Guest Post: Sometimes Inspiration Comes From Unexpected People

Editor Note: Today’s guest post come from Heidi Storz.  She is the mother of two active, athletic sons and enjoys bringing a different perspective to sports.  An avid hockey mom that has learned to enjoy watching most sports, but it is the character building aspects that catch her interest.
Enjoy!  -Derek Belohrad

Sometimes inspiration comes from unexpected people, and this year I waited with baited breath to see the outcome of the four man bobsled. It’s a crazy sport – four giant men sprint like mad, stuff themselves into a bullet shaped sled, and plummet down an icy slide at speeds that aren’t even legal on roadways. For the first time since the 40s the United States actually had a team that could content with the world class sled teams from Germany and Austria, and they were a motley bunch.

Bobsledders need to have agility, quick speed, and nerves of steel. They are built more like linebackers, the extra weight helping to keep the sled stable on the runs, and working with gravity to propel the sled faster down the slope.  Bobsledders looked like the all-star wrestling group of the Olympics, but their timing, coordination and brute strength were refreshing to watch. The US crew of four has some unique background. They are consummate athletes, accomplished academics, and seem to be overall nice guys – the perfect hero for American youth. What mom wouldn’t want their child emulating these guys instead of the spoiled professional athletes populating so many hours of coverage on ESPN?

LeBron gets dunked on…

…WHO CARES!!!!

That was my first reaction to the story that LeBron James got dunked on by Jordan Crawford of Xavier a few weeks ago in a pickup basketball game at a Nike camp, hosted by James.  ESPN treated the story like it was breaking news.  You would have thought that the Hindenburg went down again!

Birdman to Continue to Protect the Nest

-Jeremy Kloberdanz

Many fans around Denver have been wondering how the Nuggets plan on repeating last seasons success along with building on it. Would there be any marquee deals? Who would we retain and who would we let go? What would we go after in the draft?

The first step was the draft and the Nuggets stole potentially the best PG in the class when they acquired Ty Lawson. He will complement Chauncey Billups very well off the bench and is the future leader of our team. Ty pushes the ball up the court better than most who are already in the league and can learn a lot in the company that he is in. Chad Ford from ESPN agrees that he is a great pickup as he graded each teams draft.

Week in Review: Buffs, DU Hockey, Rick Reilly, WBC and more…

I received positive feedback from last week’s Week in Review, so here’s the second installment:

…15 days away from the start of spring football practices for the Colorado Buffaloes (March 31).  I will try and give a daily update once those practices start.

…Colorado was originally scheduled to play against Miami, OH on Sept. 12, 2009.  However it is starting to look like this game may not take place.  According to ESPN, CU will play Toledo on Sept. 11 (Friday), instead.

…Tim Griffin of ESPN had a nice little interview with Buffs RB Rodney Stewart a few weeks ago.  Check it out.

Jay Cutler, it’s time to grow up

Drew Suppes

According to ESPN, Broncos QB Jay Cutler and his agent, Bus Cook, met with head coach Josh McDaniels and GM Brian Xanders in Dove Valley on Saturday.  Apparently the two parties met for approximately 20 minutes, and Cutler left unsatisfied with their conversation.  He said that he does not plan on attending the team’s first meeting on Monday, and will not attend voluntary workouts.  After reading various reports, it seems that not much has changed after this meeting between Cutler and McDaniels.

I’m sure by now, everyone knows what side I stand on in this McDaniels-Cutler debacle–(see Letter to Jay Cutler).  But, McDaniels handling and Cutler’s mishandling of this situation in the past few weeks was merely reinforced in their meeting Sunday.  The bottom line is that Jay Cutler needs to grow up.

Team USA Facing Elimination

Just when Team USA was starting to show signs of being a dominant force in the World Baseball Classic, they took a step backwards in yesterdays game against Puerto Rico, as they were mercy-ruled 11-1 in 7 innings.  USA pitcher Jake Peavy received the loss as he gave up six runs on six hits in just 2.0 innings.  New York Mets OF Carlos Beltran led the way for Puerto Rico, going 3-3 with a homerun, 2 RBIs, 3 runs, and a stolen base.  Future Hall of Famer Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez added 3 hits, 1 RBI, and 1 run, as he continues to swing a hot bat in the tournament.  Pudge has been playing with a chip on his shoulder, batting .600, with 2 HR, and 6 RBIs in just four games, as he still remains unsigned by a Major League team.

Regis defeats George Washington in OT

Congratulations to Regis Jesuit High School, as they knocked off George Washington in overtime 67-63, to claim the 5A Colorado Boy’s High School Basketball State Championship, late Saturday night.  Senior point guard R.J. Demps scored a team high 22 points, and teammate Bud Thomas added 15, but it was senior guard Will Cobb’s free throws in OT that sealed the deal for the Regis Raiders.  Cobb’s 3 of 4 free throws (and his only points of the game) down the stretch was the difference, as Regis defeated GW.  The Regis victory capped the greatest finish to a high school basketball tournament in recent Colorado history.

Weekend in review

I am going to try my best to put together a blog every Sunday night/Monday morning to recap the weekend’s events.  Since I’ve given up drinking for lent, and I can actually remember what happened over the weekend, this might be worth while.

…First off, I am LOVING the World Baseball Classic (WBC)!  This is the only time (once every 4 years) that I can root for the likes of Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins, and Jonathan Broxton!  The US team beat Canada 6-5 on Saturday, and then took Venezuela to the woodshed this evening, defeating them 15-6.  Colorado Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta went 2-3 with 4 RBI’s, including a bases clearing double in the 6th inning to put the US team up 6-3.  The first round wraps up on March 11, and the field narrows down to 8 teams.  So far, three teams have advanced–US, Japan, and Korea.  Japan defeated Cuba in the first WBC in 2006, and looks like the team to beat, so far.  However, the US has looked sharp in the first two games.  This should be a GREAT start to the 2009 baseball season.

Leinart and Young Not Giving Up

Matt Leinart and Vince Young dominated the quarterback position in college.  Now, both are battling to regain their role as a starter in the NFL.

When the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals drafted Vince Young and Matt Leinart as the 3rd and 10th picks in the 2006 NFL Draft, both were expected to be make immediate impacts to their new teams.  Both had the resume’s to back it up.  Young was coming off a National Championship win (against Leinarts USC team), in which he put up 467 total yards (200 yards rushing) and 3 TDs for the Texas Longhorns.  NFL teams were drooling over his running ability, size (6’5″, 230lbs.), and potential.  Leinart had compilied a ridiculous 37-2 record as the starting QB at USC.  He threw a Pac-10 record 98 TDs and was named the Heisman Trophy winner in 2004. 

Jay Cutler Wants Out of Denver

Broncos QB Jay Cutler upset over trade rumors.

In an attempt to acquire New England QB Matt Cassel, the Denver Broncos were offering to deal Jay Cutler, according to Bill Williamson from ESPN. However, the deal fell through, and Matt Cassel was traded (along with longtime LB Mike Vrabel) to the Kansas City Chiefs for a second round draft pick, earlier today.  Bill Williamson’s source claims that the Broncos are no longer considering trading Cutler.  However, the Pro Bowl QB is now livid, and is demanding to be traded.

Josh McDaniels may have just made the first HUGE mistake as a head coach in the NFL.