A busy, hectic week on all ends kept us from getting new material up, but that’s what the Weekend Fourteener is for – catching up. We’ll return to a semi-regular posting schedule this week with more Rockies content on the way, but for now, the Fourteener.
1. By the time you read this, the Denver Nuggets may no longer be in first place. Pending the result of their game in Sacramento tonight, the Nugs could lose their lead in the Northwest Division to the scorching-hot Utah Jazz. And frankly, it’s deserved, as the magic that seemed to hang over the team after the Chauncey Billups trade has dissolved. Injuries are starting to catch up (Kenyon Martin and Anthony Carter have missed recent games) and the lack of true bench talent this team has is being exposed. Chris Anderson can’t score, JR Smith can’t play defense, Linas Kleiza can’t do anything (we really should have traded this guy when we had the chance), and Carter might be the worst rotation player on any playoff team. Sure, not every player can be a complete player, but there just doesn’t seem to be a great five-player mix on this roster right now. Maybe they’re just in an extended funk, but with the Jazz and Blazers making their move, they need to snap out of it, and fast.
2. Nice to see the Rockies out of their spring training funk with three straight wins. The bats are starting to come around, and now that pitchers are allowed to throw pitches other than fastballs early in counts, they’re starting to have some more success. Franklin Morales threw four scoreless frames on Saturday, and Greg Reynolds followed that with four zeroes of his own in a start on Sunday. It’s good to see the competitors for the fifth starter role having some success.
3. The dramatic portion of the Cutler vs. McDaniels saga appears to have ended for now, as Cutler is expected to meet with the Broncos brass this weekend. But what happens if Jay decides he doesn’t like what he hears? What happens if he decides he really can’t play for a head coach that he doesn’t think wants him? I’m not sure, but if I had to guess I would say that ‘4-and-12’ would be prominently involved.
4. One lousy trade for the Colorado Avalanche at the trading deadline, shipping Jordan Leopold to the Flames in exchange for two nameless defensive prospects and a second-round draft choice. If the contracts for Ryan Smyth and Scott Hannan weren’t so prohibitive in terms of their trade value, they would likely have been gone as well, but the Avs should have done whatever they could to move the pieces that won’t be a part of their next good team. The good news for the Avalanche? They’ll almost surely be one of five teams in the NHL draft lottery to have a chance at the number 1 pick, meaning they could, with a stroke of luck, win the John Tavares sweepstakes. (The 18 year-old just might be the next Joe Sakic.)
5. Nice three-run double by Chris Iannetta for Team USA against Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic on Sunday night. It’s not going to take much to make Iannetta the best catcher in Rockies history – hell, he’s already the best homegrown backstop the franchise has ever come up with – but I don’t think it’s crazy to envision a 25-30 homer season in his future.
6. YouTube video for the weekend: an actual TV commercial that aired in 1990 for the city of Denver’s push for a Major League Baseball team. That site they’re standing on actually ended up being Coors Field, by the way.
7. Let me reiterate a point I made above: the Nuggets should have traded Linas Kleiza when they had the chance. He’s not getting any better as a basketball player. There’s no midrange game, no way of scoring off the dribble, and he’s only mediocre defensively.
8. Air Force men’s basketball – 0-16 in the Mountain West. Ouch, babe. Jeff Bzdelik ain’t walking through that door in the Springs. Unfortunately for Buzz, the door he is walking through doesn’t lead to anything all that much better – his Buffs only won one more conference game than the Zoomies.
9. Taylor Buchholz, out until at least May 1 with an elbow injury. This doesn’t consign the Rockies bullpen to crib death before the season even begins, but the loss of one of their three best relievers does create a hole in the back end, and I’m not sure how comfortable I am with Alan Embree, Jason Grilli, or Ryan Speier filling it. On a positive note, Bucky’s injury leaves room for Juan Morillo, he of the impossibly-fast, ramrod-straight fastball, to make the roster and function like a Rule V pickup a team tries to hide in the back of the bullpen.
10. Denver sports blog you need to be reading of the week: Mile High Hockey, whose takes on the Avalanche are far more frequent and educated than mine. Been a rough year, eh?
11. Link of the week: the new crop of Colorado Rockies commercials, which can be found here.
12. Lamont Jordan, come on down! You’re the next contestant on “Broken Down Free Agent Running Back Derby” at Dove Valley!
13. Remember Marcos Carvajal?
14. And finally, welcome back, Todd Helton. Helton made his spring debut on Sunday, and in his first at bat, slammed a homer to center field off of Padres starter Chris Young. Hit about 20 of those that matter this summer, Todd – which you haven’t done since 2005, I might add – and that’d go a long way towards having a little fun at the corner of 20th and Blake.
