Denver Colorado Sports Thread
 

Coors Field ready for Rockies-Phillies opener
By Tom McGhee
The Denver Post
Posted: 04/10/2009 08:07:46 AM MDT

Patrick Vigil, left, Mike Archuleta and Christopher L. Chavez of Denver have been to all Rockies home openers since 1993. The stood outside Coors Field on April 10, 2009. (THE DENVER POST | JOHN PRIETO)
Brent Skaleske looks over his turkey legs and hot sausage outside Coors Field on April 10, 2009, the day of the home opener. (THE DENVER POST | JOHN PRIETO)Related
Rockies Opening Day
Apr 10:
Sports teams feel crunchOpening Day festivities will be short on hooplaTulo's taking a mature approachBad economy good deal for baseball fansRockies Opening Day: Brief historyCoors Field sparkles in the sunlight, its grass clipped smooth as the felt on a pool table, while workers prepare for opening day.

Somewhere on the concourse, hot dogs and onions grill, the smell floating through the air.

In the Rockies' locker room, the equipment is unpacked. Bats, gloves, shoes and hats lined neatly in lockers.

Today is Home Opener. The 2009 christening of Coors Field when the Rockies will play host to the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m., but the preparations have been going on for a while.

It is time to play ball, said Mark Razum, Coors head grounds keeper.

No matter how many times you prepare a big league ball park for opening day the process

Colorado Rockies
Browse a gallery of fans determined to buy Rock Pile tickets for the home opener.
Watch as Rockies fans line up for tickets to Opening Day.
Listen to audio slide show of Rockies grounds crew preparing for home opener.

Much of the work needed for game day has been done over the past few days. The opening day logos - "Opening Day 2009" - for example were painted a few days ago.

For Razum's crew, the remaining preparation is more or less the same as for any other game, he said. "We will mow again the infield and outfield, edge the grass, go to the pitcher's mound to make sure the dimensions are right .... rake, drag and water the infield."

Mowers take the outfield grass down to seven-eighths of an inch, and the infield is trimmed to one-and-three-eighths, Razum said. The longer infield grass helps to slow the ball.

William London was cleaning the Rockies' dugout on Thursday, leveling a powerful stream of water onto the roof. "I've got the best office in here," he said.

Richard Cordova and Madora Stauffer were carefully spreading paint onto the right field wall near the pole that marks an out of bounds ball.

Most of their work was touch-up, said Cordova, who had just finished painting over the foul line that runs down the wall.

"We started getting

Rockies fans waited outside Coors Field to buy Rock Pile tickets on the day of the first home opener, April 10, 2009. (THE DENVER POST | JOHN PRIETO)ready for opening day after the last pitch of the last game last season," said Cordova. "We can't wait for the first pitch. It is pretty exciting, you get huge crowds, there is excitement in the air."
Mike Pontarelli, assistant clubhouse manager, was prowling the clubhouse as his crew unpacked bats, gloves and other new equipment from Louisville Slugger, Nike and other vendors. "We just unpacked everything we shipped back from Tucson. Now we are fine tuning and getting everything in shape, making sure each guy has everything he needs."

The guys receive new stuff and equipment at the beginning of the season."

Pitcher Jorge De La Rosa was nearby preparing to work out. The left hander, who came to the team from the Kansas City Royals

About 300 Colorado Rocky fans were out early Friday morning line up to buy Rock Pile tickets. Sleeping is Markeius Cropp, 16, of Denver, who was there since 3:30 a.m. on April 10, 2009. (THE DENVER POST | JOHN PRIETO)in 2008, was nervous when he arrived last year, he said. This year, he is just "very excited. I am going to work hard to get a good season and help the team."
Tom McGhee: (303)954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com


And on a side note the LA Lakers were handed that game last night IMHO the calls were ridiculous! The Nuggs seemed to kind of just give up toward the last 2-4 Minutes. And I don't blame them, if it were me I would have just dribbled the ball and threw it outta bounds every time. What's the point, when the calls were so blantant and one sided. That's okay I think the Nuggets will end up with home court advantage. As the NBA Season comes to and end, we have the MLB Season getting ready to go! I can't wait, I love going to the games at Coors Field in the Summer. GO ROCKIES! GO NUGGETS! :cheers:

Is this thread only for Denver sports or can any Colorado sports team be included? An example would be college sports as they can be just as big as pro teams.

