Is Your Glass Still Half Full?

On a day where lower downtown, better know as LoDo was buzzing with optimism and hope for the 2012 Rockies, the day quickly turned into question marks and doubt for Rockies fans near and far. The Rox’s opened the season losing two out of three to the Houston Astros, a team that is expected to win no more than 60-65 games if they’re lucky. After a disappointing opening weekend on the road, the purple pinstripes welcomed the Giants into Coors Filed for the home opener yesterday and despite being swept in Arizona over the weekend the Giants made the Rockies look like a minor league club in the home opener. Barry Zito a 34-year-old pitcher that peaked in the mid 2000’s made the Rockies look like a team that hadn’t taken BP in ages.

The Rockies strung together an embarrassing low 4 hits on the afternoon yesterday, and it seems that the questions we all had last year about the offense, are still up in the air. With the bats still being a big problem, I can’t help but think this pitching rotation is only going to complicate things even more. Last year we were all witness to the club struggling to score runs and the pitchers actually held their own in most cases, what are we in store for now that the starting rotation is just as mediocre as the offensive side of the ball. In a city that supports the team win, lose or draw, these fans deserve more.

After starting last season 11-2, and getting the fans hopes up for a serious playoff push the Rockies ended up missing the playoffs and once again we were left to believe that we should wait until next year. Well next year is now and I don’t know about you but I’m tired of waiting, how long do we give a team, a GM, a manager before we start to demand for a better product? How long do we accept Denver teams being average? I’m ready to root for and more importantly cover a good team that can contend for a world championship!

With Jim Tracy receiving a “handshake deal” that according to Dan O’Dowd will keep the skipper around for as long as he’d like, unfortunately Rockies fans, it’s going to get a lot worse before it get’s better.  But there is something you can do, voice your opinion, make your frustrations known and make it clear that we are no longer willing to accept just an average team that can not compete with the big dogs of the league. I’m not saying that no one should show up to Rockies games, because I know that would never happen, Coors Field and Denver in the Summer is just too beautiful, I’m saying pick your games wisely. No need to go to a game every time you get a free day or need a family outing, if the Monfort’s continue to see a profit with a mediocre team, they will never and I mean NEVER, change the way they do business.

In closing I’d like to say that I pull for the Rox’s to be successful because this is my city and when the team is good the city is buzzing and people come together to achieve a common goal, a simple goal, that is to see a winning team make a real push to win a world series. So let it be known if you’re unhappy or frustrated with the team because if you don’t, the suits that run the Rockies will continue to give you an average product for an above average price!

Hate it? Love it? I’d love to hear your thoughts, leave me a comment or check me out on twitter @JoshuaDover thanks for the read and I look forward to hearing your thoughts. 

Tebow-Mania punched his ticket to New York!

     Mark the date, save your newspaper clipping; take a picture because today is the day that Tim Tebow officially becomes a New York Jet! With every local station and the four-letter network covering the press conference like a state of the union address from the president, we are witnessing the reason John Elway wanted off the Tebow train as soon as possible. The J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets, maybe getting more than they bargained for.

    Tebow will always have the support of his crazed fans and the Christian community, and those fans are now the reason he is no longer in Denver. True Bronco fans know that Tebow did an amazing thing for the city and the organization but those fans also know that Peyton Manning isn’t going to come here with the Tebow supporters breathing down his neck. Tebow did for the Denver Broncos what Kyle Orton could not and that’s win, but he didn’t win pretty. John Elway was put into a tough situation right out of the gate, I believe he knew from day one that he wanted nothing to do with Tebow-Mania. Elway, who is loved and looked at as a king amongst men here in Denver, knew that he was going to be in a difficult situation as long as Tim was on the roster.

    I have said and certainly believe that Tebow is truly a once in a lifetime kind of person, he is the definition of a role model and someone that children can look up too and parents can say I want my kid to grow up and carry themselves the way Tim Tebow carries himself. Could “nice guys finish last” be anymore appropriate? Tebow has said and done all the right things his entire life; the New York media will certainly put his faith to test. I do not want to be labeled as a “Tebow Hater” as I mentioned I think he is a great person and role model but as far as a Quarterback he still has a ton of work to do.

