“Thanks for letting fans of the Denver Nuggets know what they can expect from forward Kenyon Martin this season. (‘I’m going to rub some people the wrong way. And I don’t mind that. I don’t care,’ Martin said.) You saved our family the price of a 10-game package for the upcoming season. We were willing to give Kenyon the benefit of the doubt, but after reading his statements, we will not buy any Nuggets tickets as long as he is on the team. Hopefully, other fans will take the same action and the ownership of the team will wake up and cut its losses.”
Steve, Fort Collins
Kiz: As an actor, K-Mart has the same range as Arnold Schwarzenegger. Look tough. Talk tough. Declare: “I’ll be back.” But I do hope Martin returns to all-star form, because underneath all the angry glares, he’s just a big pussycat who needs stroking.
Until death do us part
“Your column on Doug Bates, the Broncos fan who passed away at the Baltimore game, touched me in a way few have. It was more than a story of a gentleman’s tragic death. To me, it helps explain what it means to be a sports fan. There is something wonderfully simple about sharing high-fives and attaboys with perfect strangers in a stadium full of people. Many times I have made the trip from Arizona with a single ticket in hand, knowing full well it’s impossible to watch a game alone at Mile High if you’re wearing orange and blue.
“My young son never understood my passion until he accompanied me to a game against the Bears a few years ago. He was amazed at the ‘crazy people.’ He realized his mom isn’t alone in her passion. It makes a little more sense to him now when I scream at the TV on Sunday. And it will help him explain his middle name to others later in life. His middle name? Elway. Of course!”
Melissa, Tucson
Kiz: Broncomania is stronger than death. And here’s your proof. After Doug Bates was cremated and his ashes came home in a little black box, the first thing the family did was adorn the box with the Broncos hat he was wearing the night he died. Isn’t that perfect? “I smile and chuckle and think of the Broncos every time I look at it,” said Kathy Bates, his widow.
Rockie times ahead
“The best bet in baseball is Clint Hurdle will be fired as manager of the Rockies next year. The only thing in doubt is how far into the season. Why not ‘promote’ Hurdle to another position within the organization, and hire Joe Girardi as manager before another team does? It would show the fans the Rockies are serious about being a winner, not just a wait-until-next-year team.”
Jerry and John, Montrose
Kiz: You wish to see Girardi in the Colorado dugout. That’s a nice dream. But, as long as we’re talking fantasy baseball, I’d rather see Alfonso Soriano walking toward home plate in a Rockies uniform or Carl Crawford roaming the outfield in Coors Field. The problem? It’s all nothing but a dream.
Love for the Raidahs
“Yes, the Oakland Raiders might well be the worst team in the NFL, as a result of years of front-office, gray-matter decline. Last time I checked, however, they still had more Super Bowl titles than the Donkeys, and made a Super Bowl appearance more recently than those Donkeys. The Raiders also were the first NFL team to hire a black coach, a Hispanic coach and a woman for a front-office position.”
Brian, Silver-and-Black booster
Kiz: Al Davis, old Darth Raider himself, richly deserves his spot in the Hall of Fame. Although many in the NFL might regard him as a villain, Davis was one of the league’s great innovators. But the gig is up, Al. Until you ride off to Graceland and return those gosh-awful jumpsuits to Elvis’ closet, the pride and poise won’t be nothing but noise.
Parting shot
Please don’t wake Rod Smith or Tom Nalen while the Denver offense sleeps, but today’s parting shot can be heard all the way from Arkansas, where a true-blue fan is tired of nodding off in front of his TV from the dull scripts coach Mike Shanahan submits for games.
“With an offense like that, they should just remove the O’s from their name, which would make them the Denver Brncs.”
Bruce, Little Rock, Ark.
