Helton grateful, reflective upon entering the Hall

July 21st, 2024

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- 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.¡±

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.

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
mfhoudan.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
jerusalemdispatch.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
worldhealthstory.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
techguroh.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com