Perhaps a carry-over from the dynamite days of silver mining the Rocky Mountains into hollow hills, Colorado’s fascinationor is it obsession? — with firecracker explosions seems unmatched in this country.
There are so many fireworks displays between Fort Collins and Colorado Springs that you could sit outside in Morrison and read the newspaper cover-to-cover well after the sun goes down, just by the colored light of blooming bombs.
The trick isn’t finding the nearest display, there are enough to go around. The goal is to multitask. And that means catching a game and fireworks. And to that end, there are several options:
Rockies vs. Diamondbacks.
Back from a nine-game road trip up and down the West Coast that finished off a record-setting month, the Rockies, who went 21-7 in June, face rival Arizona today through Sunday.
For Colorado, it’s the front end of 10 consecutive home games before the all-star break starts on July 13.
Coors Field will host two fireworks displays after games, tonight and Saturday, with first pitch set for 6:10 p.m. each night.
Rapids vs. Fire.
When the Chicago Fire visit the Rapids on Saturday at 7 p.m. at DSG Park in Commerce City, the Major League Soccer clubs will bring identical records. The Rapids and Fire are both 5-3-6 this season, each with 21 points, and each in fourth place in their respective conferences.
But Colorado has owned Chicago at home in recent years. The Rapids are undefeated against Chicago in Colorado since 2000, going 6-0-4.
Outlaws vs. Cannons.
The two hottest teams in Major League Lacrosse will meet in Denver on Saturday at Invesco Field, when the Denver Outlaws host the Boston Cannons. The Outlaws, at 6-1 with six consecutive victories, are atop the MLL standings. Boston (4-3), two games back, has won three straight games.
Faceoff is set for 7 p.m.
Sky Sox vs. Bees.
If it weren’t for the parent-team Rockies, the Sky Sox would by far be the newsiest baseball team in Colorado. The Pacific Coast League’s Sky Sox, in the past two weeks, have had three players named to the Triple-A All-Star Game and had a pitcher, Brandon Hynick, throw a perfect game.
The Sox host the Salt Lake Bees tonight at 7 p.m. with fireworks to follow.
AROUND TOWN
Garmin-Slipstream team tackling Tour.
Vive L’Armee du Losange! Long live the Argyle Army! While the Tour de France, which starts Saturday in Monaco, races through France a half-world away, the race will be closer to Colorado than ever before.
There’s a Boulder-based team — Garmin-Slipstream, in their argyle unis — poised to make waves among the leaderboard. And a Boulder-based cycling website, , ready to help area cycling fans follow the action.
VeloNews will have pre-race and post-race interviews, up-to-the-minute stage coverage and live results. Pair that with TV coverage on Versus.
And keep an eye on Garmin-Slip leader Christian Vande Velde, who finished fifth in last year’s Tour.
STAY ON THE COUCH
Game, set, match.
Some tennis championships play out more memorably than others, sure. But comparing championships from different years can be a worthless exercise. Either they’re exciting or not. Most are.
When the gentlemen’s and ladies’ singles champions are crowned at Wimbledon this weekend at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, last year’s epic showdown between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer likely will be on viewers’ minds. But this year’s matches will live on their own.
Saturday’s women’s final, airing on KUSA-9 from 7 a.m. to noon, features another matchup of the Williams sisters, Serena vs. Venus. It’ll be a rubber match of sorts — the all-time head-to-head record between the two is 10-10.
And Sunday’s men’s final, on KUSA-9 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., likely will pit two of the sport’s best players despite Nadal’s absence.
GET OFF THE COUCH
Pound the pavement.
There are some excellent Independence Day runs on Saturday. To wit: the Liberty Run Four-Mile at Washington Park (libertyrun.net), the FireKracker 5K in Fort Collins (footoftherockies.com) and the Four on the Fourth 4K in Boulder (averybrewing.com).
But why not take advantage of the holiday by heading for the hills for three high-country races? Check out:
• Georgetown Fourth of July 5K, which runs through the old town (active.com).
• Blue Ribbon 10K in Silverton, navigating a scenic course in the San Juan Mountains (silvertonevents.com).
• Gateway Canyons Fourth of July Half Marathon and 5K south of Grand Junction, which follows a rolling course around the Dolores River (gatewaycanyons.com).
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
Pedal power.
Not to be confused with the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships later this month in Granby, the USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships — also known as the Firecracker 50 — will run through Breckenridge on Saturday.
The 50-mile race, with 750 cyclists, will run two loops up a trail along an old narrow gauge railroad, each lap with some 5,400 feet of climbing.
The pro division will add champions to a list of past winners that includes defending title-holders Sari Anderson and Jeremiah Bishop.
Check for info.
