Turning hot dogs on the grill is not a sport – yet – so those who plan to spend their summer simply honing those skills will miss out on some big events beyond their backyards. That being said, the dedicated hot-dog lover got an appetizer for competition Saturday night with the Armour Vienna Sausage Eating World Championship in Charlotte, N.C. But there is so much more on the menu.
Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend are the traditional bookends for the summer sports season.
The Indianapolis 500 gets things off to a roaring start today. The Bolder Boulder, the annual 10-kilometer road race and community happening, gets things moving locally on Monday.
Nationally, there will be lots of Nextel Cup racing, the NBA Finals and NBA draft, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Wimbledon and maybe, just maybe, the NHL draft, will take place in these warm weather months.
June
9 | Earliest possible start date for the NBA Finals
Will the Detroit Pistons be able to defend their title? Miami, San Antonio and Phoenix hope not.
6-8 | Chicago White Sox at Rockies
A taste-free matchup contains delicious flavor with the Sox expected to bring baseball’s best record to town for their first visit to Coors Field. For the kids, let’s make sure Sox manager Ozzie Guillen’s news conferences aren’t broadcast live without a five-second delay.
16-19 | U.S. Open men’s golf
There is bound to be a lot of reminiscing about Payne Stewart during the event’s first return to Pinehurst, N.C., since Stewart won there in 1999 – four months before he was killed in a plane crash.
17-27 | College World Series
Those who want to see baseball’s stars of tomorrow will want to make the trip to Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha for this exciting event. There is a convivial atmosphere around the city, and the games usually are top-notch.
20-July 3 | Wimbledon
Is there anything finer for the tennis fan than Centre Court at the All England Club? Strawberries and cream, royalty, that short green grass and the best tennis players in the world vying for the sport’s most coveted trophy.
23-26 | U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships
More than national titles will be at stake in Carson, Calif., because athletes will be attempting to qualify for the IAAF world championships. This year’s U.S. championships figure to be overshadowed by the travails of Marion Jones, whom many suspect of doping. She has never been charged.
24-26 | Kansas City Royals at Rockies
The first pick in next year’s amateur draft will be at stake. Grocery bags over heads optional.
23-26 | 60th U.S. Women’s Open
For the first time in 10 years, the state will host a major golf championship. The world will be watching Cherry Hills Country Club to see if 15-year-old phenom Michelle Wie tries to drive the No. 1 green, as Arnold Palmer did en route to his historic victory in the 1960 U.S. Open.
28 | NBA draft
The Nuggets have the 20th and 22nd picks in the first round of this deep draft.
CALENDAR
2-8 – Women’s college softball|NCAA Division I championship, Oklahoma City
4 – Auto racing|NASCAR Busch, MBNA 200, Dover, Del.
8-11 – Men’s and women’s college track and field|NCAA Division I outdoor championship, Sacramento, Calif.
11 – Horse racing|Belmont Stakes, Belmont Park, Elmont, N.Y.
12 – Auto racing|NASCAR Nextel Cup, Pocono 500, Long Pond, Pa.
19 – Auto racing|NASCAR Nextel Cup, Batman Begins 400, Brooklyn, Mich.
26 – Auto racing|NASCAR Nextel Cup, DodgeSave Mart 350, Sonoma, Calif.
July
1 | Ominous NBA doings
This is the potential date for the start of an NBA lockout due to an expired collective bargaining agreement.
July 12 | Baseball All-Star Game in Detroit
White Sox’s Jon Garland vs. Marlins’ Dontrelle Willis? If based on merit, they will start in a game that decides home-field advantage in the World Series. The Rockies figure to be represented by first baseman Todd Helton or shortstop Clint Barmes.
14-16 | Yankees at Red Sox
Baseball’s all-star stage is followed by baseball’s all-star rage. The fiercest rivalry in sports is renewed. How ugly can it get?
14-17 | British Open men’s golf
Added significance is attached to any Open played at the “birthplace of golf” in St. Andrews, Scotland. But the 2005 championship also will be remembered for the last tournament rounds of Jack Nicklaus’ career.
