The Joey Mumbles Hornswoggle

horn·swog·gle

/ˈhôrnˌswäɡəl/verb

INFORMAL,

NORTH AMERICAN

1. To get the better of (someone) by cheating or deception.

   "you mean to say you were hornswoggled?"
   November 2, 2020 will be the date that’ll live on in American Infamy. What began at 7:00 AM Eastern should have ended at 7:00 PM Hawaiian/Aleutian Time. 

What, It's 2015 Already ??

I have been in blogificational hibernation for over a year. I woke up this morning and couldn't see the sun, so forget any shadow. Monday is usually golf day with Tim and Chuck and Ron, so today will have to be an indoor day. I just checked, over 45 hours of stuff recorded and stored in my Genie HD-DVR, so I won't lack for entertainment, as vague as it may be. Plus, the MLB Extra Innings package and MLB Channel will always occupy idle time.


The Rockies and Yankees are both exceeding expectations thus far in the 2015 season. Walt Weiss seems to be growing into his role as a big league manager, and it seems that he has had a lot more input, as far as team personnel decisions, since Jeff Bridich took over as General Manager. Former Rockies GM, Dan O'Dowd, is comfortable as the expert inside-baseball-guy on the MLB Channel, as he waits for his next job interview (hopefully with the Dodgers or Giants or Red Sox).


Jeffrey Thomas Bridich is originally from the Milwaukee area and attended Marquette University High School before enrolling at Harvard. He played for the Crimson as a catcher and outfielder before graduating in 2000. Bridich then got a job as an intern for Major League Baseball's executive offices. Among the duties during his four years with MLB, was running the Arizona Fall League. He then got a job (hired by Dan O'Dowd) with the Colorado Rockies in 2004 to manage the team's minor league baseball operations. He was subsequently promoted to director of minor league operations, then senior director of player development through 2014. When O'Dowd and director of baseball operations, Bill Geivett, "quit" at the end of the 2014 season, Bridich was tapped to succeed them both. He won't turn 38 until September, so it would be nice if the Rockies were still in the hunt at that point in the 2015 season.


The AFL (Arizona Fall League) consists of six teams that are staffed by up to seven members of each of five Major League organizations. The 35-player squad is entirely AA and AAA players, but clubs have an option to send up to two players below AA. Foreign players are allowed as long as they are not on their native country's protected list. Additionally, each MLB team can assign two "taxi-squadders". who are only available on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The teams are divided into West and East Divisions, play around 30 games, and a playoff decides a champion between the East and West Divisions. 


The East Division is made up of:

• The Mesa Solar Sox (Cubs, Angels, Athletics, Blue Jays and Nationals)
• The Salt River Rafters (Rockies, D-Backs, Astros, Marlins and Twins)
• The Scottsdale Scorpions (Yankees, Mets, Phillies, Pirates and Giants)

The West Division consists of:

• The Peoria Javelinas (Braves, Cardinals, Indians, Royals and Rays)
• The Surprise Saguaros (Reds, Rangers, Padres, Red Sox and Mariners)
• The Glendale Desert Dogs (Orioles, Tigers, Brewers, White Sox and Dodgers)

Last year, the Salt River Rafters won the title, besting the Peoria Javelinas. Some notable players that are in the AFL Hall of Fame: Derek Jeter, Nomar GarciaParra, Mike Piazza, Jeremy Giambi, Todd Helton, Mike Scioscia, Albert Pujols, Terry Francona, Roy Halladay, Torii Hunter, Matt Holliday, Dustin Pedroia and Mark Teixeira. League MVPs, notably, in 2011 Nolan Arenado and 2013 Kris Bryant. So, the Arizona Fall League has a rich history of player development and helps raw talent perform in front of Major League scouts and management. The most publicity originating about the AFL was in 1994, when a certain baseball prospect named Michael Jordan appeared, batted .252 (31 for 123 with 34 Ks). He didn't really distinguish himself statistically, but he more than tripled attendance figures for Fall games that year. I dare say that maybe a trip to Arizona with my golf clubs next October might be a worthy goal.


I am running out of steam for now, but I have a lot to say about the Broncos, Nuggets and Avalanche. So, I will endeavor to sit down soon, as weather and circumstance force me indoors. Laundry's in the dryer, cookies in the oven. So long for now. Be good to each other.

Internet Intercourse

I am reminded every time I turn on my computer, that the telephone is fast becoming the least favored form of personal communication in today's fast-moving, slow-motion world.  Notice, I said 'telephone', not smart phone.  Today's hand-held personal electronic devices are utilized for almost everything but personal verbal communication.  We use them to surf, to text, to tweet, to facebook (when did that officially become a verb?) and to play games.  I spend more time talking to SIRI than I do to actual people.  More than half the calls I make to other phone numbers seem to reach a voice message informing me that there is nobody willing to actually answer to the ringtone or vibration and please leave a message.

