Denver News Blog

Jerry Schemmel will be watching a different kind of ballin'.

​Denver Nuggets backers have had to make do with less Jerry Schemmel than they'd like; the team's longtime radio broadcaster has only been calling home games of late.

But before long, Nugs fans will have to go cold turkey. Schemmel has accepted the job to serve as the radio voice of the Colorado Rockies. Denver's game against the Charlotte Bobcats on January 25, a week from today, will be the last he'll call for the Nuggets.

Schemmel's got plenty of reasons for making the move, including one that may surprise some Nuggets fans, if not close watchers of his career: "Baseball has been my first love from day one."

The Rockies give Jim Tracy a well-deserved hug.

​Don't know if the Colorado Rockies had inside information about Jim Tracy being named the National League manager of the year yesterday -- and even if there was no heads-up, execs certainly could have guessed. Who was more deserving of the honor than Tracy, who transformed a Rockies squad headed for the tank into a playoff team?

Whatever the case, the Rockies' announcement of a new three-year contract for Tracy shortly after the manager-of-the-year news surfaced seems like the opposite of a coincidence -- and yet the timing was appropriate. Tracy absolutely deserved a long-term commitment, and he's the right person to helm the club going forward -- a far better tactician and strategist than Cliff Hurdle, with a temperament that's upbeat and positive without shading into self-promotion.

A Flickr photo.

​The end of baseball season is always a sad day, no matter when or how it ends. It means, among other things, that Saturday-afternoon errands will no longer be buoyed by the baseball on the car radio; that excuses to drink $9 drafts and yell at grown men are limited to Sundays; that this thing, this force, that's been with you every day since March is now officially in hibernation, stored neatly in the recesses of Coors Field (or wherever they keep these guys) until spring. Yeah, the playoffs will continue as scheduled. But around here, baseball season is very, very over.

​Homer Duggins is the biggest sports fan in Denver and Westword's gambling, uh, "expert." Read his dispatches every Friday in the Latest Word sports section.

What's that noise? It's a little whisper I keep hearing, a whisper becoming louder and louder, blowing on the wind until it becomes a roar drowning out every other sound. The noise? I think you probably already guessed, didn't you? SUPER BOWL!!!

That's right. You know you've thought about it, and if you haven't, well, then I've thought about it enough for both of us. Because no one, and I mean no one, can deny that our Mighty Denver Broncos have to be considered the favorite to get there right now.

How can I say that this early in the season? Uh, do the numbers 79-26 mean anything to you? They should, because that's the combined scores of the Broncos last four games, the games that gave us a 4-0 record. And if that doesn't convince you, then maybe this will: We have already played through the hardest part of our entire schedule!

​Cue the shameless self-promotion. Village Voice Media, of which Westword is a part, has put together a new website offering an alternative take on the current Major League Baseball playoffs -- meaning some of the posts include words that Joe Buck would be fired for saying on the air (including some that kinda rhyme with "Joe Buck"). Check out edgy coverage of the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (wish they could make that name a little longer), Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals and, yes, your Colorado Rockies at VillageVoice.com/baseball. Get in the game, damn it (and even better profanities).

Huston Street heads toward his teammates after finishing off the Phils last night.

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Even after the Wacky Wednesday loss in game one of their playoff series against the Philllies, the Rockies still had a chance to regain home-field advantage -- and they managed to do so with a little help from a pair of players obtained in the trade that sent Matt Holliday to the also-ran Oakland A's. Carlos Gonzalez went three-for-five and scored the game's ever-important first run, while closer Huston Street helped record the final outs (albeit after opening the door much wider than he should have). Meanwhile, Holliday bobbled a routine fly ball in the ninth, committing an error that led directly to the L.A. Dodgers taking a 2-0 lead over his current squad, the St. Louis Cardinals.

Yeah, we miss Holliday, and wish he was part of the Rockies' success this season. But what initially looked like a terrible deal for Colorado has turned out to be much closer to a wash than anyone imagined. And last night, it was a lot better than that.

​Most commentators discussing the Philadelphia Phillies' 5-1 dismantling of the Colorado Rockies yesterday came to the conclusion that the P-men simply outclass the Rocks on every level -- an easy conclusion to draw if you suffered through the last five innings. But amid the destruction, there was reason for hope, and not just because Troy Tulowitzki knocked in a last-minute run to prevent Cliff Lee from registering a complete-game shutout. Nearly every member of the Rockies who played well down the stretch was subpar yesterday -- poor batting, poor fielding, poor everything -- with the exception of pitcher Franklin Morales, who actually looked good, in contrast to recent performances so miserable we urged Jim Tracy to sit him. As I watched him, I realized: It was a "wacky Wednesday."

