DENVER — It's rare for Jim and Kathy Ridgell to miss a home opener at Coors Field.
The couple from Littleton has held season tickets every year since 1993.
“We bleed purple," Jim joked. "And we sit behind home plate and help the umpires with the game."
Their 2020 season tickets have arrived, but the ballpark won't be open this week. Thanks to COVID-19, the MLB has delayed the start of the season.
“We’re just hoping that sometime in June or July time period, it will be back,” Ridgell said. “We’ll miss it.”
On Friday, the Rockies will host a virtual, simulated game for fans that includes a fundraiser for local food banks. The team calls it a “Stay At Home Opener.”
But, no live baseball means less business near Coors Field.
Chris Fuselier owns Blake Street Tavern, which counts on a big boost every Opening Day.
“That would mean about $120,000 to $150,000 in sales,” he said.
Instead, Fuselier said he is dealing with the same challenges facing other bar and restaurant owners right now.
“I had to lay off 90 people. I applied for the paycheck protection program today. I’m trying to figure out how to get some money for Blake Street [Tavern], trying to make sure all my employees get unemployment, make sure that they’re healthy and safe. Just trying to figure out when we can resume normal operations.”
For now, he is trying to transition his business to a carry-out model for food and alcohol.
Feeling nostalgic on Thursday, he stopped by Coors Field.
“I pulled over and took a picture of the entrance here, and I thought, wow, what are we going to miss tomorrow," he said. "It really brings me to tears. I will never appreciate, more, an Opening Day and return of baseball, in my life.”
The Ridgell’s, who have been married nearly 63 years, are using this quiet spring to spend more quality time together.
They said they remain healthy and have stocked their home with enough supplies to manage a few weeks at home.
“We like to play games so that’s what we’ve been doing,” Kathy Ridgell said. “We raised five kids, and we worked very hard all the time. Now we’re enjoying life a great deal.”
But the day the ballpark reopens, and the moment the players take the field, they will be where they always are.
“In section 331, seats one and two,” Jim said, with a smile.
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