Yesterday at this time, my feeling was pretty much that the Rockies needed to sweep the Milwaukee Brewers if they wanted to make the playoffs. And today, after the Rockies won and the Braves lost last night, I still kind of think they need to sweep the Brewers in order to avoid a play-in game with the Braves.
Say the Rockies don't sweep the Brewers, and head into the weekend with their magic number at 2. The Rockies are playing the Dodgers, who they apparently can't beat, and the Braves have the Washington Nationals, unquestionably the worst team in MLB. Will there be a combination of Rockies wins and Braves losses adding up to more than one in those circumstances? Hmmm. . . maybe, but to be on the safe side, they had better win all three against the Brewers at home.
The '09 Rockies seemed determined to make it as interesting as possible. There were people who called the wildcard for the Rockies on August 24, after Ryan Spilborghs' grand slam beat the Giants in the 14th inning. And yet, they let the Giants stay close for another four weeks. With the Giants finally vanquished, here are the Braves out of nowhere, poised to steal Colorado's spot in the playoffs unless they play good baseball this week.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
But I Liked Captain Kangaroo
Quote from Bob Schaffer, chairman of the Colorado State Board of Education, on President Barack Obama's speech to schoolchildren on Tuesday:
"This was an arrogant abuse of power, an abuse of the executive office. Barack Obama should remember that he is commander in chief, not Captain Kangaroo."
"This was an arrogant abuse of power, an abuse of the executive office. Barack Obama should remember that he is commander in chief, not Captain Kangaroo."
Friday, September 4, 2009
Everybody Wants a Thrill
So the wife was at quilt night and I was left at home flipping through lame summer programming. I wound up on what was apparently the pilot episode of "Glee" on FOX, which made me think, "Hasn't the High School Musical phenomenon died out by now?" Apparently, it hasn't. But I digress.
The episode climaxes with the kids performing an over-the-top version of "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey to an empty auditorium. We discussed this in the morning - what is the deal with that song? Why is it making a huge comeback?
When we were on the Pioneer Trek this summer, the youths would break out in song from time to time on the trail. One of their selections was - you guessed it - "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. My first thought was - I didn't know that our pioneer ancestors were familiar with Steve Perry. But he is just old enough that they very well might have been.
The song came out in 1981 - so it's even slightly before my time. And yet, here were teenagers in 2009 belting out the lyrics like we were on some sort of wilderness American Idol. The equivalent for me, as a teenager, would have been walking around with my friends belting out one of the top hits of 1956, such as "Love Me Tender." Which didn't happen.
Anyways, I happened to spot an entire article on the internet that same day which explored the resurgence of this song. So apparently we haven't been the only ones wondering about this.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Worst Case Scenario - 2009 Broncos
1. The Broncos bumble through the entire season, going something like 4-12, which would be their worst showing since 1982.
2. Kyle Orton and Chris Simms get about the same amount of playing time, and by the end of the year, Bronco fan is convinced that Tom Brandstater is as good as any other QB the Broncos have.
3. Peyton Hillis once again leads the Broncos in rushing with 377 yards for the season.
4. Brandon Marshall and the Broncos extend their standoff throughout the entire season.
5. The defense allows over 400 points for the season once again, and there is talk of Mike Nolan being fired.
6. Robert Ayers proves to be the second coming of Jarvis Moss, and Bronco fan is horrified to realize that Josh McDaniels traded away the #5 overall pick in the 2010 draft for the right to draft Alphonso Smith in the second round in 2009.
7. Josh McDaniels officially changes his name to Josh McBelichick and trades Champ Bailey to Kansas City for Matt Cassel.
8. The Bears go 12-4, win the NFC North, and advance to the Super Bowl. Jay Cutler is the NFC Pro Bowl starter at quarterback.
9. Mike Shanahan decides to take another year off and continues to be a drain on Pat Bowlen's bank account.
10. Shannon Sharpe falls short of admission to the Hall of Fame for the second year in a row. Dick LeBeau makes it as a senior committee candidate, but Floyd Little is denied.
