Not my kind of town.
“Goodness, what a hard time to be a Colorado sports fan! There has been no good news around here since before the World Series. The Avs, the Rockies and the Nuggets all have stunk lately. They are sinking like the Titanic. The only question I have is: When do the Broncos start?”
Bill, Briggsdale
Kiz: Goodness has nothing to do with it, I’m afraid. And talk about bad luck? To be any more cursed lately, Troy Tulowitzki, Jay Cutler, Carmelo Anthony, Paul Stastny and Stan Kroenke would have to be a fab five playing in the dance band on the Titanic. By the way, Broncos season starts as soon as Brandon Marshall quits horsing around with family members in front of that TV. Oops.
It was a very bad year.
“I would love to see Peter Forsberg back with the Avalanche, as well as Joe Sakic and Adam Foote, for that matter. But it’s probably the nostalgia in me talking. The loss to Detroit in the playoffs was the end of an era, and perhaps fitting, as painful as it was, that the end came against the Red Wings.”
Chris, Toronto
Kiz: Foppa is done. Foote will be back. And Sakic is so conflicted about his future it would be foolish for anybody else to offer a guess.
Let’s face the music.
“All the things the Nuggets don’t do, which cause sporadic team play, chemistry problems and poor adjustments, are products of bad coaching. The players don’t know what to do, and say so. After Game 4 against Los Angeles, Allen Iverson said everyone, including the coaches, needs to get better. But coaches don’t normally make vast offseason improvements. Karl is 62-83 lifetime as a playoff coach. He doesn’t seem to understand about putting in a system or how to create an organizational culture.”
Bill, Marshall, Minn.
Kiz: Saying he went to “basketball rehab” after the Nuggets were eliminated by the Lakers, Karl vowed he will do it “my way” when coaching the team next season. OK, cue the Sinatra. But whose way has Karl been coaching the past four seasons in Denver? Too often, he has looked more like Red Klotz than Red Auerbach.
Send in the clown.
“Karl was great in his first season with the Nuggets, then came some poor management decisions. The Andre Miller-for-Iverson trade has been a disaster. Firing Karl was not good for Seattle or Milwaukee. G.K. might be the victim of tattooed millionaires. If the players don’t listen to him, he should leave.”
Agustin, Cadiz, Spain
Kiz: Ever since the 1970s, I’ve been wondering. Is it true what Three Dog Night sang about Spain? Are the ladies really insane there and do they sure know how to use it? Speaking of which, if Karl is going to do nothing but lean on the scorer’s table and block everybody’s view during home games, could we maybe get Penelope Cruz as coach? At least the scenery would improve.
One more for the road.
“Why do I get the feeling had the Broncos drafted Oregon running back Jonathan Stewart, you would be criticizing them for not taking a left tackle? Denver filled its biggest need when Ryan Clady fell in its lap.”
Eric, Aurora
Kiz: Can’t speak for you, but I’m glad the 315-pound Clady didn’t fall in my lap. FYI: I advocated the Broncos taking Stewart or Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall four days before the draft. When Mendenhall wins rookie of the year for the Pittsburgh Steelers, don’t come crying to me.
Parting shot
And today’s parting shot is sound advice for sleepyheads who want to cut down on caffeine but keep the keen edge demanded by 21st-century life.
“I can’t stand you 99 percent of the time, Kiz. But I read your column every time I see your name. You get me wound up faster than a whole pot of coffee, and that’s exactly what I need in the morning.”
Wil, loyal reader
