Capacity at Coors Field is slightly more than 50,000, and 25% will be allowed to attend baseball games when teams head north in less than a month. The Colorado Rockies have decided to allow 0% of team mascots to attend games.
I’ll lay all my cards out on the table for this one. I was in Mile High Stadium that April day in 1994 when Dinger was first hatched. Sitting in the stands admiring the military vehicle bring a large gray egg to the center of the outfield and watching a giant purple dinosaur escape was quite a sight. To say I am partial on this would be stating a fact.
Never a fan of the name, Dinger, it did make sense with all the home runs the Blake Street Bombers were about to hit.
The Colorado Rockies made a huge mistake by not allowing their mascot, Dinger, to be present when games return to Coors Field.
I like baseball for baseball, with the product being on the field. The way the stadiums have evolved, becoming more of an entertainment center as opposed to just housing the entertainment, I am surprised the Colorado Rockies chose not to have Dinger’s hijinx as a part of the charade.
Dinger can’t wear a mask? Dinger can’t keep six feet away from the fans in attendance or the players? What is behind this expulsion of the mascot from the game?
The team is missing out on a chance to engage both children and adults in off the field shenanigans. Mascots are expressionless, that’s what makes them so funny. Philadelphia Flyers mascot, Gritty, performs in front of an empty stadium, and he’s hilarious. Whether dancing in the seatless rows, or trying to catch warmup pucks in a giant net, his routine is spot on.
How many bits can a mascot come up with in the current scenario? Hundreds. Whether sitting in a section without fans doing a one mascot wave, pretending to eat popcorn that bounces off his face, or mimicking players’ pregame stretching, there is always a need for a mascot at sporting events.
This decision came with no justification and is considered a huge mistake by this writer. Dinger deserves to be on that field, in that stadium, and entertaining fans of all ages come opening day.
Swing and a miss on all fronts here.