Not liking the similarities.

That game last night was rather hard to watch/listen to. I had to stop once it hit 5-1 mark.

That 2-point lead over the Flames is starting to worry me a bit; winning games wouldn't be bad thing to start doing. The fall in the standings is especially tough to take when you consider the Red Wings are now in the 6 spot. Time to clean some sheets.

WTF?!?

Breaking Bad Hockey

After three days off, I was really looking forward to watching some Avs hockey tonight. That didn't last too long. Although they came out with some pretty strong energy in the first few minutes, that quickly turned into sloppy turnovers and easy goals for the Ducks. Now is not the time to drop consecutive games (if you can remember all the way back to Wed's loss to Calgary) when seemingly every other team in the Western Conference playoff race never loses. Combining this latest Avs loss with a Nuggets home loss to Milwaukee last night, and some rare DU hockey ineptitude, the last two nights makes for a pretty lousy Denver sports weekend (at least the Rockies 'tied' their Cactus League game this afternoon). Here's to America's favorite meth dealers and a good season premier of Breaking Bad.....

The weekend that was....

Nuggets overcome a horrendous night from J.R. Smith to win on Friday night.

Nuggets enjoy a fabulous night from J.R. Smith to win on Saturday night.

Avs play some inspired offense and some lackluster defense (think Andy was getting tired of shots on goal much during this game?) to get 2 points in Dallas.

And the Broncos trade for Brady Quinn (Bret Michaels was a throw-in on this deal). Weird. Got to think about that one for a bit.

avs getter done (sp?)

Dont have much time to blog these days with this whole dissertation bull-shit, but I did have the game on in the backgroundwhile I worked tongiht and from the sounds of it: a tip of the hat to Mr Paul Stasny. The groove post game shows sure could use more toothless intervews. I'm drinking. Anywho, it's good to hear Stasny is scoring goals; I'm not the one to complain about the lack of goals and the buildup of assists but I think it's good for Lasek surgery and 'merica... freedom.

And I'm sure Andy enjoys the W. as well. Great Job!

Unwar my buffs NIT hopes.

War 'Exploded Drawing'... that's right my friend.

Nuggets, Take Me Away (from the depressing shit that is the final minutes of an Avs game)

Ahhh. The healing relief that can be found in a Nuggets/T'Wolves game. So comforting. I think I might even have some candles burning softly in this freaking bubble bath shit up in here. So relaxing.

Very unlike the harsh comedown of last minute Avs choke-jobs. That's more like a prison shower.

J.R.'s spinning alley-oop dunk with about 5 minutes left was quite awesome. Should be on some sort of George Michael Sports Machine highlight reel I'd think.

The Hell Just Happened?

After a glorious first period that gave them a 3-0 lead, the Avs shit the bed in supreme fashion against NW Division rivals Vancouver at home. No one could stop Mikael Samuelsson in the 2nd period, as he registered a hat trick and got the Canucks back into the game despite more offensive fireworks from the likes of Duchene, Stewbag, and Mueller.

Totally brutal to lose such an important game, especially when it involves blowing two 3-goal leads. I've cringed while 'watching' the Canucks come back via the 'ticker' all season, but it sucks even more to feel the wrath first hand. It's pretty clear the Avs played scared after Samuelsson scored his second goal to make it 4-2 and Andy looked rather slow late in the game. Luongo, on the other hand, made some big saves in the last period after having a rough start. All you can say is they blew it. The Canucks are probably the better team, but this was a real shitty loss....when stacked alongside the recent losses to Detroit and Phoenix, this is the third bad loss in 8 days. Need to turn this around quickly, or falling out of the playoffs will be more of a concern than falling further out of first place in the NW.

And now I cry myself to sleep....

Stew-bag!

Mighty fine hat trick. Not something the Avs get too often....it's been several years I think since the Avs last had a player get one.
Nice to see the back-from-injury Hejduk get a goal as well. Magic hands indeed.
Still haven't fully recovered from that Coyotes game, but that worry-free romp was a nice start, and hopefully a good sign of things to come.

Well thanks. Thanks a lot....

Old Wojtek couldn't have scripted that any better.
Traded. Debut with new team comes against old team. Nets game winner with 22 seconds left. Shits pants.
Unbelievable. I turned off my TV. Closed my eyes. Rolled over and cried myself to sleep.

Boom, Outta Here...

Not a real big fan of this move. Wolski is the Avs second leading scorer this season... They probably got no takers for Liles and still felt like making a trade? Lots of potential on both sides of the deal, let's hope all this talk of upside for Mueller and Porter is realized at some point sooner than later. We'll see... So long Super Wojtek.
And as YB trumpeted. Welcome back Yelle.