 

Somebody fed my contact information and profile to a third party online dating service, and now I get at least 15 notices every day from Zoosk telling me that I have messages from willing (seemingly), almost desperate, females in the area.  I'd spam-block the site, but I find the entries, some of them, very funny, entertaining.  I see ads on TV all the time promoting this pairing service, and that dating and connection site.  ChristianMingle, Match.com, eHarmony, BlackPeopleMeet, AsianDating, Just-for-lunch, DisabledPassions, Qiran.com...... it's mind-boggling.  I even googled (declared an official verb in 2006) midget dating, and yes, there are at least a dozen sites including LittlePeopleMeet or DateADwarf.  Are you lonely?  Do you suffer from schizophrenia, paranoia or manic depression?  Well there are numerous sites catering to the mentally challenged, lonely folks out there with an internet connection and a desire to meet someone who will totally understand where you are coming from.  What could possibly go wrong with that?

 

My emailbox is populated every day with funny forwards from friends (FFFF), enjoinders to watch this movie or that TV show, pleas from various charities to donate money, earnest requests from political groups to join in the fight to eliminate whatever or whomever, the latest golf instruction or innovation, notification that I am approved for a loan that I did not apply for and any number of free insurance quotes for which I am automatically qualified regardless of age or infirmity.  I guess that means that I am drawing breath and able to read.  I don't watch the evening news any more.  I just open up Facebook a half-dozen times a day, and I find out what's going on in the real world.  I stopped almost all of the push notifications to my iPhone, because it became difficult to concentrate on any task at hand.  Nothing more bothersome whilst checking my Facebook page and having Tweets and Twitter and YahooMail and GMail and CBSSports and ESPN all vying for my attention.  The only alerts I have now are ding-ding when I get a text and chirp-chirp when the ESPN Streak For The Cash is telling me whether my latest pick won or lost.

 

I still haven't totally mastered the iPhone 5s.  My old iPhone, I think it's a 3, froze up and I had to get a new one.  I tried to transfer all my previous data onto the new phone, but my interaction with iTunes, the Cloud and iOs resulted in chaos.  I manually entered all 937 contacts, character by character, onto my i5s over the course of three nights.  I had an appointment with the Apple Genius Bar to get a tutorial on pairing my laptop and new phone, but it snowed, and I don't like to drive to Boulder even in perfect weather.  I am going to keep my old iPhone as an iPod with all my music, because I don't need to use all the storage on my new smart device for music,  I don't listen to much music anymore, anyway.

 

And finally, today, my first-born child, Sara, turns 36.  I remember back, after a scheduled morning visit to Dr. Macsulka's office on west Arapahoe to check on Joanne's progress, the good doctor advised us that it was time to check into Boulder Community Hospital, that it was near time to welcome baby Sara in the world (well, Boulder).  There was snow on the ground, it was cold, and the Broncos had just lost the Super Bowl, to Dallas.  Manuel and Lynn Gonzales came down from Longmont to be with us as we waited.  Finally, at around 6:00 in the evening, Sara Rene arrived.  Dark eyes looked around, surveyed the bright delivery room, and refused to cry, making mama Joanne a little nervous.  "Why isn't she crying?"  The nurse wiped the vernix off of Sara's tiny body and swaddled her in a blanket and handed her right to me.  I was swaddled myself; paper booties, surgical mask, paper elastic-banded haircover and hospital scrub gown.  Over to the inspection station, measurements and data recorded, APGAR score of 8.0 (probably would have been higher, but Sara just wouldn't cry).  She finally did cry when the nurse poked her heel for a blood sample.  They took her almost immediately to a heat-lamped enclosure to deal with her supposed jaundice, until they realized that she was half Asian.  The doc took a few minutes to stitch up Joanne after the episiotomy, so Lynn, Manual and I went to the waiting area and cracked open a couple of cold Coors Banquets to toast a successful transition.  So, so happy, so relieved.  As I am today.  So happy and proud that our Sara has grown into such a kind and spirited loving wife and mother.  She makes life something to marvel at.

Winners Win, And Gloaters Gloat

When it comes to sporting events, I'm a fan, a loyal and even fervent one.  Sometimes blindly trusting that my optimism and rose-colored evaluations lend themselves to astute (seemingly) and self-important conclusions or opinions.  I try to arrive at my assessments with a critical eye towards facts and history.  That's where many of us fail.  Most sports, ones that I follow, are rife with a plenitude of statistics.  That is a part of why I enjoy baseball and football and also why I enjoy golf.  If it doesn't matter, why do we keep score? 