That would be a pretty bleak season. But you have to ask yourself - which is more realistic, the best case or the worst case?
2. Kyle Orton and Chris Simms get about the same amount of playing time, and by the end of the year, Bronco fan is convinced that Tom Brandstater is as good as any other QB the Broncos have.
3. Peyton Hillis once again leads the Broncos in rushing with 377 yards for the season.
4. Brandon Marshall and the Broncos extend their standoff throughout the entire season.
5. The defense allows over 400 points for the season once again, and there is talk of Mike Nolan being fired.
6. Robert Ayers proves to be the second coming of Jarvis Moss, and Bronco fan is horrified to realize that Josh McDaniels traded away the #5 overall pick in the 2010 draft for the right to draft Alphonso Smith in the second round in 2009.
7. Josh McDaniels officially changes his name to Josh McBelichick and trades Champ Bailey to Kansas City for Matt Cassel.
8. The Bears go 12-4, win the NFC North, and advance to the Super Bowl. Jay Cutler is the NFC Pro Bowl starter at quarterback.
9. Mike Shanahan decides to take another year off and continues to be a drain on Pat Bowlen's bank account.
10. Shannon Sharpe falls short of admission to the Hall of Fame for the second year in a row. Dick LeBeau makes it as a senior committee candidate, but Floyd Little is denied.
That would be a pretty bleak season. But you have to ask yourself - which is more realistic, the best case or the worst case?
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Best Case Scenario - 2009 Broncos
So I've been pondering the upcoming football season. I'm not quite sure how the Broncos are going to do. But I think it's either going to be a) bad or b) not quite as bad as people thought. Even though I wrote the previous tongue-in-cheek post about the schedule, I'm pretty sure this won't be a season to remember, given everything that has transpired over the past 9 months.
So here is what I think is the best case scenario for the 2009 Broncos:
1. The Broncos finish up on a bit of a win streak, but fall short of the playoffs at 9-7.
2. Kyle Orton passes for something like 3,200 yards and 22 touchdowns and is consistent enough to keep the number of Denver-based Chris Simms enthusiasts relatively low.
3. Knowshon Moreno rushes for 1,200 yards and proves himself to be worth the #12 overall pick.
4. Brandon Marshall stops acting like a BM at some point during the season.
5. The defense manages to hold the opposition to under 350 points for the season and ensures that the Broncos will make it through one offseason without firing their defensive coordinator.
6. Defensive rookies Robert Ayers and Alphonso Smith show flashes of stardom.
7. Josh McDaniels realizes at some point during the season that he doesn't work for Bill Belichick anymore.
8. The Bears go 7-9, miss the playoffs. Jay Cutler throws a lot of TD passes, but just as many interceptions.
9. Mike Shanahan takes a coaching job with another NFL team so that Pat Bowlen gets out of paying his salary.
10. Shannon Sharpe and Floyd Little are both elected to the Hall of Fame class of 2010, which will take a bit of the sting out of this whole McDaniels/Cutler saga and give Broncos fans something to be happy about.
The next post will be a worst case scenario.
So here is what I think is the best case scenario for the 2009 Broncos:
1. The Broncos finish up on a bit of a win streak, but fall short of the playoffs at 9-7.
2. Kyle Orton passes for something like 3,200 yards and 22 touchdowns and is consistent enough to keep the number of Denver-based Chris Simms enthusiasts relatively low.
3. Knowshon Moreno rushes for 1,200 yards and proves himself to be worth the #12 overall pick.
4. Brandon Marshall stops acting like a BM at some point during the season.
5. The defense manages to hold the opposition to under 350 points for the season and ensures that the Broncos will make it through one offseason without firing their defensive coordinator.
