As the new season begins, we are in a flurry of celebration as the team and full time employees of the administrative and sales staffs have received their rings. The team got their rings in an on field ceremony, about half an hour before Sunday's game began, and employees got theirs later that evening at a reception. The rings are very attractive (but what enthusiastic Rockies fan wouldn't say that?). Fingers were sized about eight weeks ago, so everyone's ring fits, and most hands are still sporting them four days later.

The trophy is another matter. I still think it looks kind of mysterious, and am surprised when I get to see it up close that it's not covered in cobwebs. :-)

It was designed quite some time ago, named after Warren Giles, who was National League president at the time, and remains in the possession of the National League champion team until playoffs begin the following fall. The trophy is clearing showing its age, with various nicks and bumps in the wooden portions, and scrapes and other small imperfections in the brass. The brass around the top has etchings of ballplayers in motion, and after these many years, the images are not easy to see clearly. The team historian, who is a full time employee in the community relations department, handles it very very carefully, donning cotton gloves to pick it up and cradling it very gently as he moves it out of the case and returns it to its honored spot.

At the moment, the trophy is in the historical artifacts display case in the main reception area, which is why I get to see it daily. I think that beginning the next homestand on April 21 that it will be available on the concourse for guests at the ballpark to admire and have photographs taken to record the moment.

For part time seasonal employees, the pickings are not quite so grand. We have been able to order souvenir watches (not for free) and will have a chance later in the season to have our pictures taken with the trophy, also not for free. But I've ordered my watch, and will pay whatever it takes to get a photograph of me standing by the trophy. I'm sure that when I have the snap, I can enlist the help of a couple of HTML gurus to get it up on the net so you all can see it.

Real life has begun!