International Game? Not quite.

If you can pronounce the names of the first 7 picks in the 2011 NBA Draft you either (a) cheated or (b) should take up something more productive, like croqueting or Frisbee golf, to do with your time.

The first heptad went a little like this:

#1- Kyrie Irving (DUKE)

#2- Derrick Williams (ARIZONA)

#3- Enes Kanter (TURKEY)

#4- Tristan Thompson (TEXAS)

#5- Jonas Valanciunas (LITHUANIA)

#6- Jan Vesley (CZECH RUPUBLIC)

#7- Bismack Biyombo (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO)

This is a whose-who of who knows. And the fact that 4 of these top 7 are from outside the continent is rather disturbing.

Is American college basketball down as a whole? Not really; Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger will be bidding to hit the #1 spot in 2012. Or are NBA General Managers losing it upstairs?

I point heavily toward the latter.

Lottery teams don’t pick player to fill holes. They don’t find the long term athletes that can mesh with a well-defined team. They pick the best athletes, All-Star hopefuls; the ones that the people in the front office think can turn the franchise around.

In the last 4 All-Star games, only 5 different International players have made the team. Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Pau Gasol and Mehmet Okur make up the grisly handful. And on the other side there have been a strong contingent of notable International busts.

We see the difference in numerous Worldwide competitions; the American basketballer is far the superior.

The NBA just won’t buy American made. They should.

Denver Lacrosse Surge

Lacrosse was invented – if sport can be truly invented – in the expansive American heartland. But the modern version of the sport primarily exists on the East coast.  But a radical shift back to its roots is upon us.

Denver is fast becoming the Mecca of lacrosse in the Western US.

The Denver Outlaws and Colorado Mammoth are now staples of both professional lacrosse circuits. The Denver University Pioneers hosted the first NCAA Men’s Lacrosse regional west of the Mississippi River. And numerous high school and pee wee programs are becoming rampant in the area.

Lacrosse is the Salisbury steak of the food world.

The Mile High region and Denver has everything the sport needs to bloom. The fan base is large enough to withstand another major franchise. These people are also extremely sports savvy and passionate about their teams. The right combination is here, now.

People want to be excited about sports in Denver. They want to go out and support a team that gives their all on every night, because they truly play for mere passion, enjoyment and it gets their competitive juices flowing.

There was an estimated 10,000 people on hand for the Outlaws win over the Long Island Lizards on Saturday. And they expect that number to grow at least 4 times for the fireworks game on the 3rd of July.
With the small market flavor and big market fire the Denver Outlaws, along with all the other lacrosse teams in the area, the sport is likely to see a rise.

Alec Burks a 'Potential' Top Five Pick

The 2011 NBA Draft could force Mock Boards to become supervised, it could make numerous Executives explain their pick reasoning via team website and, ultimately, it could be a historically unusual one. 

This Draft is not deep, it’s not a new format, and there will be plenty of David Stern jokes. 

But teams may have to be drafting for the future, and not the imminent future, some could be drafting for 2012 NBA season. And that looks to be mighty promising for the Colorado standout Alec Burks. 

An NBA lockout is no sure thing, but it’s also slightly more likely than the NFL Lockout. 

So as teams look for players to build around, for the 2012 season, they will be looking at upside. (Even more than usual.) The frightening word ‘potential’ will be used more frequently than ‘like’ at a sorority house. Players will be judged based on work ethic and what they should be able to contribute in only the somewhat near future.

For the 6’ 6” long armed, penetrating, athletic, raw talent Alec Burks this could go better than he dreamed it. His upside is practically limitless in the eyes of some. 

Burks averaged 20 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in one of the best conferences in America. As a sophomore he almost carried a team to the NCAA Tournament. He did this all the while being too skinny, not a good enough shooter, and limited talent around him. Two or three years down the road Burks could ‘potentially’ be a reigning Rookie of the Year and All-Pro.

Most analysts have the CU guard going #11 to Golden State, but it be wouldn’t be surprising to see him go as high at #5 to Toronto.

Coverage of the 2011 NBA Draft Starts at 5 PM Mountain Time.

Huston Street's Home Run Patio

Huston Street is not leading the league in saves (22) the easy way. He does not press that obnoxious button from ‘Staples’ when he comes out of the bullpen.

The statistics are the scary part.