There are two main reasons for statistical scrutiny.  One, using facts to win arguments, and two, to aid in wagering success.  We (I) utilize these statistics and historical footnotes to formulate, then, to postulate my opinion.  I never played football past one year of intramurals in the ninth grade.  The last time I played ball, was recreational slow-pitch softball back in the 80's.  I bowl once a week and played golf until just this past autumn, when my body went in revolt.  I was never a great, even good, athlete.  But, I've always been a fanatical follower of sports, and sports pages.  Those of you who know me will agree that I have strong opinions, and on occasion, am readily willing to project my viewpoint.  I have even projected my confident assessments into the realm of sports wagering.  Experience, though, has taught me to be both conservative and semi-pessimistic in my actual action.  I believe strongly, yet bet weakly.  It's difficult to formulate a cogent final opinion when so many facts are presented and my heart gets in the way.  Logic and emotion, always at odds.

People argue constantly about whose opinion is right and which facts constitute incontrovertible conclusions.  Super Bowl XLVIII promised to feature the classic contest between the proverbial immovable object meeting the unstoppable force.  Two full weeks of discussion preceded the contest, and thousands of opinions from hundreds of minds spewed forth millions of reasons why Seattle would prevail, or that Denver would emerge victorious.  Record-smashing offensive scoring and passing statistics from the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning seemed to support the idea that the AFC Champs were the unstoppable force.  The Seattle Seahawks possessed and unleashed a defense that seemed to indicate that they represented the classic immovable object.

It became obvious to me, after 12 seconds into the much-anticipated match, that this wasn't going to be Denver's day.  Trindon Holliday and his coaches on the Bronco staff, seem to have way too much confidence in his ability.  Because he is small, he looks faster and quicker than he really is.  Larger, more physical players, like those that populate opponents' special teams, are just as fast and eminently more physical than Holliday.  On the strength of a few glorious kick returns of last season, he retains the faith and hope in Bronco coaches and fans, that he can break one.  All he's broken for this season, is hearts (okay, two TDs this year).  With Coach John Fox's recent concerns over a healthy heart, Holliday should be replaced on the Bronco roster with, say, a linebacker or defensive lineman, someone who can be productive and not destructive.  Fielding the opening kickoff 6 yards deep into the end zone and scurrying out, it was obvious that Seattle has really fast, quick, physical players.  Starting at the 14, the game began its agonizing (for Bronco fans) spiral as C Manny Ramirez pulled the trigger and whistled the premature snap past Peyton Manning's helmet into the end zone.  As it turns out, PFM was the only one not expecting the snap when it happened.  RB Knowshon Moreno displayed his best hustle of the day to corral the ball in the end zone, thus saving 5 points for Denver.  Freekick to Seattle, return of 20 yards to their 36.  Nine plays, Seattle drive stalls at the Denver 9, Seattle is assessed a 4-yard penalty (?) for a false start on the field goal try, 31-yard Hauschka field goal, 5-0 lead for Seattle, which at that exact instance, I'm thinking, "Well, it could have been a lot worse, Denver's defense kept it to a field goal. One patented Peyton drive and we're back in control."  Three and out, with Manning two-for-two for five yards.  This series was the second set of indicators that Seattle was at least two steps quicker than any defense that Denver had faced this year.  The eldest Seahawk, Heath Farwell, LB #55, led the Seahawks out of the tunnel before the game carrying the 12th man flag of Seattle.  Our team was led out of the tunnel by #11 Trindon Holliday, allegedly our fastest Bronco.  That was his best showing of the day, and his longest run, by far.  The Broncos do not ask him to carry a flag because, well, you know, they're kinda hard to hold on to.

The entire game was a reminder of all the weaknesses that the Broncos possess, exacerbated by all the strengths that Seattle exhibits.  Smoke and mirrors, versus speed and muscle.  Demaryius Thomas caught 13 passes for over 100 yards, but it looked like he was very 'respectful' of the physicality employed by Seahawk defenders.  Almost each pass he caught was followed by a step or two in retreat, as if expecting and bracing for an immediate whack from a linebacker or safety.  The statistic of YAC, yards after catch, seemed to be very lacking for Denver's receivers on Sunday, a testament to Seattle's superior closing speed and high-impact tackling skills.  The offensive line for Denver was collapsed often, by usually only three or four D-linemen, causing Peyton to suffer anxiety and having to make hasty throws into 7- and 8-man coverage.  Seattle defenders were quoted after the game to have deciphered Denver's hand signals from bench to field and from quarterback to receivers.  Shame on Denver for being so transparent and predictable.  I've never like Nebraska, and so........farewell, Omaha.

