It figures

How else should the Colorado Rockies season end but with a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth inning?
It's another testimonial to Clint Hurdle's book – the one that says, "I will use this pitcher in the eighth inning and another pitcher in the ninth, regardless of success," .. the same one used by managers all over the game and the same one that needs to be rewritten or burned. The successful pitcher Sunday struck out 10 in seven innings.
Now starts the offseason. One thing seems certain. We won't be seeing the same Rockies when spring training starts in a few months. Matt Holliday may not be part of the crowd. Garrett Atkins may leave. So might Brian Fuentes. The Rockies are in a position where they have to get something – pitching? – for those players while they can. If they wait another year (in Hollilday's or Atkins' case), they won't get anything.
Let the fun begin.

Best 1-3 team ever?

You could make that case on behalf of the Denver Broncos' record to this point in the season.
The facts are that the Broncos are a one-dimensional team (haven't we been down this road before?) and the one dimension isn't the defense.
Then throw in yesterday's debacle in Kansas City where they – somehow – managed to overlook one of the worst teams in the league.
As colleague Kevin Denke points out, just wait until the Broncos play against someone with talent, such as New England or even Tampa Bay this weekend. Those won't be pretty either.

QB nominations

Because Kansas City didn't settle on a quarterback right away, we here at Under the Seats will help out the Chiefs.
Here are some suggestions:
* Bronco Nagurski
* George Blanda
* George of the Jungle
* Len Dawson
* Len Berman

A day at the ball yard

DENVER – It's a good thing baseball fans like to visit. Otherwise, Colorado's home finale would have been worse than it was.
After all, a 7-0 lead in the fourth inning (by which time the home team is on its third pitcher) can't be good. The final wasn't good either .. D-backs 13, the home team 4.
So how about a discussion about a peach muffin recipe? Or another one about the Rockies' good shortstop, Troy Tulo-whiskey.
How about a wonderful pregame salute to our servicemen and servicewomen, including a flyover from units based at the former Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora?
How about some knowledge about manicuring Coors Field? They cut the grass twice a day to keep it in playable shape.
That, plus the usual cries for Clint Hurdle's scalp and an afternoon-long hope that the game would finish promptly made for a fine afternoon.
But it wasn't the same as a year ago.
No sir.

Overrated?

There are those who think Denver's football team is considerably overrated.
The Broncos are 3-0. They've beaten two weak sisters in the league and figure to beat another one Sunday in Kansas City.
The "bent-but-don't-break" defense can't be good either.
What do you think?

Time to move on

Note to Channel 4:
Yes, the whole world knows you are the Broncos station. And yes, the world knows you get first dibs in the locker room after each game, not that such a thing matters to the masses – it certainly doesn't matter to this particular mass.
But please. The Ed Hochuli/inadvertent whistle/the NFL says it will investigate better means to enforce inadvertent whistles in conjunction with replays story doesn't amount of beans now.
I'm sure you can find something else in your self-promotional world to harp on besides the fact that a respected official made a mistake.

Idea for the Chiefs

Because the Kansas City Chiefs seem to go through quarterbacks the way we go through socks, we'll offer a suggestion.
How about using a single-wing offense? It eliminates the need for a quarterback.

Time for a rule change

Most people realize that Denver was lucky to beat San Diego yesterday. If not for an inadvertent whistle on a fairly obvious fumble, Denver would not have won.
Which brings us to the subject for today. It's time for the NFL to stop making inadvertent whistles as important as intentional ones. As it reads now, the whistle stops everything, even when the call on the field is proven to be incorrect.
If the NFL expects its officials to be right 100 percent of the time – and sometimes even that's not good enough – then it needs to allow for wrongly timed whistles to be overturned.

Tough spot

Courtesy of Frederick High School athletic director Kris Keith ...
Players from Skyline and Fossil Ridge high schools got into an on-field altercation last week. One of the players took his helmet off and hit one of the opposing players with it.
Police took the offending player off the field.
The victim's father is also an assistant coach. He's in a tough spot. On the one hand, there's the "heat of battle" argument. On the other hand, there's a potential for assault charges.
What would you do?

9/11

NFL observations

* The spiked Kool Aid that usually follows a Broncos win isn't quite as apparent this week. Yes, Denver beat Oakland. No, Oakland isn't going to make anyone sit up and take notice, unless you like watching bad teams self-implode.
Which brings us to the next point of order:
* There are two games on this week's schedule that deserve to be watched by diehard fans of the teams and no one else -- the essence of what the TV networks call "regional coverage." Oakland and Kansas City is one (boy, that should be a beaut). And Miami at Arizona is the other.
For those in office pools and in fantasy football leagues, you have my sympathies.

Are you sure?

It took a quarter and a half of last night's Broncos' game before one of the ESPN motormouths offered this gem.
He told young receivers that they "should catch the ball with their hands."
As opposed to their face?

Something in the water?

Item No. 1 – the Fort Lupton assistant C-team coach (who also is the police chief in Fort Lupton) resigns after an altercation on the sideline during Friday's game between the Bluedevils and Berthoud. The coach was on his own time and not serving as police chief at the time.
Item No. 2 – A Frederick parent applauds a Warriors' player who was kicked out of Friday night's league loss to Windsor.
How about some thoughts?

Just curious

ERIE – A lot of people left the Prairie View stands last night, long before the end of the ThunderHawks game against Erie.
Yes, the game was one-sided. But I hope those who left early (I don't think all of them were coaches) were trying to beat the traffic or just happened to be in the area and thought they'd watch a game.

Reading material

The Sept. 8 issue of Sports Illustratedincludes a short article on Vin Scully, longtime radio and television voice of the Dodgers. Give it a look. I loved the extrapolation between Shakespeare and sideburns!

Broncos ready for 2008 season

Be interested in some thoughts about the Denver Broncos season.
Rod Smith and John Lynch are gone. So is Domonique Foxworth. Those are some pretty big holes to fill on both sides of the line.
Step right up and offer up a thought or two ..

Future of CU-CSU

Because it's fairly quiet in the sports world (after all, it's another six days before Broncomania officially takes hold), the papers have been full of stories about the Rocky Mountain Showdown, the annual football game between CU and CSU that took an act of the state Legislature to resurrect.
Where should it go after 2010? Should it be played at all?
I'd love to have your thoughts.