The Rockies closer has given up 7 home runs over 35 innings this year. The opposition has hit one out of the park every 5 innings, or more likely 5 appearances. Colorado cannot afford to lose close games in a tough division that they had the lead going into the final frame.

It keeps getting worse. He’s faced 61 batters this year, so he’s given up a mighty blast every 8.5 batters.  The All-Time Home Run king* Barry Bonds hit the little white devil out at a pace of 15.7 at bats per home run. That means that any batter Huston Street faces is almost TWICE as likely to hit a home run as the man that hit the most out EVER.

Like a blind man trying to fly a plane Street is becoming a liability.

This is a complete fluke though. Street does not usually give the long ball as frequently as he’s been doing it this year. He does not usually do this. Over the course of Street’s 7 year career he has allowed 5 home runs per season; he’s already 2 ahead of that number and it’s not even the All-Star break yet.

He may be the best closer in all of baseball. He also may be the best batting practice pitcher when your girlfriend is at the park too. But there is one that’s for certain; he knows how to make a baseball game dramatic.

University of Colorado 32nd Most Profitable School

                In a recent poll published by ‘The Business of College Sports’ the University of Colorado ranks as the 32rd most profitable athletic department in the nation. The Buffaloes pocketed over $13.6 million last year.

This successful collegiate program is also an extremely helpful tool for academics at those same schools. The money the athletic department raises in ticket sales, merchandise and other forms does not remain in the department; rather it is filtered through the universities landscape like a large bag of mulch.

And that amount, that bag of cedar, is only going to get bigger moving into the newly formed PAC-12. The conference signed a network television deal with FOX and ESPN worth $3 billion over the next 12 years. (That’s $250 million a year, split 12 very equal ways.)

Making this type of money is all well in good only if it is put to work. If they update the University, with a strong emphasis on the athletic department, it’s more than worthwhile. Of all the PAC-12 schools CU is the 2^nd most profitable, only Washington is ahead. But, of all the schools again, CU spent the 3^rd least. Only Washington State and Oregon State invested less.

This is a new chapter in the long and historic lineage of the University of Colorado-Boulder. This new foothold, new West-coast perspective, spring-fresh start should make the school want to evolve, expand and push boundaries. CU could look a lot differently in the next decade, both athletically and academically.

http://businessofcollegesports.com/2011/06/20/which-football-and-basketball-programs-produce-the-largest-profits/

Lockout the Heat

Didn’t you just feel the love when the Heat lost in Game 6 of the NBA Finals?

Like a warm plate of old sardines Lebron was getting the royal ‘We told you so’ treatment from the people that are supposed to be objective. That wasn’t even close to what people were saying everywhere else. Church confessionals should look more like a Frozen Yorgurt queue after what people said.

The Mavs played the best series of their lives. They were playing the best NBA (see how I contextualized that) basketball since the Bulls in late 1990’s. They were the YMCA lowering the rims to 8 ½ feet good. And they still should have lost.

So when all the NBA fans come down from that Mark Cuban high they’ll realize that there is no stopping the Miami Heat . Or is there?

Superman has one kyrtonite, Matt has one nemesis; peas. The only way to stop them from reign supreme in the NBA is to lock the doors. Don’t even let them in the building. In essence, pro-long the lock-out.

People would rather not watch than boo their Lebron-hate (very specific rage for #6) invested hearts out.

So lock the doors. Keep the lights out. That’s the only way to keep the Heat down.

[But don’t you sleep on David Stern. He knows how much HATE is worth. He knows he could buy a new island if he makes this bargaining agreement work. He knows that Lebron can pay for his kids to go to college, and then some.

Let the battle of attrition begin.  ]

Denver Broncos Linebackers As Good As They Get

Just a few years ago the Denver Linebackers were about as intimidating as a 3 month old marshmallow. But now they have the pieces to do some damage from the core of the defense.

As Broncos fans, both older and more youthful, were spoiled when it came to big hits. The Orange Crush had the likes of Randy Gradishar. Steve Atwater, Bill Romanowski and John Mobley occupied the Super Bowl era. And now Elvis Dumervil leads a core of the nastiest linebackers in franchise history.

Dumervil led the NFL in sacks 2 years ago (last year he missed the entire season due to an injury) and may not be the best linebacker on the squad. DJ Williams, Joe Mays, Robert Ayers and a few rookies will be looking to be the new and hard-nosed face of John Fox’s 3-4 defense.