    The overall reaction from Tebow fans is that they wanted Tim to remain a Bronco and serve as Manning’s backup, but that’s just something that cannot work. Tebow-Mania is in full swing now and with Manning’s health still a concern, the first time Peyton had a bad game the Tebow chants would once again begin. Elway knows that and is smart enough to know the Tebow fanatics will never really understand that they are actually his biggest red flag!

     Good luck to Tim and thank you for an incredible 2011-2012 season that will never be forgotten. With that said John Elway is 100% correct with making this decision, and really had no other choice. Elway knew that this would be his only out of Tebow-Mania and jumped on the opportunity to improve his team. If Manning is able to play at the level he’s accustom to and the Broncos become a serious contender, the name Tim Tebow will be nothing more than a feel good story in Denver football history.

    Thanks for the read and I’d love to get your feedback, leave a comment here or check me out on twitter @JoshuaDover and let me know what you think. All the Manning, Broncos and Tebow talk you can handle on Mile High Sports Radio AM1510/FM93.7 or online at milehighsports.com I produce and do updates for “The Mile High Morning Rush” as well as produce “The Mile High Club” M-F 6-9AM. 

ONE MAN'S QB, IS ANOTHER MAN'S TREASURE!

 7 AFC South titles, 2 AFC Championships, a SuperBowl and SuperBowl MVP, 4 regular season MVP's, player of the decade from 2000-2010 according to Sports Illustrated, & now a free agent! Peyton Manning has been with the Indianapolis Colts for his entire 14 year career but with his well documented neck problems and rebuilding in mind for the Colts, it was time part ways. Manning has done much more then win football games for the city of Indianapolis, he has made them relevant and left his mark with the Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St.Vincent.

 Colts fans need not be bitter nor upset that he left, and no blame should fall on Colts owner Jim Irsay. How can you fault either of the parties involved, if you're Peyton Manning, you believe that you can still play the game that you love and not to mention collect a pretty penny to do so. If you're Irsay how can afford to take a 35 million dollar risk? No matter how many zero's you have on that bank statement, that is just too big of a gamble. It was the perfect storm and unfortunately there is no happy ending for Colts fans.

 Peyton Manning has visited with the Dolphins, Broncos, Titans and now the 49er's although it has come down to the Broncos, Titans and 49er's, the future hall of famer is expected to make a decision as early as today March 19th 2012 and no later than the middle of this week! Any of the three teams left in the Manning sweepstakes will automatically become a contender by adding an elite quarterback.

 The 49er's seem to have the team that is ready right now to compete for a SuperBowl seeing that they were just one game away from the big game just a year ago. While the Titans seem to think they have the advantage because of Peyton's ties to the state of Tennessee as he played his college ball for the Volunteers. The Broncos seem to be the wildcard but was the first stop Manning made on his free agency tour, the Broncos fans have been overwhelmed with the Tebow mania that took over last year and the Tebow supporters believe, as they also will that Tim Tebow has earned his shot to lead this team.

 As for myself I'd love to see Peyton in the orange and blue simply because I live here and also work in sports media, it would be great to cover for the few years that Manning has left in the NFL. On the other hand I do not believe that the Broncos are the best fit, as I mentioned the 49er's are the closest of the 3 teams to winning a SuperBowl right now. San Francisco was in the NFC championship game last year and with the addition of Randy Moss and already having a pro bowl tight end and running back on the roster, Mr. Manning would step in and make that team the NFC favorite to bring home the Lombardi trophy.

 I was born in Indiana and of course always have and always will root for the home team, with that said I'd ask that all Colts fans show some class and not root for Manning to fail or for Jim Irsay to fall on his face but to understand that there was no good way out of this situation. Lets all thank Peyton for making the city of Indianapolis a recognizable city and not just the team that left Baltimore in the middle of the night. No one is at fault in here, the Colts need to rebuild and Peyton just like any other professional athlete will chase championships and money until he can no longer compete!

 Thank you for reading and please let me know what your thoughts are, leave a comment here or follow me on twitter @JoshuaDover. You can also find me on Mile High Sports Radio from 6-9am M-F again thank you for reading! 

Lin was was the bait and we all fell, hook, line and sinker!!!

In a lockout shortened season the NBA needed a story line that would draw the casual fan back into the mix, they have done just that with the latest "Linsanity" craze. In a what have you done for me lately sports world that we now live in and with the use of social media, the NBA has capitalized on the success of this young man. By now we all the know the feel good story of Jeremy Lin, he was cut by every team he had been associated with and was sleeping on a couch before his break out week. I like the fact that Lin is getting this attention because of his play but to say this guy is gonna be answer in New York is absurd.