Professional football games are mostly decided in the trenches, and Seattle was quicker and more physical, on both sides of the ball.  Denver's D-line, pretty much bottled up the Seahawk running game, with the exception of WR Percy Harvin's 45 yards on two end-arounds that happened so fast, Denver's defense never knew what hit them.  There really is no answer on how to bottle up QB Russell Wilson when he finds extra time by scrambling around away from what little pressure Denver's D-line and blitzes could generate.  Seattle can succeed with a mediocre receiving corps, because Wilson is very smart and capable and compensates for a fair to average arm with excellent recognition and decision-making skills.  I think Denver's O-line will be overhauled, with Ryan Clady returning from injury and Manny Ramirez returning to guard, Denver needs a bona-fide center, as they were fortunate to have in Tom Nalen for so many years.  Zane Beadles will probably play elsewhere next year, maybe Orlando Franklin and Chris Clark along with Louis Vasquez can anchor a line that can protect PFM and open holes for Montee Ball next year.

WR Eric Decker is a strong candidate to sign elsewhere next year for more $$$ than Denver is willing to offer.  As heroic and productive that Knowshon Moreno was this year, it'll be hard to justify keeping him here in Denver, unless it boils down to a choice between him and Ronnie Hillman.  Champ Bailey has vowed to return, but to what end?  He has regrettably become a target of opposing offenses.  Perhaps a full off-season and pre-season at nickel or safety will justify his, hopefully, deserved return. Next season's return of DLs Kevin Vickerson, Derek Wolfe and LB Vonn Miller, along with DBs Chris Harris and Rahim Moore, represent some hope that next year's defense has some pieces to build around.  Denver's linebacking corps is a step below adequate, and I am beginning to doubt the efficacy of Jack Del Rio and his defensive staff.  Special teams have to be overhauled!  One more year of experience, one more year of hope follow on the heels of the most embarrassing football game played by a Bronco team, in my opinion.  And I have watched virtually every game since 1960.

Now, my attention will revert to number one love.  Pitchers and catchers report in about a week.  If only there were hope in the Rocky Mountain Region for a competitive ballclub.  Perhaps the under-the-radar Rockies can over-achieve this year, or they just may fall off-the-radar.  The Yankees may have to succeed with a top-notch pitching rotation, a depleted bullpen and a very suspect infield.  Let the Tanaka-mania begin!  Watashi daisuki beisbaru!!!!

Super Brouhaha XLVIII

It has come down to this: a Denver Broncos team led by the best statistical quarterback of all time pitted against a brash and confident Seattle squad seemingly led by a mouthy and polarizing defensive back.  There are many facets and categories that ultimately determine a team's success and performance.  Intense scrutiny, fueled by a world-wide audience and over 6,000 credentialed media representatives, reaches the point where there aren't really any more angles to untangle.  It becomes a stage for every type of personality.  Attention garnered by some individuals parallels their overall demeanor on the field, during and immediately after games.  Peyton Manning has always exhibited a classy, humble personality, comfortable in the spotlight ever since his intensely scrutinized high school days at Isadore Newman School in New Orleans, through his decision to forego his father's and older brother's selection of Ole Miss by choosing Tennessee and on to his storied career in the NFL.

Having watched the ESPN-produced special, "The Book of Manning", it is plain to see that the football success of the Manning men is due to the character and guidance of father Archie and mother Olivia.  Their main emphasis has always been: be a good person.  There's a story that after a game in high school, where Peyton's team lost, Archie observed PFM berating the coach and blaming the loss on the coach's strategy.  Archie later drove Peyton to the coach's house and waited while the younger Manning QB, in tears, apologized to his coach for his behavior.  Archie, just this week commented on the hoopla surrounding the question of Peyton's 'legacy'.  In so many words, the elder Manning said that he didn't buy into the definition and attention paid to the term "legacy", that the only thing that is important is that he be remembered for being a good man and a good teammate.  Humility and class, when embodied by a player with the resume of a Peyton Manning, speaks to what is really good about some sports heroes.  Some people shine in the spotlight, others' character is revealed by the scrutiny.

The question of whether or not sports figures are role models, or not, is often argued.  Those that shy away from the burden of responsibility of that tag, are the ones that want the attention and notoriety of being recognized without acknowledging the import and affectation of their behavior.  In many cases, men's character is not so much revealed, but exposed.  I do not see much to criticize in Marshawn Lynch's obvious discomfort in dealing with the mandatory media onslaught.  If you listen to what he has to say, within the context of an agonizingly uncomfortable situation, he does not seem to be a bad character.  When you listen and watch Richard Sherman in the spotlight, he comes off as a garrulous and falsely portentous man with a huge ego and extensive vocabulary.  Respect means never having to 'splain harsh behavior.  Class means equal amounts of humility in victory and defeat.  Sherman lost a good bit of respect in the immediate aftermath of Seattle's victory over the 49ers and has been using his engaging personality and erudite palaver to backtrack and apologize, kind of.  That's the problem with most people: we want to be judged on some of what we do and say, not all.  Find me a clip or direct quote where Peyton Manning, or John Elway, or John Fox, or Champ Bailey comes off like an idiot, and I'll change my opinion that the Broncos have been built the right way.  Not a thug on the roster.  And, yes, Mr. Sherman equates that term as racist.  Perhaps he'd prefer the term bully, or hoodlum, or punk. 

