Thanks for the ride

Well apparently the 9 days off and a better equipped team (talent and payroll) were a little too much - OK maybe way too much - for the Rockies to handle. Being that some members of my fam are pretty serious Sox fans, I wasn't too upset seeing Boston capture their second title in the last 4 years. It would have been nice to see the series at least head back to Boston, but I don't think that does anything to diminish what the Rockies did to capture the NL Pennant.

So to the Rockies I say thanks for the wild ride. And to their management I plead for them to keep this great core together and spend wisely over the next few years. There's no reason why we shouldn't be celebrating Rocktober again next year.

Who's hangin' with Big Mo?

Well both MLB baseball, the city of Boston, and several members of my family were finally able to breathe again last night. The Red Sox rolled through the Indians to advance to the World Series. I'm sure Bud the Boss is pretty happy to know that this World Series should be pretty widely watched. You could argue that the Series will feature one of the biggest bandwagon teams around against the biggest bandwagon team this season. So a lot of people should be tuning in.

The way the Red Sox rolled through the Indians after falling down 3-1 got me to thinking about momentum. No one really knows how to describe momentum in relation to sports, but you know it when you see it. You know it when a team blocks a punt and returns it for a touchdown. Or when a someone absolutely posterizes some poor dude on a dunk. You can also tell it in both the Rockies and the Red Sox right now. The Rockies have won 21 out of 22, and needed everyone of the first 14 to even make the playoffs. They rolled through both the Phillies and Diamondbacks, and in my book are on the greatest run ever. The Red Sox completely destroyed the Indians over the last three games of the ALCS. They outscored Cleveland 30-5 in those 3 games.

So who has Big Mo on their side as we head towards game 1 on Wednesday?

Many people would probably argue that - whatever it is - momentum goes away if you don't use it. The Rockies will have not played in 8 days come Wednesday. Will they still be riding this wave of Big Mo? Or is it in the hands of the suddenly surging Red Sox? The Rocks had 4 games off before they faced the D'Backs and that didn't hold them back. The real question for them will be how they respond against a team stocked with post-season experience. Hopefully both ride their collective momentum to a great series. I guess we won't really know until it gets underway. But my guess is that when Matt Holliday puts a hole in the Green Monster in the top of the first inning, we'll know!

Welcome to Big Time Football

When I made the move from Mountain West powerhouse University of Wyoming to the 11th member of the Big 10, I had prepared myself for everything football related to be bigger, much bigger. Now, I love the Cowboys. I'm typing this post while wearing a Wyoming Football Jersey I just got on eBay cause I had to send Waymon's old jersey back to Wyo. The big news in Cowboy history was beating UCLA 24-21 in thrilling fashion at the 2004 Las Vegas Bowl. But things at Penn State operate at a different level. Pre-season talk around here is about winning the National Championship (the Lions have 2). The recruits here are of a higher caliber. The Pokes have one recruit verbally committed with a rating of 70. Of the 10 verbal commits to Penn State, only 3 have a rating below 70. As I made clear earlier Beaver Stadium is really REALLY big. The coach is Joe freakin Paterno.

However, the off-field issues are also much bigger. Let's review for the folks back home. Since last season ended, Penn State football players (and coaches HAHA) have been involved in the following issues:

Today - Running Back Austin Scott charged with rape, sexual assault, and aggravated indecent assault in connection with an incident last weekend. He was suspended for the Iowa game for a violation of 'team rules.'

Also this week - Head Coach Joe Paterno was involved in some sort of a traffic incident. To me, it seems like it was a pretty hilarious encounter. At least thats the impression I get from the CDT.

Also this week - Several players were reportedly involved in a fight at the Student Union.

Also this week - Two reserve freshmen — punter Ryan Breen and tailback Joe Suhey — were cited by police for underage drinking.

Earlier this season - Tight end Andrew Quarless and backup defensive back Willie Harriott had been suspended by Paterno for a few games after university police cited them for underage drinking.

Last spring - Several players were disciplined after an altercation. Two of the players, safety Anthony Scirrotto and defensive lineman Chris Baker, are scheduled to stand trial in December on related criminal charges. From what I understand, Scirrotto was involved in a fight of some sort, gathered up his boys, and went back for some more. Paterno is currently making the team help clean the stadium after games.

