Rockies first basemen Todd Helton is an avid hunter and this fall he’s combining his two passions by playing the season’s last series at chilly Coors Field wearing the coat of a black bear he killed last hunting season.
“It can get cold during night games this time of year and my old bones need to stay warm and loose,” said the 37-year-old Helton, who is wrapping up another impressive season, despite missing nearly a quarter of the Rockies games due to injuries. “Nothing provides the natural warmth of a bear skin coat, and I know it was taken down humanely because I’m the one who killed it with a high-powered rifle while it was playfully frolicking in a meadow with its cubs.”
The hobbled Helton might not play much the rest of the season, so he knows the fur coat will keep him warm if he’s forced to watch from the bench as his teammates play out the string. He estimates he’s killed “hundreds, maybe thousands” of animals of all varieties during his long hunting career but decided bear skin would be the best option.
“It’s light weight so I can move around pretty well in it when I have to,” said Helton. “I had considered wearing mountain goat, but its shaggy coat would have made me look pretty ridiculous out there.”
