Helton grateful, reflective upon entering the Hall

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Todd Helton was asked if he has a photo of his and the Rockies’ golden moment at his Knoxville, Tenn., home -- arms raised in triumph, the final out of the 2007 National League Championship Series -- his face savoring the team’s trip to the World Series.

“I don’t have it at the house,” said Helton, who will be inducted in the 2024 Hall of Fame class on Sunday afternoon. “But they gave me golf balls today that have that image on it. Where I hit those today, if somebody wants to find them, there are plenty of them out there.”

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That quote shows the world Helton's quick-witted humor -- a tool that may have had nothing to do with hitting, defense or leadership. However, the quote, in a way, revealed the gratitude that is only possible from a man who spent 17 years in the Majors as the Rockies' greatest player and always felt the team and the fans at Coors Field lifted him as much as he did them.

Upon reading this, some fans who have dotted Cooperstown to watch their enduring hero’s great moment may search the Leatherstocking Golf Course or Lake Otesaga, which it banks, scavenging for errantly driven balls decorated with that special memory.

And why not? It’s something else he can do for a fan base that did so much for him.

Helton celebrated with many friends, family members and teammates from throughout his life. Teammates from his football days when he was a quarterback at the University of Tennessee, as well as baseball teammates, such as well-known and respected guys like Ben Petrick, who, like Helton, was touted as a future star before Parkinson’s disease stopped his career, were in attendance.

A few friends and teammates didn’t make it because of Friday’s travel snarl. But plenty who were reasonably close, or maybe less reasonably close, made the trip by car. Several of his teammates and friends from Knoxville Central High School picked up Bud Bales, the 82-year-old who coached Helton and drove nearly 11 1/2 hours. So those who shared locker rooms and clubhouses with Helton got a lot of his time.

Helton is the second Rockies player to enter the Hall. Larry Walker, who spent 10 of his 17 years (most as Helton’s teammate) in Rockies purple, was elected in 2020 and enshrined in 2021. Being in the presence of Walker and many of the Hall of Famers still makes Helton feel humbled.

“Johnny Bench called me the other day,” Helton said. “When I saw it was a call from Cincinnati, Ohio, I didn’t answer it. Then I got the voicemail and it was, like, ‘Oh, my god, I got a call from Johnny Bench.' So I called him right back.

“He gave me advice to keep a journal of everybody you meet and your experiences. It goes by so fast.”

But Helton always has time and admiration for Rockies fans.

The Rockies drafted Helton in the first round in 1995 -- their third year of existence, when they became the earliest expansion team to make the postseason. The prior two years, fans packed the cavernous Mile High Stadium. Even when he made the Majors, Helton said it was “like a Tennessee home football game -- tailgating and dancing out there, and you could hear the music going.”

That didn’t last, of course. The lean years made any winning year -- including the World Series year -- special.

“I got to see the fans become more knowledgeable in baseball, and it was good to see,” Helton said. “They would applaud when you got the runner over with nobody out from second. That wasn’t the case [at first]. I really enjoyed watching them grow.”

A team misunderstood because of the opportunities and challenges of playing in mile-high altitude has fans who are misunderstood by more jaded fan bases for supporting the team through its many lean years. Remember, the nine years before the trip to the World Series, there were no playoff trips and just one winning season (2000, when Helton pushed for .400 but won the batting title at .372).

“Rockies fans were very good to me for 17 years,” Helton said. “They were kind, patient. They picked you up when you had bad games. They didn’t boo you and get you down. There’d be times when I’d go to games thinking, ‘How am I going to play this game? I’m injured, tired, whatever.' Then you walk out and see the energy of the fans, and it energizes you. And you want to go out and play hard for them because they spend their hard-earned money to watch you play.”

Sunday will be a time to watch Helton be introduced by his longtime manager and friend, Clint Hurdle, and give his speech with so many folks who spent time with him on the diamond.

But those who spent time watching him, and maybe have an 8x10 or larger of the NLCS clinching moment in their homes, will see him become the second player to represent the Rockies in the hallowed Hall.

And somewhere in grass or sand or water, Helton may have left a few souvenirs for them.