The darkness that is Halloween conjures up many frightful images.  The silence of an empty graveyard, the shadows of creatures that roam, and the fear of things that go bump in the night.

The world of sports can be just as scary.

Try watching the Colorado Buffaloes compete against Oregon, or the Denver Nuggets without Nikola Jokic.  In Denver, we hide under the blanket when the Broncos are on, and stars like Von Miller and Nolan Arenado can vanish without a trace.

A look at the past week in sports – the tricks, and all the treats.

• Apparently, the only thing scarier than John Gruden’s resemblance to the serial-killing doll Chucky, are the late night emails he sends.

• You know what really frightens me? The Denver Broncos.  It’s a nice trick winning against the Washington Football Team, but it would be a real treat to just once beat a team that is over .500.

And that final Denver possession in which the offense had one incompletion and two fumbles? I know a lot of candy was handed out on Sunday, but apparently, there were a few Butterfingers left.

But a win is still a win.  Appropriate that on Halloween the Broncos are now back from the dead, evening their record at 4-4.

• It could be worse. The Jacksonville Jaguars had lost 20 games in-a-row before finally winning a game two weeks ago over the Miami Dolphins (1-7).  Seeing the Jaguars play at TIAA Bank Field is like attending a haunted house, except there is little to scream about.
• A lot of people dressed up on Halloween as their favorite character from the Netflix smash-hit Squid Game. A series in which people choose to play children’s games that end up going terribly wrong in the end.  Hey, kind of like Dolphins Game!
• If children decided to go trick-or-treating dressed as Kansas City quarterback Pat Mahomes on Sunday, I hope they purchased last year’s costume.
• The New York Jets started a relative nobody at quarterback on Sunday as their injured first-rounder Zach Wilson watched from the sidelines. Mike White turned the football world’s faces ghostly white with an utterly surprising performance.  The 26-year-old quarterback out of Western Kentucky completed 37 of 45 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns as the Jets defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 34-31.
• In college football, Michigan State (8-0) stayed undefeated by topping Michigan (7-1), 37-33. On a sidenote, it’s kind of spooky how much the fifth-ranked Spartans coach resembles the old Colorado Buffaloes (2-6) coach from back in 2019.
• Brooklyn Nets star James Harden was criticized for flying to Las Vegas for a Halloween Party and staying out past 2am just 24 hours before his next game. When asked about the Vegas party filled with crazy costumes and endless champagne, Harden replied, “  When is Halloween?”

I guess the word spirits does have multiple meaning.

• Five kids showed up to my house on Sunday dressed as old men with long gray beards and walking canes. Then I realized they were all wearing Los Angeles Lakers jerseys.
• An 8-year-old boy showed up later dressed as Astros’ second baseman Jose Altuve, and initially I thought it was really him! But the kid only took candy before leaving.  He didn’t steal any of my signs.
• Altuve did happen to hit his 23^rd Post-Season homerun on Saturday night. Which ranks him second all-time to Manny Ramirez in that category.  Altuve is like Babe Ruth, but fun-sized, like a Baby Ruth.

Oh, stop snickering.

• Speaking of ghosts, when did the Art of the Bunt disappear? I saw the Astros put seven guys on the right side of the infield, the third baseman was standing on second, and Freddie Freeman still avoided the left side like someone painted REDRUM on it.
• You know what is creepy? Former staff members of the Chicago Blackhawks.  I thought the only Predators in the NHL belonged to Nashville.
• An empty house, creaking sounds, you hear slow-moving footsteps dragging across the floor as you hide under the covers. Never mind.  It’s just the Lakers again.

Images via hoopshype.com, cafemom.com, theblacklist.com, marca.com, costumeworks.com, si.com, pinterest.com, decider.com

Alan Tapley The Athletic Supporter

Alan Tapley is an educator, author, and blogger who has lived just outside of Boulder for the last twenty years.  His published work includes two novels, two children’s books, a series of cartoons in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and multiple sports related articles. His love for family and the state of Colorado is only matched by one thing, his passion for sports.  The first baseball game he ever attended was at Wrigley Field, before there were lights.  At the final Bronco game at the old Mile High, he allegedly cut out a piece of his seat in the South stands.  But regardless of being here for the Avalanche’s last Stanley Cup, the Rockies only World Series appearance, and all the Broncos’ Super Bowl Victories, his wife never fails to remind him that he wasn’t at the University of Colorado in 1990, like she was.  The year the Buffs football team won the National Championship