Nuggets fans could find themselves going batty again trying to watch the Joker.
Holy Blackout, Batman! Unless a Dark Knight swings in to save the day at the 11th hour, Denver sports faithful appear to once again be on the wrong side of a Comcast/Xfinity dispute that threatens their ability to watch championship-level teams in action.
ݴھԾٲdropped channels owned by E.W. Scripps earlier this month in a contract squabble. Denver’s KMGH-TV (Denver7) is one of those Scripps stations — and, as an ABC affiliate, will be carrying some of the NBA Playoffs and Stanley Cup Playoffs.
ESPN/ABC is slated to air roughly 18 NBA postseason games during the first two rounds, and likely one of the two conference finals series this spring. ESPN/ABC will air the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals exclusively.
While specific games and network assignments have yet to be announced, it doesn’t take a VPN to see where this could be going.
And, frankly, it breaks the hearts — yes, we still have them — of the hoops nerds on the Grading The Week crew. Especially as it was only 15 months ago that Nuggets and Avs fans finally got Kroenke Sports & Entertainment’s Altitude channel back on Xfinity after nearly six years of darkness, public sniping and lawsuits.
Comcast/KMGH blackout — D
OK, we hear you. Enough sobbing. So, what are fans’ options for Nuggets and Avs playoff games that they can’t get on Xfinity? You’ve got a few, although none are perfect:
1. Buy a digital antenna. Easy to purchase, easy to install. Signal strength, however, may vary depending on your location.
2. Go full digital.
3. Pay for a streaming option such as Hulu, YouTube or Fubo, for example. (Full disclosure: The higher-ups in the GTW offices have been streaming for ages.)
4. Go full pirate, baby! Yarrrr!
The latter isn’t legal, mind you. But unfortunately, most Nuggets and Avs fans in the metro long ago learned — and frankly, had to learn, thanks to the blackout — how to find their games via more nefarious means.
Rockies making purple cool again? — B
We can’t believe we’re typing this any more than you can believe reading it, but the Rockies — your Rockies, baseball punching bag, national punchline — had a heck of a week.
Friday morning’s news, as broken by The Post’s Patrick Saunders, brought smiles from FoCo to Castle Rock with the announcement that Broncos owners Carrie Walton-Penner and Greg Penner are purchasing a 40% ownership stake in Colorado’s Major League baseball club.
If nothing else, it probably means a nice cash boost for the Rox as the sport heads into potential labor uncertainty with the expiration of its agreement with the union looming in December. While the Monforts retain control of the team, everything Walton-Penner and Penner have touched with the Broncos so far has turned to gold — or pretty pristine silver, at any rate. It speaks well of the family’s investment in Front Range sports and the Rockies’ long-term prospects, financially and (hopefully) competitively.
Meanwhile, look who’s winning? The Rockies were 2-6 on April 4, you know, same as it ever was. The Phillies rocked Michael Lorenzen in a disastrous 10-1 laugher in the home opener on April 3.
The Rockies went 4-1 over their next five games, with a four-game win streak snapped at San Diego late Thursday night.
Fan fave Mickey Moniak from April 3-8 stirred the drink with three home runs, five RBI and a .714 slugging percentage to lift the middle of the order, while Willi Castro hit .412 and slugged .647 over that span.
Schedule the parades? Not yet. And small sample size, yes. But the last time the Fightin’ Monforts notched at least six wins from their opening 13 games was 2022 (8-5). Their record was 3-10 after a baker’s dozen contests a year ago. They opened 3-10 in ’24; 5-8 in ’23.
The ’22 Rox, by the way. wound up 68-94. If Warren Schaeffer coaxes a 25-win improvement from last year’s 43-119 nadir, give that man your Manager of the Year vote.
