The Jennings Deal

I know it’s old news - but I figured something’s got to stir some life into this puppy, because we’ve been focusing all of our energy on the Broncos over at the FanHouse. Sam’s too stuck in this idea that we aren’t qualified to cover baseball, which may very well be true, but this blog did start with the Rockies - so I’m not ashamed to touch on the Jennings trade and some other Rockies news.

We all know how the trade went down: Jennings and the little-known Miguel Ascencio for CF Willy Taveras, and two pitching prospects in Jason Hirsch and Taylor Buchholz.

Rox Girl has a pretty good manifesto of the reactions of the rest of the blogosphere, which are very mixed. Personally, I’m not quite sure yet. Jennings was our best pitcher last year in a rotation that faded down the stretch, so losing him could leave the starting lineup too weak to win with. On top of that, Willy Taveras is good - but he’s not the answer in center field. However. everyone is saying Jason Hirsch is a top-quality prospect, and has the potential to be as good if not better than Jennings in a year or so, which makes me feel better about the whole thing.

What I’m mainly confused about is why we specifically targeted Taveras. As I understand it, Willy is a great defensive talent, but fair to midland at best offensively. I didn’t think we had a ton of problems defensively in center last year with Sully and Choo - the problem was that both of them were terrible at the plate. Taveras is young, so we could see some offensive improvement, but chances are he’ll only be a slight plus over Sullivan and Freeman with his career .278 average and okay .333 OBP. Still - it’s better than no improvement at a position that desperately needed help, so combined with Hirsch and Buchholz (who’s apparently completely unpredictable in terms of the future), I guess it’s a winning deal for the Rockies.

So now I think it’s fair to say that we’ve filled a lot of key holes without opening a bunch of new ones at the same time. The rotation might be a bit weaker than last year unless Uball or someone else from the farm system can step up at some point during the season, and the Rockies may still be missing one more pure power guy somewhere in the lineup. But the Rox did re-sign Kaz Matsui, which potentially solidifies both the leadoff (or #2 guy, with Taveras leading off?) and the second base spot. Meanwhile, Taveras sharing time with whoever proves to be better out of Choo and Sully certainly improves the center field position, and if Tulowitzki and Ianetta (though word on the street is that the Rockies are still pursuing other catching options) play well in the spring, those positions might be sealed as well.

All in all, in my opinion it’s so far been one of the better off seasons that I can remember, and certainly the most exciting since the Hampton/Neagle deals. If everything pans out well, this Rockies team could at least be competitive in next year’s NL West, something they only really did in the first half of 2006.

Never Have I Left the Pepsi Center Faster…

Was anyone else reminded of the beginning of last year in the game last night? I sure was.

As usual, the Avs played like superstars in the first period and somehow managed to squander away the lead through lazy second and third period play. Things were looking up after two quick back to back goals by the vet, Sakic, and his (optimistically) younger counterpart, Wolski, scored two powerplay goals in the first period. The first period was most certainly Avalanche dominated. Shots were 22-7 in favor of the Avs, and Dallas had taken a total of five penalties, while the Avs were never shorthanded. However, the powerplay was bittersweet for the Avs. Even though they converted 2/9 powerplays, they missed a second 5 on 3 opportunity and fell short when it mattered most.

As the third period closed, Darryl Sydor slashed Milan Hejduk’s stick in half, giving the Avalanche a 4 on 3 powerplay to start off OT. While the Avs cycled the puck well and got off a few shots from the circles, but nothing passed Turco, and as Sydor’s two minutes expired, Turco fired it up the ice directly to Turco, giving him a breakaway and a goal.

Though all was not as it seemed. The penalty clock had started thirty seconds late, meaning Sydor was out of the box 30 seconds early according to the clock at the Pepsi Center. Perhaps the loss as a whole cannot be attributed to this singular blunder, but it certainly could have played a part in the Avs’ awareness of the situation. In the words of Stars coach Dave Tipett, “A clock not working on a penalty time in overtime, now that seems a little wow. I’m looking up there and suddenly Syd is coming out of the box and he scores and that was that. We got a break there.”

