The BCS is BS

Ah yes the holiday season is upon us again. And with that comes pumpkin pie, turkey, dressing, and of course the college football bowl season. Controversy out the wazoo naturally follows whenever anyone talks about the increasing, and increasingly pointless bowl games, more specifically: The Bowl Championship Series (BCS).
Here is the deal, fans across the country are tired of hearing that the regular season is the playoffs, and that the two best teams will be in the National Championship game at the end of the year. I don’t like it when 11-1 or even 10-2 teams from the BSC conferences such as the Big 12, SEC, or Pac 10 get into the National Championship game or a BCS bowl game, over a team who runs the table in a Mid-major such as the WAC, or Mountain West. Boise State proved to us all that a Mid-major can compete and win against a powerhouse. Recall that they beat a mighty Oklahoma Team in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Granted there have been a few years when the BCS does have it right, but more often then not they snub a team or two. How many more times does Ohio State need to get embarrassed in the National Championship game before the “experts” realize that they are overrated?
I personally think that there needs to be something done to fix this. And I have the solution. Adopt a playoff. Oh but what about how demanding the game of football is on the kids? Well the DII and DIII kids somehow are tough enough for a playoff. What about all the finals that the students must study for? Again the players in DII and DIII are able to get to their studies. What about the amount of money that the NCAA will lose without all their sponsors in the countless bowl games? Does the BCS really need all the money they get from the San Diego County Federal Credit Union for having a meaningless bowl game of the same name? If there were a playoff it would be simple enough to keep the Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Rose Bowl, and the Sugar Bowl sponsors and have all of these great traditions in the semi-finals or quarter-finals of the playoff.
So what would a playoff look like? Well it would be very similar to the DII and DIII playoff systems. Select 32 teams and whittle them down to a national champion in a 31 game, 5 week long tournament. As a side-note; there are 34 bowl games scheduled for this year so those who believe a playoff would create too many games are flatly mistaken. Form a selection committee just like they have for March Madness who would pick out the teams using the AP poll and Coaches poll as guides. This could be done in a span of five weeks. If we start on December 20th, the current date set to kick off the bowl season, the tournament would run through January 17th.
One more thing- Division I college football is the only sport in the NCAA lacking a playoff system. In its current shackled state, college football already enjoys nearly universal popularity. Unchain the sport with a playoff system and it would surpass March madness and Super Bowl to become the most anticipated (and lucrative) sporting event of the year.

So Long Holliday

Matt Holliday is gone, but memories of him will live on.
The three time all-star and 2007 National League MVP runner up was shipped off to Oakland for basically nothing.
It was sad day in Colorado sports history; the Rockies should have done all they could to lock up Holliday for the rest of his career.
For two amazing months in 2007 Holliday carried the Rockies all the way to the World Series and gave baseball fan around the state a reason to take off the brown paper bag. Holliday along the way provided one of the most memorable plays that I have ever seen. When he slide into home and scored the winning run propelling the Rockies into the playoffs, capping one of the best season turnarounds in baseball history fans all across the sate were jumping in unison.
The Image of Holliday’s raspberry on his chin and the team piling on top of him will be burned into my mind for the rest of my life. And the thing that make it so great is that the play was so controversial was he safe or out? I don’t know, but the ump said that he was safe, so that is all that matters
That play is something that I will be able to tell my kids about. That is the stuff that legends are made out of. It is comparable to Elway’s helicopter in Super Bowl XXII, Sakic hosting the Cup giving Colorado it’s first major sports championship, and Dikembe Mutombo laying on the court with a death grip on the basketball celebrating the Nuggets improbable playoff series win against Utah. This is what sports are all about the defining moments of a team or a player’s career. I am very lucky to have witnessed the greatness of Holliday and he amazing desire to get his team into the playoffs. With that play Holliday solidified his place among the legends in Colorado sports.
Holliday is gone, but we will never forget his blood stained shirt and face and how he made baseball in Colorado relevant again. Thanks for the memories.