It's looking like Denver and Utah in the first round, should be a good matchup. I look forward to a great smack talking session if it happens ;).

College is fine, Denver area or Colorado area, if you have something you'd like to share on the College level, share it! :tup:

All I know is my prediction that the Nuggets would win between 55 and 57 wins resulted in some nasty Denver bashing ;-) Now look where we stand! 53 Wins with two more games to go. 55 Wins is still within reach and my prediction has already proved to be darn close as is.

If it weren't for that 4-8 stretch at the beginning of March, the Nuggets would likely already have 55 wins right now and be going for my best case projection of 57 wins. But, they hit a small road bump (as I projected might happen) and so now are only on pace for my low estimate of 55 wins.

Five QB candidates vying for right to lead the ThunderWolves.
 

This is Colorado State University's second season since the return of football and they have a great pool of potential quarterbacks. This was in the Pueblo Chieftain, the states oldest news daily newspaper, on April 9.


There is no official depth chart for the quarterback position on the Colorado State University-Pueblo football team.

At least not yet.

Tanner Rogers, however, didn't hesitate when asked where he thought he ranked in the pecking order.

"I'm No. 5 right now," Rogers said after a spring practice in full pads early Wednesday morning. "I've been away from football for six years and it's taking me some time to get my bearings and there's been some growing pains. I've worked hard to get myself back into (football) shape, so now I can focus on the on-field stuff."

This is the first spring since 2003 that Rogers hasn't played baseball. After winning a state football championship his senior year at Columbine High School, Rogers signed with the Florida Marlins. He developed as a catcher and reached as high as Double A ball before turning in the tools of ignorance.

"I wanted to go to school so I could teach and coach," he said. "This football thing was kind of a surprise, but it's been great so far."

At 24, Rogers is considered a non-traditional-aged freshman - at least to his teammates.

"That's the running joke around here," he said. "But playing in the minors, being on my own at 18, learning how to be a professional, be a good teammate, those are things that help me lead around here.

"I'm hard on these guys all the time. I stay on them to do the work in the classroom and in the weight room, because if they don't do the work there, then we can't get the work done on the field."

Rogers and fellow quarterback Colin Clancy are new to the ThunderWolves' program. They are battling incumbents Bobby Washington and Joe Vigil, along with redshirt freshman Will Paddock, who also has a year in the system.

The five share a competitiveness and fire. But they are as different in skill sets as they are in personalities. Quarterbacks coach Mike Babcock said their differences are what set them apart.

"I have an idea in my mind where we're at right now, but we came into this spring with the job wide open and everyone is getting a real shot," Babcock said. "We're switching out a lot, so the reps are getting a little watered-down. But we think all five of them are getting a fair look.

Washington, a junior who was 4-2 as a starter last year, has been through the rigors of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. He has been hardened by the long bus trips, cold weather and the transfer to CSU-Pueblo from Adams State. He threw eight touchdown passes and just three interceptions last season, but his grip on the position was tenuous coming into the spring.

"Bobby knows what it takes to play in this league, and what it takes to win games," Babcock said. "Just like every other position on this team, nothing is guaranteed right now. Bobby knows that."

Vigil is a sophomore who started two games a season ago. What he lacks in size and arm strength, he makes up for in leadership.

"He battles. Day in and day out, Joe is battling," Babcock said.

Paddock struggled to grasp the college game last year, but Babcock said the former Trojan has turned his game up a notch and showed polish and poise during spring drills.

And Clancy, who prepped at Silver Creek High School in Longmont, is gifted in size and arm strength. He transferred from the University of Central Oklahoma but has just one year of eligibility remaining.

Head coach John Wristen said competition among the five will only make the ThunderWolves better.

"We are looking for the guy who can best manage the game for us," Wristen said. "We want a guy who takes care of the football, doesn't throw interceptions and takes control of this team. It's as simple as that.

"We ask them to do things in the passing game, and now we're asking them to do a little more in the running game. But we expect all of them to be able to lead this offense by example."

Wristen said he wants to name his starting quarterback early in the fall.