Hello Huskers

Why yes, I will bask in another Buffs victory over the Cornhuskers. Face Nebraska!.... again. A pretty dominating game despite a mid-game lull. An unexpected good game by Casey Crawford, who I am usually a bit critical of (but probably not at the same level as a Danny Ardoin). The dude was pretty money today though. Probably the biggest part of the win tonight is the end of that stupid Big 12 road losing streak. Nice to know that shit ain't carrying over to 2011.

One other note: After watching the game pretty much in its entirety, I can officially say that I'm sick of hearing the yammering of former NU Defensive Coordinator Charlie McBride (1989-1999?). The pud gets like 2 commercials per TV break to talk about how great Nebraska (and more specifically Nebraska football) is. I'll den the Lincoln Fox Sports feed.

Bring on the Dance!!!!
(the NIT dance)

Shuster? More Like Shitster....

Some fine choke artistry for the US Curling Team, largely thanks to 2006 bronze medalist John Shuster. His nonchalant attitude toward each mounting failure didn't help win many of us die hard curling fans over. I'm fairly certain DeathTruck will be replacing him on the US team in 2014.

Feel free to take some pot shots at this admittedly weak post, Mr. Anonymous.....

Olympic Break Breakdown

No NHL games for 2 weeks...bummer. However, I am getting pretty geeked to watch some of the Olympic hockey, assuming NBC shows it. Despite a totally forgettable loss in LA last night, the Avs do head into the break having won 4 of 5 and will get to rest the majority of their players. While it sucks Andy didn't get selected to the US team, it's probably better for the Avs that he sits for 2 weeks, especially considering his workload thus far this season. And with Vancouver losing this afternoon to the Wild, Avs players can kick back knowing they share the lead in the NW Division. I think most people would have taken that before the season began. Much props to Sacco for the job he's done to this point.....

At Long Last.....

Sorry for the delayed post, but the entire KTH family needed some time to sleep off the large quantities of complimentary beers consumed at the game last night. I'm going to guess that KTH staff can account for 95% of the Miller Lite, Corona, Coors Light, Heineken, and Fat Tire provided in the Blogger's Suite. And that was before the Ancient Age was flowing like the River Nile back at Sonic Tooth's house.

A big THANK YOU to Meghan for hooking us up with what was a truly fun evening of fancy living and great hockey viewing. Duchene, what can you say?!? Dude continues to step it up. Andy has another ho hum brilliant night, and Yip was buzzing around the net most of the game. Big win against a team that is going to be playing some post season hockey. Another test tonight out in LA before the long Winter Olympics hibernation.

Don't call it a comeback....oh, you're right...do call it a comeback.

I was about ready to write this game off. The Avs going up against a team that just traded their best player...a true franchise player. Then the home team goes down early, and looks sluggish in the 2nd.
Ah, yes. The Avs wait until the 3rd period to bring this game back from the brink. Took two goals just to tie things up. Stew-bag. Durno.
OT? I barely had a chance to take a sip of my glass of wine before Cumiskey ends this thing, and secures 2 points. 9 seconds? That's quick work Kyle.

Great Views of an Avs Game / Lauren Game Shows

This is pretty late, but I did want to contribute this jumbotron pic of Lauren doing that damn Price is Right game (it's no Card Sharks rip off) during last night's Avs 5-2 beat down of the Blooze. 30Pack Thief with a last-minute extra ticket in what can be described as the best seats possible in the 3rd level: Row 1, Exact Center Ice. One drawback of Row 1 is that they put the cup holders on the arm rests, making it impossible to leap out of your seat to celebrate another Yip goal without doing a little hip shake. I was able to deal with it with my slender figure.

And yes, Yip fever is spreading like the plague.

WHO DAT?!?!

That's right, my friend...Puppy Bowl VI.....

Face Mercyhurst!!

Ah yeah, this is turning into a college sports blog. No need to mention the Nuggets big win over the Lake Show last night. SonicTooth and I had bigger fish to fry as the DU Pios were hosting the Mercyherst something or other (didn't catch what their mascot is). Anyhoo, these two clowns were drunk on the Light Rail home and open to having their picture taken. They were nice enough chaps, but I can't imagine how insufferable Mercyhurst fans would be if they actually won the game (KU fan comparisons?)....with DT heading back to the dry Coors Events Center, I expect another installment on this college blog soon after my Buffs upset Mizzou....

As a state, Kansas sucks.

The Buffs should have won.
The game was pretty fun though.
I hate Kansas fans.

