Going into the half Friday night, they looked especially good.

The Mammoth offense was playing aggressive, Andrew Leyshon was making phenomenal saves, the defense was stopping the Stealth, and the Mammoth were in the lead 8-5. But it was downhill from there.

The Mammoth lost Friday 14-15 and on Saturday 9-12, and the Stealth became the first team to clinch a playoff berth.

Heading into this weekend against the Buffalo Bandits, the Mammoth’s playoff hopes are slim, but they’re still alive. However, if they lose this weekend, their playoff fate is sealed as the remaining three western division teams clinch.

The Bandits are currently 6-6 and on a three game winning streak while the Mammoth are 2-9 and on a seven game losing streak.

The question of course is, can the Mammoth beat the Bandits? If they play like the team that started last weekend for four quarters instead of only two, than most certainly they can win. However, playing four strong quarters has definitely been an issue for the Mammoth this season.

The irony is that it just might take the Mammoth getting knocked out of playoff contention for them to finally start winning.

Around the league:

Minnesota Swarm 17, Calgary Roughnecks 13

Toronto Rock 8, Orlando Titans 10

Buffalo Bandits 14, Rochester Knighthawks 7

Minnesota Swarm 14, Edmonton Rush 16

Boston Blazers 7, Philadelphia Wings 13

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(photo from 9news.com)

**UPDATE 10/10/09 3:30pm ** – The Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders reports that J.A. Happ will start Game 3 in place of Pedro Martinez, and a Cliff Lee/Ubaldo Jimenez rematch is on deck for Game 4. This means that the Rockies will not get past Philly without some serious improvement against left-handed pitching. This was the change that we were afraid of. I never thought I’d utter the words “I’d rather face Pedro Martinez”, but in this case it’s true. The Phillies definitely get the better of this weather-induced shakeup.

DENVER – Major League Baseball has postponed tonight’s NLDS game 3  between the Rockies and the Phillies due to frigid temperatures and snowfall. This is the peril of playing baseball in October in Colorado, to be sure. Unfortunately, the Phillies stand to benefit much more by this delay than the Rockies do. What this does, is make it imperative that this series does not return to Philadelphia. Not only would a Game 5 in Philly be on an extremely fast travel turnaround, but the Rockies will still face one of Philly’s top 2 lefty pitchers. Now, they would have been facing Cliff Lee in a Game 5 anyway, most likely. But what this delay does is push Game 4 to Monday, making it all but certain that the Rockies will have to face Lee again, only in Game 4 instead of 5. This is bad news – instead of looking at 2 home games facing the back end of the Phillies’ rotation, the Rockies get one game against Martinez and his geriatric arm then it’s right back to the big guns on Monday. A much better scenario would have been a cold and shivering Game 3, then put the Phillies’ backs against the wall with a Game 4, perhaps with Ubaldo on the mound. But now, it’s going to be Hammels vs. Martinez Sunday, and I suppose Tracy will trot out Ubaldo vs. Lee on Monday? I can’t imagine putting Marquis on the mound against Lee, especially if the Rockies can’t come up with a win in Game 3.

Either way, tomorrow is shaping up to be one of the biggest days on the Colorado sports scene in quite a while – we have the Hoodie Bowl at 2pm, followed up by the NLDS at 8pm (?!). The time for Monday’s Game 4 has not yet been announced, as MLB and TBS are most certainly waiting to see the outcome of the other series (the Angels, Yankees, and Dodgers all hold 2-0 leads and could wrap up their series this weekend).

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Rocktober 2007 was a breeze, but the Phillies will not be the same easy out in 2009

photo by Mikespille

The Rockies did what they needed to do – bring home one victory from Philadelphia. One could argue they needed to win both, but we all know that isn’t true. They simply needed to steal the home field advantage, because with it they quite possibly might have stolen the Phillies’ confidence. Had the Rocks taken game one, then been hammered in game 2, the trip back to Colorado would be much less jovial, not nearly as loose, and the Phillies would be looking at Game 3 as an opportunity to put their foots on the throats of the boys in purple. As it stands, the Rockies have the World Champs back on their heels, and can look at Game 3 as a chance to put this series to the edge. The Phillies have to be worried.