As lovers of great literature know, Wacky Wednesday is a Dr. Seuss book in which, for the length of one wacky day, opposites abound: birds chase cats, shoes fly, and Franklin Morales is the most consistent performer on the Colorado Rockies.

Okay, that last part isn't in there -- but you get the point. With Aaron Cook on the mound today for the Rockies, the world should right itself after yesterday's wackiness. If you need reassurance, call the Dr.

Ryan Spilborghs.

​You're the Philadelphia Phillies -- the defending World Series champs, and winner of three consecutive National League East crowns. You've got a lineup filled with stars like Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Cliff Lee. The entire sporting press, and much of the public, expects you to roll over the Rockies in the first round of the playoffs, set to begin a little over an hour from now, gaining revenge for being swept by the Colorado club in 2007. As such, you can be excused for looking at the Rockies' roster and saying, "Who the hell are these guys?" And please continue to do so -- because the Rockies have excelled during the Jim Tracy mini-era thanks to unexpected contributions from players whose national reputations are only a little bit higher than that of the team's bat boy. Here are five you can feel free to overlook until after they've made you pay for your lack of respect.

Rick Reilly laps it up.

​On Monday, we told ou about ESPN columnist Rick Reilly's April promise to "tongue-bathe the Capitol dome if the Rockies make the playoffs" -- and his subsequent vow to make good on this lost bet. He proved as good as his (second) word yesterday, gamely lapping the golden cap in the presence of Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, who knows a good photo opportunity when he sees one. Granted, Reilly could have lingered longer: Here's hoping that when he's licking other domes during those special, private moments, he's not in such a hurry to move on. But at least he had a good line ready after he finished. According to him, the Capitol "tasted like crow."

Look below for more photos of Reilly's excursion into French eroticism and exterior building cleanup, courtesy of KOA radio.

Shawn Chacon poses for the law.

​There was a lot of blab a few years back about the Colorado Rockies looking to sign Christian ballplayers. And while that may not thrill assorted atheists, pagans and druids, not to mention Pedro Cerrano, the voodoo-doll worshipping character played by Dennis Haysbert in Major League, it's been good news for the fans in one way: Rockies players seldom get into trouble with the law. For the most part, they can be found in the sports section, not the crime blotter.

But all bets are off for former Rockies -- like Shawn Chacon, who was arrested at a bowling alley last night in Greeley, where he's a hometown hero, in relation to unpaid gambling debts in Las Vegas. Of course, professional athletes are discouraged from bet-making in the first place, and Chacon continues to fit the pro description, although barely. He was drafted by the Rockies in 1996 and remained with the club until 2005, when he was shipped to the Yankees. It was downhill from there -- he went next to the Pittsburgh Pirates, then to the Houston Astros, and last season, he pitched for the fabled Sacramento River Cats.

As for the current Rockies, they're focusing on Philadelphia, not the legal system. Praise Jesus!

​Homer Duggins is the biggest sports fan in Denver and Westword's gambling, uh, "expert." Read his dispatches every Friday in the Latest Word sports section.

What an incredible week it was for Denver sports! Good thing it's chilly now too, because it get really hot wearing my Sakic jersey on top of my Helton jersey on top of my Royal jersey. But it's worth it. Do you know why? Because I love the MILE HIGH!!!

And did I mention that I'm only an Abe Lincoln from breaking even. This week is when I start to make that Christmas/Hanukkah money.

Gotta start with Rocktober, baby! What's sffoyalp spelled backwards? That's right: Playoffs, and that's where my Rockies are going. I have to tell you, I've been thinking this team was playoff-bound since the first day of the season. Some doubters doubted during the first few months, but I knew what that was -- it was the Rocks making things interesting, adding a little adrenaline. And now, it has worked.

​It seems like less than two weeks ago that we launched Basebrawl, a trash-talking battle between Westword and the San Francisco Giants lovers at our sister paper, the SF Weekly -- maybe because it was less than two weeks ago. And in that short amount of time, the Giants managed to be passed in a fairly tight wild-card race by the Atlanta Braves, who'd been given up for dead by everyone other than those who noticed how many times they play the Washington Nationals before season's end -- not that it'll probably matter by then, given that the magic number is down to one.

As for the Giants, they've been slain by cruel mathematics. But the Weekly bowed out of Basebrawl in typical style, declaring that they hate the Rockies more than the Braves. Why? Because the Rocks' failure to knock off Atlanta even once in 1993 kept the Giants out of the playoffs.

​An account of last night's Rockies-Brewers game, as told by my large intenstine:

First inning: As Jason Marquis loads the bases, my digestive system begins to rumble in distress, only to give a sigh of relief, in a matter of speaking, when he escapes with no scoreboard damage. Things further loosen up when Todd Helton, the most locked-in batter on the planet right now, strokes a single to left, scoring Dexter Fowler. Starting to relax.

