Who to root for...

I always seem to find myself in the same situation year in and year out with the Nuggets and the Broncos. The issue is once my team gets beat (which seems to only ever be in the first round) what team do I cheer for for the rest of the playoffs? There are obviously plenty of options, number one maybe being to not cheer for anyone and sit and mope until the next season starts. There is always the option to pull for whatever team is playing against the team that beat the Colorado team. Or there is the more debatable questionable approach in cheering for the team that beat my team so that my defeated Broncos, Nuggets etc,...look better.

Steph Curry has emerged as a super star

In this case I'm talking about the Golden State Warriors. The first few days after beating the Nuggets all I felt was pure hatred for the team from Oakland. After a several weeks to cool off though, I find myself naturally rooting for the Warriors versus the San Antonio Spurs. I'm not even sure why I want them to win in the series. It's either because I want the Nuggets to look better for losing to a team that is much better than people thought or I just like the young up and coming team against the old champions many times over team.

My question to you is...does it make me a bad fan that I cheer for the team that just sent my Nuggs out in the first round of the playoffs? I guess I just don't have the hate for this Golden State team that I do for the Ravens or the Red Sox for example.  During the series, the Warriors annoyed the bejeebers our of me but now I somewhat want them to go deeper into the playoffs. I guess I like the underdog, Cinderella story type team and maybe that helps me like this Warrior's team right now.

I really don't see ANYONE beating the Heat but I would like to see an unknown team like the Warriors or Grizzlies get there shot against them in the Finals. It's just sad that this year's Cinderella story won't be the Nuggets.

COY?

No I'm not talking about "Making a pretense of shyness or modesty that is intended to be alluring but is often regarded as irritating." or those brightly colored Japanese fish. (Oh shoot, that's koi). The Coy today is C.O.Y or Coach of the Year. And the NBA C.O.Y this year is our very own Denver Nugget's George Karl.

Disappointed?

It feels almost like a slap in the face for him to get this after the Nuggets were booted out of the first round by the sharp shooting Golden State Warriors. With that so fresh on the mind a lot of Denver fans feel Karl was not deserving of this award (His first in 25 years of coaching) because of the early out which has become a trend in his career as a coach in Denver. The nine out of ten years done in the first round and the disappointing end to an exciting season this year have people questioning if Karl should even have a job here come November.

For the first few days after the game six loss to the Warriors I will fully admit that I wanted Karl gone as well as maybe half of the team. With a week or so to ponder and really think about it, this season was really an overall success for the third youngest team in the NBA. They won fifty seven games, the MOST ever in their long NBA history. They're a team that was somewhat thrown together in the offseason and only really had a few months to gel and play as a team and they did. Several players stepped up and showed that they can be long time productive players and possibly even stars (Lawson, Gallinari, Faried...McGee?). Iguodala proved to be a huge part of the glue that held this young team together. He brought leadership and top notch defense to a team that was one of the worst defensive teams in basketball in 2012. Lawson is an up and coming star, Faried is a double double machine and McGee could be the most freakish athlete in the NBA. There is a lot of upside for this very young team going forward and it will be interesting to see how Masai Ujiri (Executive of the year) handles the offseason.

There are downsides to the season which are to be expected after a first round dud in the playoffs.  Chandler and Brewer were horrible in the series and I would expect Brewer to be gone and Chandler likely to be the first guy off the bench next year. Kosta Koufos is weak and the Nuggs really need a bruiser bully type center to start in the middle. They need a player who can freaking shoot the ball and drain threes when they need some instant offense. Say what you want about J.R Smith but he was named the sixth man of the year and broke several records in doing so. Denver needs someone like Smith. JJ Redick, Kyle Korver or a Jason Terry type. They also need a backup point guard who doesn't play like a fifty year old granny and turns the ball over more than a ninety pound white boy in a pickup game. If Andrea Miller is still on this team come November because of Karl's love affair with him...then I just may become a Timberwolves fan.