Saturday’s game looks to be really. Really. Cold. I can’t really say the cold benefits either team… baseball is a summer game, and no one likes inclement weather. But the fact is, this is the potential of playoff baseball in Colorado. And the Rockies have to get psyched up to take full advantage of it. The crowd will still be there, bundled up, yes, but there. And loud.

It’s great to see hometown baseball in October. Let’s hope the pitching holds steady and the Rocks can continue their march to Rock-vember. Besides, against my better judgment I took the plunge and purchased NLCS tickets. I’d really hate for them to go to waste.

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Rockies SP Jorge de la Rosa

As I sit to compose this, it’s still the top of the 8th. I know it’s bad form to start writing the obituary before the guy is dead… but to say the Rocks are on life support in this game, and by extension the division title race, is being kind at best. I won’t press the “publish” button until the game is actually over, just to be safe, but I think we all know how this is going down.

What started out to be a pitcher’s duel, has turned into an old-fashioned drubbing. De La Rosa started solid, and Contreras did a fine job holding down the fort when Jorge left early with “tightness” in his groin.

Enter Franklin Morales. I’m not really sure what happened, other than the Dodgers sending 10 to the plate, and 5 of them rounding the bases and putting a tally on the board, with 2 more stranded. Franklin clearly is not pitching like he was when Street was down. Even the closeout game against Milwaukee was an adventure in the 9th – Morales just can’t help but get into trouble, then struggle to work out of it. This is something to be considered when the playoffs roll around.

Here’s the other thing though. I know this is easy to say after the fact, but I was talking with someone the other night mentioning that I wasn’t so sure that a sweep of LA on the heels of the Milwaukee sweep and heading into the playoffs was the best thing for this team. On a long streak, you know you’re going to honk a game at some point. That’s what made 07 so remarkable, was the length of the streak. But in reality, you just don’t win that many in a row without dropping one at some point. I would rather the Rockies drop this one, take the wild card and head into the playoffs with a bit of a wound but ready to play, than on an emotional high that gets deflated by dropping game 1 or 2 of the NLDS. They have to play a very good team in the NLDS, regardless of the outcome. Home field would have been nice, don’t get me wrong, but you have to love that dropping this game is not the end of the world for this team. It’s a pretty easy spin to say it’s not a big deal. Shake it off, enjoy the fact that Game 162 is the first game of the year that is truly meaningless, take the bonus day off, then head off to Philly or St. Louis (hopefully STL) and hit the ground running in Game 1.

This loss stings, because the division title was so close in reach after such a long journey to get there. But it’s not a season-killer, and it will not sap this team’s confidence. Let this town focus on the Broncos tomorrow, then this Wednesday let the second season begin, because once again, our Boys of Summer are playing Autumn Baseball, and that alone is a special kind of sweet.

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The Rockies wrap up the 2009 NL Wild Card

Out of the doghouse and into the dogpile, Chris Iannetta made a thunderous contribution on Tuesday night, starting the Rockies on what would be a three-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The game should have been over in nine innings.  Usually unflappable Colorado closer Huston Street gave up a three-run home run in the top of the 9^th to give Milwaukee hope of a comeback win.  Chris Iannetta, pinch hitting in the bottom of the 11^th, took one back for the Rockies.

Iannetta has been in Jim Tracy’s doghouse since his bat went cold in late August, and Yorvit Torrealba has been a stud both at and behind the plate in his absence.  But pinch-hitting with six undecided games left in the regular season, Chris would take a full-count fastball over the right field fence for the win.

Iannetta did not so much cross the plate as leap into the pile of Rockies surrounding it.  His walk-off heroics may not return him to a predominant starting job as catcher, but these Rockies don’t play for ego.  These Rockies, just as with the 2007 version, play for each other member of their clubhouse.

And so it came to be that Wednesday night brought a more familiar hero to the plate.  Todd Helton came to the plate in what looked to be a back-and-forth slugfest.  His two-run home run to right field turned a tie game into an eventual blowout for the streaking Rockies.

But this game was less about Helton’s home run and more about consistent production throughout the lineup.  Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki also connected for two-run shots that took the wind out of each attempt by the Brewers to stay in the game.

Catcher Yorvit Torrealba responded to Iannetta’s game-winning heroics by logging three hits and an RBI, and scored a run himself on a wild pitch that tied the game at two apiece in the second.  As a team, the Rockies would register six extra-base hits in the game.

