Denver Blog

I'm mad.

Mad about new Broncos coach JoshMcDufus's arrogantly poor handling of the Jay Cutler affair, mad about his signing of, as my friend Mayf called it, the PuPu Platter of washed up running backs (Correll Buckhalter, J.J. Arrington and LaMont Jordan) to compliment (?) our existing cast of beat-up backs -- Team X-Ray, as I call them.

And now I'm even angrier at McDufus's drafting of a running back as his first pick during the weekend's NFL draft. A sound strategy for a team with the worst defense in the league would have been to draft defensive guys this year and go with offense next year, especially because there are at least three great QBs coming out in 2010.

Instead, McDufus took Knowshon Moreno, who gave a great interview and had a stellar career at the University of Georgia, but isn't a defensive player. I swear that the only reason the coach took an RB first was because Mike Shanahan was always praised for his abilities to find terrific runners in the fifth and sixth and seventh rounds of the draft. McDufus clearly wanted to establish himself as a different person.

And he has.

Adding insult to injury, however, was a spam e-mail I received from the Denver Broncos Pro Shop (above) just hours after Knowshon (who I have nothing against) was picked, offereing to sell me a Moreno jersey for $71.99 (regularly $79.99).

Thanks but knowthanks. Since I bought an Eddie Royal jersey last year and invested more in a Cutler jersey for my son (thanks for wasting my money there, McDufus. Oh, and would mind explaining to a six-year old why his quarterback plays for the Bears now?), I think I'll pass on a Knowshon jersey.

Oh, and as for tickets to watch the Broncos play, I may pass on those too -- unless, or course, McDufus can make it stop snowing.

See more of Aaron Thackeray's photos at westword.com/slideshow.

The Lingerie Football League's Denver franchise, the Dream, held an open mini-camp/tryout at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Thursday, and because I'm as shameless as the next alleged journalist, I showed up. Here's what I saw:

Professional soccer players: As I made my way down to the field, I saw three or four members of the Colorado Rapids, Denver's Major League Soccer team, walking out of the stadium. As they passed the handful of media folks in attendance, I wondered how much it must hurt their insides to see more media at a tryout for an ill-fated woman's football league than one of their games. As they passed a DenverPost.com camerawoman, she asked if they wanted to say anything about the tryout on camera. One answered for the group: "I don't think I want to say anything about that."

A preview of tonight

So although the Nuggets let the Thunder stay in the game about 47 minutes too long last night, it's become evident they mean business this year. They sit at the number-two spot in the conference with three games to go, with some absolutely pivotal match-ups with the Lakers and the Trailblazers.

The Nuggets have also strung together a nice little eight-game win streak and have won twelve of the last thirteen.

Mike Shanahan, who was fired Tuesday, wasn't just the Denver Broncos' winningest and longest-tenured coach, he was also a repeat Westword Best of Denver award winner, taking home Best Coach - Professional in 1998 and 2007; Best Sack of a Bronco in 2004; Best Sporty Marshall in 2001; Best-Dressed Coach in 2000; and Best Coach, as voted by the readers, several times.

Now that Shanny is gone, who will win the coaching awards this year? To vote, click on our Best of Denver 2009 online reader's poll and voice your opinion. -- Jonathan Shikes

Tim Neverett, a former studio host for FSN Rocky Mountain and a Westword Best of Denver winner from 2005, was recently named the play-by-play announcer for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He joins Greg Brown and three other broadcasters there.

Neverett, 42, who filled in as a play-by-play announcer for the Colorado Rockies on a part-time basis, also worked for the VERSUS Television Network and for the Mountain West Conference Sports Network as a college football and basketball play-by-play guy.

His Westword award came for his work on the former ESPN AM-560 in Denver, where he co-hosted a radio talk show; Neverett also helmed a nationally syndicated radio show.

Neverett actually began his career at the age of nineteen, calling play-by-play for the Nashua (New Hampshire) Pirates, then a Double-A affiliate of the Pirates.

We wish him luck - mainly since the Pirates' last-place finish in their division last year was even worse than the Rockies' record. - Jonathan Shikes

Broncos fans distraught over the team's disintegration over the past three weeks are likely taking a break from all things sports today and probably tomorrow.

But for those of you who can't get enough pain, Opening Day for the 2009 Colorado Rockies is only 98 days away, and the home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies is only 102 days away.

Will the team be able to return to 2007 form without Matt Holliday or will they continue their miserable ways into the near future? Hard to know, but Major League Baseball has already forgotten that one glorious playoff run, at least when it comes to souvenirs.

For instance, 2007 NLCS Rockies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks caps, formerly $22.99, are now priced to sell at $9.97! Car flags and other souvenirs commemorating that season have also been reduced significantly. A $75.99 banner is now $19.97 for instance, while a $54.99 hoodie is only $29.97. So get your memories fast.

They can be quickly crushed. - Jonathan Shikes

To conclude our Buttoned Up series of political-campaign pins, here's a vintage item that's more timely than ever. On election day 2008, with George W. Bush's eighth year in office winding down, I think the idea of no third term is something ballot-casters of all descriptions can get behind. Now get out there and vote. -- Michael Roberts

Editor's note: To get you in the mood for ballot-casting, The Latest Word is kicking off each weekday between now and the November 4 election with Buttoned Up, a look at political buttons from my family's extensive collection...

Today, a bonus: not just a look at the rare political button that was wrong two elections in a row (Democrat Adlai Stevenson lost to Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956), but, after the jump, nine others dating from the 1910s to 2008. Take a gander. -- Michael Roberts

Editor's note: To get you in the mood for ballot-casting, The Latest Word is kicking off each weekday between now and the November 4 election with Buttoned Up, a look at political buttons from my family's extensive collection...

As is clear from this pin, pundit turned political candidate turned pundit Pat Buchanan made his opposition to abortion a major theme of his unsuccessful 1996 presidential race. Clearly, he loves children, even though most of them would run away in terror at the mere sight of him. Or maybe that's just me. Happy Halloween. -- Michael Roberts

Editor's note: To get you in the mood for ballot-casting, The Latest Word is kicking off each weekday between now and the November 4 election with Buttoned Up, a look at political buttons from my family's extensive collection...

Yes, George W. Bush and Richard B. "Dick" Cheney pledged to restore America's values. Went pretty well, didn't it? -- Michael Roberts