I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my notes. …
Re: The Rockies and their attempts to sign Jason Jennings. You’ve heard of hometown discounts? Just the opposite is in effect there. If the Rox want to keep J.J. off the market, they’ll have to overpay to sign him. Or any other pitcher worth keeping, for that matter. Add that to the list of reasons why it’s harder to win Up Here. …
Post baseball scribe Troy E. Renck says the Rockies are talking to the Blue Jays about center fielder Vernon Wells. Great news, Denver. The eggnog’s on me if they pull off that one. …
Yes, John Elway has noticed the revolving door that has claimed the jobs of seven starting NFL quarterbacks, not counting those who’ve gone down with injuries. Said Elway: “What’s funny is you look around the league and it seems like it’s getting even more (than usual). They want to hang (Rex) Grossman in Chicago. They’re 10-2 and they want to hang him. … They wanted to fire Michael Vick. … It’s that time of year, I guess.” …
For the record, add Jake Delhomme and Brad Johnson to the list of quarterbacks whose helmets are being called for by their local media and fans. …
Darrent Williams, when asked if the Broncos defense was getting discouraged by the offense’s shortcomings: “We’re not discouraged. We’ve just got to keep on doing it. The Ravens won a Super Bowl on defense, and we’ve kind of got that mentality.” …
Then there’s Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, whose team lost Sunday when the Bears returned a punt and an interception for touchdowns. Said Leber, “We feel on defense now that if we don’t score, we don’t have a chance.” …
One’s a fastball, two’s a curve and three’s Vicente Padilla’s spot in the rotation. Not that, you know, the Rangers overpaid to sign him. …
Rumorama: Texas Tech’s Mike Leach to the U of Miami, with TCU’s Gary Patterson possibly in the mix, too. …
Enough already with the e-mails. I know this may come as a shock, but I’m not Bryant Gumbel’s boss. You want to vent about him, contact the NFL Network or your local congressman. …
Say, didn’t you used to be Earl Boykins’ jump shot? I don’t know if there’s a Mendoza Line for NBA shooters, but at .295, he would be under it. …
The Knicks want to win now, but don’t have the talent to do it. And if they lose and have a shot at Ohio State big man Greg Oden, the Bulls can take the pick. On a more positive note, those are some snappy suits Isiah Thomas has been sporting lately. …
Memo to e-mailers: Finish the sentence. It’s not “The BCS got it right.” It’s “The BCS got it right because Florida won the SEC championship game.” And if Arkansas had won? If that were the case, I’ve had people, heck bent on avoiding an Ohio State-Michigan rematch, suggest LSU should have played the Buckeyes. This just in. LSU didn’t play in the SEC championship game. …
Talk about a surprise matchup. Unless the Old Farmer’s Almanac put out a preseason top 25 that I didn’t notice, neither Wisconsin nor Arkansas was ranked in August. But there they are, matched up in the Capital One Bowl on New Year’s Day. …
Got to go to your mother-in-law’s for Christmas? Cheer up, bubba. You could be the MPC Bowl-bound U of Miami Hurricanes. Nothing says happy holidays quite like playing on a blue carpet in Boise, Idaho, in late December. …
Just wondering: Can we fast-forward the NBA season so the Nuggets can get another shot at the Clippers in the playoffs? The Paper Clips are a mess at the moment, having won as many road games as the Washington Generals. …
He’s 5-1 as a starter, he’s rumored to be dating Jessica Simpson, and his passer rating is higher than the front row at a Grateful Dead concert. And you wonder why Tony Romo can’t stop smiling.
Jim Armstrong can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
