Last night Anita and I took the kids down to the park to play catch and swing the bat a little bit. It has been a long time since we’ve taken them to play catch and it’s been even longer since I’ve played softball (I miss it). We expected to have a little fun running around, messing around, and trying to learn/teach a few skills. I fully expected Kyle to pick it up (he tends to be the jock in the family)…but we were pleasantly surprised.

Every single one of our kids was able to pick up the bat and make good (if not great) contact with the ball. They took instruction and applied what they learned with positive results. And throwing the ball was no exception. Each one of them can throw and catch (to one degree or another). They’re naturals. It runs in the family blood I guess (on both sides of the family).

We had a great time together a a family and I’m starting to plan my retirement.  ;o)  We are planning on getting them signed up for t-ball/baseball/softball this next season. They’ll make their GGPa proud!! Watch out world!

A little warning as I start this blog post…it’s a rant on my part and I just hope I feel better when I’m done.

Lindsay is playing soccer for her school this year. She loves playing organized sports and she puts effort and heart into it. She’s good at volleyball and soccer. Her team…not so much. They’ve played three games so far this year and if my math is correct they have lost by a combined total of 30-2 (and no, I am not exaggerating). One of the games they lost they actually played two extra players for half of the game (their field is so small they play 9 players instead of 11). The last game they lost to a team with only 9 players…no subs.

And it’s not that the girls aren’t playing hard…they are giving it everything they’ve got. They want to win. They want to learn. Lindsay left the last game crying because she wants to win and get better. But it isn’t happening…and I know part of the reason why…coaching.

The word “coach” is a noun…as in: “One who instructs players in the fundamentals of a competitive sport and directs team strategy.” More importantly, it’s also a verb…as in: “To instruct, direct, or prompt”. Lindsay’s coach has the title of coach, but isn’t taking the verb part seriously. They don’t run drills, they don’t get basic instruction, they don’t get correction during the game. They don’t even get passion.

It’s hard to watch. I don’t want to be one of those parents…but that’s becoming increasingly more difficult with each game. I’ve offered to coach (or assist) in the past for her school and been turned down every time. I don’t claim to be a great coach, but I’d at least be active and help the girls learn along the way. I don’t even really care about the winning part as long as they are learning and getting better (which will often lead to winning a few games).

Frustrating…and not sure I actually do feel better…but I tried.  ;o)

Not only is this one of the best in-game dunks I’ve seen in a long time…it also happens to be a Denver Nugget who slammed it down in last night’s game with the T-Wolves. Check out JR flying (and turning) high…enjoy…

I love watching the Olympics…especially the Winter Olympics.

I live vicariously through these athletes that have sacrificed so much and worked so hard for that one moment. I love the patriotism of it all…rooting for your country and against the French. 

These guys (and gals) are so good that the difference between winning and losing is often measured in fractions of a second. That was the case yesterday with Bode Miller. He took the Bronze (in case you weren’t paying attention). What blows my mind is how far away he was from the Gold…0.09 seconds!

Think about that for a second. 9/100ths of a second difference over the span of a course that’s longer than a mile. NBC reported yesterday that that represented about 11 feet difference at the finish line…over the course of a mile! I think if you and I raced from one end of a room to another there would be a larger distance than 0.09 seconds. Incredible!

And it got me thinking about what it takes for the top athletes to get to the place where they are that close at the end. Dedication. Determination, Sacrifice. Discipline. Effort. Training.

And what if we put that much effort into our own spiritual race? Paul says we’re in a race…a race that actually matters…

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?
So run to win!
All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away,
but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.
1 Corinthians 9:24-26, NLT

Are you running your race to win? Are you striving for the “eternal prize”? Are you running “with purpose”? Or are you just shadowboxing?

I’m racing toward the finish line…how close behind you will I be? 0.09 seconds?

R.I.P. my beloved Denver Broncos. Another year down the drain…full of promise never quite realized.

After they way they’ve played over the last month plus I’m not sure I wanted to watch another game in the playoffs (OK, I lie…I wanted to see it). Like everyone else, I am sickened and confused by the Bronco’s end-of-year meltdowns, this time with almost an entirely new cast of characters.

