Todd Helton, the greatest player in Rockies history, returned home to Coors Field on Saturday night.
He was greeted with a highlight video spanning his career from Rocky Top to LoDo, from Tennessee to Colorado. There was former Vols teammate Peyton Manning waxing poetic and cracking jokes. There was former Rockies teammate Ryan Spilborghs telling the story of Helton’s legendary career.
There were gifts, including a stunning painting of Helton, his career and his family.
The No. 17 plaque on the facade in right-center field is now ringed with gold, signifying not only his retired number but his 17-year Hall of Fame career. Fittingly, Saturday marked the 10th anniversary of the day the Rockies retired Helton’s jersey.
The No. 17 was rolled into the center-field grass.
There were 30,000 bobbleheads handed out to the Rockies fans who packed Coors to honor No. 17. Helton, in turn, honored his fans.
“You supported us, day in and day out,” said the three-time Gold Glove first baseman, who was inducted into Cooperstown last month. “Your support made those rain-delayed games bearable. You packed this place and made this place special. … That feeling is why you play the game.”
Then Helton threw out the first pitch of the game to current Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon, whom Helton says deserves to have his number retired, too.
Helton was joined on the field by his wife, Christy, his daughters Tierany Faith and Gentry Grace, team owner Dick Monfort, and Mason Hooker, a 14-year-old from Grand Junction who beat leukemia, and who, nine years ago, spent a day with Helton at Coors Field as part of Make-A-Wish Colorado.
Manning had a special treat for Rockies fans, who saw a different side of Helton. With the video running on the giant scoreboard, Manning said, “Todd had a swagger to him. He’s one of the toughest players I’ve ever seen.”
In the video, Helton, a quarterback at Tennessee, threw a crack-back block on a linebacker from UCLA.
It’s been a whirlwind summer of emotions for Helton. Before Saturday night’s festivities, when asked what he’s going to do next, he said, “I’m going to sit in silence for a good two or three weeks.”
During his playing days, it was rare for Helton to crack his game-face facade and let his emotions show through. He’s more open to that now.
Saturday afternoon, he was asked about his father, Jerry, who died in 2015, two years after Helton retired.
“I’m 100% sure he thought I belonged in the (Hall of Fame),” Helton said. “He probably thought I belonged by the end of my first season.”
Helton took a moment before continuing.
“When I was in the Otesaga Hotel at Cooperstown, practicing my speech for the 30 or 40th time, the last time I did, I started thinking about how much this would have meant to my dad,” Helton recalled. “I broke down and truly got emotional. I hadn’t cried like that in a long time.
“It actually scared me because I couldn’t get words out and I was afraid I was going to go on (the induction) stage and do the same thing. But I think I got a good cry out, and it took the nerves away from me when I was out there on the stage.”
Helton said the thing that mattered the most to him was being a good teammate.
“I truly hope I was,” he said. “I wanted my greatest ability to be my dependability.”
Now Helton’s Hall of Fame journey is complete. And one special moment stands out.
On the evening of July 21, on the veranda of the Otesaga Hotel, a few hours after he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Helton was summoned by Johnny Bench, the greatest catcher in baseball history.
“I was scared to death because I had been warned about ‘The Johnny Bench Talk,’” Helton recalled. “I’m not going to tell you everything he said, but he ended with, ‘Son, you are now a part of the greatest fraternity in the world.’
“I got goosebumps, tears came to my eyes. I didn’t want to cry in front of Johnny Bench. But to me, that was my most cherished moment. Sitting there, looking out on a beautiful night, the sun going down, and to have him say that to me was one of the best days of my life.”
Saturday at Coors Field is surely going to rank up there with it.
Want more Rockies news? Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis.