Helton is just all right with me.
“Congratulations, Mark. You might be the worst front-running, bandwagon-jumping sportswriter in America. Todd Helton is the only legitimate Hall of Fame player the Rockies have had in their 18-year existence. Helton has slowed a bit, but you want to sit him on the bench because he’s not hitting home runs like he used to? Andwhat — replace Helton with an old guy (Jason Giambi) who’s not even hitting as good as Todd? I loved Giambi when he was young. Key word here: was! Giambi can’t carry Todd’s glove or jock. Back off Helton. Writers like you have buried him many times over the years, and he keeps on being the backbone of what is at most a mediocre club.”
Maury, Denver
Kiz: There were folks in this town who wanted to trade Helton and his huge salary years ago. Not me. When I wrote last summer that Helton belonged in the Hall of Fame, Dan Patrick graciously called to let me explain to his national radio audience why I was so completely bonkers. So count me as a big fan of Helton. But the man who was the best ballplayer in franchise history? He’s not wearing No. 17 in purple pinstripes anymore. Don’t like Giambi? Fine. Brad Hawpe probably has an old first baseman’s glove gathering dust in his garage.
Expensive outs.
“You’re a brave man, Kiz. I give you credit for the column calling for the Rockies to bench Helton. You are probably being besieged by ‘Heltonites’ chastising you for writing the obvious. I really laud you for your honesty. Manager Jim Tracy needs to be really careful. Loyalty only goes so far. Baseball is a team game, and the most productive players need to be on the field.”
Bob, retired teacher
Kiz: When the sun came up Saturday, Helton was a veteran being paid $16.6 million to hit .194 with runners in scoring position. Maybe Heltonites see that as no big deal. Here’s betting general manager Dan O’Dowd sees it a little differently.
Baseball town?
“Why is everybody so worried about the Rockies? Doesn’t anybody remember the ‘So you’re saying we have a chance’ days from 2007? I remember when being six games behind in the standings during September was something great. We’re closer than that now, and it’s only May. Has Denver become a — gasp — baseball town?”
Alejandro, Louisville
Kiz: When slugger Albert Pujols owns nine home runs in late May, worried fans in St. Louis grumble about what’s wrong. Pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez wins his ninth game of the season on a 72-degree night in Denver, and nearly 50 percent of the seats in the ballpark go unsold. St. Louis is a baseball town. Denver is a Broncos town.
Motivating Tebow.
“Keep the negativity on Tim Tebow coming! He thrives on it. You are helping to motivate him to succeed with the Broncos! Are you a frustrated jock? Or is there another reason you choose to be a jerk?”
George, Sarasota, Fla.
Kiz: No need to shout in all exclamation points; we here at Kickin’ It Headquarters get the message. Anybody who professes less than 100 percent faith that Tebow will be better than John Elway must be a heathen. But a jerk? C’mon, would Shiny Tim approve of name-calling?
Golf gods love aces.
“I am a United States Golf Association rules official, and your column (‘Golfers the last honest jocks?’) is so right. Ninety-nine percent of golfers are honest to a fault. I am also a high school golf coach at Kent Denver, and I texted all my players to make sure they read your column. I teach my players there are golf gods who watch everything you do on the course, and they will reward or punish you for doing or not doing the right thing.”
Bob, Cherry Hills Village
Kiz: Golf gods? For real? What do they look like? Santa Claus, only dressed in those orange double-knit slacks that Rodney Dangerfield wore in “Caddyshack”? Omigosh. Why didn’t you inform me of this earlier? If there are golf gods, I’ve got absolutely zero chance of sneaking into heaven.
Honesty in golf not for amateurs
And today’s parting shot is aimed at the hacker who believes that if he paid $4 for a golf ball sunk in a water hazard it should not cost him a 2-stroke penalty.
“I agree golfers are about the only pro athletes left who will call a penalty on themselves. But I don’t think that honesty trickles down to weekend golfers. They are probably the biggest cheaters on the planet with mulligans, foot wedges and a selective memory of strokes taken.”
Robert, Lakewood