But now that it’s over, this is the team we thought we might get at the start of the year. In fact, few people gave them a chance to be this “good”. Most thought my prediction at the beginning of the year (read it here) of an 8-8 season was a fantasy…most thought they’d be lucky to get 4-5 wins. That 6-0 start got us all excited and hopeful that a miracle had occurred.

But the bubble was burst.

Reality set in.

These Broncos are who we thought they were…mediocre.

It was still fun to watch most weeks (setting aside losing to the stinkin’ Raiders and Chiefs!!). And the Defense was better, although I’m not sure how it could have been any worse, and has room to continue to improve. I was a little surprised by the offensive line play at times during the year. The running game never got the traction it needed. And there was too much off-field drama (blame both sides there).

Here’s hoping for a better off-season, a great draft, and a better 2010…we gotta keep the faith Bronco Nation!

I’d like to buy an “O”…as in: “Offense”…as in: what the Broncos are severely lacking right now.

Painful.

It’s was hard to watch the Broncos dominate field position, time of possession, yardage, etc, etc (at least in the first half)…and come away with only three offensive points for the entire game. I don’t care how good or how bad your defense plays (and ours is playing very well), if you only score three points in this league you will lose.

I am no offensive genius…heck, I’m no genius in anything…but here are my two major issues with our offense right now:

1. Our Running Game. As in…we have none! How did we go from having one of the most dominant running teams in the league to have no running production what-so-ever? By dropping the zone blocking scheme in favor of a power running scheme. One worked. One hasn’t. We should bring the zone scheme back pronto! We have the coaches (Dennison) and the personnel to run it…so why don’t we? Good question. Don’t have an answer, but I know that a short passing game does not substitute for a solid running game…we need ours back.
2. The Long Ball. I could count on one hand the number of times we have thrown the ball down field…and so can the defenses we continue to face. They know we aren’t going to go long so they don’t have to defend it. We should at least try it once in awhile. You never know…Brandon might even catch a few, or at least get a penalty. Defenses simply don’t have to plan or watch for this part of the game. Orton is no long-ball thrower, but he can give it a try…he just hasn’t been asked to do it (he does everything else he’s asked to do).

Come to think of it…these two go together. The running game sets up the passing game and the long ball helps with the run by keeping the safeties and linebackers honest. They get to cheat right now…and they are calling the bluff (nice poker reference huh?).

Is this team over and done? Not by a long shot. Am I giving up on them? Never!

Out of the next eight games we have four that we should win easily and should be able to at least split the remaining four…which would leave us at 12-4. And even if we split all eight games we’d be 10-6 (both FAR above anyone’s expectations heading into the year).

Up next? The Washington Redskins…that should cure what ails us!

Go Broncos!!!

Football is officially back (great game last night…gonna see both of those teams in the playoffs). Yesterday, Grant beat me to the punch by posting his 2009 Broncos prediction. The schedule this year is not kind to my beloved Donkeys…not exactly what McD and Company needs, but you play the cards you’re dealt. I think they will be a better team than their records indicates at the end of the year…but you never really know this early (I’ve never been right so this entire blog is an effort in futility…but it makes me feel better). So here goes…

1. @ Cincinnati – W: I put the W here, but I’m not sure I believe it. This team is still learning, but Cincy sucks so I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt.
2. Cleveland – W: If you can’t beat this team…
3. @ Oakland – W: See Cleveland above
4. Dallas – W: I know most are predicting a Dallas win here, but it’s at home, the Broncs will be riding a winning streak and I just don’t think Dallas is that good (which is why Shanny will be coaching there next year).
5. New England – L: I want to put the W here, but just can’t do it. I have to give the edge to the Master. I will say the NE doesn’t usually play well here…so the Broncos might be able to steal this one.
6. @ San Diego – L: I’m not as high on SD as some are (read…Norv Turner), but I’m not naive either.
7. @ Baltimore – L: The schedule just keeps getting worse.
8. Pittsburgh – L: And worse.
9. @ Washington – L: I want to put the W here to help stop the November slide, but it’s hard to win on the road after four straight loses.
10. San Diego – W: I think we split with San Diego, but what do I know??
11. NY Giants – L: This team is good.
12. @ Kansas City – W: This is more an indictment on KC than anything else. It’s tough to win at Arrowhead, but I think we get it done this year (they may have a new coach by then).
13. @ Indianapolis – L: This one could be ugly, you might not want to let the little ones watch it…but can it get much worse than it was under Shanny?
14. Oakland – W: Oakland, the perfect cure for what ails you.
15. @ Philadelphia – L: I don’t think it will be a blow-out, but tough to win here.
16. Kansas City – W: Come on…this one could be ugly in a good way.