15-17 | NHRA Mile-High Nationals drag racing
There is noise in them thar hills, and Front Range motoheads can’t seem to get enough of it. Bandimere Speedway will celebrate its 25th anniversary of hosting the fabulously successful NHRA event at its picturesque drag strip in Morrison.
22-23 | NASCAR Busch
Series Salute to the Troops 250
Busch league or not, this annual event at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain has hosted the state’s best stock car races since 1999.
28-31 | Colorado Open men’s golf tournament
On life support after being canceled in 2003 because of financial problems, this tournament has been resurrected at Green Valley Ranch.
29 | Broncos training camp practice begins
The public is invited to watch 42-year-old wide receiver Jerry Rice and 21-year-old running back Maurice Clarett take the field at the same time. The big question: Will Clarett be in as good shape as the man twice his age?
CALENDAR
2-24 – Cycling|Tour de France, various sites
8-10 – Motorcycle racing |Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, U.S. Grand Prix and MotoGP World Championships
17-31 – Swimming|FINA World Championships, Montreal
30-Aug. 5 – Archery|U.S. National Target Championships, Colorado Springs
31 – Major League Baseball|Hall of Fame inductions, Cooperstown, N.Y.
August
4-7 | The International
This marks the 20th year of this event as a regular PGA Tour stop at Castle Pines Golf Club. International officials are hopeful a marquee guest list will attend the party.
5-7 | Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Nextel Cup’s midsummer gem is turning into a classic, and Indianapolis is a nice vacation spot before the kids head back to school. Besides the season-opening Daytona 500 and the season-ending Ford 400 in Homestead, Fla., this is as big as it gets on the Nextel Cup circuit.
6-7 | NFL doings
The fabled American Bowl preseason game kicks off the weekend on Aug. 6 from the football hotbed of Tokyo, featuring Indianapolis and Atlanta. On Aug. 7, quarterback Dan Marino is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, one year after John Elway made his misty-eyed appearance in Canton, Ohio.
12-14 | Grand Prix of Denver
The fourth street race/urban festival around the Pepsi Center will have a tough time outdoing the third. The 2004 event was held amid beautiful weather and drew a three-day crowd estimated at 112,000.
13 | Broncos preseason opener
After three glorious days of practice in the humidity of Houston, Denver takes on the Texans.
19-21 | Honda Indy 225
Catch the stars of the Indy 500 at the 1-mile oval in Fountain and see if Dario Franchitti can defend his 2004 victory without hurting one of his crew members.
29-31 | Rockies at Giants
Barry Bonds’ methodical recovery could put him in a position to pass Babe Ruth on the home run chart during this series. Bonds, who was afraid of dying after developing a knee infection, needs 12 home runs to pass Ruth.
CALENDAR
1-6 – Diving|U.S. National Championships, Huntersville, N.C.
2-6 – Swimming|ConocoPhillips National Championships, Irvine, Calif.
6-14 – Track and field|IAAF World Championships, Helsinki, Finland
11-14 – Men’s golf|PGA Championship, Springfield, N.J.
19-28 – Baseball|Little League World Series, Williamsport, Pa.
29-Sept. 11 – Men’s and women’s tennis|U.S. Open, Flushing, N.Y.
31-Sept. 5 – Auto racing, NHRA|Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis
September
2 | Broncos preseason game
Denver’s long, hot summer finishes up in the desert with a final tuneup against the Arizona Cardinals. Will Jerry Rice still be with the team? Will Maurice Clarett?
3 | U.S. World Cup qualifier
The U.S. men’s national team will play several World Cup soccer qualifying games this summer, but this should be the most interesting of the lot, coming against Mexico in Columbus, Ohio. The U.S. lost a tough 2-1 decision to the Mexicans in March.
3 | Colorado State at Colorado football
The rivalry is back in Boulder. Bragging rights will be on the line for the state’s two biggest universities. The Buffs held on at the goal line as time expired for a victory last season, and this year’s tilt figures to be just as good.