The NBA needs it's big market teams to be successful for a financial gain and the fact the he is doing this in New York is just icing on the cake for Mr. Stern. Super Lintendo as he has been called, is saying all the right things and doing all the right things on the hardwood but to say he will fix the sub .500 basketball that was being played in New York is a little pre-mature. I'm not hating or raining on the Lin parade but I'm still a firm believer that to be great and be successful you have to show up every single day and work to be the best. He has done just that thus far but the media seems to latch on to a story as they did with Tebow here in Denver and milk it until its dry. 

Don't get me wrong, I think this is a great and a feel good story much like I felt and said about Tebow, but just as I said with the Broncos QB, we can't crown these guys after a handful of good games. The similarities between the two start and stop with the fact that they work hard and both have a solid belief in the Lord. Besides those two points I see no other similarities, Tebow has had hype behind his name since he arrived at Florida and aside from a couple beat writers that live and breathe nothing but the NBA and college hoops, I'd challenge you to find anything regarding Jeremy Lin before this year. His emergence is what will save this NBA season and bring back the guy who works all day and comes home for a beer and decides to watch a NBA game rather than play XBOX for 3 hours and for that alone he will be considered a success, at least for this year. 

Again I remind you that I think this story is great and I truly feel good for this young man as I do regarding Tim Tebow. So before you say I'm wrong or crazy for not jumping on the bandwagon remember that if you have a great two weeks of work or if I have 10 solid shows in a row, that doesn't mean the CEO position is coming our way!! To be a legend at anything you outwork, outplay, and dominate your field for several years, not weeks!! 

Thank you for reading and let me know what you think, either leave a comment here or on twitter I'm @JoshuaDover and don't forget to check out "The Mile High Morning Rush"Monday-Friday 6-7AM on Mile High Sports Radio AM 1510/FM93.7 here in Denver or world wide @Milehighsports.com Look forward to hearing from you.

A Legend passes... and thousands are outraged!

It is unfortunate that we will have a debate for the rest of time as to what is Joe Paterno's legacy? The former Penn State head football coach passed away January 22nd after announcing in November of 2011 that he had been diognosed with lung cancer. The diagnosis becoming public shortly after Paterno had been fired as the head coach at Penn State after 46 seasons. Paterno was fired after the sexual assault allegations were filed against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky is being charged for sexually assaulting 10 boys in a 15 year time span, and Joe Paterno was informed of the accusations in the late 90's and never fully reported them to the authorities, which led to his firing.

I do not think Paterno is innocent by any means, he said himself before his passing that he could of and should of done more. I ask that people remember the good and the bad that this man provided to his players and community, not that he is celebrated but that he is not crucified for one terrible mistake. I do understand that the mistake happens to be a very big one and one that some will never forget or be able to forgive but he did great things for college athletes for 60 plus years.

Paterno went to Penn State in 1950 as an assistant and eventually became head coach in 1966, where he won a record 409 games, won 2 national championships and won a record 24 bowl games. 250 young men that played under Paterno went on to play in the NFL and his team finished with a goose egg in the loss column 5 times. Those are all very impressive stats but the one that stands out to me and the one that I believe really matters, is his graduation rate. In a college sports world where education has seemed to be put on the back burner for the kids attending school and sports being a universities biggest cash grab and number 1 priority. Paterno graduated an incredible 89% of his players and that shows that he did care about his players because he knew that it about more than just football.

Again I ask that you not forgive Joe Pa for all his misfortunes but to remember all the good he had brought, not only to Penn State but to college athletes for more than 6 decades. How will you remember Joe Paterno? Love to hear from you so leave me a comment here or via twitter @JoshuaDover. Check out "The Mile High Morning Rush" on Mile High Sports Radio AM1510/FM93.7 Monday-Friday 6-7am with myself and Chris Bianchi.

THE CLOCK HAS STRUCK MIDNIGHT!

This Denver Broncos season is one that none of us will soon forget, but have any of the questions about the teams future, been answered? Tim Tebow has proved us all wrong and made a lot of us in the media eat our words from week to week. I have said from the beginning that I do not beilieve that Tebow is the long term answer at QB for the Broncos and I stand by that statement today. Tebow showed improvement each week and found a way to win when no one thought it could be done. His intagables is what makes so intriguing, while his relationship with God seems to be his #1 priority, and a big reason so many people are drawn to this young man. 

