On a scale of fascination, all-star games fill an entire spectrum: Some are captivating clashes and some are snoozefests. Baseball’s midsummer classic can be the former, a distinguished matchup between the best of two distinctly different leagues. The NFL Pro Bowl, on the other hand, is a yawning excuse to send players, executives and reporters on a paid vacation.
College football all-star games fall somewhere in between and fill a special position. Hardly noticed in the television ratings, the Hula Bowl, East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl bring together some of the best collegiate players in the country in what can become news-making displays of talent.
Behind the scenes, especially in the practices leading up to the games, entire professional careers are made and lost. Pro scouts swarm, looking for something they can take back to their draft-day “war rooms.”
For college players scrapping to be a late-round NFL draft pick, these games are often a last shot. And for NFL superfans, the games offer a chance to see the future.
Three Colorado-area players will be among those hoping to stand out Saturday in the 83rd annual East-West Shrine Game at Houston’s Robertson Stadium. The 5 p.m. game, airing on ESPN2, will feature Colorado offensive tackle Tyler Polumbus, Colorado State defensive end Jesse Nading and Air Force linebacker Drew Fowler.
Polumbus was a second-team all-Big 12 pick and was invited to the NFL combine in February. Nading was a second-team all-Mountain West selection. And Fowler ranked third in the MWC with 110 tackles this season, his second as a first-team all-conference player.
And they’re not the only all-stars.
Colorado linebacker Jordon Dizon, a Butkus Award finalist, joined Air Force linebacker John Rabold last Saturday in the Hula Bowl. And Dizon and Colorado cornerback Terrence Wheatley will play in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 26 in Mobile, Ala.
After that, it’s the NFL or bust.
AROUND TOWN
Wheelies on ice
From the “local boy makes good” file: Colorado native Brendon Frazier has steadily worked his way up the motorcycle ice-racing chain. He broke through three years ago in Loveland during an amateur race, then a year later went professional. This weekend, Frazier will return to the Budweiser Events Center in an attempt to win the World Championship ICE (International Championship Events) Racing Series tour. He’s currently ninth in the unlimited outlaw quads division, with three events remaining. Moto ice racing, by the way, pits riders careening around a rink course on bikes and ATVs with tire spikes. It’s a trip, so to speak.
Saturday: Motorcycle Ice Racing, at Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, 7:30 p.m.
STAY ON THE COUCH
A strong dose of Pepsi
Unless you’re a hardcore fan — and you know who you are — no one should be expected to make four trips in four nights to the Pepsi Center. But it was possible this weekend. The Nuggets on Thursday took on the Utah Jazz at the Can; tonight the Avs face the Chicago Blackhawks at 7 p.m. Then on Saturday, the hardcourt returns for the Nuggets’ game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7 p.m. The weekend concludes Sunday for an Avs game versus the Columbus Blue Jackets at 6 p.m. One low- to midrange ticket to each game would cost a total of somewhere upward of $300. Or you could watch the games on TV. Each airs on Altitude.
GET OFF THE COUCH
Crush dreams.
It won’t be just you and a bunch of posers at the Colorado Crush’s annual open tryout Sunday in Centennial. Among those to be tested are former Mullen High School standouts Ryan Clement, who played at Miami, and Roman Hollowell, Colorado; and former Bear Creek and Colorado State quarterback Justin Holland. The Crush’s Arena Football League schedule starts March 2, and the team still has roster spots to fill. The tryout starts at 7 a.m., at the Sports Dome, 6959 S. Peoria St., in Centennial ().
MOVING ON UP
A.I. passes legends
Allen Iverson passed Larry Bird and Gary Payton on Wednesday for 21st on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. And he should jump into the top 20 sometime this season. A look:
Player, career points
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 38,387
2. Karl Malone, 36,928
3. Michael Jordan, 32,292
4. Wilt Chamberlain, 31,419
5. Moses Malone, 27,409
Also:
12. Alex English, 25,613
19. Elgin Baylor, 23,149
20. Clyde Drexler, 22,195
21. Allen Iverson, 21,844
22. Gary Payton, 21,813
23. Larry Bird, 21,791
