Opening Day Has Northern Lights Glimmering
Opening Day Has Northern Lights Glimmering
by Francis Ferry, NLN baseball beat writer
April 3, 2023: Aurora, Colorado – Spring on The Front Range – guaranteed to be cold, but on this spring day the fans of the Aurora Borealis flowed through the gates at Northern Lights Park hot with anticipation of Opening Day and the festivities that were planed to honor the Borealis’ back-to-back titles.
The PEBA may be just 17-years old, but in their first 15-years there had been but one back-to-back champ: the Bakersfield Bears of 2016–17. Others had tried: the Trendsetters of ’08–’09, the Knights of ’12–’13, and most recently the Featherheads of ’20-’21. Only three teams have won two titles during during those 17-years: the Bears, the Featherheads and the Statesmen.
But now we have the Borealis, only the second team to win back-to-back titles and not just win two championships… not three… but Northern Lights Park is home to four Rodriguez Cups, and those four were on full display in the space between the pitchers mound and home plate, glistening in their full glory as the sun would occassionaly peak through the clouds on this 30° day.
Fans collected their replicate trophies, along with a flier detailing the chance to buy raffle tickets for a real-live PEC ring – resplendent with real-live diamonds – with all proceeds going to charity. Those who chose to, could walk out onto the field – on a red carpeted path and gaze on the trophies and snap pictures – though those who arrived late were out of luck as the last fans passed through an hour before game time.
The suvenior stands were loaded with special hats and jerseys for sale, replicas of those the Borelais were to wear today – original Aurora ‘AB’ style caps with the lettering in gold, as well as jerseys with gold shoulders and gold ‘Borealis’ across the front. The team will also wear a fourth star on the right shoulder, representing – as they have done over the years, the titles won. As you may imagine in our sports apparial-crazed world, the caps and jerseys were flying off the shelves.
The video board out in center field ran highlights of last season’s run to the playoffs as well as the playoff run – there was ‘Tugboat’, mowing down the Evas in the clinching Game 6 in the Divisional Round. We saw Nick Giles 2-Run HR in Game 2 versus Tempe that jump-started the offense in that series. And there was John Exley, tapping the ball to Mike Britt for the final out as John Gray lept into Jesús Negrete’s arms as a celebratory dog pile began to the right of the mound.
Once the line of fans cleared the field, fanciful tables were brought to the left of home plate, flanking a podium, and then six people, dressed as waiters at the finest of restaurants, brought out silver platters with a pyramid of small blue boxes, and placed upon larger boxes of the same color – you’d think them Aurora blue if you didn’t know they had come from Tiffany’s. Once they were in place, the public address announcer introduced to the crowd a group of men who really needed no introduction: Owner Michael Topham, Jr., GM Will Topham, Manager Octávio Ríos, former-Commissioner John Rodriguez, Jr., and broadcaster Mark Gunter. It was Gunter who took the podium and spoke to the crowd.
“What a glorious day for baseball – for Opening Day!” the crowd that was still filing into the stadium and taking their seats roared their approval. “Today we honor the best team in all the world – your Aurora Borealis!” More cheers as the crowd filled in quickly. “But first, the Organization would like to honor two men who are no longer with us. John Rodiguez, Sr. was an intregal part of our leagues history, and founding father of the Aurora Borealis. He was beloved by all he worked with, and upon his death, passed the team onto Michael Topham and Golden Entertainment. Let us have a moment of silence in John’s honor.’ Quickly silence ruled Northern Lights – only the squawk of a gull out over Cherry Creek Lake disrupted it.”
“Thank you. Let us also honor Aurora’s second owner. Michael Topham, Sr, was taken far too early in life. He followed in the Rodriguez tradition, treating those he dealt with fairly and like family. The team never spoke of it in these terms, but they went out and in his honor won the title in his name. His bold insertion of his son, William, into the role of GM in 2011 was, in hindsight, genius and game changing. The team will continue to wear the understated, black ‘MT’ patch this season. May we also have a moment in the memory of Michael Topham.” Once more the crowd was hushed, this moment longer than the first, until from somewhere behind home plate a voice shouted, “You Go Mikey T – You Da Humm Baby Dinger Ramma – Ya Know!!!” The chuckles from the shocked crowd and the glances towards the broadcast booth – particularly from Mark Gunter, spoke volumes about who the culprit was.