Tim Tebow is not the only reason that this Denver Broncos team seemed to excel after the Kyle Orton experience was over. The Broncos defense stepped up to the challenge when Tebow got the starting job, and seemed to be motivated from the always up beat and positive attitude of Tim Tebow. The defense did their part to keep the game close and allow the offense to work that "Mile High Magic" in the 4th quarter and overtime periods to bring the AFC West title to the Mile High City. Another factor in the Broncos success and in my opinion the biggest contributaor to the team was RB Willis McGahee. McGahee carried the team when the young QB clearly struggled to get the passing game going, McGahee rushed for just under 1,200 yards on the season. Tim Tebow is the MVP of the team for the way he was able to rally the troops but without the threat of Willis McGahee this team would not have won the AFC West.

So now that the cinderella season had come to an end, what does the team do from here? Draft a QB or bring in a veteran to create a competetion for starting QB job? The Tebow-maniacis will say that he has earned the starting job in 2012 and I wouldn't say their completely wrong, but in my opionon the team knows that with the NFL turning into a passing league, they need a consitnet QB that can get the job done week in and week out. I would also like to thank Tim Tebow for taking all of us on this ride, and thank him for showing professional atheltes what it means to be a role model for young children. He is truly a role model for kids and should be celbrated for that, he is a man that young men can look at and see that you don't have to be covered in jewerly and tattoos to be the big man on campus. 

Thank you again Tim Tebow and the entire 2011-2012 Denver Broncos for letting myself and many others cover the amazing ride that you've taken us on, I can only hope next year will be as good as this one. Although I do not believe he can carry this team to the promise land, I do beileive he can and will be a role model for kids world wide for many years to come and that is something you can't say about 90% of professional athletes. Catch me on Mile High Sports Radio M-F 6-7 am on "The Mile High Morning Rush" or I'd love to hear from you via Twitter I am @JoshuaDover and I look forward to hearing your take on the wild ride we were all a part of. 

Shocked the nation!!!

I tweeted earlier Saturday morning that December 10th 2011 the Indiana Hoosiers have a great chance to shock the world. Shock the world they did, Christian Watford's 3 pointer as time expired was the dagger that did the job. The young Hoosier squad was in control for most of the game and if you follow the team, it was a sight we have become familiar with and also afraid of at the same time. Indiana was leading at the half in each of the last two meetings against the Wildcats of Kentucky only to fall apart in the 2nd half and lose the game.

The Hoosiers took a 1 point lead into the half only to see it slip away as Marquis Teague took over in the 2nd half, which was an unpleasant sight for Hoosiers fans as Teague was highly recruited by Tom Crean. Teague being an Indy kid decided to not go with the home state school and rather go with the hated rival Kentucky Wildcats. Just as the lead dwindled away and the energy was sucked right out of Assembly Hall, Doron Lamb stepped to the free throw line for two shots leading 71-70 with just 5.6 seconds left on the clock.

Lamb missed the first of the two shots and sinks the second to give the wildcats a 72-70 lead, with no timeouts left for coach Crean, Verdell Jones took the inbound pass and raced up the court. Jones dribbled to the left of the free line and looked back and found a trailing Christian Watford with his feet set and shoulders squared. Watford was ready to fire and as soon as he caught the ball,  he did just that, Watford and the thousands of IU fans watched as the ball went through the bottom of the net as the game clock struck 0!  

The Hoosiers beating the rival Wildcats and more importantly getting a big time win on a national stage, that will put them into the top 25. IU improves to 9-0 for the first time since the 1989-1990 and defeats a #1 ranked team for the first time since 2002 when they defeated the Duke Blue Devils 74-73 in the NCAA tournament. It felt great to be an Indiana guy yesterday and with Indy being my home state I can only hope the young men can grow from this experience and use it to improve themselves as men and as a team. Tom Crean getting his first Gatorade shower as the Indiana head coach and lets hope its not the last! Check out Overtime Monday night for a full game breakdown and much more, gomilehigh.com or livestream.com/gomilehigh 7-9 pm mnt time, or @JoshuaDover on twitter if you'd like to chat about all that is going on in the sports world. AAAAAAHHHH AAAAHHH I GOTTA GO!!! GO BIG RED!!!!!!