Cleveland is all atwitter because Cavaliers superstar LeBron James has filed paperwork to switch from No. 23 to No. 6, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported on Monday. He beat a Wednesday deadline to make the request.
James is making the switch to honor his basketball hero, Michael Jordan, who wore No. 23 for most of his career. Six is James’ jersey number on the Olympic team.
James becomes a free agent after this season and he’s looking forward to a gargantuan contract. But the uniform number change has Cavs fans wishfully thinking that James is planning to stay in Cleveland. Why? Because if James switches to another team (the Knicks for instance), he can pick any number he wants. He only had to file paperwork if he wants his number changed with the Cavaliers.
Anyway, the story got me thinking about uniform numbers here in Denver.
The most revered number is, unquestionably, seven. Some Broncos quarterback named Elway wore it for 16 seasons.
If Elway’s seven is No. 1, what’s No. 2?
The Broncos’ Floyd Little wore No. 44, and so did the Nuggets’ Dan Issel. Both of those numbers are retired. Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy wore No. 33, as did the Nuggets’ David Thompson and the Rockies’ Larry Walker. Roy and Thompson’s numbers are retired.
Denver native Chauncey Billups wears No. 1. That seems fitting.
Todd Helton’s No. 17 will surely be retired by the Rockies some day. And who knows if Troy Tulowitzki’s No. 2 will stand the test of time in Colorado.
OK, OK, this is not exactly a deep topic. There’s not a lot of meat on the bones in today’s “Lunch Special,” but it’s fun to kick around.
Trivia time
When Jordan returned to the NBA after his flirtation with minor-league baseball, what number did he initially wear? (Answer below)
Polling
Monday’s “Lunch Special” poll asked readers what Denver sports venue was their favorite. With 425 votes in as of this morning, Coors Field was the runaway winner with 7l percent of the vote. Invesco Field at Mile High was a distant second with 15.52 percent.
Quotable
“I had three life-changing events in one year. It wasn’t easy. It took the winter to screw my head on straight.” — Rockies outfielder Ryan Spilborghs in a story
Reader’s rant
“Of all these big lineman to anchor the 3-4, I hope the Broncos stay away from Terrence Cody. I would describe him as a Pillsbury Dough Boy blob who needs a bra. He’s a out of shape and has conditioning issues that won’t get any better given the altitude in Denver. From what I’ve read, Dan Williams is the man the Broncos need to get there hands on in the first round.” — about big defensive linemen at the NFL scouting combine.
Blog spot
Adrian Dater writes that the Avalanche “played like a team that absolutely knew it was going to lose” in Monday’s night’s 3-2 home defeat at the hands of the hated Red Wings. Check it out on his
In case you missed it
Legislators in Missouri want to take away Big Mac’s highway.
A stretch of Interstate 70 in St. Louis was designated the Mark McGwire Highway in 1999, one year after the Cardinals slugger hit a then-record 70 home runs. It was perfect: 70 homers for I-70.
However, now that McGwire has admitted he used steroids, the state Senate voted unanimously Monday to rename the section of interstate the Mark Twain Highway. The measure now goes to the House.
This day in sports
On this day in 1962, Philadelphia’s Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a 169-147 victory over the Knicks.
Trivia answer
Jordan wore No. 45, the same number he wore playing for the Birmingham Barons Double-A baseball team.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1720 or psaunders@denverpost.com Hungry for more? .