Denver was the worst in the NFL in most major defensive categories. They were last in yards per game; they were last in points per game and last in total defense. Their defense had as many holes as a To-be continued episode of Lost. And Coach Fox pinpointed these issues in the Draft.

The Broncos selected 3 linebackers (Von Miller, 1^st Round, Nate Irving, 3^rd Round, Mike Mohamed, 6^th Round) all with real potential to make an impact as a rookie. All 3 newcomers accent the change in philosophy on defense, and all have the potential to be long-time pieces for the team.

This may be the hey-day of Bronco linebackers; linebackers that don’t want you to cheer for them. They want to hear the “Ohhh’s” and “Ahhh’s” from laying hay-makers.

ESPN Ultimate Standings: Denver Sports Snub

Just another Denver snub.

People outside of the Mile High region have no idea what goes on in the beautiful city of Denver. We get stereotyped as ski-bums, granola mountain men, and amateur sports fans. When in truth the people are nothing near those.

And when someone questions our fan-hood, the way ESPN did by ranking the Denver Broncos #86, Denver Nuggets #42, Colorado Rockies #8 and Colorado Avalanche #64 there must be a strong reaction.

The rankings pit the popular teams against the not-so popular teams. It's the third grade grade talent show all over again, where the loudness of crowd determines the winner. Just because you are the loudest, doesn't mean you deserve to win. (That's right Jimmy, I said it. I want that ribbon.)

Also the way the categories are determined and ranked is completely subjective and ludicrous.

For example, there is a section on 'Ownership'. First, how is this in any way important? Secondly, how in the world can you rank owners of franchises? (Is there a fantasy draft I can join?). Yet, the Nuggets are ranked 51st, the Avalanche 72nd and the St. Louis Rams 80th in this bogus sub-sectoin and ALL are owned by the same person, Stan Kroenke.

Obviously the object of winning is going to factor into heavily how well eat team did, because if you are winning everything else doesn't seem so bad. The price of hot dogs appears reasonable, the quality of stadium can be rationalized; there is a general glaze over the fans eyes.

But this doesn't seem to be the case with Denver. This, our city, has one of the richest traditions of success in all of sports. (If not always in the form of Championships.) The Rockies 2007 World Series appearance, Nuggets 50-plus wins the last 4 years, Broncos 2 Super Bowls and Avalanche 2 Stanley Cups.

Most other cities don't win as much as Denver, and then get more publicity than Denver. Just saying.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/teamrankings

Congressional Bed & Breakfast

How do you prepare for the US Open Golf Tournament? Eating a good breakfast.

Or this…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM2NocuEihw&feature=player_embedded#at=71

Our National Championship is not like any other golf tournament. The rough is tougher than a $7.99 T-bone steak. It’s wilder than a mid-Western roller coaster junkie. The greens are quicker than a KY Jelly slip-n-slide. And this week is more of a mental drain on the players than a week long Grey’s Anatomy marathon. 

But of all the things that the players have to focus on; the course, their game, the opponents and the media; the one thing they need to dial in on is ‘recovering’.

This week they are going to make bogeys. It’s how they respond to them. If they can pull an ‘Indian Jones’ on the inevitable boulder rolling down the slope they will have a chance to take home the prize on late Sunday afternoon.

It pushes the best players in the world to their limits. People, like me, are more enthralled with this than a dubbed Asian game show. Non-golf fans don’t understand, but this makes for some great television. 

But for the second year in a row a Brit will take home the most prestigious trophy in all of American sports. There are 6 golfers from across the pond in the top ten in the world rankings, five of which are from the British Isles. Some of them have momentum (Luke Donald), others have been there before (#2 Lee Westwood, #7 Graeme McDowell, #10 Paul Casey) and one has a giant chip on his youthful Irish shoulder (#8 Rory McIlroy).

 

The best players in the world need to survive this week by …. Scrambling and scrambled eggs.

Stanley Cup: Game 7

“Hockey fans rejoice!”

Okay, let’s hold up a second before that gap in your teeth becomes so pronounced you can no longer eat corn on the cob.

The Vancouver Canucks were the best team by far in the NHL during the regular season (117 total point, 10 better than Washington). They have the best man between the pipes in all of hockey (Roberto Luongo has 38 wins which ties for the best). And they should NOT be even close to winning their first ever Stanley Cup.

