic ghost town, complete with cardboard cutouts and a cheer-track to make fans and players alike feel something other than the emptiness of pandemic ballparks.
“It’s different without the fans, for sure,” said right fielder Charlie Blackmon before the home opener. “I miss the fans being there. It’s a very intimate game now. I can tell Nolan, ‘Hey, great job!’ when he makes a good play, and he can hear me. That’s really weird. It’s kind of just you and your teammates, and you feel like you’re playing for your teammates a lot more.”
Click here for the digital edition, or click the image for the print edition.
Rockies Reckoning (front page, July 23, 2020)
For generations, up-and-coming baseball prospects have been trained to avoid uncomfortable conversations and keep distance between themselves and the topics of the day. Players like Story are ready to break with a precedent that has served nothing but sustaining the status quo.
“After George Floyd’s murder, that’s all I could think about for days and days,” Story said on the July 4 opening of Summer Camp. “I couldn’t sleep. It bothered me to my core. I felt the need to say something, and I did, but that’s not enough. We need action. We need to go forth with some change.”
Click here for the digital edition, or click the image for the print edition.
"Unfortunately, I'm getting used to it."
Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado sat down with play-by-play broadcaster Jack Corrigan for an exclusive virtual session with Rockies Season Ticket holders. Arenado talked about the challenges of keeping his routine going while the season is shut down, commiserated about all those suffering from the impact of Covid-19, and discussed his anticipation for the start of the season in some fashion. Click the video to the side to watch the full session.
Owen Perkins for Bernie National Delegate
"I will stay on the ballot in all remaining states and continue to gather delegates," Bernie said. "While Vice President Biden will be the nominee, we must continue working to assemble as many delegates as possible at the Democratic convention, where we will be able to exert significant influence over the party platform and other functions....Please stay in this fight with me. Let us go forward together, as our goal continues." -- Bernie Sanders, April 8, 2020
An Oldie-But-Goodie Video Introduction to Owen
While I'm working on a new video, you might appreciate this video from my campaign for the Colorado State Legislature. The year's have gone by, but the values and platform remain consistent. It's nice to see how much progress we've made on the goals I outlined six years ago!
To see a short video about me as a Bernie Sanders Delegate, please click here.
Honored to be endorsed by (clockwise from left) Denver City Council Member Paul Kashmann; Bernie 2020 Colorado Co-Chair, DNC Candidate, and Former State Rep. Joe Salazar; Bernie Surrogate and State Rep. Emily Sirota; Bernie 2020 Colorado Co-Chair,DNC Candidate and Former School Board Candidate Radhika Nath; Denver City Council Member Candi CdeBaca; and (not pictured) State Rep. Steven Woodrow.
Please click here to read the full endorsement announcement.
Those so much to these progressive champions for their support of my candidacy as a Bernie Delegate to the Democratic National Convention. We've all worked in the trenches together, and I'm proud of what we've been able to accomplish.
Our Revolution Metro Denver Annual Meeting
If you missed the Thursday, April 9th meeting, catch up here. We featured a panel with Denver Councilwoman Candi CdeBaca, Denver Councilman Chris Hinds, Denver Councilman Paul Kashmann, and Denver activist and former candidate for City Council, At-Large Tony Pigford. We also spent time focusing on how to support Bernie Sanders and our shared progressive platform and policies following his suspension of his campaign.
Buying America's Elections, featuring CleanSlateNow
This is the opening segment of an international broadcast on the dark 10th anniverary of Citizens United. The first five minutes features the launch of Denver's Fair Election Act (Democracy For The People) and includes bits of interviews with Owen Perkins, Denver City Councilman Paul Kashmann, community organizer Cathy Goevert, and Colorado Board of Education Member Val Flores. For the full half hour look at the impact of Citizens United, please visit www.CleanSlateNowAction.org.
Larry Walker Elected to Hall of Fame
On his 10th and final year on the ballot, Larry Walker was elected to the Hall of Fame. He is the first to ever play for the Rockies to make the Hall of Fame, and the first position player from Canada to earn the honor. Walker joins Derek Jeter in the Class of 2020, and his induction opens the door for future Rockies, just as his arrival in 1995 -- pacing the purple pinstripes to their first playoff appearance -- legitimized the franchise.
Planet in Peril -- U.S. Senate Candidate Climate Change Forum, Colorado Springs, Colorado, October 6, 2019
A Climate Change Forum presented by Indivisible Denver. Participating candidates include (in the order they initially spoke): (in order of seating, left to right) Angela Williams, Trisha Zornio, Andrew Romanoff, Diana Bray, Lorena Garcia, Michelle Warren, Joshua Rodriguez, Alice Madden, Stephanie Rose Spaulding, and Gary Swing.
Nolan Arenado signs eight-year extension with Rockies
Nolan Arenado and the Colorado Rockies held a press conference at Salt River Fields to announce an historic contract extension with Nolan Arenado. Click here to watch the full video.