Big 12 basketball is fixed

Yip Fever

The fever could apply to a number of Avs youngsters, but Yip Fever sounds better than O'Reiley Fever (2 shortys during a 4 min PK) or Galiardi Fever (4 points, including two assists on aforementioned shortys). Plus, Yippers just exudes hockey attitude in this picture. With all the production from the kids on this team, you gotta wonder what they would be like if they had some consistent scoring from the vets (I'm looking at you Stastny and Wolski). It will be nice when the Duke returns....A much-needed win for this team to stop a 3-game skid combined with a rare Vancouver loss makes for a pretty nice little night of hockey.....

Can teams.......

Sammy's got something to say. He didn't like any of the games today.

Nugs...probably due for a bad game at some point. Mission accomplished.

Avs...well, this was a pretty harsh 2 game run that didn't produce a single point.
Last night, Andy plays fairly spotless and then has to lose late 1-0. (a great 3rd period to watch regardless of the outcome. Tons of action)
Tonight. Not good. Modano? Losing streaks are the bane of "Cinderella seasons" and we've got one going on both fronts. I might have preferred a blowout loss in either of these games. The inability to come back fully tonight, and the late loss last night is rather crushing. Who's feeling resilient? Who likes the Misfits?

Face Nebraska

A rare DT post these days and perhaps an even rarer college hoops post in KTH-land. But, I must express some joy after watching my CU Buffs kick the shit out of Nebraska. I was sort of planning on going to the game, but decided against it due to the weather and my lack of friends. Anywho, the buffs are much more enjoyable to watch this year; they actually win games. To quote a recent avs post: Higgins? Ridic. Burks? Ridic. Actually Higgins had a very ho-hum game, but Burks was truly ridic (in every sense of the word). Everyone seems to be talking about Burks being one of the best freshman in the Big 12-slash-nation. That's not a bad thing.

And to make the game even better, the victory over Nebraska keeps NU without a win in the Big 12. You got to find something to cheer for here in Boulder, it doesn't sound like the football team is going to improve a whole lot anytime soon.

Anyone in for the KU game?

Nuggets. Again

Well. I wasn't expecting to post anything good about the Nuggets after that first period.

However.....a rather surprising, resilient performance, and in the end - successful game.
No Melo. But Earl, Chauncey, and Nene get busy in the box score.
When the Nuggets win without Carmelo against a decent team, you've got to think they have playoff legs.

Anyone got any rare 8 Seconds records?
Also, I'm wondering, is Bill Hanzlik's moustache actually part of his epidermal face and made of skin? It really doesn't look like hair or whiskers or any other follicle-based thing when you take a good look at it. I know back in the day that thing was a classic straight up moustache...nowadays I'm not so sure. There's just something not quite right.

NUGGETS! Regress, No Way!

Figured it was time to throw some Nugs love out there.
What better way than with one of my favorite home-made graphics from Blake Street Bias last season.
A 7 Seconds 7" cover butchering.

That's right. 7 in a row for the Nuggets, who have had to overcome some injuries and other bullshit during this current run.

A rough little southern road stretch is coming up...can they maintain??
God, everytime you think about that Chauncey deal to bring him back to Denver...just crucial. (and not only for the Blackjack pizza ads...those sure can't hurt him in my book though.)
Also my apologies to any 7 Seconds purists out there...I realize Regress, No Way is not on the pictured 7".

6 wins in a row?

Getting sorta fairy-tale kind of shit around here...this team was LAST in the West last year. There didn't seem to be any concrete evidence that they would be any better this season, yet here they are, leading their division...3rd in the conference. Can it maintain?
I hope the Can had chants of "TUR-CO" this evening. Man, you are fucked if you have an easy two syllable name as a goalie and you are on the road playing poorly.
Avs, yes! Stewbag, yes!

Avs roll. Continue to blow minds.

I love these Avs.
Young, getting it done. Tonight, no 'Duk. no Svatos. no Foote. At this point does it matter?
So many guys on this team continue to step up, contribute, and make a difference in games.
Duchene? Ridic. Stewart? Ridic. Yip? Ridic. The list goes on and on.

Andy nearly had a shutout.
McLeod gets a phantom penalty for slashing which facilitated the lone Nashville tally.
This game was just flat-out exciting and impressive. The Preds (however retarded it is that they are from TN) are a quality team... but the Avs continue to play stellar hockey, and subsequently keep a hold on the NW. (please fade, Canucks)
If this was happening in the NFL or MLB, the Avs' story would be all in your face courtesy of ESPN etc. It isn't, but it's still damn fun to watch and root for this newfangled version of the Avs. Credit is due.
Gimme a Yip sweater damn it!