NFL Predictions

It is time for the 2008 NFL season predictions

AFC East
New England
Buffalo
New York
Miami

AFC West
Denver
San Diego
Oakland
Kansas City

AFC North
Pittsburgh
Cleveland
Baltimore
Cincinnati

AFC South
Jacksonville
Indianapolis
Houston
Tennessee

AFC Playoffs

Wild Card
Jacksonville over San Diego
Pittsburgh over Indianapolis

Divisional
Denver over Pittsburgh
Jacksonville over New England

ACF Championship
Denver over Jacksonville

NFC East
Dallas
Philadelphia
New York
Washington

NFC West
St. Louis
Arizona
Seattle
San Francisco

NFC North
Minnesota
Green Bay
Detroit
Chicago

NFC South
Tampa Bay
New Orleans
Carolina
Atlanta

NFC Playoffs

Wild Card
New Orleans over St. Louis
Philadelphia Over Minnesota

Divisional
Tampa Bay over Philadelphia
Dallas over New Orleans

NFC Championship
Dallas over Tampa Bay


Super Bowl XLIII
Denver over Dallas

Super Bowl or Bust

For the last five years or so, myself, and a few of my friends always look forward to reading the column that Woody Paige writes about the Denver Broncos upcoming season. We enjoy it so much because Paige runs down each game on the schedule and has our beloved Broncos running the table and finishing at 16-0. By the time we get done reading we are saying, “Yeah I can see that happening”. So in honor of Wood Paige I am going to come out with my first annual Denver Broncos Miracle Run.
This is the year that the Denver Broncos return to glory. All the pieces of the puzzle are in place. Quarterback Jay Cutler is entering his third season, second as full time starter. Cutler should be coming into his own this year, and start to establish himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the game. Look for him to put up great numbers and help get his team deep into the post season.
Brandon Marshall and Brandon Stokley led a deep and talented group of wide outs that should help Cutler. The Broncos brought in veterans Darrell Jackson, Keary Colbert and Samie Parker. Also look for rookie Eddie Royal to make a splash.
The running back situation is up for grabs. Last year’s starter Travis Henry was cut earlier this year, to make room for Michael Pittman who was brought over from Tampa Bay. The speedy Selvin Young is expected to be the starter.
The most improved part of the team may have been on defense. The Broncos added some key free agents to help bolster an underachieving group from last season.
The Linebackers are very fast and strong. With D.J. Williams moving to right outside LB Nate Webster at middle and Boss Bailey at left outside the broncos will be a very intimidating force to be reckoned with. Niko Koutouvides rounds out what should be one of the Broncos stronger line backing corps over the last few years.
The D- line should be vastly improved, now that Marcus Thomas, Tim Crowder and Jarvis Moss have a year under their belts. Elvis Dumervil is very explosive, and should be one of the best Ends in the league this year. Expect him to be a pain for opposing teams to try to block.
Now that Dre’ Bly is in his second year teaming up with Champ Bailey they should create havoc on the opposing quarterbacks. I don’t know why any team would even want to try and throw on the broncos. Hamza Abdullah and newcomer Marlin McCree gave the Broncos enough talent and depth in the secondary for the broncos to part ways with All Pro John Lynch. Expect the secondary to be much more improved over last year’s squad.