The Boston Bruins ought to be up 6-0 in the series. This series should be so over that the Bruins should now be getting over their champagne hangover. The B’s should be getting that grisly silver taste out of their mouths. The Chowder Chunkies should be lying on a beach somewhere with their country singing heart-throbs. Boston should have won already.

Tim Thomas has given up a total of 8 goals in the six NHL Finals games. And Boston has scored 19 against Thomas’ opposite number. Vancouver has won 3 games, by 3 goals all coming in the 3^rd period or in overtime.

Boston is clearly the best team in this series. Tim Thomas is clearly the best goalie in the WORLD right now. Boston should be Stanley Cup Champions in only a matter of hours.

But that’s the beauty of sports, the beauty of hockey. It doesn’t matter HOW you win, it’s IF you win that’s all that really matters.

GAME 7:              BOSTON @ VANCOUVER              6:00 PM

Colorado Baseball; College World Series Dreams

Now only eight teams have an equal chance to make their name in baseball, not just college baseball, but baseball lore.

While other sports are crumbling, and falling on hard times due to money and player greed college baseball remains true. There is nothing else quite like the College World Series.

A strong majority of these players have devoted their entire lives, summer after summer. Working on their game in the dead of winter, hoping for the sun to melt the months away and open up the promise of the next spring and next season. And large portion of the players will never make it to the ‘pros’. Most will be minor-league ballplayers and will continue to play the game they love in small-town USA for years to come.

But will Colorado ever get to be a part of a CWS?

Buffalo fans should hope they are. And people within the program think it’s going to happen sooner than you think.

Athletic director Mike Bohn says it’s on his agenda. In an interview with the Boulder Daily Camera he said, “I believe the challenge and the opportunity to associate with this conference is going to give us the opportunity to look at growing and expanding."Andy how can you not like his confidence on the subject.

With CU moving into its new conference in the fall there could be opening for some more expansion beyond just the conference. The Buffs, as of now, are the only team in the newly formed PAC-12 without a baseball team.

And as we approach the 30 year anniversary of the baseball program being terminated in Boulder, we can only dream of summers in the futures; hopefully in the near future.

There’s nothing like Omaha in the summer.

Anchoring at 9NEWS

After 3 months of hard work at 9NEWS I was able to put together my own sports segment....



And I was allowed to do it again a week later....



Here is also my resume reel of what I have thus far in my young career. There is other video that I haven't found yet that I'm going to put on there as I get it. So this is a mere update and the many resume reels to come....




Hope you enjoy.

Lebron is NO MJ. Is Dirk though?

Expecting players to actually live up to some hype are few and far between. And expecting players to live up to Michael Jordan hype, or even be in the same area code, are an even rarer sight. 

And no, not Lebron James. It’s Dirk Nowitzki.

In Game 1 of the NBA Finals Nowitzki tore a tendon on his left middle finger in a close loss. Luckily for the Dallas faithful, it was on his non-shooting hand. 

The next game Nowitzki hit the game-winning shot in with 3.6 seconds left remaining to secure a big victory for the Dallas Mavericks on the road. Not only did he do this, but he also scored the last nine points of the game for his team, the game-winner was going left, using his left hand to kiss it softly off the glass. 

Very Jordan-esque.

Game 4 stirred up the constant ‘Flu Game’ stories of Jordan during the 1997 NBA Finals. Nowitzki had a sinus infection and a fever. His temperature reached over 100 degrees, and he had coughing fits throughout the game. 

Both being ultra-competitors, even with illness weighing on them heavily, found a way to will their respective team to victory. Jordan scored 38, Nowitzki 21, but it was the mental fortitude and pushing themselves beyond their physical limits to carry their team.

Sunday Dirk Nowitzki and the rest of his Mav teammates try to close out their first ever title run. And you probably won’t see the acrobatic plays that made His Airness famous from Nowitzki, but that’s where the comparisons can begin. As you watch the Game 6 the more #41 might look like #23.

JADE

Writers have a tendency to write about what they are passionate about. We’re emotional creatures by nature. And no matter what we’re writing about or what we’re writing for our loves shine through in the form of words. 

And today, I do not write for you (the reader), I do not write for anybody but myself. I’m draw to the scrawl, because writing feels like the only way I can capture, or try to get around what is going on in my pea of a brain.

Jade…..

I cannot even begin to describe who she is. If you know her, you truly knew a great friend. A great companion that was there for you, barking in the window as you came home from a long day of school, work or whatever else you might have been doing. For 12 years, or 84 years depending on who you are, day-in and day-out there was a rock in my life, and she never failed to be there and change my day for the better.