6. Defensive rookies Robert Ayers and Alphonso Smith show flashes of stardom.
7. Josh McDaniels realizes at some point during the season that he doesn't work for Bill Belichick anymore.
8. The Bears go 7-9, miss the playoffs. Jay Cutler throws a lot of TD passes, but just as many interceptions.
9. Mike Shanahan takes a coaching job with another NFL team so that Pat Bowlen gets out of paying his salary.
10. Shannon Sharpe and Floyd Little are both elected to the Hall of Fame class of 2010, which will take a bit of the sting out of this whole McDaniels/Cutler saga and give Broncos fans something to be happy about.
The next post will be a worst case scenario.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Which Game Did I Attend?
So with pennant fever again descending upon the Rocky Mountains, I decided this past weekend was the perfect chance to open up the old wallet and partake of the hometown Colorado Rockies hosting the San Francisco Giants, who are currently battling the Rockies for the lead in the National League wildcard race.
I haven't been to a Rockies game in more than two years. The cost is usually enough to keep me away. It's pretty hard to keep it cheap. I decided to partake of Wells Fargo's offer on 2-for-1 club level seating, getting two tickets for $50. And they were good seats. I don't know that they were worth $50, but they were definitely worth $25. But then there was the stupid online "convenience" fee of $8.50. And then there is the transportation. We took light rail, and even with my son's ticket being only half-price, it was still $10.50. We tried to go cheap on the food, bringing our own snacks and drinks, and paying only for our cheeseburger and Rockie Dog (which was so not worth it). That's another $12. And I bought I game program and scorecard for $5. So that's $86. I suppose there are worse deals you could find for $86. I can't imagine how entire families can afford to go to a game together.
And so which of the games in the four game series do you think we had the privilege of attending?
A. A high-scoring affair which featured the Rockies coming from behind, featuring a seven-run inning, which resulted in a 14-11 victory.
B. A fourteen-inning thriller which remained deadlocked at 1-1 for much of the game and was filled with numerous strategic moves and injured players coming off the bench to contribute, until the Giants broke through with three runs in the top of the 14th. No worries, though, as the home team was victorious thanks to a game-ending grand slam in the bottom of the 14th.
C. A duel between two of the top National League pitchers, in which the Rockies prevailed when my namesake crushed a home run into the second deck in right field off of the starting pitcher from this year's NL All-Star team.
D. A humdrum game which saw the Rockies fall behind 3-0 in the first inning and never quite recover. The home team strikes out 12 times, commits three errors, and seems to ground into inning-ending double plays whenever they get a rally started.
If you guessed "D", then you are absolutely right! You're tonight's winner!
Just my luck. Oh, well, it was still a fun trip. We'll see if I make it back to Coors Field before 2011.
I haven't been to a Rockies game in more than two years. The cost is usually enough to keep me away. It's pretty hard to keep it cheap. I decided to partake of Wells Fargo's offer on 2-for-1 club level seating, getting two tickets for $50. And they were good seats. I don't know that they were worth $50, but they were definitely worth $25. But then there was the stupid online "convenience" fee of $8.50. And then there is the transportation. We took light rail, and even with my son's ticket being only half-price, it was still $10.50. We tried to go cheap on the food, bringing our own snacks and drinks, and paying only for our cheeseburger and Rockie Dog (which was so not worth it). That's another $12. And I bought I game program and scorecard for $5. So that's $86. I suppose there are worse deals you could find for $86. I can't imagine how entire families can afford to go to a game together.
And so which of the games in the four game series do you think we had the privilege of attending?
A. A high-scoring affair which featured the Rockies coming from behind, featuring a seven-run inning, which resulted in a 14-11 victory.
B. A fourteen-inning thriller which remained deadlocked at 1-1 for much of the game and was filled with numerous strategic moves and injured players coming off the bench to contribute, until the Giants broke through with three runs in the top of the 14th. No worries, though, as the home team was victorious thanks to a game-ending grand slam in the bottom of the 14th.
C. A duel between two of the top National League pitchers, in which the Rockies prevailed when my namesake crushed a home run into the second deck in right field off of the starting pitcher from this year's NL All-Star team.
