Want to talk about the Rockies’ bullpen implosion, Broncos minicamp, or the World Cup? Mark Kiszla answered your questions in a Lunch Special live chat on Monday.
Hi Mark. It seems like a lot was made of Vance Joseph’s changed demeanor during offseason workouts. Did you notice a difference that leads you to think he’ll be any different than last year?
Kiszla: Vance Joseph has to be more assertive in 2018 than he was as a rookie coach. I’m betting this message was sent loud and clear to him from John Elway. Joseph has said he assumed too much (an longtime no-no in the football world) a year ago. He assumed assistant coaches would do their work in a way Joseph approved. He assumed veterans would get young players in the frame needed to be successful at the NFL level. But a coach must be himself, or else players won’t buy what he’s selling, because players can smell a phony from a mile away. Joseph is not a phony. But I think what’s been said about his changed demeanor might’ve been a wee bit overstated, as if often the case when all us journalists are looking something to report on the NFL during OTAs and mini-camp. I’ll give Joseph this: He has said it’s all about wins and losses. And he’s correct. Beating Oakland is way better than the head coach having a stronger demeanor during a good week of practice.
Your Belgium pick looking good, Mr. Sunshine. What’s your stance on Americans rooting for Mexico?
Kiszla: No offense to Germany. But it appears to me that Spain and Belgium are the two most talented teams in the tournament. There are some that insist soccer heritage matters at the World Cup, and this once-in-a-lifetime collection of talent for Belgium will not perform to their obvious skill level when the pressure mounts. That’s a fair point. We shall see.
Is it even possible to fix a bullpen when you’ve sunk as much money into it as the Rockies have?
Kiszla: If the Rockies can convince general manager Jeff Bridich (and themselves, for that matter) that this is a legitimate playoff contender, one more bullpen arm won’t be too expensive to acquire, even after the $100 million already spent on fortifying the pen. But that 13-12 loss to Texas? Did the Rockies look like legitimate contenders? If Nolan Arenado or Charlie Blackmon or Jon Gray looked themselves in the mirror and were dead honest, the answer would be: Hell, no.
Can we say Jeff Bridich doesn’t know how to pick free agent bullpen arms? Chad Qualls, Jason Motte, Boone Logan, Greg Holland, Mike Dunn, Bryan Shaw, Jake McGee, Wade Davis — kind of a mixed bag, if I’m gonna be nice.
Kiszla: It has been a mixed bag, to be sure. But I think the results of re-working a bullpen always will be. There have been notable failures (Boone Logan, Bryan Shaw). But let’s give Jeff Bridich this: Without taking a gamble on Greg Holland in 2017, there’s no way the Rockies would have made the playoffs. Wade Davis? I had serious concerns he was showing the effects of a high-mileage career weeks before his meltdown in the Texas heat that resulted in a 13-12 loss. It might not have been a loss that ended the team’s season, but it will be a loss that will create doubt until (and if) Colorado gets on a roll.
How many sacks this year for Bradley Chubb, Von Miller, Shaq Barrett and Shane Ray, individually, in your opinion?
Kiszla: Ah, yes. The request to make an NFL prediction in June. Hey, I can make a prediction 20 minutes before kickoff of a Broncos game and make a fool of myself. So I reserve the right to change my mind. I think Von Miller, Bradley Chubb and Shaq are fully capable of combining for 25-30 sacks. And if they do that, the Broncos are going back to the playoffs.
Someone asked me this during my live chat, so now I have to ask you: Original Pancake House or Snooze? This is very important. Pick carefully.
Kiszla: Breakfast, preferably in the 9 o’clock hour, might be my fave meal to dine out. And since I’m a breakfast out aficionado, I’m going to give two shameless plugs for two of my fave spots in my neighborhood. Morning Collective, in the 2100 block of South Broadway. It’s what Snooze wishes it could be. And for cheap, diner breakfast heaven, I’m going to Crown Burger at University, just south of Evans. But to answer your question: I’m not a pancake guy. I’m a hash browns guy. But if I’m going to eat pancakes, The Original Pancake House is a fine choice. Snooze? Solid. A little too hipster for me.
