Rockies Fans: Nolan Arenado wants something from you

DENVER – For the last week, much has been made about some comments Colorado Rockies star Nolan Arenado made about his frustrations with losing.

Apparently, it came as a galloping shock to some that an athlete with the competitive drive to become arguably the greatest defensive player of a generation—when he was considered an average defender at best in the minors—would make it clear beyond any reasonable doubt that he hates losing.

No, of course, his comments were coupled together with a narrative that the Rockies, as a franchise, are inherently, or by current design, losers. The natural conclusion to draw, then, is that Arenado must be eyeing the road out of town once his contract expires.

Putting aside the plausibility that decisions made in November of 2019 are far more likely to be influenced by the events of October 2019 and not June 2018, it is worth noting that there are factors beyond current roster construction that could influence potentially the most important decision in the history of this franchise.

Is there maybe something that the Rockies fanbase can do?

Let’s also be clear that the following comments, coming after an 8-1 win over the San Francisco Giants, never came in the context of his long-term future. But, then again, neither did his original quote about being frustrated with losses.

“It was a packed house,” Arenado said after the July 3 win in front of the fourth sellout of the season, largely thanks to the fireworks display to be shown after the game. “It was awesome. It’s great to see that. As players, we feed off that. When you go to LA or San Francisco, these places with really good energy, it gets you excited to play ball and I think that we need that too and it’s been nice the last couple of days.”

In that one response to a question about how good the crowd was, Arenado took the opportunity to subtly ask his hometown fans for a little something: Come out. Be into the game. Give us that extra boost in a season defined by the grind.

For some reason, the idea has percolated that fans have little to no impact on the outcomes of games. Well, the best player to ever suit up for the Colorado Rockies wholeheartedly disagrees.

Every single ballplayer I have ever asked about this subject has been in lock-step with Arenado. They feed off the energy of the crowd… good or bad.

This season at Coors Field has been an odd one. Some nights, the crowds are lively and engaged. Others, they seem on edge, waiting to boo failure and to start the wave the second they become bored with the in-game action, regardless of the importance of the situation. There has even been an inordinate number of fans hopping the fence to run onto the field only to be tackled by security in preparation of a tough night and some hefty fines.

No matter how you look at it, one would be hard-pressed to argue that the home faithful have been anything close to the 10th man they could be.

When the crowd doesn’t rise to its feet for a big at-bat but boos the moment things go wrong, or when it is filled with a majority of the other team’s fans, an environment that is supposed to be an advantage can turn into something hostile.

The Chicago Cubs know about this.

And who would want to stay in that environment?

Now, let’s not get our priorities all out of whack. Nolan Arenado is going to be looking first at the competitive possibilities and the details of the contract for any potential bidders should he actually become a free agent.

But there are also 24 other guys on the roster who would tell you the same thing about needing that positive energy. This ultimately isn’t about whether Arenado, in particular, stays or goes but about what kind of place Denver will be for any free agent considering playing 81 games here.

These comments were not a threat. And neither were the ones he made last week. These comments spring from a desire to see Denver become an even better town for baseball. A place where crowds don’t need (even if some of them enjoy) tooth trots and jumbotron prompts and party decks and waves to keep them entertained.

The baseball game is enough.

Sure, there is a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg situation going on here. Some will say that the Rockies will get more focus and attention when they earn it by winning more. Fair enough.

But if you’re already at the game, you can choose to do one of two things—you can be a positive influence on your team or you can be a negative one.

The money you paid gives you the right to do either. The future you want suggests you choose wisely.