Partially convinced

Anyone who watched the Nuggets dismember New Orleans in the first round of the playoffs has to be convinced that Denver is a better team than New Orleans.
Anyone who saw any of the four games between Denver and Dallas (the Western Conference semifinal opponent) could rightfully say that the Nuggets have a chance to beat the Mavericks. Denver beat the Mavs in all four games this year.
But that's as much convincing – real and potential – that I'm willing to offer right now. Denver had a lot of trouble playing the Lakers this year, and the Lakers figure to make the conference finals in two weeks' time.

Speak English, please

What do these words have in common?
Black mamba.
Ups.
Verticality.
Athleticism.
Impactful.
Boo-yah.
First, they make no sense.
Second, I'm not sure they are words one would find in a dictionary.
Third, they are what makes up the world of sportscasting this day and age.
Clearly, no one is going after my age group .. or any age group over the age of about 10.
But there is a segment of the world that expects highly paid announcers and overblown analysts to speak in something resembling the king's English.
Then again, the Reggie Millers and Stuart Scotts of the world may be taking a page from "My Fair Lady" --
"But use proper English, you're regarded as a freak."

Growing up fast

From time to time here in the world of blogging, we like to salute the young men and women we meet who handle athletically difficult times in their young lives with a certain amount of grace.
This time, we're going to sing the praises of Fort Lupton's Eric Frazier, who met a personally horrible time in his life with more grace than most grown-ups can summon at similar times.
Frazier's mother passed away in mid-April after a long fight with cancer.
He played his first game of the season the other day against Brighton. He got a base hit. He recorded a putout in the field, and he talked about his loss. The chance to read what he said will be in the Fort Lupton Press Wednesday.
What you won't read is how well he handled himself during that interview. Eric looked at the reporter the whole time. He spoke in strong voice and conducted himself in a manner that made me think there's no way this kid is in high school, that there's no way he suffered the biggest loss of his life at a very young age.
The result of the game -- even as daffy as that one was -- will fade with time.
But to watch a young man carry himself so well in this kind of a situation ... you don't forget things like that.

A sign of the apocalypse

When the Broncos (television) insiders threaten to break into programming "when the Broncos do something (their words, not mine), it's a sure sign that someone is bored to tears.

Hold your horses

There's nothing like an impressive win to bring the Denver sports media a new reason to be euphoric.
Or to be rightfully accused of smoking something really funny.
Yes, Denver beat up New Orleans the other night by almost 30 points. In case you couldn't stay up that late, Chauncey Billups hit eight, 3-point baskets.
Now, here are some other facts that the Denver press apparently glossed over.
1) It's one win in one series that could last seven games. You need 16 wins to capture the NBA title.
2) Provided all of the karma is in the right place, Denver would have to beat the Lakers in the conference finals (not likely) and then beat Cleveland in the finals (not likely either).
3) Why aren't those likely to happen? The Lakers and Cleveland are better teams. Cleveland may even be better than the Lakers. Denver is much better (Billups is one of the main reasons) than has been the case in several years. But the Nuggets are not in the same class of competition as either the Lakers or the Cavs.
So yes, celebrate a win. By all means.
But stop being so amateurish as to think the Nuggets – or anyone else who won their first games – are going to win the championship.
Save that sort of thing for the cable networks who need to fill seven minutes at a time with drivel.

It's a sad day

There's a certain desire to stop remembering the anniversaries of the Columbine shootings. And I fully agree that the people in our business could create more copy-cat incidents by spending as much time as they do recounting what happened, who/what caused it and what has been done/could be done to prevent it.
But today is still a tough day for anyone who works around young men and women. Grown-ups on the prep sports circuit have one thing in common – a good experience for their athletes. Athletes on the prep sports circuit genuinely appreciate the time the coaches spend with them and the time the press spends covering their efforts.
Maybe the prep sports beat is as close to Mayberry as we can get these days. The Columbine shootings remind us there is an unfortunate side of life outside a playing field and outside the traditional norms of a classroom.
That's sad, and we don't need the media to tell us about it ad nauseam.
We know.

If you write it, they will come

HENDERSON – Someone actually wrote a paper-back book on the art of fighting in the National Hockey League.
Whoever the author was explained the rules, the instigator penalties. He found a good many of the players whose incessant desire to brawl made the NHL more of a fringe sport than it used to be and quoted them about the state of fighting and what they thought of the rules to cut down on some of that stuff.
Needless to say, it didn't make it into the shopping cart.
Hockey is a very graceful sport when played properly. When the league opened up play a few years ago, it was the best thing they've done in eons.
No one would dare cut out the fighting. It's what sells. But it still takes away from a certain amount of skill required to play the game.

