Warm weather in April as spectators clammer to their seats.  The sound of laughter echoing off the brick walls of Coors Field.  Thousands of fans singing in unison as Charlie Blackmon strolls to the plate.  Cold beer.  Hot dogs. And losing three-out-of-four to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Baseball is back!  And here are some of the highlights of the opening weekend.   Nolan Arenado was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals and subsequently replaced at third base on Opening Day by his cousin, Josh Fuentes. In other news, the Albuquerque Isotopes, a Colorado Rockies minor league affiliate, signed... Read More

If you struggle with the pronunciation of Rockies relief pitcher Adam Ottavino (/ah-tah-VEEN-oh/) it’s understandable. And my guess is that if you’re not a diehard Rockies fan you would struggle recognizing the man at all. In pitching for the Rockies, Ottavino’s job is to not be noticed.  As a middle-to-late-inning set-up man, Ottavino’s job is to hope that the flashy, high paid starters throw a solid six or seven innings, as closer Wade Davis (3yr/$52 million) begins to stretch and warm up in the bullpen to close it out. Ottavino’s job is to face just a few batters in the seventh or... Read More

The story is familiar. The powerful, young, first baseman reaches the major leagues by swinging for the fences on every pitch. The big league team sacrifices a high strikeout rate and low batting average for long term potential, and tape measure home runs. But Father Time catches up to the powerful first baseman as the strikeout rate continues to rise and his production declines. At 33 years of age, Mark Reynolds should probably be out of baseball, but instead, he may start at first base in the All-Star game as he is currently hitting .302 with 17 homers and 55 RBIs, and the Colorado Rockies... Read More

Starting at Third Base – I Don’t Know It was known as the classic Abbott and Costello comedy sketch, confusingly funny as the ballplayers included names like Who at first, What on second, and I Don’t Know at third base. But as the Rockies enter the month of June in second place in the NL West, life seems to be imitating (comedic) art. I recently took an informal poll of my friends and relatives, all with decent baseball knowledge, and asked the simple question. Who plays third base for the Colorado Rockies? The response included many wrong names, plenty of mispronunciations, and lots... Read More

Almost forty games into the season and the Colorado Rockies are sitting in first place in the NL West. First baseman, Mark Reynolds is on fire (.331, 12 HR, 31 RBIs), Nolan Arenado is still the best third baseman in the game, and the young pitching staff is throwing well. This could be the year…. I want to believe that too. But as you sit there with your purple shaded glasses on, my job is to explain to you the harsh reality of how the rest of the season will sadly progress. 1) Injuries. Pitchers just can’t make it through a season anymore. Tyler Anderson and Jon Gray are already on the... Read More

  It’s May, which means Rockies baseball. Mathematically, our boys are still in it, but there’s an outside chance that the game will be snowed out. Take advantage of the beautiful weather, the gorgeous stadium, the great Micro-Brews, and the Rocky Mountain oysters served in right field.  Better be quick.  We’re usually eliminated by the All-Star break. CU football. Marching with the band on Pearl Street, tailgating at Franklin Field, watching Ralphie run, and hanging with your alumni friends as you think back about the golden years of 5th downs, McCartney, and National Championships. ... Read More

Confidence is self-belief. It is having faith in your own abilities. Confidence is just a surplus of positive thoughts impacting your attitude. When you are consciously or subconsciously thinking more good thoughts than bad thoughts, you will have confidence. It is that simple. We have all had an area of our life where we did not feel confident. Maybe it was delivering a public speech, stepping into the batter’s box against a really good pitcher, or playing an instrument that we were completely uncomfortable with. Our confidence, or lack thereof, was and always will be a function of our thoughts. I... Read More

The count is 2 and 2 as you dig in to the batter’s box. The bat is firmly resting on your right shoulder. Your hands are loosely gripping the 33-inch wooden Louisville Slugger. You feel the viscosity of the pine tar between your palms. You feel the muscles in your legs clutching as the pitcher starts his wind up. You stride towards the mound as the pitcher releases the ball. The ball appears to be a fastball heading towards the outside corner. It appears to be ball 3. It’s too close to risk. Something inside of you prevents you from starting your swing as the ball pops into the catcher’s... Read More

Many athletes are considered superhuman. How can a baseball player hit a ball 450 feet? How can a basketball player jump over 4 feet high? How can a triathlete run a marathon after biking and swimming so far? Indeed this talent is fairly superhuman, but even for the most impressive athletes, the body needs a break. The offseason is a time to let the body and mind recharge, and time to enjoy a more “normal” life. The problem with triathletes is that most of us are so obsessed with working out that we often don’t give ourselves enough off time because we start to feel lazy after just 2 days... Read More