Rockies cherish reminders of Walker

DENVER -- Larry Walker took his left-handed swing and rocket arm to the St. Louis Cardinals, but his Colorado Rockies jersey and a few old bats remain in his locker in the Coors Field clubhouse.

Some Rockies veterans asked the clubhouse managers to leave the locker as a kind of memorial to the longtime Colorado star after he was traded to St. Louis on Friday.

"To me, Larry Walker was Denver. He did a lot for this organization. I think it's important for us to keep his locker so we don't forget everything he meant to us," outfielder Mark Sweeney said.

Walker played nearly 10 seasons in Colorado. He was the 1997 National League MVP, won the NL batting championship three times and has seven Gold Glove awards for his outfield play.

Walker's jersey bearing No. 33 -- the same number he wears in St. Louis -- and some of his older bats will likely remain in his old Coors Field locker for the rest of the season, clubhouse attendant Chris Rasnake said.

"We're not going to give out his number for a while," Rasnake said. The Rockies, now in their 12th season, have yet to retire a number permanently.