D. A humdrum game which saw the Rockies fall behind 3-0 in the first inning and never quite recover. The home team strikes out 12 times, commits three errors, and seems to ground into inning-ending double plays whenever they get a rally started.
If you guessed "D", then you are absolutely right! You're tonight's winner!
Just my luck. Oh, well, it was still a fun trip. We'll see if I make it back to Coors Field before 2011.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Season Cancelled
Today the Denver Broncos decided not to play the 2009 season.
"After careful thought and consultation with my associates, I have decided that the Broncos will not play this season," team owner Pat Bowlen said in a prepared statement. "It is obvious to everyone in the organization, myself included, that our schedule of games is far too difficult. We have no chance to make the playoffs - so we aren't even going to try. We will continue to practice and prepare for the 2010 season. With some luck, we will be given a schedule that will give us a better chance of success."
When pressed as to what prompted him to make the decision, Bowlen responded. "Well, the experts have convinced me that the greatest indicator of future success is your past success. And we have a lot of teams on our schedule who were good last year, so this means that they will be just as good this year, if not better."
Bowlen was asked which teams on the 2009 schedule he feared the most. "Well, for starters we have to play the Colts AND the Patriots. That's Peyton Manning AND Tom Brady. And the Colts won the Super Bowl in 2007 and the Patriots in 2005. So that means that they will probably both win the Super Bowl this year. I don't know if that has ever happened, two teams winning the Super Bowl, but I think this will be the year. I don't see either team losing a game."
Bowlen also expounded on the plan which he submitted to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, whereby the entire league would forfeit any game on their schedule against an NFC East opponent. The Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, and Redskins would only play each other. "Those teams are so great, so mighty, that really, no team is even deserving of being in the same stadium with them. So that really played into my decision to cancel the Broncos' season, because all four of those teams are on our 2009 schedule."
Commissioner Goodell, reached for comment, said that he really liked the idea. "I think we are headed for a new era in the NFL. I can see the day where the NFC East becomes its own conference, and the remaining 12 NFC teams are absorbed into the AFC. And then the 28 teams in the AFC will battle for the right, the honor, and the privilege to play one of these four exemplary organizations in the Super Bowl."
"After careful thought and consultation with my associates, I have decided that the Broncos will not play this season," team owner Pat Bowlen said in a prepared statement. "It is obvious to everyone in the organization, myself included, that our schedule of games is far too difficult. We have no chance to make the playoffs - so we aren't even going to try. We will continue to practice and prepare for the 2010 season. With some luck, we will be given a schedule that will give us a better chance of success."
When pressed as to what prompted him to make the decision, Bowlen responded. "Well, the experts have convinced me that the greatest indicator of future success is your past success. And we have a lot of teams on our schedule who were good last year, so this means that they will be just as good this year, if not better."
Bowlen was asked which teams on the 2009 schedule he feared the most. "Well, for starters we have to play the Colts AND the Patriots. That's Peyton Manning AND Tom Brady. And the Colts won the Super Bowl in 2007 and the Patriots in 2005. So that means that they will probably both win the Super Bowl this year. I don't know if that has ever happened, two teams winning the Super Bowl, but I think this will be the year. I don't see either team losing a game."
Bowlen also expounded on the plan which he submitted to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, whereby the entire league would forfeit any game on their schedule against an NFC East opponent. The Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, and Redskins would only play each other. "Those teams are so great, so mighty, that really, no team is even deserving of being in the same stadium with them. So that really played into my decision to cancel the Broncos' season, because all four of those teams are on our 2009 schedule."
Commissioner Goodell, reached for comment, said that he really liked the idea. "I think we are headed for a new era in the NFL. I can see the day where the NFC East becomes its own conference, and the remaining 12 NFC teams are absorbed into the AFC. And then the 28 teams in the AFC will battle for the right, the honor, and the privilege to play one of these four exemplary organizations in the Super Bowl."
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