The Sunday notes. Buy one, get one free. …
Todd Helton says he’s going to hit 30 home runs next season. Normally, that wouldn’t merit a headline in your morning newspaper. But then, nothing about Helton’s 2005 season has been normal.
“Yes, I’m going to (hit 30),” said Helton, who went into Saturday night with 18 home runs. “I’m going to overhaul my swing this offseason. I’m going to start from scratch and rebuild. I’m going to look at tape and figure out what I used to do and get back to that.
“It’s kind of like golf. You can hit it as hard as you want, but it’s going to go right. You’ve got to slow yourself down to keep it in the fairway. That’s kind of where I am right now. I’ve got to get back to where I can swing without thinking about it.” …
By the numbers: Helton, buried in the .260s in June, has hit .396 since July 1 to move into the top five in the National League in hitting.
“There’s definitely a sense of satisfaction coming out of that hole,” he said. “It’s funny, the different ways people treat you when you’re hitting well and when you’re hitting bad. When you’re struggling, it’s like you have some kind of disease or something. They don’t want to get too close to you. They look at you like there’s something wrong with you.” …
So you’re new to Our Town and you’re trying to get a grasp on the intensity of the Broncos-Chiefs rivalry. Think Robby Gordon and Michael Waltrip, but with different types of helmets. …
Jake Plummer on the sheer exhilaration of playing on “Monday Night Football:”
“If I was a rookie, I’d be excited. It’s another football game, man.” …
Broncos linebacker Ian Gold, when asked if he were scared of the Chiefs’ offense: “I’m a grown man. I don’t get scared anymore. … Maybe at night when the boogeyman comes out.” …
Don’t look now, but the NFL’s two best defensive rookies could be on display Monday night at Invesco Field. That would be Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson and Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams. Said Gold, when asked about Williams, “You’ve got to watch this kid. If you can’t figure out he’s a player, you don’t know anything about football.” …
How old is Pierre Turgeon? I’ll give you a hint. His Avs jersey number matches his rookie season (’87) in the NHL. …
By the way, did you hear about the new slogan on Minnesota license plates? The Land of 10,000 Turnovers. …
A number to ponder if you’re considering a friendly wager on the Giants-Chargers game: Eli Manning has thrown nine touchdown passes in his young NFL career – none on the road. …
Hey, don’t ask me. Two weeks into the season, and Champ Bailey has caught more Drew Brees passes than LaDainian Tomlinson. L.T. caught 100 balls in 2003 but has yet to grab one in ’05. …
Wyoming coach Joe Glenn on the chan- ces of wideout Jovon Bouknight, a former Manual High player, playing on Sundays: “Real good. The fistfight starts when he gets the ball in his hands. The guy might be a great tailback, I don’t know. He competes so hard with the ball in his hands. The kid is just special.” …
You gotta love Cowboy Joe, don’t you? Said Glenn, when asked a conference-call question by a reporter from Tupelo, Miss., “Tupelo. Isn’t that Elvis’ hometown?” …
And now for something completely different: The Broncos scoring 20 points and the Rockies scoring 20 runs in the same week. …
Talk about your quality collectibles. A Topps Maurice Clarett rookie card is going for 99 cents on eBay. …
About this Harris Poll business. … How seriously are we supposed to take it when the roster of voters includes a former UCLA basketball coach (Gene Bartow) but no former UCLA football coach? …
Clint Hurdle on the Rockies’ respectable play down the stretch: “They’re not in awe. They play nine hard innings. They let it fly on the field. The biggest thing for me is there’s a quiet confidence in that clubhouse now that wasn’t there earlier in the season. They believe they’re going to win every day they take the field.”
Catch Jim Armstrong from 6-9 a.m. during “The Press Box” on ESPN 560 AM. He can be reached at 303-820-5452 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
