Bailey can’t bail out this bunch.
“What was that awful sound heard recently in Denver? It couldn’t have been the Hindenburg exploding or the Titanic sinking or the stock market crashing. Oh, it was the Broncos’ season blowing up. The team has no focus and no direction. Let’s trade cornerback Champ Bailey to a contender, so he has a chance to get his ring. Maybe we can use the draft choices to begin the rebuilding process so evidently needed.”
Don, Pueblo West
Kiz: Before you dump Bailey, I would suggest seeing how painful it is to watch this defense while he’s out with an injury. But, in 2004, when Denver traded Clinton Portis for an elite cornerback, it was written Washington got the better deal. Or at least that was the opinion of some fool (won’t mention any names, but his initials are Kiz). Nearly five seasons later, let’s update the results of that trade. For all Bailey’s greatness, he can’t stop Denver’s defense from being horrible. And nobody in the NFL can stop Portis this year. He is more than the league’s leading rusher; CP is a candidate for MVP.
Dunlap’s not done yet.
“When is somebody going to call out Mike Dunlap for the fraud he is? For years, this coach teased the basketball programs at Colorado State, Colorado and even the University of Denver, turning them down because they didn’t have “good situations.” So Dunlap gets a shot at Arizona and turns it down? What, is Arizona not a good situation?”
Zach, Fargo, N.D.
Kiz: Not to suggest Dunlap is old, but he is getting mail from the AARP. So turning down the chance to coach ‘Zona on an interim basis seemed a bigger risk than accepting the challenge, if you ask me. But are the Dunlap rumors done in Colorado? Maybe not, especially if George Karl is unable to land a playoff spot for the Nuggets this year.
Snooze alarm.
“Just because your downtrodden Rockies didn’t make it to the playoffs doesn’t give you poetic license to dis the Phillies and Rays in the World Series. I always watch the World Series, even if my team isn’t playing. When Philadelphia closer Brad Lidge threw strike three to win the championship, I howled like a banshee, because baseball is a powerful drug.”
Mike, Long Beach, Calif.
Kiz: The drug most of America needed to stay awake during this World Series was caffeine. In bulk.
Beats the alternative.
“I am astounded there is any concern about the number of blacks playing major-league baseball. With all the other maladies affecting their community, such as incarcerations, single moms, unemployment and violent crime, it seems to me investment in daycare and educational facilities would help much more than a Little League field. What’s next, hand- wringing about the lack of blacks in hockey, golf or swimming?”
Sean, Denver
Kiz: At the Belmont Heights Little League, whose fields sit next to low-income housing in Tampa, there are coaches who hope the Rays’ success inspires kids to play ball rather than run the streets.
Play ball, please.
“I cannot believe what baseball has done to the sport, and I blame commissioner Bud Selig almost 100 percent for catering to TV and advertisers during the playoffs. My biggest gripe is the length of the games. Don’t they realize how outrageous it is for a nine-inning baseball game to last a minimum of three hours and, in some cases, close to four hours?”
Craig, Denver
Kiz: How many times do I need to see Boston slugger David Ortiz spit in his hand during a single trip to the plate? And people try to tell me soccer is slow? Please.
Parting shot
Pastime past its time?
And today’s parting shot wonders: Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? Turn our eyes to baseball? Now, the World Series is just another reason to turn the channel.
“Don’t just bury the World Series. Bury baseball. If anyone is serious about rejuvenating the grand sport, they need to go retro: No designated hitters, doubleheaders during the regular season, no commercial breaks longer than 45 seconds between innings and a World Series between the top teams in each league.”
Stephen, Austin, Texas