Lets hope the squad can keep their minds on Wisconsin. My final score prediction: 5-3. Winner? Flip a coin. Both teams will get first half field goals and one will get a third quarter safety.

In other news, GO POKES! Let's get it to 5-1 this weekend. Just under 4 hours (10:18 eastern time) till the Rockies start again!

Playoffs - Divisional Round

I have been watching - and blogging about - a lot of baseball lately. But with all these quick series, I'm on baseball withdrawal so I feel the need to blog again. For me, the divisional round made two impressions. First, only one series went past 3 games. This means there are no games till Thursday, thanks to the new schedule based on TV contracts. Only one series clinching game was really all that exciting. The Rockies had three straight hits with two outs to score the go ahead run in the bottom of the eighth. It was a pretty good game. The Cubs and Angels both got beat down, and the Yankees were never really in that fourth game.

But the main impression the Divisional Round made on me can be summed up in 2 words: Frank TV. Now I'm not really sure what Frank TV is going to be about, but TBS is certain that it's going to be awesome. At the beginning and end of every commercial break they ran an ad for Frank TV. I couldn't take it anymore. I commented on this to a friend and he suggested that I send TBS an email. So I did. This is the email that I sent on October 4th:

"I think we are all well aware that you have a new show starting soon called Frank TV. You are going to ruin the playoffs for myself, and millions of other people that are already tired of seeing a John Madden impersonation, if you continue to plug the show at the beginning and end of every commercial break.

I know that you believe that 'more is better', but when all you do is show the same guy in a costume doing an impersonation it gets to be a bit too much.

Please cut back on the Frank TV promos.

Please."

Keep in mind that the playoffs started on October 3rd. If Frank TV turns out to be horrible, you heard it here first.

Rockies Strike Again

How can you not cheer for this team to make a run. More proof that the Rockies are awesome!

Purple Pride

Milestones aside, this baseball season will stand out for me for two reasons: (1) The Mets being 7 up with 17 to play and not even making the playoffs. (2) The Rockies winning 13 of 14 down the stretch to force - and then win - a dramatic one game playoff to win the Wild Card.

The Colorado Rockies have not been around for all that long, making their MLB debut in 1993. They moved in to Coors Field in 1995 and have been there ever since. With the Rocks making only their second playoff appearance (first being 1995), the Purple Pride Bandwagon is pretty jam packed. It was definitely great to see Coors Field packed towards the end of the season as the Rocks stormed to the playoffs. It also reminded me of some of the not-so-great displays of baseball I witnessed at Coors Field during the numerous Rockies games I attended while at UW (I think my Mom and Dad probably remember the 26-4 (?) debacle we witnessed from the Rock Pile one year). Let me also note that Coors Field is an place to watch a ball game - and you can buy a game ticket for less than a beer!

While this may be hard to believe, I became a Rockies fan while most people were staying home during some tough years. I had watched the Rockies make several efforts to put together a team that could compete in the National League. After the Mike Hampton/Denny Nagel disaster in Denver, the Rockies were basically forced (poor attendance wouldn't allow them to pay big names and a depleted farm system provided few answers) to start over.

Around this same time I started to become disenchanted with baseball in general. While baseball is - without a doubt - my favorite sport, we've had some hard times in recent years. It started in 1994 with the strike. Baseball seamed to bounce back, but we had apparently become firmly entrenched in the steroid era. While the home run has always been part of the game, the increased power numbers didn't make me a bigger fan. It made me long for small ball. To most, it probably isn't exciting to see someone lead off with a single, get bunted to second, and score on a base hit. But that's what I love about baseball, all of the complex strategy. In the end, however, it was the lack of a salary cap that really threatened my relationship with baseball. Over the past couple of years I got really disgusted by big market teams throwing money all over the place while most small market teams struggled pay emerging young talent.

And this is where the Rockies come in. Over the course of the last 3-4 years I've watched the Rockies young talent start to develop. And during the last month it all came together. After last season I had a lot of conversations with people about the possibility of the Rockies parting ways with Todd Helton. My typical response was something like this, "I'd really like to see him have an opportunity to play in the post season, but I don't think it is quite the Rockies' time so maybe they should trade him for more young talent." Well the move never happened and nothing made me happier than Helton's career defining home run last night.

Now we can only hope that the Rockies can hold on to some of their talent and compete for the NL West Crown for years to come! And no, replay does not belong in baseball.

GO ROCKIES!!!

What a finish!!!