The players are constantly being prodded with redundant questions and lame attempts to draw them out, perhaps into saying something, *gasp*, controversial or shocking.  This may then transfer notoriety and a blip of fame onto the questioner for being an effective 'journalist'.  The verbally effusive and obnoxious Jim Rome has built his entire 'journalistic' career from one moment in time long ago when he insulted former LA Rams' QB  Jim Everett in a post-game press conference by addressing him as Chrissy, a backhanded slap at Everett by obfuscating his name with the female tennis star, Chris Evert.  Rome persisted and during an interview a couple years later, this happened:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HNgqQVHI_8  The fact that Jim Rome has catapulted himself into the national sports dialogue with these types of tactics, only serves to emphasize one way to riches and fame: at the expense of others' pain and misery.  Rome has had many 'good' interviews and has conducted many 'good' productions, just like Richard Sherman has said many 'good' things since uncorking his true self to Erin Andrews after the NFC Championship game. THUGS, black and white.

I get a kick out of observing all the talking heads, former players and not, attempting to fill their time slots with inane and redundant talking points.  On being asked if he's going to retire if the Broncos win SB XLVIII, Peyton answers politely that he still has the passion and if his health continues to allow, he wants to play into next year and beyond.  "Do you prepare as if this may be your last game?"  Get real.  Technically, each and every play could be any player's last play in his professional career.  Ronnie Lott's last play wasn't the one where he had his pinkie finger mutilated during a tackle of Dallas Cowboy RB Timmy Newsome in the final game of the 1985 season.  Lott had the finger taped up, and finished that game, and played the following week in the Wild Card match against the New York Giants, which the 49ers lost.  After the season, when told that recovery from surgery to perform bone grafts on his damaged finger would possibly cause him to miss the start of training camp the following year, he said "Cut it off!".  Lott played another 10 years in the league, retiring in 1995, elected to the Hall of Fame in 2000.  By the way, 1985 was the year that 'Niners' RB Roger Craig became the first ever player to gain at least 1,000 yards both rushing (1,050 yds) and receiving (1,016 yds) and led the league with 92 receptions.  Since then, only one other player has accomplished the double-1,000 feat.  Can you name him?*

As a life-long Denver Bronco fan, I truly hope that Orange prevails this Sunday.  Seattle, statistically and schematically, is the best defense that Denver has faced this year.  I stop short of predicting a Bronco victory, but I think that Seattle has not faced an offense as efficient and prolific as this Peyton Manning-led squad.  If PFM stays upright with one or none sacks, Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball can combine for 24 carries or more for more than 100 yards total and Russell Wilson has more turnovers than Peyton Manning, then Denver should win by at least two scores.  If Denver's improved defense can hold the Beast to zero carries of over 15 yards and Seattle's offense has to start from inside their own 25 yard line every time, Denver will own the time of possession.  If it boils down to a kick at the end of the game, both kickers are reliable, with Matt Prater having a 10 yard longer range than Seattle's Steven Hauschka.  Ah fuck it!  Denver wins 30-20 and the parade is Monday.  SB Championship III for Elway and Bowlen.

Oh, pitchers and catchers report in two weeks!

*(Marshall Faulk, 1999 St. Louis Rams, the Greatest Show on Turf, 1,381 yds rushing and 1,048 yds receiving) Super Bowl XXXIV champ.

Mid-Summer Musings

It's been awhile since I posted thoughts here, but the All Star game brought out some feelings that spurred me to write.  The Major League All Star week is still the best showcase of all the major sports' celebratory contests.  This year's was memorable, not for the game itself, nor for the home run derby.  Two words:  Mariano Rivera.  Given that the situation was contrived so as to get Rivera into the game, not in his customary ninth inning closer's role, but into the eighth inning, did not detract from the goosebump-inducing spotlight as he jogged to the mound accompanied by the signature sounds of Metallica's "Enter Sandman".  Too see and feel the adoration and respect for one of baseball's greatest players, ever, was heart-warming, and a reminder that there really are good guys in sports.  The statistics of Mariano Rivera's remarkable career will forever etched into the record books, but it's his singularly consistent humility and demeanor that will define his place in history.  In baseball, there are precious few who are held in such high esteem as both a player of excellence and also as a person of the highest character.  Lou Gehrig, Sandy Koufax, Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Yogi Berra, Carl Yastrzemski (yes, a Red Sock).  Those are men whose reputations and statistics define them as true role models, not just as players, but also as humans of high integrity.  Yo, Mo, we will miss ya!