Second and third innings: Mike Cameron scores. Corey Hart scores. Brewers lead 2-1. Not relaxed anymore. Cramp! Cramp!

​Our Basebrawl series of trash-talking with the folks at the SF Weekly, our sister paper, en route to the MLB playoffs is winding down thanks to the Giants' 1-3 series against the Cubs over the weekend and a kind call on a Clint Barmes "catch" that allowed the Rockies to beat St. Louis on Sunday. But the Weekly crew still has a little spark left, despite the Giants' eagerness to piss all over it. After our Basebrawl blog yesterday, in which we needled the writers for scribbling about pitcher Justin Miller's tattoos instead of anything that took place on the diamond, they countered with reproductions of tats they claimed to have found on Miller's bod, both of which happen to target us. Take a look:

A photo of Clint Barmes (with the ball on the turf beside him) posted to a Denver Post fan page by reader Craig Welling.

​Clint Barmes' astonishing grab, which helped the Rockies preserve a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, turns out to have been neither astonishing nor a grab, as assorted photos that have been popping up in the past day or so prove. Clearly, the umpires missed Barmes' bobble -- but it's too early to categorize the gaffe as an all-timer. At this point, the Rockies aren't even assured of a playoff berth, what with the Atlanta Braves just two games back in the wild-card standings. If the Rocks make it by one game, however, this slight of hand has a chance to join seven of Major League Baseball's other classic blown calls assembled by USA Today last year. And the Rockies already claim one of the positions. Here's the roster:

Jeff Kingery.

​Here's some odd (or maybe not so odd) timing. Even as the Colorado Rockies are fighting to secure a playoff berth, KOA has confirmed that Jeff Kingery, the squad's play-by-play man since its inception, will retire at the end of the season. But while the outlet's press release is as sweet as sweet can be, it's barely two months removed from Kingery's de facto demotion. As the Denver Post reported back in July, "Kingery and the Rockies had a major disagreement over a verbal outburst by Kingery on the team bus following a game last month at Dodger Stadium." Afterward, Kingery was told he would call only two more road series -- one in San Diego right after the All-Star break and the season ender against the Dodgers in L.A. -- in addition to the home contests. However, he wouldn't be allowed to travel on the Rockies' charter flight or bus during those trips.

Sheer coincidence? If so, it's a mighty large one, even if Kingery had considered retirement at the end of last season, as Clear Channel Denver boss Lee Larsen claims in the aforementioned release. Read it below:

​This whole Basebrawl idea, in which we would trash talk with the San Francisco Giants lovers at our sister publication, the SF Weekly, along the road to the playoffs, hasn't turned out to be much of a fight. Moments ago, I cyber-ambled over to the Weekly's news blog to see how the paper would spin a 1-3 series against the Chicago Cubs. However, the only Giants blog up so far this morning concerns relief pitcher Justin Miller, who has a lot of tattoos. I didn't see any of them that read, "When's my tee time?," but maybe I missed it. Take a look for yourself:

​I've been waiting for the deluded denizens at SF Weekly, our sister paper, to start crowing about the Rockies' dispiriting performance over the past couple days, when they dropped two at home to the friggin' San Diego Padres. (Note: From this point on, Franklin Morales' pitch count should be one. If his first throw isn't the most astonishing strike ever hurled, his ass should be re-introduced to the bench until his contract expires.) Instead, yesterday evening, the paper published "Will Colorado Rockies' Success Bring About the Apocalypse?," in which it recycled the blather about the Rocks being the most Christian team in baseball. Of course, these jibes were inspired by three-year-old stories from the period when a certain Clint Hurdle was manager - and in case you hadn't noticed, Colorado cleared that Hurdle months ago. The guy in charge of the team now is Jim Tracy, who may be a nice Christian guy, too, for all we know - and if he is, he needs to pray harder. Jesus Christ helped the Broncos beat the Cincinnati Bengals at the start of the NFL season, so at least he knows the neighborhood.

As for the Giants, it may be sell-your-soul to Satan time given what happened to them last night.

​We've heard a whole lotta nothing from the Giants-loving trash-talkers at our sister paper, the SF Weekly, over the past couple of days. I expected an outburst yesterday, after the G-men bested lowly Arizona Monday to gain half a game on the idle Rockies. Probably one filled with more misinformation, like the recent claim that Denver had never "felt the joy of a sporting championship that wasn't connected to John Elway's equine, leering mug." Folks in the Bay obviously forgot all about the two Stanley Cups earned by the Colorado Avalanche, which makes sense considering that the closest things to hockey in that town are iced lattes.