The lights flickered off the Christmas tree like stars in the dark sky. The table was set with fancy holiday dishes, festive wine glasses, and charcuterie filled with various gourmet cheeses and prosciutto. Filled stockings hung off the fireplace, expensive bourbon poured into those with eggnog, while the scent of Grandma’s sugar cookies filled the air. It was the perfect Christmas. The matching family pajamas may have been a little over-the-top, as was the hula-hooping Santa Claus that rotated around on the mantle. But nothing was going to embarrass me on this day. Nothing was going to spoil... Read More

Historically speaking, Jack Faulkner’s 1963 Denver Broncos are considered the worst squad in franchise history as the team finished the season with a disastrous record of 2-11-1. But that was a little before our time. Recent memories may have you thinking about Vance Joseph’s 2017 Broncos (5-11) that relied on the laughable trio of Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiller, and Paxton Lynch to steer their sinking ship. Or Vic Fangio’s 2020 Broncos (5-11) and the failed Drew Lock experiment. But I always refer back to the Josh McDaniels team of 2010 as Denver’s blueprint of football futility. In... Read More

The Peloton bike was rolled into the front room of the house three months after promised. It was the early stages of the pandemic, the gyms were closed, and the room had been converted into a home gym with a weight bench, exercise ball, and a view of the cul-de-sac. The bike cost around $2500 as I recall, unclear if that price included the four sets of shoes, Peloton logoed water bottles, hand weights, or yoga mat. The monthly subscription was another $40 per month for virtual classes, instructors, and guidance. Our family used it religiously for three months – until we didn’t. The Peloton... Read More

Besides the sugar-buzz from devouring fun-sized Snicker bars all weekend, the best part was watching famous athletes walking arena halls in their Halloween best. The Celtics’ Grant Williams went full Gotham in a Batman costume. Atlanta’s Trae Young dressed as the Black Panther. The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic was appropriately made up as The Joker. And most everyone else in the sports world showed up as some type of character from Stranger Things. I didn’t happen to catch what quarterback Russell Wilson dressed up as pre-game, but I had a few guesses. • Russell could have dressed up as... Read More

Let me get this straight. Denver brings in Nathaniel Hackett, Aaron Rodgers’ offensive guru to run the team. Trades for quarterback Russell Wilson, a Super Bowl winning first ballot Hall-of-Famer, and signs him to a $245 million dollar contract. Starts the season against a laughable schedule that includes the Seahawks, Texans, and winless Raiders. And the Broncos are 2-4 averaging a league worst 15.1 points per game? • It’s bad enough that the Broncos are the laughingstock of the league right now, but is it necessary to keep putting them on the big stage for all to see? The loss to the... Read More

As Serena Williams took to the court for what was presumed to be the final match of her career, the audience roared – but the music stayed silent. Unlike baseball in which songs by AC/DC, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, or The Notorious B.I.G. could blast through speakers to elevate crowds – Tennis is simply too regal, too proper, and light clapping will suffice. But what if there was a walk-out song? Can you imagine the response if Serena Williams paid homage to her upbringing and took the court to the sounds of Tupac Shakur’s “California Love”? In the city, the city of Compton – we... Read More

The term March Madness was practically an understatement for this year’s NCAA Championships. Gonzaga couldn’t make it past the Sweet Sixteen, North Carolina had an epic battle against Duke, and Saint Peter’s knocked off Kentucky, Murray State, and Purdue. The NFL gave us its own version of March Madness with Tyreek Hill joining the Dolphins, Davante Adams going to Vegas, and Russell Wilson heading to the Broncos. Baseball joined in on the March Madness by ending its lockout, implementing the DH in the National League, and starting a Free Agent frenzy. The hope was that March Madness would... Read More

Imagine that you are Baker Mayfield’s agent. Your client has a career record of just 29 wins and 30 losses, has thrown 56 interceptions in 60 games as a starter, makes $19 million a year, is coming back from off-season shoulder surgery, and he’s demanded a trade. Did I mention that your client has also been replaced as the starter by Deshaun Watson and his five-year, $230 million contract? You tell your client that you will make a few calls and not to worry. After all, this is Baker Mayfield, the first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. • Tampa Bay seems like the perfect fit with its talented... Read More

I have the same argument with my buddies every Sunday when it comes to the NFL and assessing the recipe for success: I believe you need a borderline Hall of Fame type quarterback to win it all in today’s game, and anything less is simply a path towards mediocracy. But what does that have to do with Drew Lock and the Denver Broncos? I argue time and again that thirteen of the last fifteen Super Bowls were won by Hall of Fame members, or soon-to-be member quarterbacks, but they insist on bringing up the two outliers in Nick Foles and Joe Flacco. I reiterate the fact that twenty-three of the last... Read More

General Manager John Elway has tried everything to find an answer at the quarterback position, with laughable results.  In honor of the man who wore number seven on his jersey, we count down the seven worst (and sadly, only) choices that Elway has made to fill the position since Peyton Manning retired. 7)  Chad Kelly – It’s difficult to fault Elway for selecting Kelly with the last pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.  The nephew of legendary Buffalo Bills quarterback, Jim Kelly, Chad was a low-risk, high-reward selection that showed good arm strength, size, and athleticism that Elway was willing... Read More

The official start of the NFL season is in a few weeks, which means the office will be consumed with fantasy football.  For most of us, we welcome the two-hour staff meetings that discuss roster numbers rather than sales numbers, but sadly, many workers simply don’t have the time, or care enough, to join the office league. Like playing golf with the sales team, or after work drinks with management, the failure to join a league can leave one feeling ostracized in the corporate world.  So here is your cheat sheet, your SparkNotes.  PPR league, Standard, Snake…don’t worry about the verbiage,... Read More