I predicted this last spring that the Rockies would be out of contention by Memorial Day.  Wrong!  But, after a great start in April (16 wins, 10 losses), our loveable purple pinstripers are in third place in the mediocre NL West Division, 4-1/2 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The Rox are 30-40 since the beginning of May, yet have survived to this point with injuries to Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler and Michael Cuddyer and pitching that can be best described as, well, very Colorado-Rockie-like.  In other words, full of promise and hope, devoid of much consistency.  To begin the post-All Star portion of the regular season, the Rockies begin with a crucial 10-game homestand against the Cubs, Marlins and Brewers, who are collectively 50 games under .500.  The Rox must find a way to win at least 7, preferably 8 or 9, games against those bottom-feeders to maintain pace with the Dodgers and D-Backs.


The Yankees?  Well, beyond the continued brilliance of Mariano Rivera, the season has been like an episode of MASH, with all the medical issues.  Derek Jeter returned to the lineup on the Friday before the All Star break, only to leave with a leg issue, again.  Attention is again being focused upon Alex Rodriguez, as he prepares to complete his rehabilitation from hip surgery amid the cloud of suspicion concerning his association with Biogenesis.  One word to describe the situation created by A-Rod:
boon·dog·gle [ boon dàwg'l] 1. A wasteful pursuit: an activity or project that is unnecessary and wasteful of time or money, especially one undertaken for personal or political gain.  Pretty much sums it up. 

My beloved Yankees start the "second half" 6 games behind the hated Red Sox and 7 games over .500, while the Rox sit only 4-1/2 games back of the D-Backs while muddling to a record that is 6 games short of 50/50.  Our loveable (sic) Rockies have the 7th worst record in the National League (oh wait, the 9th best record in the NL, for you glass-half-fullers), and remarkably remain in contention.  I dare say that Colorado has a better chance of winning the NL West than the Yankees have of winning the AL East.  I wouldn't bet a nickel that either will.

The Longmont Men's City Golf Championship just ended this past weekend, and there was a lot of excitement this year due to the sponsorship attachment of Oskar Blues.  Yes, Tim Rudden saved the tourney.  Tim has been a longtime golfing buddy and he has developed a unique ability to run fund raising for a variety of endeavors.  The old Bit of Billiards Golf Tournament and Auction used to raise funds for Meals On Wheels in Longmont.  The annual event lost steam after Tim left the Bit, where he was the bar manager for a number of years.  Tim got married and he and D'Anne had a son and Patrick became attached to a swim club.  Enter Tim to organize a few golf scrambles, raising tons of money for the swim club.  Patrick now plays baseball, and Oskar Blues was part of the Niwot Baseball fund raising, where Tim and the owner, Dale Katechis became acquainted.  The Longmont Men's Golf Tourney did not have a sponsor.  We played golf together at Twin Peaks on a Wednesday about three weeks before the tournament.  A brief conversation with the Twin Peaks Men's Club president, Ryan Richards about getting a sponsor, and the next day, a major sponsor emerged, breathing new life into an event that I look forward to every year.  http://www.timescall.com/sports/localsports/ci_23645776/oskar-blues-breathes-new-life-into-city-championship

The big news from the golf tournament, aside from the Oskar Blues sponsorship, was Dr. Guy Mertz's second consecutive victory in the Championship Flight.  But more important to me, I won the Third Flight with a come-from-behind victory in the final round on Sunday at Ute Creek.  I was two strokes behind the leader, Rich Wooley, after Friday's round at Sunset (81 with two balls out of bounds) and Saturday at Twin Peaks (79 with one OB).  We were grouped together in the final foursome of our flight on Sunday at Ute Creek.  I birdied two par 5s (#7 and #13), while Wooley took double bogies on those holes giving me a 6-stroke lead going to the par-5 #17.  Even a triple bogie 8 on that hole wasn't enough for me to choke up the tourney title.  I won by 4 and had to endure 'friendly' accusations of being a sandbagger. 

Here's the best definition I could find: "Sandbagger" is a derogatory term in golf that applies to golfers who cheat by pretending to be worse golfers than they really are. The term can be thought of two ways:
1. Generally, any golfer who misleads others about his ability level, claiming to be worse than he actually is at golf, might be a sandbagger. If the person is not trying to gain from that deception, no problem (he might even be aware he is misleading others about his ability - he might just have low self-esteem). But a golfer who deliberately misleads others about his ability in order to gain in some way - to win a bet, for example - is a sandbagger.2. More specifically, a sandbagger is a golfer who artificially inflates his handicap index in order to better his chances of winning tournaments or bets. A sandbagger is considered by many to be the lowest form of life on a golf course. A sandbagger can inflate his handicap index by selectively leaving out his best rounds of golf when he posts scores for handicap purposes. Then, when the sandbagger enters a tournament, he claims, for example, a handicap index of 18 when, in fact, his true handicap might be closer to, as an example, 12. Voila, the sandbagger has just bought himself six extra strokes off his net score, and improved his odds of winning his flight or the tournament.Sandbaggers are, at base, cheaters and hustlers. Golfers who are found out to be sandbaggers are often ostracized and always looked down upon. Winning a tournament or bet in this fashion is called "sandbagging." A golfer who has won by sandbagging is said to have "sandbagged" his opponents.  Picture below:

Whatever, I post all my scores, count all my strokes, and play to the best of my ability on any given day.  And on that weekend, I played less badly than my opponents, I even only needed one golf ball to play the final 36 holes.  Then, I lost it out of bounds the next day at Sunset on the first hole, somewhere in the Dickens' back yard.