I remember her as a puppy, and she never lost that unbridled enthusiasm over her many rambunctious years. The tail-wagging sensation that could turn any moment into a playful game of fetch, or chase, or tug-o-war.

(Writing this in the past tense makes this so damn hard for me, because there was a time when this was how it was. This was every day, this WAS…. And it only remains as IS in my mind.) 

The memory of her is like the beacon of a distant lighthouse that will remain in my life. She will always be there, and maybe that is what will help me get through this. There is no way that I can let her go, like holding on to her for dear life as she sees the rabbit ahead, no way I can’t keep her with me.

Jade there is nothing more I can ask of you. Not a single day that I could go back and wish that you would come push that cold nose underneath my arm and nuzzle your way so far in that I had my arm around you. Because that did happen every day.
 
Miss my dog, I miss Jade.

 

Rough Rockies

The Rockies bats are as blind as, well, bats.

Over the course of the last 15 games they have scored over 3 runs twice. Only 2 times have they posted more than 3 runs on the scoreboard for the entire nine innings. (In those outliers they happened to scored 12 and 15 runs respectively.) And that’s the good part.

(More like 'CAN'T HIT ON ANYONE')

In the last 8 games, the Rockies have scored the fewest runs in the franchise’s history. Sixteen big ones in eight whole games.

Their batting is sputtering more than Herbie. They leave the plate about as clean as Joey ‘Jaws’ Chesnut does at supper time. They now high-five just for fun. And they’ve start to channel their inner-Jobu.

(From :15-1:01 are EXACTLY what I'm talking about.)

And yes, this may all be well and true but the runs will come. They have to.

Carlos Gonzales and Troy Tulowitzki are no flukes. They were both in the top 5 of National League MVP voting a year ago.

The Colorado Rockies are in most of the recent games, even with the tremendous struggles at the plate. But we almost forget; their best pitcher from last year has a single victory and the next time we’ll see the best pitcher the Rockies have in 2011 won’t return from the disabled list until possibly 2012.

So, in essence, the Rockies are right where they want them.

Tim Signed MY BOOK

Tim Tebow is like the Beatles, only he doesn't play the guitar.

The Denver Broncos quarterback participated in consecutive days of scribbling something along the lines of his name and number in his autobiography for a seemingly endless line of ecstatic fans. Tebow signed over 600 books both days. Probably by the end, the tips of his fingers were black, he had as many paper-cuts as collegiate touchdowns (145), and he was sick of looking at himself.

But it's not the words in the 260 some odd pages that fit comfortably in a hard-bound book that made so many people come out and get a glimpse of the guy for no more than 30 seconds. They just wanted to be near Timothy Richard Tebow.

Tebow isn't religious; he's not even a football prodigy. He's just passionate.

People wasted away a beautiful weekend day to be in his presence. Fans came to see him from miles and miles away like little ducklings following their mother. And these aren't Justin Bieber crazies, (some do go over the top, yes) they are more like a swarm of bees going to the newly planted flowers in grandma's community garden patch. Tebow's followers aren't necessarily legions; they are just attracted to the site.

You may not like the way he competes, because he does it more ferociously than you. You may not like that he wears his religion like a turtle wears his shell, because he’s more devoted to a cause than you.

You may not like him, or ever come to like him, but you may be missing something truly special.

SHAQ

Like trying to land Moby Dick with a Johnny Rocket peewee fishing pole I thought getting Shaquille O’Neal into retirement would be a challenge. But 19 years, over 28-Thousand points, and 4 NBA Titles later he’s ending one of the most dominating careers the sport has ever seen.

And I guess it’s rather fitting, Shaq did it on HIS terms.

You never thought you would get pulled over by the guy that just won the NBA Most Valuable Player…. Then this happened.

You never thought to turn you phone to vibrate during an All-Star game…. Then this happened.

You never thought that they would need you, the Window Pane guy, during a basketball game the same way they ask for a doctor on a plane… Then this happened.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6UxyOf9BaM&feature=player_embedded

Just when you never thought that a 7’1”, 325 pound goliath of a man would come out of boom-box and grant you three-wishes… Then this happened.

And finally, you never thought some scrawny kid from Jersey would get a southern drawl then transform into one of the best players to ever walk this Earth…. Then this happened.

Can you see Shaq in a retirement home? I know, neither can I.