The Arena Football League is testing the ways of Sin City.
For the first time in the 19-year history of the ArenaBowl, the AFL is playing its championship game at a neutral site. The league hopes to hit a jackpot in expanding interest in its title event. There are a weekend of events planned in Las Vegas, not just the game.
But the league is taking its own gamble by moving the ArenaBowl from the city of the highest-seeded participant.
“We had a good fan base when we played the game at the site of one of the finalists, but we’re hoping that more fans from throughout the country will be attracted to our game,” said Chris McCloskey, senior vice president of communications for the league.
With the Colorado Crush and Georgia Force heading to a showdown on Sunday, it is the first time since ArenaBowl II that two teams that haven’t been to the finale or won a championship are in the field.
The action begins Sunday at 1 p.m. on KUSA-9.
First-time viewers of arena football should be prepared for a full entertainment package. The playing field is 50 yards long, the ball can be played off the nets in the end zones, there is no punting and a pass receiver can be in motion toward the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped.
Fans of the stadium game will see blocking and tackling, but otherwise, arena ball is far different than the football most fans grew up watching.
– Irv Moss
On the couch
Golf fans can get a good preview of the big names in women’s golf who will be coming to town in two weeks by watching the LPGA Championship this weekend. Annika Sorenstam is favored to win back-to-back majors and bring her Grand Slam dream to Denver.
Off the couch
With aspirations to become a highlight on the Denver racing scene, the Rocky Mountain Half-Marathon debuts Sunday with more than 800 expected to compete.
The 13.1-mile race, which has attracted a fleet elite field thanks to a $25,000 purse ($5,000 to the winners), wraps around downtown Denver landmarks before heading west to loop around Sloan’s Lake. It starts and finishes at the Pepsi Center.
“I sought to tour the city by seeing the crown jewels of the city,” said race director Barry Siff. “I wanted to incorporate parks; I wanted to incorporate water; I wanted to incorporate some of the trail system and the pro athletic fields. We have Invesco; we have Coors Field; we have the Pepsi Center.
“And to me, Sloan’s Lake is just such a spectacular area. We wanted to include that.”
A women’s 8K (4.97 miles) also will be run.
Runners can register online today (www.active.com) or go to the runners’ village at the Pepsi Center on Saturday. There will be no race-day registration. Information: www.rmrunning.com.
Weak in review
1. Rockies’ shortstop Clint Barmes tripping over stairs to his apartment and breaking his collarbone, sidelining the one bright light in a dismal Rockies season.
2. Nuggets coach George Karl claiming he didn’t know the NBA rule prohibiting coaches from watching underclassmen work out.
3. The Rockies’ starting pitchers, supposedly the strength of the team, who keep getting lit up or injured.
What we’d like to see
1. The winning team break 100 points in every NBA Finals game. (I know, we’re dreaming).
2. The NBA reach an agreement on a new labor deal, sparing us having Billy Hunter and David Stern lecturing each other.
3. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox stay right where they are, which as of today is out of the playoffs. Yes, baseball could hold a playoffs without Boston or New York, even if ESPN appears to believe otherwise.
Around town
The Rockies complete their longest homestand of the season, 13 games, with a weekend series against the Detroit Tigers. Included is today’s matinee (3:05 starting time) with a 6:05 p.m. game Saturday and a 1:05 p.m. start time Sunday.