This is the Avs’ first loss in a home opener in the Pepsi Center, though certainly not Joel Quenneville’s first season opener loss, his record standing at 0-7-2.

If anything good can be taken from this game, at least we can’t blame Jose Theodore. Theodore played some ridiculous hockey during the last 15 minutes of the third period, making numerous saves and mending some ugly defensive wounds. A .901 save percentage is tough to argue with, and when the GWG is scored on a breakaway, who can blame the goalie? Another player looking as good as I hoped is, naturally, Ian Laperriere. The man has some passion. He reminds me of Dan Hinote, but scores more goals and fights more people more often. He didn’t dissapoint last night either, fighting Matthew Barnaby and certainly playing with some emotion. So while the game was ugly, there were a few diamonds in the rough, and hey… 81 games to go.

On a less serious note, what the hell happened to Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll Part II” being played after goals? At the game tonight, they played Blur’s inferior “Song 2″, much to my dismay. The ‘woo hoo’ in Song 2 just doesn’t hold the same kickassocity as the “da dun da dun da da da, HEY” that Gary Glitter brings.

We want Glitter!

As the Rockies Close Another Season, I Believe in Next Year

As you have no doubt figured out by now, the baseball season ended yesterday, and the game the Rockies played against the Cubbies summed up their season perfectly. They took off in the early going (built up a 4-run lead by the third), let down a little bit after the start (let in 2 in the fourth), collapsed late (6 runs allowed between 7 and 8 ) and then finished off strong after they were out of it (the homer in the ninth). As much as I like extended metaphors, this one has to end here.

The truth is, we all got caught up in the hype early this season. Even the most celebrated pessimist had to feel a bit of excitement at this team’s position after the All-Star break. Of course, it was not to be. The Rockies could not keep up the pace, and their youth caught up to them in the second half.

But they say hope springs eternal. For a Rockies fan, it almost has to. I think that justifies my next sentence: Despite the ultimate dissapointment of another losing season, it’s my belief that the Rockies are headed in the right direction. They made a 9 game improvement over last year, which is second in the NL only to the Dodgers, who were able to gamble their 10 games for their future at the trading deadline. And if you were to just look at the stats for the end of this season, you’d wonder why the Rockies aren’t in the playoffs.

In offensive statistics, they tied with the Braves for the second-best team average in the league at .270. Their team OBP is also second in the NL at .341. The New York Mets have an average of .264, and an OBP of .334. In pitching, they aren’t great - them team ERA is 13th in the NL at 4.66, but for a team that rarely finishes with an ERA below five, it’s a good improvement. Moreover, the starting and road ERA’s are quite good. The Rockies are one place below the Mets at 8th with a road ERA of 4.59, and two places below the Big Apple’s with a starting ERA of 4.72. These aren’t the greatest numbers in the league, but my point is that they represent huge improvements, and they compare with the best in the league.

But as we all know, the only numbers that matter are wins and losses. What held back the Colorado Rockies from performing up to their statistics was youth, and the nerves that come with it. For a stretch in late July and early August, the Rockies could not manage a hit with runners in scoring position. During their 8-game losing streak that started just before the break, the Rockies managed under 4 runs per game (3.75 to be exact), and could score more than 4 runs just three times in that stretch. During their 6-game losing streak in the last half of August, they scored 2.5 runs per game. Clutch hitting killed the Rockies. There weren’t a lack of opportunities to score, and there wasn’t a lack of good pitching. How many times did you punch your couch in frustration this year when Rockie after Rockie failed to get a runner home from third late in a close ballgame? But for whatever reason, the entire team’s ability to hit in the clutch tanked at the same time, and as a result, the two losing streaks put the Rockies out of contention for good.

We can look at what could have been all we want, but it’s best to look at what wasn’t. The Colorado Rockies were 20-30 clutch hits short this year. If they had been able to come up some key hits in a few games during those slumps, we might be talking about that team that could, instead of the team that couldn’t.