Anyway, I've gotten way off topic and I understand that. My point I guess is they had a tough show in the postseason but Karl did a fantastic job in the regular season and deserves to be rewarded with that as he was with the C.O.Y award. Karl will be the head coach next season and hopefully will have a team with a few pieces added that won't just win fifty plus games but at least make the second round of the playoffs.

Damn Yankees

Ah the damn Yankees. Is there a better way to describe a team that I profoundly hate but also a team that has been one of the best franchises in sport's history? Since I do a sports radio show with a Yankee fan ( Friday's 1-3 on gomilehigh.com) I have had to ask myself several times why I so despise the team in pinstripes. Really, they're a fairly classy organization and their fans may be obnoxious but don't even compare to the stupidity of Red Sox or Cubs fans. I guess I hate them because they are always good when my beloved Rockies are not. They also have a 2013 payroll of  $228,995,945 compared to the $75,449,071 for the Rockies and $24,328,538 for the low team on the totem pole, the Houston Astros. So I guess I hate the Yankees because they have the money year in and year out to buy a championship team.

This year has been different for the Yanks so far who have had some pretty tough luck to start the 2013 season. Jeter, Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Kevin Youkilis, Curtis Granderson, Joba Chamberlain and Ivan Nova are all on the Disabled List and several of them haven't played in a single game this season. The approximate payroll for players on the D.L right now is near $97,000,000.  Despite the injuries, New York has an 18-12 record, one game better than the Rockies so far. As my co-host, Nick Lapinski, would say, "The Yankees just know how to win". I've argued that all year and would argue it til my dying day but so far it's been true as they continue to overcome their injury hardships and win games in a tough American league.

The reason for this post today is of course the fact that the Yankees are in Denver for the next three days where the Rockies look to copy their 2007 series where they swept New York in three games in a season where Colorado would eventually make it to the World Series. The Rockies have what it takes to sweep this beat up Yanks team but I guess the question is: Do the Rox know how to win? They have had an impressive season so far staying above .500 from the start but have struggled a bit lately, dropping two of three vs the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend. The boys in purple have the offensive firepower to stay in a high scoring game and perhaps their dominant bullpen can give them a slight edge over New York. The starting pitching though, as usual, has been rough in Colorado but the Rockies hope veteran Jorge De La Rosa can show his Dr Jekkyll side in the game tonight starting at 6:40 in Denver.

The Rox have been suprising and fun to watch so far this season but the next few weeks may really determine whether or not this is a team that will contend in October or a team that just had a nice month. Either way, I just hope they lay a whooping on the Yankees and I hope there is a packed Coors field to see them do it.

FUTBALL!

Ever the game for those without good hand eye coordination, soccer is the worlds most popular sport but just can't seem to catch on in the U.S. Or can it? Today I did play by play for some Semi-Finals for the Colorado State cup at the Aurora Sports Complex for Coachesaid.com.  The complex has 22 soccer fields and every field had game after game of youth soccer and game after game of large crowds. My question is: Why is soccer a big deal for American youth but Major League Soccer and U.S national soccer leaves much to be desired.

The U.S women have more to be proud of the last few years after winning a gold medal in last year's Summer Olympics after falling short in the finals of the 2011 women's world cup of soccer. The men's team has not been as competetive after failing to qualify for the 2012 Olympics and losing to big time underdog Ghana in the round of 16 at the 2010 World Cup. Needless to say the Men's group has been an overall disappointment for the last ten plus years and there really isn't an end in sight for the failure.