Week One
The Broncos open up on Monday Night Football. They face division rival Oakland Raiders in Oakland. Although the Raiders should be much improved Denver never loses the season opener. Cutler throws two touchdown passes, and Denver wins 21-10.
1-0.
Week Two
The home opener welcomes in the San Diego Chargers. The Denver defense never forgets. After getting embarrassed by laDainian Tomlinson and the Chargers twice last year, the D will hold San Diego to under 100 yards rushing and Champ and Boss will score. Denver 35-14.
2-0.
Week Three
Drew Brees brings his NFC hopeful Saints to town. Selvin Young breaks out and has 200 yards and 3 scores en route to a big day for the offense. Dre’ Bly gets an interception and Denver wins 21-13
3-0.
Week Four
Denver finds themselves in Arrowhead Stadium in late September. This bodes well for Denver, because historically they have not been so great in KC, so it is nice to get it over with now rather than later. Brandon Marshall comes back fresh off his suspension and snares 100 receiving yards and hooks up with Cutler for two touchdowns. Champ Bailey grabs a game saving interception as Denver escapes Kansas City with a 17-14 win.
4-0.
Week Five
Home sweet home. Denver overpowers Tampa Bay. Selvin Young takes over NFL rushing lead. Cutler and the defense sparkle again. Denver gets the win 21-7.
5-0.
Week Six
In week six, Denver squares off against another 5-0 team in Jacksonville. But Denver flexes their muscle and shows the league that they are for real. Cutler and Marshall put on a show and Dumervil records three sacks as Denver rolls at home 24-13.
6-0.
Week Seven
It’s a Monday night showdown as the Broncos take on the defending AFC champs in New England. Champ Bailey has two touchdowns and the Broncos get help on special teams as Eddie Royal scores on a punt return. Selvin Young has a good day rushing and Denver runs out the clock. Winning 21-17.
7-0.
Week Eight
Bye week. A time for people to get healthy
Week Nine
Miami comes to town. This one is no contest. Denver puts up 28 first half points and cruises to their first shutout of the season wining big 31-0. Halfway to perfection.
8-0.
Week Ten
Denver goes to Cleveland and stops a much-improved Browns team who was looking to be one of the surprise teams in the AFC. Cutler finds tight end Daniel Graham to be very reliable. Graham hauls in two of Cutler’s three touchdown passes. The Bailey brothers shut down an explosive offence and Denver wins again 27-17.
9-0.
Week Eleven
The second shutout comes at the hands of Atlanta. The running game plays a huge factor as Denver piles on 250 yards in the ground game. D.J. Williams, Bly and Bailey all force turnovers. Denver wins in a run away 28-0.
10-0.
Week Twelve
Denver looks to remain perfect as they host the hated Raiders in a AFC West showdown. With the Raiders close to Denver in the standings the Broncos have a second half comeback. Down 17-3 at the half, Cutler rallies the troops for three-second half touchdowns all to Marshall. The defense settles down in the second half, and Champ Bailey seals the deal as he gets an interception with time running out. Denver wins 24-17.
11-0.
Week Thirteen
Last year Brett Favre stole one when the Packers played Denver on Monday Night Football. This year Favre is with the New York Jets. The Broncos humble the Jets 31-10.
12-0.
Week Fourteen
The Chiefs trying to catch Denver put up a big fight. Once again Selvin Young rushes for over 100 yards and powers the Broncos to a huge victory. Denver hangs on to win 17-14 in OT.
13-0.
Week Fifteen
Champ Bailey puts the clamps on Steve Smith, as Denver deals Carolina a heavy blow. The passing game for the Broncos is to great for the Panthers to overcome. Marshall and Cutler put up big numbers. Denver wins 28-17.
14-0.
Week Sixteen
Buffalo puts up a fight shutting out Denver in the first half. Boss Bailey has a fumble retuned for a touchdown. Cutler finds his groove in the second half. Denver edges out the Bills 21-17.
15-0.
Week Seventeen
Denver has a chance to put San Diego out of the playoffs. Cutler has three scores and the defense forces four turnovers. Denver becomes the second team in two seasons to run the table in the regular season as they take the charge out of San Diego. 27-14.
16-0.
Opening day is September 8th. We should be in for one heck of a ride.