Some Love For The Avs

While things get even more bizarre in McBroncoland, it's way overdue to give a hearty shout out to the NW Division-leading Avs. But with such a sparse schedule as of late, it's been hard getting into the blogging rhythm. After a harsh loss in Carolina a week and half ago, the Avs rattled off three impressive wins against the Sabres, Flames, and Devils. If I'm not mistaken, all three of these teams were first in their respective divisions going into those games. Bravo Avs. Craig Anderson has been nothing short of amazing in these games. While there is still one period of play remaining tonight, I'm fairly sure we won't blow a 4 goal (check that, 5 goal, check that 6 goal) lead against the cellar-dwelling Oil. While seemingly every game this season is a one goal affair (win or loss) and had made for some very exciting hockey to watch, a laugher victory would be more than welcome.

Not only are the Avs playing well, but the Flames appear to be heading to yet another loss tonight at the Shark Tank, which I think would put us 4 points up on them with a game in hand. Maybe losing four games in four tries this season to the Avs has those dudes rattled......

I would be remiss not to also mention some pretty quality wins for the Nuggs as of late. Much like the Avs, their recent schedule has been on the light side, but some quality wins against Orlando and Utah may relieve some of the panic surrounding recent skid while Billups and Melo were injured.

All is well in Can-Land. Maybe Dove Valley should consider getting its shit together....

D.R.I.

A bizarre Friday night - last second decision led to TD and myself heading down to the Bluebird for a D.R.I. show. I must say, they were surprisingly good.
Don't worry, they played plenty off of Dealing With It. Not pictured: TD wreaking havoc in the pit, aka The Thrash Zone.

Bed-Shitting: Complete

Not a good way to end the season going 2-8. And what do you know, another 8-8 year where we don't make the playoffs. This game ultimately may not have mattered, but the defense looked like shit all game, we had no consistent running game (a recurring problem the latter part of the year), and Neckbeard making up for lost time with some very costly INTs. Hard to say what the future for the Broncos looks like, but I'm sure there will be some huge changes this off season....at least the Can teams are both in first place for the time being. I hope they don't follow suit.....

Ways To Deal With a Horrible Broncos Loss

"SEEMS LIKE A GREAT DAY TO THROW ANOTHER 3 PICKS AND POST A 7.9 QB RATING."










"MAYBE THAT WASN'T SUCH A GREAT IDEA"

Zeke in Town

Thomas in more successful days

Caught a hot tip that the Greatest PG-Never-to-Play-on-a-Dream-Team paid a visit to the Queen City of the Plains to "coach" his Florida International University ("Miami's public research university") Panthers in a basketball contest versus your Denver University Pioneers. Sounds like the Pios pulled out a low-scoring victory while Isiah made sure that he looked good in his suit. Aside from last night's Pio win, Denver sports fans can also thank Thomas for bringing Nugget reserve Renaldo Balkman into the Association - who, BTW, is averaging 8 MPG (that's minutes/game, not his carbon footprint). As the Knick GM, perhaps Thomas thought he was making a deft choice by drafting Rolando Blackman when he chose Balkman. In any event, it's fun to see Thomas and reminisce about the glory days of the NBA - back when one might find "Jump" on a warm-up tape. (Oh, and this former Evergreen banger will be in that Bouldeh and Denver next week for the Holidays. Give a shout if you want to get rowdy.)

Yeah, the Broncos Lost Yesterday & Can't Pick Up Short-Yardage First Downs, But In Other NFL Action.....

A Victory for Barrel Man

A somewhat unexpected drubbing of the Chiefs this afternoon in KC for the Broncos. Was expecting a closer game with the Broncos winning, but will certainly take a stress-free crucial road win in a place that has been a house of horrors for the B'cos for quite some time. Defense came up big again with turnovers against a Chiefs offense that looked horrible. Running game was dominant and aside from some Orton turnovers (great game to get some of those out of your system), the offense did more than enough to make this a laugher by mid-3rd quarter. Another thing I noticed today, which was very nice to see, was the utter lack of penalties committed by the B'cos. That would be a good trend to continue from here on out. And yes, the Barrel Man died yesterday. You can only assume he would've loved this game. This one's for you, dude.

But honestly, what does this post have to do with Cutler and his Bears eeking a home win against the hapless Rams? Impressive....

The Not-So-Hot Heat

A pretty standard home blow-out win for the Nugs last night. ST and I sitting behind the basket about five rows up to the delight of all TNT viewers I imagine (see photo). The Nugs didn't dazzle with their play, but were still able to route Wade and his boys, which is pretty impressive I guess.