Why is it that kids love soccer and play it as toddlers up through highschool yet none of that translates into the major leagues or national soccer? Do kids lose their taste for soccer after highschool and head onto different sports or different hobbies? Or do the more talented players just head off into football and other sports leaving soccer to pick the scraps? Honestly, I don't know nearly enough about soccer to know the answers but sitting on a packed soccer field today I felt like I just had to ask the question: Why do the upper leagues of American soccer in general just kind of suck when U.S youth soccer is alive and well? As long time goalie Peter Shilton once said, ""If you stand still there is only one way to go, and that's backwards"

Rocky Mountain High

No I'm not talking about the party in downtown Denver a few weeks ago for the 4.20 celebration. Though John Denver said his friends are around the campfire and everyone is high, my thoughts today are about the Colorado Rockies. Ironically part of the Rockies recent success has seemed to be in part from their more relaxed approach at the plate and in the field but coincidence I'm sure.



Cuddyer: .317 Avg. 6 Hrs. 22 RBI in 2013.

The Rockies are now 17-12 after an extra inning loss last night and share a NL West division lead with the Diamondbacks. They've gotten there primarily through offense and have managed to stay relatively healthy. As of today they are: 2nd in the Majors in Runs (152), 1st in Hits (291), 3rd in Homeruns (38), 1st in Average (.284) and 2nd in Slugging (.466). This hasn't just been at home as they have had nearly equal offensive success on the road with over half of their homeruns coming away from Coors Field. With Nolan Arenado crushing the ball as well as hoped for and Todd Helton nearly back from Injury the Rockies look to get even better at smashing, smacking and all around smothering the ball. My mouth is watering just at the thought of the lineup : Fowler, Rutledge, Cargo, Tulo, Cuddyer, Helton, Rosario, Arenado.  One of the most highly touted prospects in baseball batting eighth is definitely a situation to be envied by all the other major league teams.

The pitching though has not been as great and has been just good enough to keep them in two thirds of their games. Jeff Francis has been horrible, Chacin has been hurt and De La Rosa and Nicasio have been horribly unpredictable. The Rockies signed veteran righty Roy Oswalt to a minor league deal this week and hope that if there is a hole to fill he will regain his allstar form from a few years ago and be a solid addition like another recent Free Agent signee John Garland.

My point that I'm trying to get to after three paragraphs of drivel, is that I'm not sure the Rockies can keep this up for a year. Their offense is due to cool down and their pitching is destined to get worse. As I say that though, crazier things have happened than this Rockies team having a chance at the playoffs this year. This team is far and away more talented on paper than the World Series team in 2007 and even the pitching staff SHOULD be better. Can these guys find the "it" that seems to be the key ingredient in winning teams? Who knows...but I can say without a doubt that this team has been ten times more fun to watch and more competetive than anyone gave them credit for at the start of the year. The Rockies can hopefully compete deep into the baseball season without any campfires and as the wise Brooke Shields once said, "Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life."

 

Postseason and Bust

I was so dearly hoping that we Denver sports fans would be spared of a second heartbreak within one sport's year but sadly we are meant to suffer.  "Life is pain, anyone who says otherwise is selling something", quoted from the classic movie 'The Princess Bride' seems appropriate today.  The Nuggets, a team that won 57 games during the regular season. A team that had such extremely high hopes to go deep into the playoffs. The team that I came to love after a season of high energy and unselfishness...are one and done again in the playoffs for the ninth time in the last ten years.



Tears flowing in Denver



My poor sports heart had just finished healing fom the Bronco's heart shattering loss to he Ravens in the first round of the NFL playoffs. Now it's back into a broken glob of disappointed gook. "It feels like somebody took my heart and dropped it into a bucket of boiling tears. And at the same time, somebody else is hitting my soul in the crotch, with a frozen sledge hammer. And then a third guy walks in and starts punching me in the grief bone, and I'm crying , and nobody can hear me, because I'm terribly terribly, terribly alone.". (Michael Scott clearly understands the subject.) The empty feeling of the stomach with disappointment replacing hope. I feel like I should read Hamlet or maybe a Bronte book or something..but life will go on.

