March 4, 2010
Editor Note: Today’s guest post come from Heidi Storz. She is the mother of two active, athletic sons and enjoys bringing a different perspective to sports. An avid hockey mom that has learned to enjoy watching most sports, but it is the character building aspects that catch her interest.
Enjoy! -Derek Belohrad
Sometimes inspiration comes from unexpected people, and this year I waited with baited breath to see the outcome of the four man bobsled. It’s a crazy sport – four giant men sprint like mad, stuff themselves into a bullet shaped sled, and plummet down an icy slide at speeds that aren’t even legal on roadways. For the first time since the 40s the United States actually had a team that could content with the world class sled teams from Germany and Austria, and they were a motley bunch.
Bobsledders need to have agility, quick speed, and nerves of steel. They are built more like linebackers, the extra weight helping to keep the sled stable on the runs, and working with gravity to propel the sled faster down the slope. Bobsledders looked like the all-star wrestling group of the Olympics, but their timing, coordination and brute strength were refreshing to watch. The US crew of four has some unique background. They are consummate athletes, accomplished academics, and seem to be overall nice guys – the perfect hero for American youth. What mom wouldn’t want their child emulating these guys instead of the spoiled professional athletes populating so many hours of coverage on ESPN?
Keep reading →
Filed under General Colorado, Guest Posts, National
Tags: Austria, bobsled, Curt Tomasevicz, ESPN, Germany, Olympics, Soichi, Steve Holcomb, Steve Mesler, University of Florida, University of Nebraska, US Air Force Academy, Utah National Guard, Vancouver
March 2, 2010
-Derek Belohrad
On Monday James Merilatt from Mile High Sports used the daily email newsletter to whine about Team USA’s loss to Canada for the Gold medal in Men’s Hockey. He asked if his opinion would earn him the label of “ugly American”.
James, you’re good there.
However, his nonsensical whiny opinion should earn him title of “silly American”.
By ignoring any logical thought Merilatt blames the US loss on the fact overtime play is 4 on 4. He claims 5 on 5 the USA was the best team and because of the unfair overtime rule the gold medal was effectively stolen from the USA. He even takes the time to do a head-to-head comparison of the two teams. The problem is his argument falls apart before you can even get to the numbers. Keep reading →
October 31, 2009
Melo's Play Could Turn into the Dunk of The Year
Two games into the season and I am ready to gift wrap the MVP trophy and present it to Carmelo Anthony. Melo has looked nothing less than brilliant.
Opening night, Carmelo had 30 points, 8 boards, and 5 assists. Not to mention the best dunk of his career. Paul Milsap would agree and probably think twice before challenging Melo on the way to the rim again. Also, we saw the raw brilliance of rookie Ty Lawson. Ty’s quickness and knack to find his way into the paint gave the Jazz fits all night. Lawson had 17 points and 6 assists and brought much needed energy off of the bench. Chauncey Billups was solid on his way to 25 points. Billups controlled the game and played tight defense on Ronnie Brewer and Deron Williams. The Nuggets looked good on their way to a 114-105 victory. Keep reading →
October 28, 2009
Denver Magazine Has the Keys to This Seasons Success on Their Cover
Today marks the day that myself, a grown man, wakes up before sunrise and starts getting ready for my favorite day of the year. Like a child on Christmas, peaking around the tree and shaking boxes, I am gearing up for the Nuggets’ season opener against the Utah Jazz.
Now it is no secret that the Jazz fall somewhere between hemorrhoids and Brent Musburger on my “Things That Irritate me” list, so nothing would make my favorite day of the year like a victory tonight. Keep reading →
Filed under Nuggets
Tags: Arron Afflalo, Brent Musburger, Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Chris "Birdman" Andersen, CJ Miles, Dahntay Jones, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin, Kyle Korver, Linas Kleiza, Nene, Ronnie Brewer, Ty Lawson, Utah Jazz
October 14, 2009
-Derek Belohrad
Last year it was tough to be a member of the Colorado Avalanche and it wasn’t any easier to be a fan. As many of you know the Avs finished 15th in the West and to make things worse they were ten points behind the closest team (That is like being 5 games back if you are still in Baseball mode). The off season didn’t, in my opinion, offer much hope for this year. While they did acquire some talent in Matt Duchene, they lost a great leader who possessed a lot of talent with the retirement of Joe Sakic. Their goaltending last year was generally horrible and the acquisition of a largely untested goalie was too much of an unknown to offer much relief for next season’s doubts.
Currently the Avs are 4-1-1 and have provided some great entertainment. Perhaps my preseason doubts were unfounded?
How quickly things can change.
Keep reading →
October 1, 2009
-by Alaina Scarano-Isbouts
Beer? Check. Pizza? Check. Altitude? Check. Nachos? Check. Tissues? Check (it was Joe Sakic’s
Who the heck is this kid?
retirement, after all). DirecTV? Check.
Tonight, my family and I sat down to watch what was possibly the biggest night in the Avalanche’s season — opening night with our brand new roster and the retirement of Joe Sakic’s famous #19. We had everything together for a fantastic family night in and the Joe Sakic Night party. We were ready in case Pierre Lacroix made us cry (again) and were ready to play our Avalanche drinking game for the first regular season game of the 09-10 season. But, after an hour and a half of Joe Sakic festivities, something bad happened.
The Miss Colorado pageant came on. And didn’t go away.
Keep reading →
Filed under Avalanche, General Colorado
Tags: Colorado Avalanche, Comcast, Craig Anderson, DirecTV, John-Michael, Matt Duchene, Matt Hendricks, NHL, Ryan O'Reilly, San Jose Sharks
August 11, 2009
-Jeremy Kloberdanz
News this week coming out of Denver has been perplexing to say the least. The Nuggets let key reserve Linas Kleiza up and leave for Euro Ball, they have been trying to sign Anthony Carter back to the team, and are now actively pursuing the one dimensional services of Wally Szczerbiak.
Linas Kleiza, who was born in Lithuania, has opted to take his game to Europe. He signed a contract with with Greek Olympiakos worth more than $12 million over two years. Kleiza started a bit slow last year but found his stride when it mattered the most. He was a largely sought after player over the past few years and many teams have tried to deal for him. He averaged 9 ppg and 6 rebounds per game last year and was a vital part of the Nuggets advancing to the Western Conference finals. Keep reading →
August 10, 2009
Invesco Field at Mile High
-Derek Belohrad
In today’s Mile High Sports Daily newsletter James Merilatt runs down some of the reasons why the Denver Bronco’s once dedicated fans are a dying breed. It is generally a good article and he makes some good points. What really stood out to me was Cuter’s statement. I remember seeing the headlines about him making some disparaging statements about Denver fans, but I did not bother to read the article because I have no desire to know what a 14 year old whiny girl thinks about Bronco fans. Alas, I could not avoid his statements.
My thoughts are this:
Keep reading →
July 27, 2009
-Derek Belohrad
Over the weekend The Avs Hockey Podcast posted a link (via their Facebook page) to an article from The Hockey News titled “THN.com Top 10: Joe Sakic numbers”. THN.com did a good job on finding ten numbers that could summarize the characteristics that made Sakic such an important player in the NHL and for Colorado. My personal favorite was number 10. When I was still coaching youth hockey I used Sakic as the example for who my players should aspire to be. This is just another reminder that while we all in Colorado will miss him the league, as a whole, will be losing a player of great influence.
