Dexter Fowler takes a lot of grief considering he’s probably one of the nicest and most affable athletes, not only the Rockies, but in sports as a whole. And for some reason, he takes a beating on social media circle jerks like Twitter for committing the cardinal sin of “not producing.” Fowler’s season has turned out pretty well, but it’s bizarre that someone as genuinely nice as he is takes so much heat when there are probably more deserving targets. But that’s the Year of the Fan for you in a nutshell: with no way to really let Rockies management know how you feel, someone like Fowler has to take the punishment as the face of the franchise.

But faced with a dismal season and an eroding fanbase calling for everyone to be fired including the guy pouring sodas, Fowler has done the noble thing and kept his relationship with the fans positive. As recently as Sunday night, Fowler reminded fans that the next day was Purple Monday and to send him pics wearing their Rockies gear. He could have laid low and rode out the rest of the season ignoring the trolls and not bothered reaching out, but as the high character guy he is, he’s stayed upbeat under strenuous circumstances.

So on this Purple Monday, I want to recognize Dexter Fowler and the positivity he’s bringing to an unbearable situation. It’s guys like this that keep the fans engaged no matter what and we can only hope the knuckleheads who run the team realize how important he really is. Great job Dex, we’re rooting for you.