Golf is great.  Fresh air, good friends and continual challenge.  Today, as I turn 63 years old, I am grateful for this wonderful game, and hope against all hope, that I may someday be alive enough and skilled enough to shoot my age.  Cheers!

Spring Training Cometh Soon

It's a cold, breezy, cloudy day here, temperature barely above freezing.  But, the knowledge that "pitchers and catchers report...", this week, warms my blood.  Winter is NOT my favorite season, in fact, it is my least popular time of the year.  I do appreciate that Winter makes me appreciate the coming of Spring, but I do not ski, nor do I like being cold.  Funny, ironic, because I love the changing seasons here in Colorado, but I do wish that Winter were more wintry than it has been.  We need the snow, the moisture to ensure green fairways this summer and wildfire abatement in our tinderbox-dry foothills, mountains and prairies.  I realize that, while playing numerous rounds of golf in December, January and February here in Longmont, that we shall all pay for it later, with drought conditions and water rationing this summer.  I almost feel envy from the conditions being experienced in the northeastern part of the country right now, seeing pictures of people digging out from tons of snow, the power outages, the paralyzing effect of Nature unleashing her precipatory fury on mostly powerless human beings.  I am mostly glad that it's happening there and not here, but conscious of the repercussions from the lack of snow here.

The Broncos and Denver, indeed the entire Rocky Mountain Empire, still grieve over the failure of our beloved NFL Football Team to deliver a title to our loyal fan base.  The way it all ended will be cause for much discussion over the course of the football off-season and beyond.  Tie ballgame, thirty-one seconds left in regulation, two time-outs remaining, ball on our own twenty, Peyton F. Manning trots onto the field, and, KNEELS DOWN?  Unforgivable, not since Half-a-loaf Lou Saban, Bronco head coach from 1966 to 1971, ordered quarterback Don Horn to kneel down with the score tied 10-10 against Don Schula's Miami Dolphins in the season opening game of 1971, at the newly remodeled Mile High Stadium, has surrender been met with such derision.  Denver's 'offense' that day in 1971 consisted of Floyd Little left, Floyd Little right and Floyd Little up the middle, 23 carries for 70 yards.  Former Buff, Bobby Anderson, did carry the ball 8 times and caught 5 passes.  Dolphin QB Bob Griese and his squad turned the ball over to the Broncos 5 times that game, but Denver's offense was mostly ineffectual, yet still led 10-3 into the fourth quarter, until Griese connected on a 31-yard TD pass to Paul Warfield to tie the score, with still plenty of time left.  Denver did get the ball back with three minutes to go, and Little did pick up 30 yards on a run into Miami territory, but after two incomplete passes, Saban ordered QB Horn to run out the clock as the sellout crowd at Mile High lustfully registered its disapproval.  Saban's explanation to the media afterward: 

"We had chances, they had chances. We blew them."
"They had better personnel on that club than us and I wasn't about to let them win it."
"What's the old saying, 'A half a loaf is better than none'?"

Saban was gone from Denver before the 1971 season ended.

To be fair, John Fox surrendering to a tie against the Ravens in regulation wasn't what cost the Broncos the game.  Denver's defense surrendered way before that.  And, it only became fitting that PFManning gift-wrapped the deciding interception to Raven CB Corey Graham with 1:33 remaining in the second overtime.  That was the third turnover of the game for Manning, who never looked comfortable in the frigid conditions at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.  If not for Bronco kick returner Trindon Holliday's two touchdowns (90-yard punt return to open the scoring in the first quarter, before PFM had even touched the ball, and a 104-yard kickoff return to open the second half), the game would have been a blowout in regulation.  Peyton threw 4 touchdown passes in the game.  Unfortunately, one of them went the wrong way, as Graham intercepted a high, deflected pass and scored from 39 yards in the first quarter.

At any rate, the Ravens continued on to beat the Patriots and gain entry into the Super Bowl against the 49ers.  Ravens won, who cares, they covered the over.  Football's done, step aside, it's time for baseball! 

Oh, wait, the Nuggets are on a 9-game winning streak, longest for the franchise since 2005.  This year's edition of George Karl's Nuggets is interesting, fun to watch.  Not like Melo's Nuggets.  I hope they do well, especially since their chief nemesis in the playoffs has been the LA Lakers, and Kobe's team is in danger of not even making it to the playoffs this year.