One more forum

Through the wonders of technology – and perhaps because people can't stand to be out of touch for more than a second or two at a time – the Brighton Blade has a Twitter page .. http://twitter.com/brightonblade.
So come join the fun.
I've been told that if I fail at Twittering, I become a Twerp.

A road oft-traveled

Fort Lupton boys basketball coach John Panas won't be back next year.
The reasons may sound familiar –
Parental behavior.
Jump in with your thoughts.

Can't explain this one

Today is Jackie Robinson Day in the world of big-league baseball. Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947 while playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
While the 62nd anniversary of something is a pretty awkward thing to celebrate, I had to laugh when I saw that the Wednesday night baseball game was not going to involve Robinson's former team at all. It will involve two teams that weren't in existence when Robinson played, however.
Two theories come to mind. The network that shells out the money to beam the games around the country either loves showing the same two teams twice in three days or has no particular interest in baseball west of the Mississippi.
What Jackie Robinson did for the game is of far more import than a second look at a stadium that most people can't afford to frequent.

The world is fine

I watched the Dodgers the other night on TV – a rare treat in Denver, I dare say.
As the Dodgers stumbled to a loss against San Diego, there were references to old players, new players, the fact that a Dodgers' player had 9,200 songs on his Ipod and tie-ins to "The Music Man" and "My Fair Lady."
The next night – a Dodger win – there was more talk about old baseball players, pitchers throwing aspirin tablets (a euphemism for a hard fast ball), another discussion about "The Music Man," a comment about "Blazing Saddles" and the late comic Harvey Korman.
Yes, Vin Scully is back in fine form.

Hardly a surprise

Jack Elway wants out of football.
Methinks someone pushed him too far ...
Perhaps his dad?

Three in the booth is too many

The first review from the three-man announcing crew for Sunday Night Baseball is in. And as is the case with most three-man crews, it's too many.
The advantage is Joe Morgan, the master of repetition without saying much to start with, has to quiet down. The disadvantage is the newcomer, Steve Phillips, never met dead air he couldn't fill.
Baseball is one of the rare televised sports that doesn't require an excessive amount of talking. Thirty seconds of quiet gives the fan a chance to play along with the managers of both teams. With three people clamoring to say something – anything – of value, the quiet time is gone. The Dodgers use one at a time and have done that for 70 years.
Two can be irritating. Three is overwhelming.

What the ...?

Now that baseball season is under way, it's time to answer a burning question.
When baseball souvenirs are so treasured, why would anyone in their right mind throw one back onto the field, particularly when other fans will get ejected for interfering with balls that are in play?
The "tradition" argument doesn't hold water, especially not in Denver, where the major-league baseball "tradition" (for good or bad) has lasted less than 20 years. That's hardly enough time for a tradition (unless it's substandard play). Besides, it's illegal in most parks to throw anything from the stands onto the field. The fan pays good money for those seats ... why run the risk of getting tossed out of the park and wasting the hard-earned money?
If you don't want the home run ball, don't sit in a favored area for the taters.
Better yet. Send it to me. I've gone to games for 45 years and caught one. Uno.
The ball, which sits in a Baggie at home, is lonely.

All gone, all but forgotten

Lest you think we are done with the whiny quarterback who got some really bad advice from perhaps as many as three fronts, let me be the first to remind you of what's to come later on this summer.
In addition to the annual "more training camp coverage than is necessary" routine, there will be many days of run-up to the appearance by the whiny QB's new team when da Bears come to Denver for a Sunday night exhibition game (sorry, NFL honchos. That's precisely what they are) in late August.
So enjoy the next 4 1/2 months or so of relative freedom from this soap opera that makes "High School Reunion" look like a Nielsen ratings grabber.
Don't wake me when the saga returns. If the pennant races aren't in place by then, it will be time for another year of prep sports. And as most of us know, prep athletes are worth spending your time with.

Apathy meter registers high

An odd place to find this sort of thing. But a Web site for people who enjoy listening to police radio traffic is where I heard of the Broncos' desire to trade their petulant quarterback last night.
My apathy meter is about pegged out. But that doesn't mean you can't jump in and offer your thoughts ....