How screwed are the Broncos if Case Keenum gets hurt?
Kiszla: Well, way to harsh the mellow of every Broncomaniac in a five-state area. Injuries happen. But can’t be worrying about crossing the street to play ball. Keenum gets hurt? The Chad Kelly fans among us tell me that it would give rise to the next great NFL quarterback. I’m not so sure. Broncos could survive three, maybe four games with Keenum on the shelf. No more. But I’d spend your time worrying more about how well Keenum will play, rather than about him not playing due to injury.
How much pressure is on the Nuggets front office this week after having, shall we say, a misstep or two in the last few years? How should fans view potentially trading a third first-round pick in a little over three years to erase a mistake?
Kiszla: Coach Michael Malone caught most of the grief for the Nuggets missing the playoffs. But it was Denver’s front office that made the missteps a year ago. Tim Connelly has done some excellent work (Joker, Murray, Harris). But he needs to get back to his A game. And there are vets that need to be shed from roster. Saying goodbye to Kenneth Faried and Wilson Chandler might require trades that won’t be pretty … or popular.
Crown Burger is on Colorado Boulevard in case your readers want to partake in the delicious food though certainly resulting in food coma.
Kiszla: Thank you much for that catch. Yep, I said University. Crown Burger is just south of Evans on Colorado. And you can find me there regularly, after I emerge from a food coma. Crown Burger is not Snooze. It’s old school. And way too big of portions to be considered healthy. I like that. Crown Burger, just south of Evans, on the east side of Colorado. Google Maps … much more reliable than Kiz maps.
Crown Burger, 2192 S. Colorado Blvd. For those of you keeping score at home. Tell Stella I sent you.
What’s been your favorite thing you wrote in the last year?
Kiszla: Thanks for asking, especially since it allows me a bit of shameless self-promotion. I will be in North Carolina this weekend, where I will have the great good pleasure of being honored by the National Sports Media Association as Colorado sportswriter of the year for the third time in the past four years. (Humble brag? Not really any such thing, is there?) My favorite column on the last year is hard to say. Heck, I can’t even remember the address of one of my favorite breakfast joints. But, of late, the columns I most enjoyed writing lately were both national anthem related, the first with Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall reacting to the NFL’s new anthem policy and the second a Memorial Day weekend column with David Stevenson, a Vietnam vet that I had the great good pleasure to stand alongside as the national anthem played at a Broncos home game last season.
Love the upsets in the World Cup. What was most amazing for you? Iceland tie Argentina, Mexico beating Germany, Switzerland tie Brazil.
Kiszla: Love my Iceland. Been to the country three times and can’t wait to go back. So that tie was the most pleasing of the upsets for me personally. But Mexico beat Germany, the defending World Cup champ. And, according to my math, a win is better than a tie. So I’d have to say Mexico’s win is the best upset of a terrific start to the World Cup.
How do the Rockies break out of this horrible slump?
Kiszla: At the outset of June, my colleague Patrick Saunders (whom I fondly call “The Genius” and I (known everywhere as “The Knucklehead”) debated if this June swoon thing was real … and to be feared. Well, it’s certainly real this season. And to be feared. The Rockies lost what? 10 of 14 to start the month? That’s not good. While nobody accuses me of being a math genius, the analytics of the Rockies run differential (minus 44) is far more disconcerting after 71 games than their 34-37 record. How do the Rockies get out of it? Trevor Story keeps hitting like an all-star, CarGo shows he can contribute, my man Ian Desmond mixes in a few singles between his home runs and Bud Black finds three arms in the bullpen he can trust. Whew, that’s a long list.
Chances that both Nathan MacKinnon and Jared Bednar win NHL “best of” awards?
Kiszla: I say the chances of MacKinnon and Bednar both winning are slightly more than zero. Hope I’m wrong. MacKinnon’s got a real shot. With all due respect to the job Bednar did, and as a big doubter of Bednar I owe him that respect, it seems to me voting for Gerard Gallant of Las Vegas as coach of the year would have been too easy to allow anyone to beat him for the award.
Hope MacKinnon and Bednar both bring home the hardware. That would be a lot better story in Denver.
[scribble src=”/event/2787536″ /]