Halfway Home

Well we have come to the halfway point of the 2008 MLB season. This year there have been many surprises good and bad. Starting with the NL West. This is a division that was thought by many to be the best in the League. The Colorado Rockies had high expectations after winning the NL Pennant last year. And the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks also had huge plans for a deep post-season run. The West at the halfway point is about as non-threatening as the French Army.
The Tampa Bay Rays is the feel good story of the year. After years of being the laughing stock of baseball the Rays is leading the way in the cutthroat Al East and have people in Florida caring about baseball again,
This brings us to the All Star game. This is a great game that showcases some of today’s brightest stars.
For the fourth time and first since 1977, The Mid-summer Classic is being held on the hollowed grounds of Yankee Stadium. This is sort of a far well to one of the most treasured stadiums in all of baseball. There have been some of the all time greats who have called it home, including Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle.
Given the fact that the winner of the game is granted home field advantage in the World Series, this might be the only All Star game in professional sports that still means something. The American League has dominated the last eleven All Star games going 11-0-1.
For the most part this is a very enjoyable sporting event to watch, but there are a few things that need to be changed to keep the tradition from becoming a glorified home run derby.
Starting with the idea that EVERY team must be represented. This is ridiculous. Not every team has a deserving player each and every season. I don’t think that the bottom feeders are going to have many All Star caliber players if any on their roster. And I know that this is all about pleasing the fans, but deep down the fans of clubs like the Nationals and the Royals will say that the only reason they even have an All Star is because of the silly rule. When the All Star rosters are announced, the next thing people always talk about is who got snubbed? Who didn’t get in but should have? If you don’t have to have a representative from every team, fewer players will get snubbed.
As for voting, the fans get a huge say in who starts. For the most part we the fans get it right, but if you know anything about baseball and who the best players are you know that every roster for the All Star game has at least one player from each side that got in just because he happens to play for the Yankees, Red Sox, or Cubs. Fan voting is something that baseball has to get rid of. David Ortiz, and Derek Jeter were voted in to be starters for the American League. Ortiz plays for the Red Sox and Jeter is a Yankee. Yes they are traditionally great players and most of the time they should be All Stars, but not this season.
Ortiz has been on the disabled list for the majority of the season. And when he has been in the line-up he’s only hitting .252 with 43 RBI’s and 13 round trippers, hardly All Star numbers. Jeter, is hitting a very average .284 and has just 4 home runs and 39 RBI’s. Give Michael Young of the Texas Rangers the start at short and have Jhonny Peralta, of the Cleveland Indians be the reserve.
As for the National League the Chicago Cubs Kosuke Fukudome should not be in the All Star game. Fukudome has just 7 home runs and 36 RBI’s and is hitting an ordinary .287. I say replace him with Rick Ankiel of the St. Louis Cardinals, he is only hitting .271, but he has 20 home runs and 50 RBIs. And he was a washed up pitcher who has revived his career as an outfielder. It would add to an already great story.
It seems like these players are voted simply because of one of two things, first who they play for and second what have the done in past seasons? This happens every year the average fan just looks at how many players from the Cubs, Yankees, and Red Sox can I vote in? Just because one time in the past a player had a great year dose not mean that every season he should be honored for it. I don’t care if your Todd Helton, Ryan Howard, or David Ortiz, if you are having a bad season you should not get voted in based on reputation.
Here’s to a great All Star game and an incredible second half of the 2008 season.

Super Joe

As a native of Colorado I have seen the ups and downs in professional sports here is this great, proud state. We as sports fans have been privileged to grow up watching some of the greats. The Broncos had number 7, the Rockies still has Mr. Helton, and the Avalanche had Roy, and still has the Captain, Joe Sakic. As sad as it is we may have seen the last of Sakic. At the age of 37 he can still play, but Sakic is hinting at retirement. Sakic is what every professional sports player should be. He is a dieing breed. Sakic who has had a tremendous Hall of Fame career has been with one organization for 19 years. You don’t see that kind of commitment to one team very often these days. All I want for Christmas is to see Sakic return for another run at the Cup. Sure the guy is old, and he may have lost a step or two, but he still has a devastating wrist shot and he can still perform at a level where he can contribute to the team. He has not reached the point where an athlete embarrasses himself by trying to drag out his career.
I think that the Cup is a realistic goal for the Avalanche. And how awesome would it be to see one of the greats to go out on top? That would be like Elway all over again. The talent is there with Ryan Smyth, Adam Foote, John-Michael Liles, Paul Stastny, and Milan Hejduk If Sakic comes back then we would be poised for a great run. If I could tell Sakic how to end his career, I would say play through the 2010 season. That way he would most likely be able to play for the Canadian Olympic team. That would be bittersweet because the 2010 Winter Games are being held in Sakic’s hometown of Vancouver. For him to go out like that would be a storybook ending to an amazing career.
Sakic will retire soon and when that day comes there will be many tears shed throughout the hockey world. Please don’t hang up the skates just yet. Colorado needs you.

