“Do you think the Broncos will win against the Indianapolis Colts? There are mixed thoughts around the water cooler this week. I’m picking the Broncos because they have the best defense in the league, and I think Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is vulnerable against the kind of pass rush that defensive lineman Elvis Dumervil and company have been showing lately. I also think Jake Plummer might have a breakout game, whatever that means. Maybe 200 yards passing, and a couple of nice gallops.”
Will and the gang, Broncomaniacs
Kiz: OK, enough of the dillydallying around the water cooler. Let’s get down to it and cut that meat. My prediction: Broncos 20, Indy 19. But if Denver is counting on Plummer to be the hero, forget about it. This is Tatum Bell’s game to win. The more Bell keeps the football in his hands, the less time Manning has a chance to steal the headlines.
Midwest memories
“I don’t usually cut columns from the sports section, but I cut out your column about the St. Louis Cardinals and plan to place it on my dad’s grave back in Illinois. He died at age 85 in May, when the redbuds were in bloom and baseball season was just beginning. His mother used to take him out of school in the 1920s to see a game. As a child, my memories of baseball included listening to Jack Buck’s voice on the radio as I fell asleep, and sitting high in Busch Stadium, learning how to mark a scoresheet.
“We’ve lived in the Denver area for 19 years now. I thought I had become a Rockies fan, until your column spoke to my heart of hearts. I miss cardinals singing high in the branches of trees over my parents’ house. I miss my dad and his love for his team. I don’t often miss the Midwest, but today I do. Thanks for reminding us what it’s like to be a Cardinals fan.”
Bette, Centennial
Kiz: Video games are tight, and I love the Cartoon Network. But any kid who has never fallen asleep to the sound of baseball on the radio is missing out on a piece of Americana that’s sweeter than apple pie.
Slice the schedule
“Why can’t we have a 154-game regular season in baseball and enjoy the playoffs? Ballparks are often empty in mid- to late September. (See Coors Field.) Only Sparky Anderson thinks baseball is still our national pastime. Dream on, Sparky. And turn out the lights.”
John, baseball basher
Kiz: Remember how “Bull Durham” made baseball sexy? Of course you do. Well, the hottest ideas in that flick were delivered by Annie Savoy, not Crash Davis. She compared the 108 beads in a Catholic rosary with the number of stitches in a baseball, and preached that good hitting was a lot like making love. Amen, Annie. But the lady forgot to mention one thing: the lost romance of a 154-game season. Baseball would be a sweeter game if there were fewer meaningless games.
St. Louis soap opera
“I’m doing laundry once every five or six days this October to keep my Cardinals wear clean. But I must confess I wore my favorite Cards shirt many times during the 2004 playoffs, and I didn’t wash it for the entire postseason.”
Laura, St. Louis
Kiz: Good to hear from a female who believes in the karma of good-luck gear. That’s awesome. Please forgive me for my erroneous belief that only guys were willing to get stinky for the cause. You deserve congratulations, Laura. But do you mind if I give you a high-five instead of a hug?
No to New York
“Who cares about your opinion or the New York Yankees? Baseball parity equals close games. Move to New York with Woody Paige.”
Anonymous Cardinals fan
Kiz: Um, I don’t know how to break this to you, my friend. But here’s the bad news. I’m not ever leaving beautiful Colorado for New York City. That would be a less tasty proposition than trying to live off nothing except cold pizza.
Parting shot
And today’s parting shot is an explosion of joy from Missouri, where the Cardinals took on their doubters and showed ’em all. Redbird Nation does not care about those meager 83 regular-season victories nearly as much as the team’s improbable 11 wins during the playoffs, when it counted most.
“We have beaten every team they put in front us, and they can call us whatever they want, but they will have to include the words ‘world champions.”‘
Thomas, St. Louis