"They're all auditioning right now because we want to have our guy as soon as possible," he said. "We're not looking for Superman. Just Clark Kent, a guy who can give us a chance."

ROCKIES WIN HOME OPENER! 10 - 3 Against the 2008 Champs Philly Phillies. Now that's how you open up a Season! GO ROCKIES! I cannot wait to see how this Season pans out. Hopefully it will have some promise... :tup:

I am still mad over the loss of Cuttler.....

I'm mad to see the talent that Cutler had go to Chicago, but I don't miss him as a person. I am not a fan of Kyle Orton, though. I thought we were going to end up with Brady Quinn. *sigh*

I'm really excited about the Nuggets. I feel really confident that they will get out of the first round — finally. Especially if we end up facing Dallas. Utah is better than their record.

But, seeing that the Nuggets have some serious salary cap issues after the offseason, I am worried that this might be the closest the Nugs get to a championship in a long time. I am preparing myself to be happy with a conference finals loss to the Lakers. I just hope it goes six or seven games.

Cutler is young and he had a good thing here in Denver, but I belive he will be fine in Chicago too, as far as Denver getting Kyle Orton? Yeah not so thrilled. I was honestly hoping for Brady Quinn as well, but Denver is looking solid for the draft, beef up the Defense and create a solid offensive line and I think an average QB will become a rising Star! But that's just my humble opinion.

As for the Nuggets if K-Mart is back in action and healthy? I think the Nuggets will be a suprising contender in the Playoffs. I think for the Nuggets to go deep in the playoffs the Starters are going to have to be WAY MORE AGGRESSIVE, and the Bench is going to have to play better than they ever have all Season. If George Karl cannot get the teams head right for the Playoffs? Then they will not make it very far, and I believe he will be looking for a new Job in the off season... ;)

um, didn't you bump it up to 60 wins when billups came? the 55 projection was with iverson. i didn't forget... and now i can rub it in your face.

k, now i'll stay out of this denver thread.

any "projections" made, are automatically void if a team makes a trade or signing as they are no longer the same team. It requires re-evaluation with each acquisition, and you are failing to recognize that.

Eww BURN! John just TORCHED PHX31... LOL

/\ Actually I think he TORCHED Snyder. Snyder did a re-evaluation after the trade and said 60 wins... now he's saying he was right on the money with his original projection, which is void. Unless of course he predicted prior to the season (which he failed to mention) that Iverson would get traded to Detriot for Billups.

Dude, do you ALWAYS have to piss on everyone's cereal when you come in here? My god, you're such a fool... :rolleyes: Thankfully you don't represent all Phoenix forumers, otherwise the place would be doomed.

Aaron (Glowrock)

Nope, I didn't bump it up to 60 wins. You obviously did forget. I had suggested 60 wins might be possible. But ultimately I went with 55-57 wins. Lets just hope Denver keeps up the good play and wins out the final two games and reaches a new franchise record of 55 wins. They need to start pushing the offense through Nene even harder. They let the Lakers game slip away, because they didn't push for penetration hard enough. When they resort to jump shooting, the other team pulls ahead. They seem to create all their opponents runs, by regressing into a jump shooting team. One pass, shoot offense is the only thing they need to work harder on eliminating from their play.

:haha: My new favorite quote.

Rox lose 8-4 tonight. Oh well. Our offense is explosive right now. Everyone in our lineup expcept for 3 or 4 players have home run. The others have doubles and triples. Cookie on the mound tomorrow. It'd be great to win back to back series to start the year. :cheers:

Glad I could provide some comic relief, FrancoRey. And let's face it, every time PHX31 comes around here, all hell breaks loose, meaning we need as much comic relief as possible! :haha:

Aaron (Glowrock)

Whatever, PHX31 is like a bit, soggy wet blanket. It's all washed up.

I hope to see the Nuggets move past the first round and hit the Western Conference Finals versus the Lakers. But, if not, I want to see the Cavilers see the Finals since I saw their enthusiasm back in 2007.

To piss off Eyore I will mention that Metro Stae has won 4 NCAAA DII championships in two sports since 2000 to CSU-Pueblos' none. Ha ha.

Actually... I think phoenix is already doomed.

I mean hello.

They have no water.
The city has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country.
Area has high unemployment.

etc, etc, etc