A Sports Fashion Statement

Andrew Atkinson
June 21, 2008


After many years of watching and paying attention to sports I have reason to believe that the best way to improve your team is not to make a blockbuster trade, or sign the best free agent, but all the owners have to do is change the team colors and or logo. This is a very easy surefire way to get the team to the top. So if you’re a fan of a downtrodden sports team pry that the owners wise up.
A year after the Denver Broncos suffered one of their most embarrassing loses to Jacksonville in the playoffs, they changed colors and the logo and went on to win back to back Super Bowls.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were traditionally the laughingstock of the NFL. So they decided to change team colors and the logo. It worked they became one of the best teams in football and went on to win a Super Bowl all thanks to the new duds.
The Seattle Seahawks were approached by the fashion police, and after many years of disappointing teams they went though a color change and went with a new more fierce looking logo and quickly rose up to the upper class. A few seasons after the switch they went to the Super bowl.
Does it only work in the NFL? No
The San Antonio Spurs changed their logo and can you say NBA powerhouse for the better part of a decade they have won three NBA championships since then.
The Detroit Pistons changes their logo and jersey and they have won a championship and have reached the conference finals six years in a row.
The Denver Nuggets were one of the worst teams in the NBA constantly having the worst record in the NBA. So what do they do? New jerseys, new logo, new colors. Now they are a fifty-win team and have reached the playoffs five straight years.
Another struggling NBA franchise the Cleveland Cavaliers saw the trend and tried it out for themselves. It worked for them to! They are one of the best teams in the NBA and went to the NBA Finals just two years after the change.
Well dose it work for hockey teams? It sure does though not many of the teams have caught on. But the Anaheim Ducks know all about it. They changed team name, colors, and logo. It worked! In the first season trying it out they won lord Stanley’s Cup.
The Colorado Avalanche have found success they were one of the first teams to catch on. They moved from Canada changed the team name colors and logo, and became champs in the first year in Denver. They also went on to win ten straight division titles and they won the Cup in 2001.
The Colorado Rockies have always been one of the worst teams in Baseball. So they decided to change up the home jersey. Well it was looking like it was not going to be enough, but the Rockies went on one of the most magical runs in the history of Baseball. They won the NL Pennant and went to the World Series. All because of a simple change to the jersey.
This year the formally Tampa Bay Devil Rays, dropped devil from the name and designed a new logo and color scheme. And they are finally experiencing respect and success. So far they are 43-30 and just 1.5 games out of first place.
So how come the Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions did not rise to the top of the standings? After all they did tweak their logos. Well maybe they did not go through enough of a change. They did gain a little but of respect and they are not the worst teams anymore. So they should just go all out and they will be right there with the Patriots.
If you’re a fan of say the Cleveland Browns, or the Miami Dolphins maybe the glory years are a logo change away. If your favorite team changes colors or logos expect greatness.

Denver Nuggets Playoff Run

The Los Angeles Lakers swept the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2008 NBA playoffs. That in itself is not so surprising. The thing that has everyone scratching their heads is how easy the Lakers have made it look. The best the Nuggets have managed is a 114-128 shellacking at the hands of Kobe and company. What happened to the explosive team of the regular season that was second in scoring? The Lakers have made Melo, AI, and the rest of the Nuggets look like they are in kindergarten. The Lakers are out-hustling out-scoring, and out-playing Denver. It looks like Kobe and Gasol are having the time of their lives, while Melo and the rest of the Nuggets are playing the blame game.
The Nuggets took an early exit from the playoffs for a fifth straight year. On paper the Nuggets lineup is as good as anybody else. With Anthony, Iverson, Martin, and Camby you would think they would be good enough to get it done in the rugged west. The bench is not bad either, with rising starts such as JR Smith and Linas Kleiza they add depth to a star studded team. The answer to this mystery is defense. With Denver perennially ranked near the cellar in total defense over the last few seasons it won't be able to get out of the first round without some major changes. The basketball sages say that defense wins championships, a championship is one thing that has eluded the franchise, if the Nuggets want to win they better learn how to play some "D".