IT’S CHARLIE BLACKMON! YES! HE-HE’S HERE! CHARLIE BLACKMON! YES! CHARLIE BLACKMON! I say that every time I see Charlie Blackmon go up to bat after seeing an adorable video of a toddler getting extremely excited and saying those exact same words when Charlie went up to bat during the 2017 All-Star Game (I will link the adorable video at the end). I absolutely agree with the toddler. Charlie, also known as Chuck Nazty or Chuck, is an awesome person and player in my eyes.
Chuck was born in Texas and raised in Georgia. As a student at North Gwinnet High School, he was an outfielder and a left-handed pitcher for the school baseball team. Not only did he excel in the school baseball program, but he also participated in football and basketball, and even was a three-time Academic Player of the Year.
That is extremely fascinating and impressive in my opinion. I feel like Chuck’s athletic and academic achievements have set him up to be a successful and talented human. He deserves eighteen hundred brownie points for those achievements alone.
Chuck’s baseball talents carried over to college. He started playing for Young Harris College, a two-year liberal arts school in northern Georgia. During his tenure at the college, Charlie struck out 138 batters in 127 innings and won fifteen games. He was drafted by Georgia Tech after his freshman year, but stayed at Young Harris instead since he promised to play two years with them. In addition to his impressive resume at Young Harris College, Chuck also played summer college ball in the Cape Cod League.
In my opinion, that shows just how versatile and talented Chuck is. I would be blown away if I had a teammate like that and I would constantly be admiring their talents and telling them how awesome they are. At least from my perspective, that is the formula for a successful career in professional baseball.
Upon transferring to Georgia Tech, Chuck’s amazing baseball talents continued. After having to transfer to outfield from pitching due to elbow problems in his last year at the university, he had .396 batting average, in addition to eight home runs and 25 stolen bases. While turning heads in baseball, Chuck also exceled in the classroom. He was named to the ESPN Magazine Academic All-America Second Team and earned a finance degree in 2011.
I am beyond impressed with Chuck’s performance on the field and in the classroom. I believe that these two factors can inspire people to follow their dreams and work hard. In fact, when I was a sophomore in college, I put a written reminder on my wall that if Chuck can get through college, then I can, too. It worked out well for me, as I completed my sociology degree with good grades whilst working a on-campus job and battling mental illness. I truly felt inspired by Chuck’s academic journey.
Chuck got the starting outfielder job in 2014 after Dexter Fowler was traded from Colorado to Houston. He had an absolutely amazing day as the Rockies leadoff hitter for the 2014 home opener at Coors Field. He recorded six hits, a home run, three doubles, and five Runs Batted In. Absolutely amazing first day on the job for Chuck. That is absolute proof that he deserves the starting outfielder spot and that is why he is one of my favorite all-time Rockies players.
Another example of why Chuck is a very talented player and a key part of the team is his walk-off home run against Houston in July of 2018. The night before, he made a mistake that really cost the Rockies. That night, the last Wednesday of the month, Chuck looked for redemption. Bottom of the ninth. One out, nobody on. Game tied at two runs apiece. Chuck hits a ball from the Astros pitcher and there it was. First career walk-off. It was so amazing to see that live. I will never forget screaming my head off in the stands watching that walk-off. It was the most exhilarating game I have ever seen live.
Overall, Chuck is enjoying quite the Major League Baseball career. He has a .304 batting average, 172 home runs, 511 runs batted in, and 125 stolen bases throughout his career. I only see that going up. In addition, he’s gone to the All-Star Game four times, has won two Silver Slugger Awards, was the National League batting champion, and has hit for the cycle (the first person to do so during the last regular season game nonetheless!). On top of all that, he has the record for most hits in a four game series (15) and runs batted in by a leadoff hitter (103).
Factoring all those in, I am beyond adamant that Chuck ranks in the top seven outfielders in the history of the Colorado Rockies. If there were a DVD featuring just Charlie Blackmon highlights, I would watch it in a heartbeat. If I had to write a poem about Chuck’s outstanding performance on the field, I would write acrostic, limerick, haiku, sinquain, and sonnet poems. I will forever be grateful for the purple Chuck jersey I got to celebrate Larry Walker going into the Hall of Fame. I am beyond thankful to support a player like him.
In addition to being a barbarically talented athlete, Chuck is also hilarious and caring. During an interview during the 2018 All-Star Game, Chuck made a reference to The Office by saying that he didn’t consider himself superstitious, but just a little-stitious. I LOVE THE OFFICE. I have watched every single episode on Netflix and plan to do so again. Plus, he said it’s lonely in the outfield, so he just kicks grass, looks over at the scoreboard to keep himself entertained, and looks at his glove for any holes. Chuck is truly an icon for that. Just when I thought he couldn’t get any more fantastic, he does.
Chuck adores his fans. I remember watching the Stay-At-Home-Opener in April and him just describing how excited he was during the 2014 home opener. He was just filled to the brim with gusto and happiness. I definitely could tell he was so happy to have the fans around just watching and adoring. Back in January, he was unable to attend Rockies Fan Fest due to prior commitments, so he and the Rockies social media team coordinated a make-up session for the following weekend. Chuck decided to serve chicken biscuits to attendees, and the Rockies posted a photo of him doing that on Instagram. Peak southern hospitality right there. Chuck’s awesome factor raised by 688,937 percent because of that.
Plus, Chuck recently got a new puppy! He and his wife, Ashley, have added a black Labrador Retriever named Ozzy to their family. From pictures and videos I’ve seen, Charlie loves his new fur baby. Pets are the best. My family and I have had a mix-breed cat for nearly thirteen years now, and she’s the apple of my eye. Ozzy definitely looks like the apple of Chuck’s eye. I have a soft spot for puppies. I have many fond memories of petting dogs in college.
Chuck is a fantastic player, and a super fabulous person. Allow me to finish out with Charlie’s walk-up song: Josie’s on a vacation far away! Come here and talk it over! So many things that I wanna say! You know I love my girls a little bit older! I just wanna use your love, TONIGHT!
SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Blackmon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Harris_College
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Harris,_Georgia
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