A Salute To Dinger

Some five-thousand two-hundred and eight feet above sea level, a scene of utter despair played out Tuesday night. Tens, possibly hundreds, had the misfortune to see it with their own eyes.

Officially, 20,239 people saw the Rockies and the Mets play in 36 degree weather at Coors Field. Unofficially, well, you tell me:

As error after error piled up — five, in all — and the game ran into hours three, four and eventually five, the declining mood of the freezing crowd noticeably declined. And understandably so — Coors Field was a brisk 36 degrees at game time and was only getting colder.

But there’s Dinger, the Rockies’ persistent mascot. “Dinger has been the Colorado Rockies biggest fan since he first hatched from his egg at Mile High Stadium on April 16, 1994,” the Rockies’ site claims. And indeed, there’s Dinger, jumping and cheering a tenth-inning walk as the rest of the fans selfishly shield themselves from the elements.

I salute you, Dinger. Just keep doing you.