Getaway Day!

Leaving a message for your boss might sound something like this: “I’m feeling a little under the weather today. I’m going to shut off my cell phone so I can rest and make sure I make it in tomorrow.” Word of advice: Sunscreen.

Skipping work to take in a baseball game is as American as, well, baseball. This all too rare weekday event is called getaway day – the final game of a series played during the day so teams have enough time to pack their equipment and head to another ballpark and arrive in time to rest for tomorrow’s nine innings.

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Despite the Colorado Rockies’ 162-game schedule, there are only a few times during a baseball season that you can duck work and head to 20th and Blake in LoDo and take in a day game. There are seven getaway days on the schedule. Three have passed, four remain. If your company doesn’t foot the bill for a limo and box seats, there’s a checklist of things you may want to consider so you don’t break your budget. The ballpark is very proud of its parking, game tickets, peanuts, beverages and souvenirs. They all have the price tags to prove it. But you have options, if you know what to look for and where to find them.

Parking

Do you want to pay $20 for a spot a drag bunt away from the main gate or $5 for something a little farther but still a comfortable stroll away. There are a few parking lots within walking distance to Coors Field that are economical and located away from downtown so you don’t have to compete with that traffic.

Parking lot attendant Darrell Jones mans one such lot just off Wewatta Drive west of Coors Field. You can park in this dirt lot for $7 on most days. It’s secure, economical and offers quick access to I-25. He’ll also sell you a bag of peanuts or a bottle of cold water for $1, about one-fourth the cost of the same thing inside the stadium. “Most people don’t know that you can take snacks inside Coors Field,” Jones said. “It’s not like the Pepsi Center (home of Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche) where it’s not allowed.” I paid $8 here: $7 to park and $1 for a bag of peanuts. Take me out to the ball game.

Tickets

Do you want to pay full price or scalp a deal? Take for example the most recent getaway day, Wednesday, June 7, when the Rockies hosted the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates. Not expected to draw a sellout crowd, scalpers were in a generous mood on this day. Check the sidewalks at the corners on 20th and Blake, and you’ll see ticket scalpers wearing signs with tickets in one hand and a stadium-seating chart in the other. “We can sell tickets as long as we stay across the street from the ballpark,´ said one scalper who didn’t want to be named.

Playing the scalper game can be a lot like playing the stock market or dabbling in real estate. They buy the tickets in bulk, usually at bulk rates. A ticket from one of these guys will cost more on a day if the Rockies have been on a roll and the competition is hot. On this day I spent $20 for a $40 infield box seat behind the visitors’ dugout. Strike the bum out.

Food and beverage

Here is where you can wear out your wallet. But what the heck, you already saved some money on parking, peanuts and your ticket. And as ballpark food goes, it’s not bad. For a meal, there’s a couple of restaurants inside the stadium and some places that resemble mall food courts where you can stand at a table and eat while watching the game on a TV, just like at home. Three good choices for something of substance is the Sirloin Sandwich for $7.75 at the Smokehouse, right next to the Sandlot Bar on the main concourse in the right field corner. Vendors on the concourse will cook up a Denver Cheese Steak for $6.50, and if you want something kosher, try the all-beef, garlic Italian sandwich for $6.50 at Zalero’s Kosher Korner. Then there’s the crowd favorite Rockie Dog for $5.25. You can smother it in sauerkraut at no extra charge.

In the beverage department expect to pay anywhere from $3 to $5 for a soda and in the neighborhood of $6 for a bottle of beer. If you’ve got a sophisticated palate, check out the Blue Moon’s Brews of the World on the concourse along the third-base line. Premium drafts go for $6.25. For other tastes, there’s a $7 margarita made with Jose Cuervo.

I opted for a Rockie Dog and a $5 Souvenir Soda (Coca-Cola in a plastic cup with a Rockies logo on it) about the time Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba hit a grand slam home run. Cheers. On this day the Rockies ran up the score early, and this game was on ice by the sixth inning.

When the temperature in the stands reached 97 degrees there was a mass exodus to the Sandlot Bar where people socialized and talked a little business. Tom and Steve, with beer in hand, kept an eye on the TV while discussing the finer aspects of mixing cement.

And sometimes the beer and ball game had to wait while checking in with the office via cell phone. “I love to come to the ballpark during the week, but I feel a little guilty when I have to answer work questions while I’m here,´ said one fan who asked to remain anonymous.

Other attractions

 And if the game doesn’t hold your interest, there’s other stuff to do at Coors Field.

You can search for a souvenir. You can pick up a pen, pennant or pack of trading cards if you’re pressed for cash, or if you like, you can spend $60 to have your name engraved on a Rawlings baseball bat tooled on a lathe to your favorite grip size, length and weight. Or maybe $100 on a Rockies jacket.

See if you can hit an 85 mph fastball in a batting cage.

Go to the radar gun cage and see how hard it is to throw a 65 mph fastball.

If you’re a youngster, you can try your hand at a radio broadcast. You and your buddy can sit in front of a TV monitor and microphone and tape your own play-by-play commentary and color analysis at the radio station 850 KOA Fantasy Broadcast booth.

On this getaway day in the scorching 97-degree heat, the Rockies scored four runs in the first inning and five in the second and went on to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 16-9 in front of 21,509 at Coors Field. Time: 3 hours 25 minutes.

All in all, a good day at the ballpark.