Perhaps you’ve heard that . Those odds were set Sunday by the Canada-based Bovada sports book.
That dire forecast prompted me to look back and see what the odds were for the Rockies at this time last year. As it turns out, the Rockies, coming off a 73-89 season in 2011, were 25-1 long shots to win the 2012 World Series.
If my math is correct, the oddsmakers are saying that the Rockies are now three times less likely to shock the baseball world next year.
Well, there’s a gloomy forecast if I’ve ever heard one.
I’m not a bettor — unless you count my weekly NFL pick ’em pool — but the projected fate of the Rox got me thinking about some odds and ends for local teams. So I set up this quick “Lunch Special” exercise in predictions and prognostications. Feel free to play along.
1. What’s more likely to happen, the Nuggets advance to the 2013 NBA Finals or the Broncos advance to Super Bowl XLVII?
The Broncos have been to six Super Bowls. The Nuggets have never visited the NBA’s promised land.
is young, fast, exciting and promising. But they still have to deal with the Lakers and Thunder to get to the Finals.
This year’s Broncos are hungry, inspired and playing with confidence. And, oh yeah, they have a guy named Peyton Manning.
• My pick: Broncos.
2. Which team returns to a bowl game first, the Colorado Buffaloes or the Colorado State Rams?
This a matter of picking the lesser of two evils, but I think the Rams at least have a game plan. The Buffaloes are simply roaming aimlessly. Plus, CSU plays in the Mountain West; the Buffs play in the Pac-12. The Rams’ path is much easier.
• My pick: CSU Rams.
3. What will happen first: The CU football team goes to a bowl game or the Rockies make the playoffs?
Hmm … now there’s a question.
As bad as the Rockies have been, the Buffs have been worse. Hopeless and embarrassing are words that come to mind. I mean, Oregon 56, CU 0. At halftime? Really?
• My pick: Rockies.
4. OK, this one’s off the wall, but here goes. What will happen first: a second no-hitter will be thrown at Coors Field or someone will kick a 64-yard field goal at Sports Authority Field at Mile High?
This is a high-altitude head-scratcher.
It’s been more than 16 years since the Dodgers’ Hideo Nomo threw a no-hitter at Coors Field (Sept. 17, 1996). But this past season, there were seven no-hitters in the majors. Clearly, pitchers are becoming dominant again. But at Coors? Not so much.
There have been two 63-yard field goals kicked at Broncos home games — Jason Elam’s on Oct. 25, 1998, against Jacksonville at Mile High Stadium, and Sebastian Janikowski’s boot for the Raiders on Sept 12, 2011, at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Kickoff returns have become nearly obsolete at altitude.
Elam is surprised his record still stands. As he recently told Sports Illustrated: “I told people I thought (my record) might be gone in a week. I’m shocked it’s still there.”
• My pick: 64-yard field goal.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428, psaunders@denverpost.com or twitter.com/psaundersdp
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