Which brings us to Thursday night, and the 90-win Rockies looking for one more to sew up the National League Wild Card with a win or an Atlanta loss.  , the Rockies would not disappoint.

Garrett Atkins knocked in a third of the Rockies nine runs, playing Hero on the two-year anniversary of The Tiebreaker that capped Colorado’s amazing 2007 run to the playoffs.  This after a disappointing season where Garrett went from starting third baseman to bench jockey thanks to the strong offensive and defensive play of Ian Stewart.  With Atkins’ timely reemergence, the Rockies look to be the deepest team heading into the playoffs.

Consider that the Rockies backup 1^st baseman is the deadly Jason Giambi.  Like Giambi, the speedy Eric Young Jr. is a pinch-hitting threat, and also backs up Clint Barmes at 2^nd.  Carlos Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler split time in Center Field, but Cargo can also play Left when Seth “Doombringer” Smith doesn’t get the start.  (Smith is probably the most dangerous pinch-hitter in the league when he doesn’t start the game.)  Throw in utility outfielder and occasional Rockies Hero Ryan Spillborghs, and there is no outfield more crowded with talent than Colorado’s.  The aforementioned time-share at catcher offers two quality players that can match up with any pitcher on the team.

And the return of Aaron Cook to ace form (4-hitting the Brewers in eight solid innings yesterday) means that the Rockies have five reliable starters going into the playoffs.  In fact, All-Star pitcher Jason Marquis may find himself at the bottom of that rotation fighting Jason Hammel for the honor of starting a playoff game.

Having locked up the Wild Card spot once coveted by a half-dozen realistic competitors, the Rocks will try to keep on rolling.  With three games left, all in LA, and trailing the Dodgers by two games, Colorado has a chance to win their first ever NL West Pennant.

The Rockies once again control their own destiny.  The rest of the league ought to be shaking in their cleats.

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photo by rfiallo

With the magic number at ONE – today’s game looms large. Not just because a win today propels the Rockies into the NLDS for the second time in three years without having to watch the scoreboard from Atlanta tonight, but because it keeps alive a mathematical possibility that the Rockies could win the division. Imagine going into Sunday with the NL West on the line!

If the Dodgers win just one of the first 2 games, they have nothing left to play for, since their place is wrapped up. But as of today, the LA lead on the division is a mere 2.5 games. A Rockies win not only puts them in the big dance, but opens the door to 3 must-win games, which would give the Rocks the division. The flag would be nice, but this would set the Rockies in position for a possible home field advantage series.

So let’s not get ahead of ourselves, and simply pull for the clincher today, on a chilly October afternoon in the Mile High City. After that, anything can happen.

Viva ROCKTOBER!

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It is opening weekend for the NFL – you might have forgotten amidst the purple haze that has once again captured our fine city. Just like Shanahan in 07, McDaniels has the luxury of dealing with his crap while the city is busy with another team that is riding the wave of playoff contention. And as soon as baseball wraps up, the Nuggets are waiting in the wings to reprise their amazing run from last season. Don’t talk to me about the Avs. (unless you want to talk to me about where I’ll be sitting opening night for Joe’s retirement ceremony — I won’t give details, but if you guessed Section 144 Row 9, I wouldn’t deny it)

Back to the Broncos (see how easily it is to distract?) … Even during the “Bridge Years” (that would be the Wade Phillips era – Reeves to Shanahan), we had Elway. And you pretty much knew how the scheme would look. The team wouldn’t completely suck, it would always play its division rivals tough, and home field advantage was just that – an advantage. Now we’re facing a scenario we haven’t seen since the pre-Elway days – a team that stands a real chance of losing every time it takes the field. Now I’m not saying this is a 0-16 team– not by any stretch. Just that every victory they get, be it 1, 2, or more, will have to be hard-fought, regardless of opponent, regardless of location. Denver will not be the favored team very often. Be honest – no one is saying the same thing about the Steelers, the Patriots, the Eagles, the Giants. Even the once lowly Falcons are getting some cred right now.