After totaling up the W’s and the L’s…my prediction for 2009 is that the Broncos will go: 8-8.

There is a lot of unknown here and I think there are a few games that can make this number go up a little or way down: Cincinnati, Dallas, San Diego, and Washington specifically. Can they steal one more win? Will they lose a few more? I can’t see anything more than 9-7 (and that would be a miracle) and could see them slide to 5-11 if they don’t get their act together at the start of the year.

Gonna be fun to watch! I think the DEF is much improved over last year…meaning they will be average with some upside for the future. The schedule is brutal in November…so buckle up. Football is back!

Listening and reading about the QB comparison between Orton and Cutler this past weekend made me wonder how the two compared in their respective games. Mainly because Broncos fans have a “the sky is falling” attitude about Orton while the Bears fans have a “second coming of Montana” attitude about Cutler. I know that the circumstances over the off-season are leading to the comparisons…but wanted to take a look at the actual stats from the last game.

Here they are:

It’s not hard to figure out which player is which just based on the passing attempts, but take a look at some of the others numbers and they aren’t that different. The completion percentage is very close and they both threw one TD. Yes, Orton threw the interception but it was bogus…and should have been a TD on the play before (which would make the numbers look that much better for Orton).

Am I saying Orton is better than Cutler? No. I’m just saying the numbers are not really that much different and Orton is playing in a different kind of offense. Also, the Giants had over half of their DEF players out of the game…so it wasn’t exactly like Cutler was playing the SB Champs of last year.And Orton plays in a style of offense that is going to yield lower passing averages than Cutler will…not better or worse, just different.

Just an interesting observation on the perspectives for each of these two players. Similar numbers with two VERY different reactions. I for one am not freaking out yet…and I’m looking forward to the game on Sunday.

After this atrocious draft, the Broncos are currently dead to me!! I am too much of a fan to let it last too long, but I am not going to mention them again at least until the NBA Playoffs are done. I will spend my “fan energy” on the Nuggets…let myself cool down from this stupid draft…and trust that when I wake up again is a couple of months that this was all a bad dream and Cutler is still our QB and we drafter five Defensive front players in the draft. I hope am proven wrong, but McDaniels does not seem to have any clue what he is doing in the draft. It could be along decade.

Until then…the Broncos are dead to me!

I didn’t used to be much of an NFL Draft “watcher”. I would just listen to the news that night and see who the Broncos picked up (and who was the #1 pick that year). Fantasy Football has changed all of that. I am now a big fan of draft day…and I hope to be able to watch at least most of the first day this Saturday. I love the startegy and all of the “guessing” and predicting that happens before draft day.

Thanks to “Cutler-gate” the Broncos now have two…count them, two…first round draft picks: #12 and #18. They also have five picks within the first 84…the first time in franchise history on both accounts. So who will the Broncos pick up? Are they going to trade up and take Sanchez? Are they going to trade down? Will the stand pat? Here is my prediction…

First, I do not think they are going to move up to take Sanchez. One one hand, I think McD thinks he can groom one of the QBs he already has. One the second hand, they are being way to vocal about their interested to actually be interested (this is the ultimate poker game…and you can’t trust anything being said or done this month). On the third hand (I don’t’ know where the third hand comes from), if they pick a QB instead of defense I might just drive down to Dove Valley myself and TP the place!

I am predicting defense, defense, defense with both of these top two picks. I would LOVE for them to get B.J. Raji but I just don’t think he will be there at #12 (but if he is…Merry Christmas!). I wouldn’t even mind if they traded up as far as #8 to grab Raji (but he may not be there then either). So who do I like? I like a lot of players, but here are my predictions…well see how they pan out come Saturday…

#12: Tyson Jackson, DE from LSU
#18: Ron Brace, DT from Boston College

Anything close to this (i.e.: two good defensive players) will make me very happy. Anything offensive and I will just shake my head and join the “Does McDaniels Know What He’s Doing?” crowd. One thing is for sure…it’s gonna be fun to watch!

How about you? Any predictions of your own? Do share…