I’ll come back and offer some more detailed posts on individual players, possible offseason moves, etc. later. But for now, this cliche-filled ramble is all I can muster. I’m worn out, people, but I’m ready to think positive. For the first time in a long while, we’re going to see two upswing years in a row for the Rockies. Next years’ team is going to be better and more competitive, and I’m all giddy in anticipation. I believe in next year. For once, this could become the mantra of Rockies die-hards everywhere.

2005/2006

Few and far between, and possibly non-existent, are the Broncos fans who don’t understand that Jay Cutler is this team’s “quarterback of the future,” an overused and oft ESPN-mentioned term implying inevitable glory and greatness and playoffs and super bowls and dynasties and perfect seasons. Or at least super bowls. I’m currently a student at Alabama, an SEC program that had to play Cutler’s Vanderbilt every year, and people down here will tell you about how good of a quarterback he was, about how well he played against the nation’s best college defenses, about how he was able to make seemingly gimme games against lowly Vanderbilt much more interesting than they had any right to be. But last Sunday night wasn’t about Cutler, it was about the Broncos QB actually currently starting. So for at least one more game, and almost certainly for the rest of the season, let’s talk about Jake the Snake Plummer.

The headline of the game was certainly the defense, but in a second. The area of real concern for Bronco fans witnessing two games of stagnant offensive production was, well, offensive production. For anyone who watched Jake these last two seasons, his game was unsurprising: stretches of lackluster, inaccurate passing contrasted by bouts of solid, accurate passing, punctuated by a few big-play throws (the perfect laser TD strike to Javon Walker at the end of the second quarter) and culminating in the stats of an average game. Jake has been playing games like that since he’s been Bronco. What made that a very impressive game for Plummer was, just like most of last season, that he did not make a mistake. Rather, for someone seemingly about to lose his job to a hot-shot golden rookie, Jake looked very cool. He played that game business-as-usual, and in this case business-as-usual meant none of the deadly interceptions that hurt the Broncos so badly so many times in 2004. Even more impressive, and what made the game a huge success for Jake, was how well he played when the Broncos seemed stuck on getting the ball inside their own 10 during the third quarter. John Madden kept saying how badly the Patriot defense needed to force a turnover, but Plummer never gave it to them. He did an excellent job of eluding pressure, looking downfield, and either hitting the open guy or throwing it away. That was a crucial performance during a stretch where one interception could’ve easily reversed momentum and lost the Broncos the game. Whatever the critics will say about his stats, (and make no mistake, I do not exclude myself from that group) Jake showed a poise and resiliency that will keep him #1 on the depth chart all season long.

Javon Walker played extremely well, and is clearly a huge upgrade over Ashley Lelie. He offers the deep threat of Lelie, yet with his prodigious size and strength, he is both an effective blocker and can make the muscle catches in the middle of the field, two aspects sorely lacking in Lelie’s game. His TD catch at the end of the second quarter was just ripped from the hands of the DB. Lelie would not have made that catch. His other huge TD catch showed his elusiveness and speed in the open field, and broke the game for the Broncos.

On the ground, Tatum emerged from the Bell controversy as RB #1, and celebrated with a great game. He was able to consistently grind for 5-6 yard gains, and occasionally bust off the 20+ yarder, allowing the Broncos to keep the clock running even as they weren’t consistenly scoring. We haven’t sent the last of Mike Bell, but Tatum will stay #1 as long as he has game like that. More impressive considering the stinginess of the Pats rush defense.

But, like so many times last year and into the playoffs, the defense won this game for the Broncos. The Patriots were never able to establish a ground game, putting all the more pressure on a Tom Brady basically devoid of weapons. Brady was only able to throw for a deceiving 320 yards, much of which came when the Broncos were camping back in prevent. The rest of Brady’s stats were from slants and quick-outs thrown underneath Denver’s safeties. When it was clear that the running came wasn’t working, Belichick looked for the huge pass play to swing momentum and throw up some explosive points. Yet, every time Brady looked downfield, blanket coverage by the Broncos DBs and/or timely help from the safeties stymied his deep throws. Overall, the defense looked excellent, making stellar open-field tackles and taking good angles on almost every play. Rare was the missed Bronco tackle, and Brady’s 7-something yard slants were never given opportunity to develop into big plays. A very impressive performance by the Denver D.

