Pardon me if I don't join the chorus of people upset at the Rockies decision to renovate the upper deck in right field and add "The Rooftop" party deck in place of some seats that generally go unused.
It actually seems like a pretty cool idea to me, the area will include the 5280 Craft Bar, with a bar 52 feet, 80 inches long and 52 beers on tap, a CHUBurger restaurant from Longmont's Oskar Blues Brewery and a VIP cabana terrace.
Primary funding for the project comes from the Denver Metropolitan Stadium District and a surplus in capital construction funds, with the Rockies kicking in an amount which will cost them "a utility player for one year," according to owner Dick Monfort. Additionally, the Rockies will be the ones receiving the revenue from The Rooftop when it is up and running, making it a money maker for the team in the long-term.
Attractions like The Rooftop are not uncommon in newer parks, with similar areas in Nationals Park and Miller Prk coming to mind. Also, the upper deck seats in right field that are being replaced were not part of the original plans for Coors Field, only being added as a reaction to strong attendance numbers at Mile High Stadium.
I'm interested to see what the new area will look like upon completion and what the Rockies will charge for tickets up there, while I might not want to spend a whole game at The Rooftop, it's definitely a spot I'll check out for a couple innings at a game in 2014.
LINKS
Hochman: O'Dowd, Geivett must toe firing line - Denver Post
Denver Post columnist Benjamin Hochman ponders how exactly Dan O'Dowd and Bill Geivett are still with the Rockies, given the team's poor record during their tenure in charge.
Prescription for Cards: More Car-Bel in 13 - MLB.com
There was a doozy of a Game 1 of the NLCS last night, capped by Carlos Beltran's walk-off double in the bottom of the 13th.