Coors Field celebrates 20 years in operation today:

Coors Field is the third-oldest ballpark in the National League. Only Chicago’s Wrigley Field (1914) and Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium (1962) are older. At age 20, Coors Field is in as good shape as any other ballpark in the major leagues. The Rockies and the Denver Metropolitan Stadium District have a binding agreement that the ballpark must be maintained and improved on a continual basis. The Rooftop party deck, high above right field, is the most visible example.

I will give you another, much smaller illustration. On opening day, the Rockies put up red, white and blue bunting inside the press box. When they took down the decorations, some paint and drywall peeled away. By the second homestand, the walls had been totally redone. That kind of attention to detail is the norm at Coors Field.

It’s a clean, inviting and beautiful ballpark. When I travel, and people discover what I do and where I live, they almost always tell me that catching a game at Coors Field was a highlight of their trip to Colorado.

There are five ballparks in the AL that are much older than Coors (Fenway, Skydome, Kauffman, Angels, Oakland Coliseum). Most of these have undergone extensive renovations to keep them fresh. I remember seeing a juggler once who was going to juggle an ax. He stated it was the ax George Washington used to chop down a cherry tree. It’s blade was new, and the handle had been replaced, but it occupied the same space. I think that applies to Fenway as well.

Coors is gorgeous. If you go, sit in rightfield so you can see snow capped mountains in the middle of summer.