Go Rockies!!!

(I don't think Holliday touched the plate, but that makes up for the missed home-run call.)


Bring on the Phillies!

Catching up...

So Lori requested my input on the crazy catch from last weekends Penn State game. First let me mention that my cousins Todd and Jeff came down for Buffalo for the game. I wouldn't let them cheer for UB in the Penn State student section, but I did let Jeff have his moment when UB took the early 3-0 lead.

The Jordan Norwood - local kid by the way - catch was pretty crazy and I'm still a little skeptical of if he really caught it. I didn't get a great view from my seat and I'll tell you why. Sometimes our quarterback - Anthony Morelli - makes some really bad decisions with the ball. Worse than most quarterbacks. So when he normally lets go of the ball, the student section takes a collective gasp. When he makes a bad decision, the crowd really gets on him. On that throw that Norwood 'caught' I was somewhat distracted by all the funny Morelli shots that I heard around me. I can just remember everyone going from a "what was that" look to celebrating the touchdown. Pretty funny.



I've been meaning to write about the Rockies for a while. They are hanging tough and it is mainly because of - wait for it - the best and most under-rated 'under the radar' player in the league. While Matt Holliday had a little bit of a coming out party at the All-Star game this year, he is not getting the street cred for the incredible numbers he has been putting up. Let's take a look:

Batting Average - .339
Home Runs - 35
RBIs - 127
Runs - 110

That would be first in the NL in batting average and RBIs and fourth in home runs. He's sniffing around a Triple Crown! I raise the beer I'm about to grab out of the fridge to Matt Holliday! And the Rocks are hanging around the Wild Card race, but they're gonna need to be hot down the stretch.

Let's hope the Pokes can turn it around this weekend as the travel closer to me to take on University of Ohio. There isn't much of a chance of me waking up Friday morning and trying to go to the game, but there is a small one!

GO POKES!

The Top 5

Now things really get hard. Number 5 was really a part of many other moments on the list, but he deserves his own spot.

#5 - Glacier the Dog



Glacier and I first became friends on the drive from Denver to Steamboat over Christmas break last year. He was just a young pup back then and decided to cuddle up for the majority of the trip. We've been friends ever since. This particular pic was on my first day in Steamboat at the river behind Maggie's house. I miss having Glacier bring me something to show off every morning.

#4 - Beer Tasting Party



We obviously like to start 'em young in Meeteetse, and the first Gary Brew Tasting Party was no exception. This idea came together at the last minute, and it was a great success. The food was great, the tasting glasses were awesome, and the beer was INCREDIBLE.

And the night was capped off with a Warner sibling trip down to the Cowboy Bar. Well, our original destination was the Elkhorn, but they were closed by 9:30 on Friday night. Taking over the bar is just how we roll...



#3 - Rockies Game



I love Coors Field, so was thrilled to be able to attend a Rockies game while I was back. The only down side was that Maggie couldn't go; and our seats were horrible. But it was still a lot of fun. The Rockies made a furious late rally - thanks to 2 8th inning home runs - which meant that my original plans to drive back to Laramie were replaced by staying in Denver and drinking heavily.

And what trip to Denver would be complete without a stop at Flying Dog Brewery? I'd been looking forward to a stop by there since Dad and I went to the Avs game over Christmas. And we had a great crew for the brewery and the game.



#2 - The Glacier Party



I had meant to take a bunch of pictures at the Glacier Party, but for some reason never got around to it. Oh wait, I know why...it probably had something to do with the 16 gallons of Glacier Beer that consumed my attention. So a picture of the party mascot will do here. The party was awesome. I felt like someone needed to be graduating for such a great party. Can't wait till next year!

And finally......

#1 - Gilpin Lake



I guess that only Maggie will know why this is #1 on the list. But when you stand at the crystal clear and calm Gilpin Lake you know why it tops the list. She had told me about this hike a few weeks before I went out there and I was really excited about it. There are a ton of pics on picasa of this hike. I can't really describe how cool it is up there. But even on top of that, I can't describe how proud I was of Maggie for dominating the last uphill portion of the hike! I can't wait to get back out there and hike the longer loop, which promised to hold even more spectacular views.

Well there it is. It was pretty hard to pick just 10 things from the trip to put in a Top 10. There are plenty of things that got left out, and many more that probably aren't blog appropriate. I miss everyone and can't wait till Christmas!