My favorite part of the evening was getting to heckle Craig Sager as he was walking court side looking like an arrogant prick. Oh yeah, ST also got introduced to former Colo Governor Beaker, errrrr, Bill Owens.

The other Can team didn't fair as well. Didn't see the replay of the disallowed goal, but it sounds like we kind of got jobbed. That weak call on Clark to give the Penns a 5-3 also sucked......

A Scrappy Point

That's a game that seemed pretty lost with only a minute left...but Duchey and TJ wanted to tally at least a point. Awesome empty net work, and a really resilient look for the Avs.

Andy didn't look too good throughout...but sometimes the O will pick you up. Also, sometimes Footer won't stand for a cheap goalie interference/injury-inducer (damn, that Ballard fucker sure hates goalies). Loved Foote's instant "smell the glove" shots at Ballard.
2 points would be preferred, and the Avs seem to be a team that "settles" quite a bit lately for the OTL...but the simple fact that they did get one point, and remain relevant is worthwhile, and that was pretty damn exciting there at the end...

A 2-0 Lead Stands Up?

Seems like about every game the Avs play they either fall behind 0-2 or take a 2-0 lead. Normally, that score doesn't mean shit and the team trailing has about a 50-50 shot of coming back to either take the lead or win. Not tonight. Andy is fairly stellar in the pipes (especially in the 3rd) and the combo of Duchene and Stewbag provides all of the offense needed to keep it at 2-0 for the entire game. Considering Jonsey is out for the year (hard to overstate what a bummer that is considering how he was playing) and the Duke is still on the shelf, it's imperative that others step up and pick up the scoring slack. I would love to see the Rook play a big part in filling that role...

Great start to a crucial roadie that comes on the heels of a brutal back-to-back set with the Wild. The PK was great tonight, but the trip could end badly if the Avs continue to spend as much time in the box as they did tonight.....More shutouts please....

You just got your ass WHIPPED...

... by a bunch of goddamn vikings (don't cha know).

Just so everyone knows, watching Cuntler's '09 season go to complete shit never really gets old. It seems to get better every week. ahhhhhh.

What the Hell is Going on With Our Season?

Let me list a few problems in this latest loss. Starting with the offense...

1) Two fumbles in the red zone.

2) Crappy QB play from Simms. A gimpy Orton did better, but after taking a cheap shot to the ankle from Merriman and forced to throw pretty much every down in the second half, Neckbeard didn't make any big plays.

3) 3 Points....

On defense:

1) Wasn't able to put pressure on Rios

2) Couldn't consistently stop the run.

3) No forced turnovers.

Special teams:

1) Momentum killing failed onside kick. (Appeared like it could have worked, but really?)

2) 15 yard penalties after every FG by SD ensuring bad field position.

The AFC West appears lost. Wild card chances slipping away. The season-ending record might be more in line with what seemed realistic prior to the season after all....

God. Budaj sucks.

I do not agree with the above slogan. Put in Bernie.

Quarterback Controversy On Hold

A lot of people got their wish today when Chris Simms got to play QB for the entire second half (I'm looking at you Woody Paige), while Neckbeard sat on the sidelines nursing an injured ankle. Let's just say the Broncos don't have a QB controversy in the wake of Simms' 3-13, 13 yards, 1 INT, 0 TD performance. 3rd straight week where the Broncos lay down in the 2nd half and lose as a result. Special teams continue to be a joke, as the Redskins convert a 4th and 20 fake field goal for a TD (really, did that happen?) and Mitch Berger continues to raise eyebrows over how he's actually pulling an NFL check. I gotta say I had a bad feeling about this game going in, although it seemed to be well in hand before the special teams meltdown and Neckbeard coming up gimpy. Let's hope he's back next week, or it could be a long day in what will be the biggest game of the season at home vs the Chargers.

Ahem, the term, "run out of the gym" comes to mind....

Admittedly, I was more preoccupied with drinking beer, eating pizza, and watching the new "Glen Beck" episode of South Park (during halftime) than watching the blow-by-blow of this game. All I know is when I finished the SP viewing, the 3rd quarter had started and suddenly the score was very lopsided. As DT conveyed via fax, "How did we lose to these cocksuckers?" How indeed...

I sure do enjoy a good interception

Well why not 5 of 'em.

Can Teams Roll

Been a while since KTH rapped at y'all. Nice homecoming win tonight for the Avs to avoid a 3-game skid and the Nugs remain unbeaten this season at 5-0. Just a ho-hum night for the pro teams in this town. It's almost like that weak Broncos game I sort of remember something about last weekend didn't even happen. Just a blip on the screen of a 6-1 season....