So how do things look at Dove Valley, from where I stand? I stand in the same place most of you do – interested, but with no insider knowledge, only what the local media sees fit to feed me. I stand in a place where I want to be optimistic, but I’m cautiously pessimistic. And how things look is UNSETTLED. That’s the only way I can describe it. You have the new coach, who by all accounts is a brilliant football mind, but seems lost at times. He made some seriously gutsy moves, and now is staring down the throat of a city who’s team he just pulled the bottom jenga block from, and now it’s teetering left to right, and we’re all holding our breath waiting to see if it falls. The hoodie, the cone-of-silence act, those have to go. I’m ready to accept him as coach, he’ll be here a while, but the half-assed Belichick impersonation has got to go. But Josh has one thing on his side right now – ok, two things: 1. Pat Bowlen. As long as Pat likes you, you’re in. 2. the regular season. As of Sunday, the games start to count, and each tick in the W column cements Josh’s place as coach, while each tick in the L column is the gentle breeze blowing on the jenga tower… enough of those, and down it goes and Josh goes with it.

But overall, it just feels like an organization that was rocked much harder by the loss of Shanahan, then the loss of Cutler, than it wants to admit. They might say everything is fine, this is just what they had in mind, but this whole organization is still struggling to find its identity again. There are no more ties to the old days, save Steve Antonopolous, who Lord willing will be taping the ankles of Broncos players until the day he dies. This team needs to find out who they are, and only the regular season will do that. Are they going to the playoffs? Don’t count on it. But I’m not ready to predict a 2-14 debacle just yet… I think this team has what it takes to win just enough games to keep Josh in town (probably 5), and then you can count 2010 as the real test. Josh might be coach, but he ain’t coach for life just yet.

Finally, there was word from Adam Schefter that the Broncos were in talks with Marshall on a new deal. That’s surprising, and none of the Denver outlets seemed to want to pick up the report, which makes me wonder. Schefter usually has his ducks in a row… but I wonder how solid this is. This gives us hope that maybe Brandon will play his brains out this year, then we can deal with all this at the end of the season. That being said… don’t be surprised if Brandon gets shipped off in a flat-rate postal box for a couple groundskeepers and a ticketing sales rep to be named later.

And of course – through it all, I will be there, every Sunday, with my orange Elway jersey (#7 is MY quarterback!) cheering and cursing to the bitter end.

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With just over one week left in the NBA Regular Season, the playoff picture is still murky. Five and a half games separate two from eight, and the only squad with proven playoff mettle in that tight field (San Antonio) just lost its most dynamic player for the season. While movement within those seven seeds is very much possible, the remaining schedules of each team are balanced enough comparatively (Utah excluded) that we can expect the spread to look about the same one week hence.

What this means for pro basketball fans is that there will be at least three highly contested first round series. Every team under the first seeded Lakers has a nearly even chance of making it out of the first round, and that lofty LA squad may just have to break a sweat on their way to the Western Conference finals.

If the playoffs began today, we would be seeing some very intriguing matchups with Utah at Denver, New Orleans at San Antonio, and Portland and Houston slugging it out in the middle. Even the doomed Dallas Mavs would have plenty to kick and scream about when all was said and done.

But this last week looks to be decidedly unkind to the Jazz, who have guaranteed themselves a playoff spot, but played their way closer and closer to the bottom of the field. Their remaining schedule has them destined for the eighth seed. Houston has a very real chance to overtake San Antonio, but you have to believe that the Spurs will finish stronger without half a Manu Ginobili weighing them down. Portland and New Orleans are heading for a wash over their last six games, and it is doubtful that anybody will catch the Nuggets at two.

That leaves us with a similar playoff spread with the noteworthy swap between Dallas and Utah at the bottom. Although the Nuggets have appeared to dominate the Mavericks (to the tune of a four-game sweep), three of their games this season were decided by three points or less. This matchup promises to be much more competitive than watching the fading Jazz stumble against a Denver team that has spent the last three years catching and then overtaking them in the division race. Besides that, watching the Lakers play with Utah like a cat with its kill should be a good time for the LA faithful before they have to start taking games seriously again.

Assuming the Rockets play good but not great, the Blazers hold strong, and the Hornets hold off the surging Mavs, the final standings will look like this:

Lakers

63-19

Nuggets

55-27

Spurs

53-29

Rockets

52-30

Trailblazers

52-30

Hornets

51-31

Mavericks

49-33

Jazz

48-34

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