Charlie Blackmon would like to remain with Rockies after playing

An emotional Charlie Blackmon began his final homestand at Coors Field on Tuesday with a press conference where he was surrounded by family, current and past teammates and media. The longtime Rockies star detailed some carer highlights, his final days of big league ball and what could be next.

Blackmon announced on his social media channels on Monday that his career would be wrapping up as the season winds down in the coming days. The four-time All-Star said after he posted the message he went to do the most Colorado thing possible and saw a show at Red Rocks. The flyfisherman and general outdoorsman sang the praises of the place he’s called home for a decade-and-a-half. He shared his love of the Centennial State’s beauty, people and baseball fans to the point where he declared he would try to keep a presence around Denver and specifically with the Rockies.

“I definitely plan to be involved. I’ve already had some conversations with some very important people in the room here that are going to allow me to continue to be a part of the group and hopefully contribute, just in a different fashion,” Blackmon said on Tuesday. “I don’t think I’ll put the uniform on and be part of the staff, right, like a permanent fixture, but I do want to come to spring training. I want to come to Coors Field. I want to be around the guys. I want to talk to some hitters, you know, be in the cage occasionally. I do still very much want to be a part of the Colorado Rockies family. Just not sure exactly how yet.”

Blackmon shared that he’s not planning on picking up a nine-to-five anytime soon but he detailed his blessing and curse of taking everything he does very seriously and wanting to become good at it. He says when he’s ready for his next challenge he’ll probably approach it like his baseball career. But before any of that, it’s time to hit the beach, the Kentucky Derby and have a summer off for the first time since he was in college almost 20 years ago.

“It is weird to, you know, just sit on a bus or in a hotel and look around and see all your normal friends go to the beach or have a vacation, or, like, do summertime activities,” he said. “So I think there are some things that that we have decided that we want to do. I know we’re, we’re going to the Kentucky Derby next year, you know, like stuff like that, you know, instead of, like, watching it, you know, and during BP, you know, with your guys, you know, we’re going to get out and we’re going to do some stuff. We’re going to, we’d like to travel. We like going to the beach. We like swimming, you know, we were going to do some summertime stuff like that, for sure.”

Blackmon heads into this weekend as seventh in franchise history in career rWAR, only Todd Helton played more games in purple than Chuck. He also has the second most plate appearances, hits runs scored, doubles and total bases while leading Rockies history in triples.

“I knew going into spring training this was probably going to be my last year,” Blackmon said. “I feel like I’m retiring a little bit at a time. I don’t think it’s going to just be this Sunday and I walk off, but it was, you know, leaving Salt River Fields for the last time as a player and knowing it. And leaving Dodger Stadium and I think there’s been little moments like that, and having conversations in the clubhouse and telling the guys on the bus. It’s a little bit at a time, and it’s still building, I’m looking forward to this week, but I know it’s going to be, obviously, nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It’ll really grip me towards the end of the week.”

Blackmon says it’s those types of conversations and his experience and shortcomings as a reason he wants to stay somewhat in the game. He thinks he can communicate his struggles to other people in baseball so they can overcome them quicker than he did. The subjects may include personal, mental or, of course, about their swings.

The sweet-swinging and sweet-singing Chuck Nasty may play his final big league ballgame on Sunday but his legacy in Colorado will live—and for Blackmon who may stay in the state and help the Rockies, maybe the legend grows a bit too.

“There’s no better place than Colorado,” Blackmon said.