Why did they lose? Was Golden State just the overall better team? What players will be on this Nuggets team in 2014? So many questions to answer about their regular season success, Post season falure and going forward next year. There are about seven months to answer those questions but right now  just want to feel sorry for myself and be angry like a petulant child. If you have answers for the Nugget's success or failures, please help me out. I have no answers at this point and so very many questions about this team.

Nolan Who?

I try to pride myself as being a "baseball head" or somewhat of a sports guru and compared to most people that's probably true. Clearly there are others with a sports I.Q far above mine that will have no need for today's write up at all. I know though that many (of the few that will read this) will have no clue who Nolan Arenado even is.  Thus the "Nolan who" for the title. So for those NOT in the baseball fan elite, I'll talk a bit about my newest man crush, Rockies 3rd baseman, Nolan Arenado.

Newest Rockie, Nolan Arenado

I could go through the last three years of stats and tell you all about how many hits he had against left handed pitchers in the Fall of 2011 but I have a feeling to the casual fan that will just bring a roll of the eyes and a click out of this page. Suffice it to say, Arenado has been the Rockies number one prospect in the minor leagues for the past three years since he was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2009 draft by Colorado.  By 2012 he was rated the number 40 prospect by  BaseballAmerica.com and all the way up to 22 overall by MLB.com. Needless to say this guy could hit the ball like a pro before he could buy alchohol.
After his first few years of great success in the minors and rumblings of him making the Bigs in each of his first three years, Arenado had an off year in 2012 and was criticized for his off the field behavior. Now when I say he struggled really that's only compared to his first few years that gained him an MVP in the 2011 Fall league and the high praise throughout the league.  In 2012 he hit .285 with 12 home runs and 56 RBI. Again, nothing to sneeze at but not at par with what was expected of this future hopeful allstar.

Arenado after his first career homerun

Finally the Rockies brought him up this Saturday after opening day 3rd baseman Chris Nelson had struggled through the gate and Arenado was destroying the ball in Triple A Colorado Springs. Nolan looks to bring even more power to this Rockie offense that leads the Majors in: Batting average, Runs, On base percentage and slugging. He also will add to the Rockie's offensive player names ending with the letter, 'O' with: Pacheco, Cargo, Tulo, Rosario and now Arenado.

Hope springs eternal and so far this year in Denver there has been no reason not to have some hope for this baseball team. Nolan Arenado just adds to that bit of hope that maybe this Rockies team that was predicted to be in the Cellar in all of the National League could surprise everyone and make things interesting come September.

Nuggets Lose Again, Outlook Bleak Down 3-1.

The Nuggets continue to disappoint in the 2013 playoffs with another loss to the Warriors in Golden State. The only thing left unbroken in my living room is the T.V screen that remains intact only because of the vague hope to win a series down 3-1.  The Nuggets have been out hustled, out rebounded, out shot, out coached and all around out played.

Steph Curry after 3 pointer vs the Nuggets

The Nuggs came into this series as the number three seed and a 57 win season which ended as the best season in their NBA history.  They were the top fast break team as well as top team in the paint and in the top three in steals and dunks for the year. This series with Golden State has failed to feature any of that for a Denver team that has been outplayed in each of the four games.  The Warriors have led in all of these categories and have gotten a superstar performance from second year guard Steph Curry. 

Some fans are making excuses that the team is without their number two scorer in Danilo Gallinari who is out for the season with an ACL tear suffered in March. This team hasn't looked good enough to have won this series against the number six seed Golden State even with their Italian forward on the court. The Warriors are without their top rebounder and Allstar Center David Lee who was injured in the first game of the series and pronounced out for the rest of the playoffs. Either way, there has been no excuse for the lack of production from the entire team aside from Ty Lawson and the question exists whether George Karl deserves to return as head coach next season even after a 57 win year.

The Nuggets aren't out of the series and have a chance to swing momentum in their favor with a game at home Tuesday night. Someone needs to step up or even better several players need to step up for Denver or my T.V screen and my fist may both need to be fixed by Wednesday.