After a quiet summer of occasional Rockies homestands and Denver-area marathons, so much will be packed into this weekend, you could skip from today to Monday going continuously from sport to sport like crossing the Pacific Ocean jumping from raft to raft.
Don’t even try to keep up. Just see as much as you can.
The International at Castle Pines Golf Club continues through Sunday, with the field cut in half each day beginning Saturday. With a field full of heavy hitters, the stretch run should be fun.
Tonight in Detroit, the Broncos finally hit players in different helmets when they play the Lions. Denver’s preseason opener begins at 5:30 p.m., with KCNC-4 providing the TV coverage. Denver’s starters won’t play much, but that doesn’t matter because all the interesting stories at training camp are about players fighting for jobs. Tonight will mark the first NFL game action for undrafted rookie tailback Mike Bell, who’s running with the No. 1 offense, and rookie quarterback Jay Cutler, the 11th pick in the April draft. Cutler is No. 2 on the depth chart.
The only major open-wheel racing event in Colorado, the Grand Prix of Denver, will race around the Pepsi Center on Sunday beginning at 1:45 p.m. Two racers with Front Range ties – A.J. Allmendinger of Thornton and Justin Wilson of Longmont – are contenders for the Champ Car World Series point title. Each has a strong chance of taking Denver’s checkered flag.
The Rockies are back at Coors Field tonight to start a fan-favorite, three-game series with the Chicago Cubs. Rich Hill (2-4, 6.69 ERA) will pitch for the Cubs against the Rockies’ Aaron Cook (7-10, 3.95).
The Rapids also are home, playing Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Los Angeles Galaxy at Invesco Field at Mile High, just across the freeway from the Grand Prix finish line.
The Denver Outlaws, Western Conference champions in Major League Lacrosse, play their regular-season finale on the road Saturday against the Los Angeles Riptide.
And if all that weren’t enough to remember, tickets for Air Force’s Nov. 11 football game against Notre Dame at Falcon Stadium go on sale today at 9 a.m.
WEAK IN REVIEW
Who are the ad wizards who came up with this one? The NCAA announced it will have new labels on its Division I tags for football based on postseason formats. Beginning in December, what has been known as Division I-A (Colorado, Notre Dame, Florida, etc.) will be called the Football Bowl Subdivision. And what has been Division I-AA (Montana State, Weber State, Northern Iowa, Grambling, etc.) will be called the Football Championship Subdivision. Could this be more confusing? Doesn’t the NCAA have bigger issues, like an Oklahoma quarterback who reportedly was paid thousands of dollars by a booster’s car dealership for little work?
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE …
Just move the Nuggets to the NBA’s Eastern Conference already. After trading for Joe Smith, a 6-foot-10, 225-pound forward and the No. 1 pick of the 1995 draft, Nuggets player personnel director Mark Warkentien said, “We believe his addition gives us one of the deepest front lines in the NBA.” Apparently allergic to guards who can shoot, the Nuggets seem to be branding themselves in the image of the mid-1990s Detroit Pistons. Are routine 78-76 game scores far behind?
THE COUCH
ON: It’s like “Studio 54” meets meets “Victory.” Combine a heady look at the fuzzy 1970s New York party scene with the popularity of a Pele-led team in the North American Soccer League, and you get “Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos.” The documentary details the ups and downs of the Cosmos’ rise to the top of a doomed U.S. pro sports league. It opens today at the Chez Artiste theater in Denver.
OFF: Don’t mess with 16th century Aztec emperors. Nearly 500 years after Moctezuma was killed as the Spanish began their conquest of Mexico, the ruler is the namesake of the 20th Montezuma’s Revenge ultra mountain-biking race today and Saturday in Montezuma. The ride goes 24 hours and spans more than 200 miles. The route will cross the Continental Divide 10 times, with more than 35,000 feet of elevation climb. Obviously, the race is for serious riders. Check out www.montezumasrevenge.com for more information.
AROUND TOWN
Looking for some ridiculous fun? Going to the 25th Almost-Annual Matt Armbruster Memorial Big Wheel Rally in Boulder should bring plenty of good times. The skinny: Soup up a kid’s big wheel with a stronger axle and and extended cab, then ride up and down downtown Boulder with stops at local drinking holes. The whole crazy thing benefits Saint Joseph Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Check out www.bigwheelrally.com for more information.
