As one of the few cities with seven major sports teams, Denver was bound to have a day like Saturday. Like a natural nuclear reaction or a quick trip to the DMV, area fans can enjoy a series of events that only rarely occur in a 24-hour period.
The Rockies, Nuggets, Avalanche, Rapids, Crush and Mammoth all take to the field, court, ice, pitch and carpet on Saturday. Only the Broncos are off this weekend.
The Avalanche, which was the third seed in the Western Conference just over a week ago but is now in danger of missing the playoffs entirely, host the lowly St. Louis Blues at noon. Their game will be televised on KUSA-9.
The Crush and Mammoth have 5:30 p.m. starts, with the Arena League Football team at Grand Rapids for a game airing on FSN, and the National Lacrosse League team at Buffalo (nontelevised).
At 7 p.m., the Nuggets take over the Pepsi Center for a game against Golden State (Altitude), while the Rapids host Columbus at Invesco Field at Mile High (nontelevised).
To cap it off, the Rockies play a late West Coast game at San Diego at 8 p.m. (FSN).
A quick guide: If you find yourself following each game’s outcome throughout the day, then consider yourself “elite” on the fandom measure.
WEAK IN REVIEW
Ken Griffey Jr., who by most casual accounts never stuck a needle in his leg, on Wednesday quietly passed Mickey Mantle for 12th place all-time with his 537th career homer. And he moved into 31st over Joe DiMaggio with 1,538 RBIs. Both significant achievements. Yet Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo’s home run got a long, loud standing ovation instead of Griffey’s. With most attention focused on Barry Bonds and his quest to topple Babe Ruth on the home run list, Griffey – who fell into relative obscurity over the past several years while hitters such as Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Bonds, etc., made headlines – toils under the radar. Griffey seems an honest player, and his career should be applauded as such.
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
More loopy motorsports stats. This week NASCAR debuted its Loop Data stats, a kind of Elias Sports Bureau for grease monkeys. Stats now officially compiled include average running position, driver rating and fastest driver early in a run. We’d prefer stats that make more sense, such as the “Kevin Harvick index” to calculate the driver most jealous of Kurt Busch, or the “butt-out percentage,” tallying the number of cigarettes smoked and discarded among drivers and pit crews on race day.
THE COUCH
ON: It’s that time of year when Bill Murray is quoted ad nauseam. And if, by chance, some unknown Cinderella golfer, perhaps a former greenskeeper, should find himself among the contenders this weekend at Augusta, beware a million physical reincarnations of Carl Spackler. CBS (KCNC-4) will broadcast the third round Saturday and Sunday’s final round, which begins at 12:30 p.m. Rest assured, there will be plenty of putts made for opportunities to yell, “It’s in the hole!”
OFF: It’s no longer winter, but not quite summer. So what’s a water-loving outdoorsist to do? Try the inaugural Kayaks on the Snow competition at Monarch Mountain on Saturday. Kayakers will negotiate several courses similar to skiercross but not too different than a whitewater run, except on a mountain, not a river. Check skimonarch.com for more information.
AROUND TOWN
Stacking cups might seem like a sport only for restaurant bussers, but sport stackers have their own world championship event. Their speedy dexterity will be on display Saturday at the World Sport Stacking Championships at the Denver Coliseum. Competitors race the clock while stacking cups into specific pyramid sequences. World- record holder Emily Fox of Highlands Ranch, a former champion and ThunderRidge basketball standout now playing at the University of Minnesota, will be in attendance for a demonstration (she can’t compete because of NCAA rules). Also stacking: Colorado Springs’ Nate Florea, a defending champion, and German national titlist Timo Reuhl. Cups start flying at 8 a.m.