Go back to the beginning of the 2005 season. Game 1: A hugely disappointing loss on the road/a bad performance by Plummer. Game 2: A narrow victory against a division opponent/a lackluster performance by Plummer. Game 3: A defining prime-time victory/a mistake free Plummer. Might as well be the beginning of this season. In 2005, Plummer shook off his lousy start to end up with the best year of his career and a 13-3 Bronco regular season.

Hopefully that 2005 trend can extend to 2006 leading to a super bowl in 2007. If they can’t, there’s always a Cutler-led 2008.

Avs train up

So apparently, the Avs have already started training camp - which means it’s time to get ready for hockey, again. And I’m totally ready. I’m so ready that I’m going to march down to DU and by my Burgundy and White tickets right now. So ready that I’ve already predicted the outcome of this season for the Avs: it’s going to suck.

I hate to be a pessimist, I really do. I like making stupid predictions about the Rockies and Broncos. But when you look at this team from last year to this year, there’s absolutely nothing exciting about the coming season.

We’ve traded away our top scorer for Jordan Leopold, who is in turn expected to replace Rob Blake. The result is that we’re minus one top scorer, minus Rob Blake, and plus someone who’s maybe half of what Rob Blake was. We’ve made no big pickups in the off season, unlike seemingly every other team in the galaxy, including most of the teams in our division, especially last years’ winners, the Flames, and the Stanley Cup runners up, the Oilers (Lupul is a great pickup).

If the off-season tells us anything, it’s that Stan Kroenke has finally arrived in Denver. Like the Nuggets, Stan has installed a penny-pincher at every corner in the Avs’ front office. Pierre Lacroix, who when given the money was one of the best GMs in hockey, has stepped down and now his replacement either no longer has the money to spend, or isn’t willing to spend money, and is constantly looking for bargains to replace superstars (read, Tyler Arnason, Jordan Leopold). The Kroenke Sports regime is content to have mediocre teams good enough to barely make the playoffs, but not good enough to go anywhere. One Team, One Goal has disappeared, and unlike Pat Bowlen and the Broncos, who say the Super Bowl is always on their mind, the Avs are no longer looking for the cup every year.

If we’ve learned anything from the new NHL, it’s the speed, size and youth mean everything. The Avs have done some of that in the youth and speed department, but they’ve heavily downgraded in size, across the board. There are only a few bright points to look forward to. One of them is a healthy Marek Svatos (who we signed on a minimum contract), who was among the Western Conference leaders with 30 goals before being injured in the middle of the season. Another is Paul Stastny, University of Denver standout and Avs’ first-round draft pick who’s made waves in training camp and may make the team as a true Rookie. We’ll also get to see what Wojtek Woslki, who was less than impressive in the playoffs, can do in a full season. (I think Cody McCormick, Brad Richardson and Brett McLean also deserve a nod in this area). And of course, I think we’re all looking forward to the return of quite possibly the most important off-season signing, Ian Laperriere, his antics, and his orchestra.

But there are too many question marks that balance out the positives - something that we haven’t had to say too much in this organization’s history. How Jose Theodore will play given a full season as the starter is one of the biggest questions - not to mention how much of an effect his salary has already had on the team’s apparently limited budget. But the other literally huge gap is perhaps more important: the blue line. If anyone thinks that Ken Klee and Jordan Leopold can pickup the slack left by Rob Blake’s return to Los Angeles, let me know, because I’m not very excited. Leopold eats a lot of time, but neither of the two replacements show the scoring talent that Blake posessed, which was one of the biggest components of the team’s success last year. Match that with the loss of Alex Tanguay, and you have a real problem. The team’s leading scorer last year is being “replaced” (if you can call it that) by Tyler Arnason, a five-year pro who’s never scored more than 55 points in his career. Tyler is fairly quick on the ice, he’s young, and could still potentially develop into a scorer on a good team with some support…but he’s not going to come close to matching Tanguay’s production.