Attention now, deservedly, turns to baseball.  Not so much for our Colorado Rockies.  Under the radar is an overstatement of how little attention is being paid to our loveable(?) losers there on Blake Street.  New manager (Walt Weiss), hitting coach (Dante Bichette), pitching coach (Jim Wright, unfortunately, not my son-in-law's dad), third base coach (Stu Cole), first base coach (Rene Lacheman), bullpen coach (Bo McLaughlin) and catching coach (Jerry Weinstein).  Gone, is Jim Tracy, who managed from May 29, 2009 until he resigned on October 7th, stating at that time that "I am not the man for this job any longer.   A lot of situations have changed since I was first asked to manage this club."  Changes dictated by General Manager Dan O'Dowd and Director of Major League Operations Bill Geivett, and endorsed by owners Dick and Charlie Monfort.  Changes necessitated by the inability to find and develop Major League caliber pitching talent and conform them to the unique challenges presented by playing half their games at a mile high.

Gone, also, will be Jason Giambi, who did interview for the managerial position vacated when Tracy resigned.  Giambi could return, as a backup and designated driver for Todd Helton, but that seems unlikely.

Joining returning bench coach, Tom Runnels (from Greeley) are pretty much the entire squad from 2012 that lost 98 games.  The improvement that the Rockies brass and optimistic Rockies fans hope for boils down to one thing: improved health.  Troy Tulowitzki, Jorge DeLa Rosa, Juan Nicasio, Jhoulys Chacin, Todd Helton, Michael Cuddyer, Christian Friedrich.  In O'Dowd's and Geivett's eyes, these players all count as off-season acquisitions, since they all missed significant parts of last year's dismal season.  Re-signing Jeff Francis and inviting Yorvit Torrealba and Manny Corpus back are attempts at reconnecting with success enjoyed by the franchise back in 2007 and 2009.  Alas, the probability is clear that the Rockies will be out of contention by Memorial Day, again.  Why, our Denver Nuggets may be still be playing in June, when the Rox will most probably be 10 games behind both the Dodgers and the Giants in the NL West.  The highlight of the 2013 season, for me, will be when the Yankees visit Coors Field in May.

Not to be a Negative Nellie, but dwelling on the Colorado Rockies fortunes makes me feel like I did in the late 60s and early 70s, when the Yankees were owned by CBS, and they sucked.  The Bronx Bombers played in the 1964 World Series, capping a 5-year period where they appeared in five consecutive championship series.  They lost in 1960 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Bill Mazeroski's 9th inning homer in game 7.  New York beat the Cincinnati Reds in 1961 and the San Francisco Giants in 1962, lost to the LA Dodgers in 1963 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964.  They did not return to the World Series until 1976.  From 1921 through 1963, the Yankees appeared in the World Series as American League Champions 29 times, winning 20 championship rings.  When CBS owned the team from 1964 through 1972, they never made it to the Series.  George Steinbrenner bought the team in 1973, and they were back on top by 1977.  They won again in 1978, then, captain Thurman Munson was killed in a plane crash in August of 1979, and the Yankees didn't win The Series again until 1996, Derek Jeter's rookie year.

Ironically, because Steinbrenner didn't believe Jeter was ready to be the regular Yankee shortstop for the 1996 season, he authorized a trade with the Seattle Mariners that would have shipped a young Mariano Rivera away in exchange for shortsop Felix Fermin.  But, new Yankee manager Joe Torre, director of scouting Gene Michael and assistant general manager Brian Cashman successfully argued to let Jeter begin the season at shortstop, thereby allowing them to keep Mariano Rivera in the process.  Jeter went on to bat .314, score 104 runs and hit 10 HRs with 78 RBIs.  He was unanimously selected AL Rookie of the Year, only the fifth time in 50 years, while Rivera has recorded a Major League record 608 saves and has finished 892 games in his career, all for the Yankees, thank goodness.  On May 3rd last year Mo went down with a knee injury that ended his season, but he returns healthy this season, hopefully to continue his remarkable pitching career.

Early predictions: Al East Baltimore Orioles, AL Central Detroit Tigers, AL West LA Angels, Wildcards NY Yankees and Oakland A's.  NL East Washington Nationals, NL Central Cincinnati Reds, NL West LA Dodgers, Wildcards Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants.  Tigers beat the Orioles in the ALCS, Nationals beat the Dodgers in the NLCS.  Washington Nationals World Series Champs.  Rockies might win 75 games this year.

I leave you with this, a quote from the incomparable Dodgers announcer, Vin Scully:

"Football is to baseball as blackjack is to bridge. One is the quick jolt. The other the deliberate, slow-paced game of skill, but never was a sport more ideally suited to television than baseball. It's all there in front of you. It's theatre, really. The star is the spotlight on the mound, the supporting cast fanned out around him, the mathematical precision of the game moving with the kind of inevitability of Greek tragedy. With the Greek chorus in the bleachers!"