Old Town Trolley Dodgers

Team name: Old Town Trolley Dodgers

Founded: 2007 season

Ballpark name: Origins Baseball Park

Team colors: Cream, Trolley Green, and Gold

Old Town is Fort Collins’ most distinctive and historic part of town. One original trolley car, Car 21, still runs from City Park to Old Town on summer weekend afternoons. The Trolley Dodger name connects this favorite part of Fort Collins history with baseball tradition.

Personal Information:

Birthdate: Don Larsen’s perfect day

Birthplace: Freeport, IL

High school team name: Pretzels (best high school team name in the land)

College: Arizona State University

Family: Wife Emi; daughter Dina and family (Todd and grandchildren Keilani and Kai); daughter Sarah (Lindsay); daughter Teresa.

Favorite baseball places:

  • Wrigley Field
  • Cooperstown
  • Field of Dreams, not far from where I grew up
  • Every major league ballpark
  • Coors Field, section 131, row 26, seats 10-11
  • Any baseball diamond anywhere

Favorite 2023 baseball memories:

  • Saw the final five WBC games in Miami – a great baseball experience and an even better cultural experience. The championship game ended with Japan’s Shohei Ohtani striking out USA’s Mike Trout to preserve the 3-2 victory.
  • Saw a game at the Texas Rangers’ new ballpark to get caught up seeing a game at every current MLB ballpark (49 total)
  • Saw spring training games at three Grapefruit League ballparks to complete seeing a game at every current spring training ballpark in Florida and Arizona.
  • Took a two-hour private tour of Coors Field given by former DDL league member Brian Werner.

Favorite 2022 baseball memories:

  • Took a two-hour private tour of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
  • Visited the very impressive World of Little League Museum and field complex in Williamsport, PA.
  • Toured the Roberto Clemente Museum and PNC Ballpark in Pittsburgh.
  • Surprised my 12-year-old grandson and a 10-year-old family friend with custom Strat-O-Matic cards bearing their names.
  • Selected to throw out a first pitch at Coors Field, giving the privilege to that same 10-year-old family friend, who is an avid baseball player and fan.

Favorite 2021 baseball memories: 

  • Attended MLB All-Star festivities at Coors Field. The highlight turned out to be the Home Run Derby, which my daughter Teresa called her “bucket list” event.
  • Worked with a music partner to write and produce the song “Rock the Rockies,” which the Rockies played during some games at Coors Field
  • Introduced my grandson Kai to Strat-O-Matic (he’s 2-0 against me)

Favorite 2020 baseball memories:

  • Attended games at six Grapefruit League ballparks in early March.
    • The field at Fenway South in Fort Myers is a replica of Fenway Park and is easily the best spring training venue of the two dozen I’ve attended.
    • It was a pleasant surprise and a blast to talk in depth baseball with an Amish man sitting next to me at the Orioles game.
  • Attended a Univ of Miami – Univ of Florida game, the first time I had ever attended a college sporting event with the nation’s number one vs. number two.

Favorite 2019 baseball memory: 

  • Attended spring training games at every Cactus League ballpark.

Favorite 2018 baseball memories:

  • Took my eight-year old grandson to his first MLB game in Anaheim.  With two out in the ninth and the Angels down 7-0, Kai spontaneously broke into a one boy chant: “Let’s Go Angels, clap clap, clap clap clap.”  A priceless moment.
  • Attended a Braves game at their new SunTrust Park.  This was the 48th MLB ballpark where I’ve seen a game and brought me up to date with all 30 ballparks.

Favorite 2017 baseball memories: 

  • Had a blast attending four World Baseball Classic games in San Diego and Los Angeles, seeing teams from the United States, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Japan, and The Netherlands.  While it was fun watching the US team win the title, we were especially enamored with the Puerto Rican team and fans.
  • Attended my first College World Series game in Omaha.

Favorite 2016 baseball memories:

  • Attended two of the Cubs’ four World Series wins as they broke the 108-year drought.  Many, many, many personal memories associated with that experience.

Favorite 2015 baseball memories: 

  • Attended the Cubs’ first-ever playoff series win at Wrigley Field.  Game two featured the firstsix hitters in the lineup all homering in the same game, the first time that had ever occurred in any MLB game.
  • Attended a Rockies – Angels game on the 50th anniversary of the first game I ever attended with my grandfather.  Mike Trout hit two HRs this game.

Favorite memories from games I’ve attended in previous years:

  • Rockies first home opener
  • Rockies 21-1 and World Series run in 2007, highlighted by the 13-inning victory over San Diego in the classic ‘play-in’ game
  • Seeing Tulo turn the 14th unassisted triple play in baseball history, two pitches after discussing that very thing in great detail with the friend I was with.
  • Cubs spoiling Roger Clemens’ quest for 300th win and 4000th strikeout in Yankees’ first game at Wrigley Field since Babe Ruth’s ‘called shot’
  • Attending a professional baseball game in Japan – a true cultural experience.
  • Have seen a regular-season MLB game at 49 different ballparks

Favorite players: 

  • Nolan Arenado, who seems to do something amazing in the field almost every game and who is the baseball equivalent of a ‘gym rat’
  • Larry Walker for the way he played defense and ran the bases
  • Greg Maddux for his pitching smarts and defensive prowess
  • All who care about making a bigger contribution in some way
  • All youth sports participants

Other interests:

  • Any family activity
  • Travel – especially road trips
  • Coaching youth sports
  • Golf
  • Inventing poker games

Favorite days of the year:

  • Opening Day (my other religious holiday)
  • First day of daylight savings time
  • Summer solstice
  • Every summer day
  • Groundhog Day

Most memorable Strat moments:

  • Won 15 straight elimination games to end the season and squeak into the playoffs and Denver Series (2010 DDL season)
  • Had Dick Tidrow throw a no-hitter, then follow that by taking another no-hitter into the eighth inning in his next start (way back when).
  • Won a tournament game with the hitter’s pitching card throwing five shutout innings in innings 12-16 against a strong lineup.
  • Won a 7-game World Series in a face-to-face league versus Lance Phillips. Dennis Eckersley, on his greatest Strat card, blew three saves for Lance in the series, including the decisive game seven.

Why I joined the DDL:

  • Have fun
  • Win prize money