So when you look it all up and down, I can’t honestly say that the team has improved at all from last season. Our saving grace may be Jose Theodore, who can make up a lot of slack if he can return to his old form - but if he’s not perfect, it’s going to be a long season and a long few years to come.

Lesson from FIBA Tournament: Melo Needs a Supporting Cast

It’s been a while since we’ve posted on the Denver Nuggets, and for that, I apologize. We’ve all gone back to school and been quite busy busting out material for the AOL NFL Fanhouse over at AOL, where Sam, Gabe and I have been contracted to write material which you can find here.

Back to the point: The Nuggets, and specifically, Carmelo Anthony. More specifically, the impact playing in the FIBA World Championships has had on Melo and what it means for the upcoming Nuggets season.

If you haven’t been paying attention, Melo has been playing extremely well on the world stage, averaging 19.7 points per game in the tournament. In the game against Italy, Melo scored 35 points, a record for U.S. teams in international play. This tournament is showing the world something many die-hard Denver Nuggets fans already knew: Melo can be a top-rate superstar if he has a supporting cast that can actually shoot the ball.

In last year’s playoff series against the Clippers, it was basically Melo alone who was trying to carry the team into the second round. We all saw how that went for us. But in the tournament there are other superstars — LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, etc. — that can a) pick up the slack when Melo is having an off night, and b) actually lead the way, allowing Melo to supplement an awesome attack.

I know Team USA’s loss to Greece is upsetting to the fans of the team and the team members themselves, but I look at this summer’s tournament as a success in that Melo has emerged as a bona fide threat. A lot of people already knew that around the NBA, but now there’s no denying it and George Karl has the formula for getting the Nuggets over that first-round hump and further into the NBA playoffs.

Okay, okay, I know - they’re done, but…

I know I’m just getting my hopes up to have them absolutely smashed by reality, BUT…

The Rockies get set to play two series against the top two teams in the division. They’re currently nine games back, with little chance at making the post season at all - BUT…if the Rox could find a way to sweep both the Padres and the Dodgers, or maybe lose only one game in the course of the two series, they could pull themselves back to around 5 or 6 games back of the division - and then they play four games against the Nationals.

I’m not saying Washington is bad, but the last time the Rockies played a 4-game set with the DC Boys, they won all of them. The Nationals have been playing better since then, but they’re still not a great team, and apparently Frank Robinson is the most-hated manager in the majors as voted by the players. So what am I saying? If the Rockies are going to try to magically salvage the season with a streak of some sort, this is the last chance they have to do it.

So, we’ll find out tonight at 8:40 if I’m just a useless optomist or if there might actually be some of this hope thing I’ve got.

Broncos Season Preview

Just to let you know, we’re doing our second podcast ever over at the FanHouse. It’s a two-parter that’s billed as a season preview, where we go through the schedule, analyze the matchups, and make our predictions. I think you’ll find it pretty absurdly hilarous.

Anyhow, check out the first part now over at http://broncos.aolsportsblog.com. The second part will be up at the same place around 3:10 p.m. mountain time.

Enjoy!

My imminent ‘next year’ post

Just a few weeks ago, I was still pining, hoping for a resurgance, and a playoff birth for our young Colorado boys. Now, unless the Rockies, who’s longest winning streak of the year is four games, win out, all hope is gone. Nonetheless, I think the season has been successful. For the first time this year, the Rockies have fallen ten games below .500 - but think about what that means for a team that was never close to ten games below after the first two weeks of last season.

Okay, so I’ve been trying to reconcile our late fade (or our ‘Hurdling to Rock Bottom,’ as a sign near me last night read) in my mind. I should be happy that we were in contention for so long. But what hurts is that this team should still be right there. If they had any clutch hitting at all in the last two months, they’d still be hunting for the Wild Card and the division. They’re only 15 to 20 clutch hits at key times away from being right where the Dodgers and Padres are. But that’s the problem with this team - somewhere in the course of 182 games, they’re missing 15 or 20 hits.