After brief statements from all who were there – Will Topham (“It was the hardest season in my life, being in the dugout”), John Rodriguez (“Dad would be so proud of the direction the team has taken”), and new Manager Octávio Ríos (“I’m afraid to win and then lose my job – that seems the Aurora Way”), Gunter called the players and clubhouse personel out onto the field, one at a time to collect their rings.
And then it was time for baseball.
Michel Provost would take the mound on this day and for the most part, flashed the brilliance that has netted him two Golden Arm Awards. Provost was 20-4 last season with a 2.62 ERA, with 207 K and a ridiculously low 17 BB. Today would resemble those numbers, but the Knights, coming off their shocking SLCS season, had other thoughts. Steve Scherer would lead the year off with a single and Tony Figueroa would likewise single on the next pitch, and then Provost would bear down – getting Padilla to hit a lazy, shallow fly to center and pop Norm Bruce up to third. Virgil Mays wasted no time, swinging at the first pitch and smashing one past Cristóbal Crespo at short, into left field, but River Pope charged the ball and threw a strike to Negrete, who applied the tag and cut short the Knights rally – and as fate would have it, their best chance to score.
Kenny Ashley was the Knights Opening Day starter and he was 15-9 with a 4.27 ERA in 2023. But more importantly, Ashley had pitched a gutty game in the opener of the SLCS last year, giving Tempe a chance in the one game they won. Today he matched the ‘Train Arollin’’ pitch for pitch. He held the Borealis without a base runner until the 5th, when Mike Britt led off with a single, but after a walk to Negrete and a bunt, new Auroran Manny de los Santos and Crespo would fly out to end Aurora’s first rally.
Provost would retire the Knights 1-2-3 in the second and fourth, and get out of a two-hit third thanks to a double play – a nice play by Manny, snagging the ball near the bag and turning it himself. Michel would finish his day with perfect 6th and 7th innings, finishing with 7 IP, 6 H, 4 K and the typical 0 BB. Ashley would do Provost one better as he would ultimately go 8+, but where Aurora’s bullpen backed their starter, Ashley wasn’t as fortunate.
Not that it was easy for the Borealis. Gerardo Rivera came in in the 8th and after a lead-off single by Alfonso Reyna and a 1-out single from Scherer, who would take second on the throw to third, Figueroa would be given the 4-finger pass, bringing up the dangerous Padilla.
Padilla would foul off three straight pitches that he looked to be all over, then he looked at three straight balls, and as Rivera took the stretch for the 3-2 pitch, the tension in the crowd was audible in their cheering encouragement and rhythmic clapping. It worked as Padilla swung through the 3-2 pitch. Norm Bruce also worked Rivera to a full count, but he popped up to shallow left, where Pope was waiting.
John Gray would retire the Knights in the 9th – a Gabriel López single adding some excitement to the moment. Aurora was lined up with the top of the order to face Ashley, who stayed in to start the 9th. It was Popes turn to work a full count, but unlike his counterparts in Tempe Red, he hit a hard shot into right to start things off. Pedro Ferringo was sked to bunt – and a perfect on he laid as Luis Puente – who came in relief of Ashley, got the out at first, bringing up Gabe McIntyre.
All eyes were on the Tempe dugout, to see if the Knights manager Pedro Rodríguez would dare walk McIntyre to set up a double play and face the dangerous Mike Britt. The answer was no. Gabe swung at the first pitch, a clean single up the middle. Pope rounded third, Gonzalo Juárez broke in hard, racing to the ball – but as the two came together, he popped up too soon for the throw, and let the ball slip under his glove – and past him, Pope scoring the winning run on a walk off single-error – an Aurora 1-0 victory to start the season and excite the crowd as they filed out of the stadium.
After the game, as the team went through the usual post-game routines, the biggest smile was on the face of Gunner MacGruder. The one-time Yuma Bulldozer looked like a kid in the candy store. “This is why I am so excited to be here! This team is amazing – they hit, and if they don’t on anygiven day, they pitch lights out… I want one of those rings. In Yuma, we just couldn’t get over that hill. These guys own that hill – and I want a piece of it!”
Well… There is a lot of baseball to be played, but if Aurora hits like today, I bet it will be a long season – and not in a good way.