Rockies meet and greet

One thing kept popping into my head Tuesday as I chatted with various members of the Colorado Rockies and Grand Junction Rockies front office.

Just how many purple shirts do these men own?

Dick Monfort had on a light purple dress shirt. Jay Alves, the Rockies' VP of communications and public relations, had on white dress shirt with purple and silver/gray stripes. You've gotta get creative when purple is your domiant color — too much can be overwhelming.

But Grand Junction will be awash in purple, black and silver this summer when the Grand Junction Rockies debut at Suplizio Field somewhere around June 18. The Pioneer League schedule hasn't been released yet, so Tim Ray, the club's affable general manager, doesn't know if the GJ Rocks will open at home or in one of the other seven Pioneer League cities in Utah, Idaho and Montana.

Here's the official club logo... what do you think?

The caps haven't been approved by Minor League Baseball, but they'll have an interlocking GJ, just like the big club's CR. The Rookie club will wear Rockies unis and the lettering will be the same.

Right now, Dick Monfort said, there are no plans to rename the team in a year or two, like Casper did. That club started out as the Casper Rockies, then changed to the Casper Ghosts. Monfort likes the link between the Western Slope and the Mile High City, starting with the club's name.

"Everything is always open and we’d have to have the OK (from Minor League Baseball),” he said. “I believe it is our desire for them to be the Grand Junction Rockies.”

The club has already sold more than 400 season tickets at $299 each (38 home games). Call 255-ROCK to order, and in the next few days, the club's website, gjrockies.com, will be running. And soon, I'm guessing, just as soon as the cap logo is approved, Grand Junction Rockies caps, T-shirts, sweatshirts, seat cushions and anything else you can put a logo on will be on sale.

No word on if we'll get our own baby Dinger...now THAT's a lot of purple.