So like last year, Rockies fans are forced to turn to next year, which like the last, is a year that promises a lot. The only exciting thing about not being where we’d like to be is that we’re getting a glimpse of all those players that Rox Girl has been telling us to get excited about for years. Chris Ianetta made his debut behind the plate a few days ago against the Padres. He showed good defense, and called the game well, leading Cook to a 2-run, 8-inning effort. Ianetta also showed remarkable poise at the plate, where he got his first hit and RBI - against Jake Peavy, no less. It was exciting to see the kid play, but it’s more exciting to think about having him and Yorvit Torrealba, who has been one of the team’s few consistent clutch hitters, as our two catchers. Both call a good game, play good defense, and if Yorvit continues his resurgence at the plate next year and Ianetta hits as advertised, the Rockies will have the best catching tandem in the NL West. As much as I’ve enjoyed Danny Ardoin the person, and Danny Ardoin the defensive catcher, his hitting is obviously a liability. Nonetheless, I’m glad the Orioles have picked up his option. It’s been a good stint for the guy, who was supposed to be a career minor-leaguer, and I think he has a bright future in this league at some managerial level, even if it’s not as a major-league catcher.

Troy Tulowitzki, long touted as the team’s best prospect, also got his call-up in late August, this time against the Mets. He wasn’t as good at the plate as Ianetta was in his debut, going 0 for 4 with three K’s, but apparently the kid made Web Gems for a spinning throw he made from deep in the whole. You can certainly see why the Rox like this guy defensively, and even though he didn’t have a great night at the plate, I’m going be really extra nice and forgive him since it was his first Major League game. I mean hell, even 0-4 puts him at .000, which is better than Barmes’ -.236, right?

The other new-ish guy that I’m really excited about is Kaz Matsui. So far with the Rockies, Kazuo is batting .423 with a ridiculous OBP of .483. He’s also freakishly fast, and has yet to be caught in three attempts at stolen bases. Even my mother, who lacks any knowledge of baseball, and remembers only the Avalanche players she thinks are cute, was really excited by Kaz when she first saw him (her remarks on the subject were, ‘Ohh, that guy’s COOL!’). As I’ve already said, I’m also excited about Kaz. I know that the numbers he’s put up so far are in just a very few games, but in that time he’s had a big impact on the team, already scoring 8 runs. The Rockies have never really had a bonafide leadoff guy, and Jamey Carroll’s offensive numbers this year smell of a fluke…Does anyone else see a bright future with Kaz starting at the 2B next year? Because I think he’s just the sort of player who, with an established spot next year, could revitalize this team. And because of his weak numbers with the Mets, we have a good chance to get a real superstar on the cheap if it turns out that all he needed to return to his Japanese league form was a good change of scenery. Plus, he’s just SO COOL!

Over at Purple Row (third link this article, jeez), they’ve started a thread about the end of this season being the last call to jump on the bandwagon without it being a bandwagon, given the Rockies’ imminent success next year, which I whole-heartedly believe in. Rox Girl has graciously included me in the fans that pre-qualify for non-bandwagon-status, and I guess I feel honored by that. But I’ve got a word of advice for everyone while we celebrate next year prematurely: do not forget 2006. Regardless of where this team ends up in a few years, you’ll want to remember ‘06 in years to come when you realize that you had the unique opportunity to witness, and be involved in, the complete re-birth of a dead franchise. Very few fans ever get to see what we have the opportunity to be a part of, so don’t forget these old glory years that we’ve shared.

Where has all the Broncos coverage gone?

I’ll bet you’re wondering where that flurry of that football coverage that we started a few weeks ago has gone. And I have the answer for you: our services have been acquired by AOL for a new and interesting blog experiment called the fanhouse. We’ll still be posting to the Zone about other sports, and will ocassionally have a really fresh article on something Broncos-related. But most of our stuff will be over at AOL.

Where can you find us? Easy: http://broncos.aolsportsblog.com. It’s still being set up, but since it’s supposed to go live tomorrow, and other people are doing it, I figured I’d let you all know. Please add this to your bookmarks, or feeds, or what-have-you, and get ready for a great Broncos season.