Holliday Travel

It has been nearly nine months since the Colorado Rockies traded Matt Holliday to the A's and I penned this heart-breaking refrain set to Death Cab For Cutie's "Cath..."

No, I still haven't quite gotten over it. (Counseling has helped). But the story today takes an interesting twist.

News broke this afternoon that Holliday has been traded from Oakland to St. Louis, where he will (allegedly) provide ample protection to one Albert Pujols. Never heard of him.

Now, looking back, who benefited most from November's Holliday-to-Oakland trade? The Rockies or Matt Holliday?

Holliday's numbers have dipped well below his production in 2007/2008 in Colorado, as he is currently batting .286 with 11 HR and 54 RBI (although he has been on a bit of a tear recently).

Meanwhile, the chief figure in Oakland's package for Holliday, closer Huston Street, is tied for the NL league in saves (24) and has a quality 2.61 ERA. (OF Carlos Gonzalez, another piece of the trade, has also contributed to the Rockies' surprise run, while P Greg Smith remains in the minors).

And while Holliday struggled in the cavernous Oakland-Alameda Port-a-Toilet, he now goes to a more hitter-friendly park in Bush Stadium, and now finds himself on a division leader - in as good of a baseball town as you'll find in America.

But do you suppose Holliday would have preferred to have stayed in Denver, where he'd be playing for a another playoff contendor in the friendly confines of Coors Field?

Meanwhile, Colorado has performed just fine without their former slugger. Would the Rockies even want Holliday back considering the performance of Street and the high potential of Gonzalez?

And this deal brings another exciting possibility to mind:

With the Cards up just 1.5 games on Chicago in the NL Central, and the Rockies currently leading the NL Wild Card chase, could we potentially see a Wild Card standoff between Holliday and the team that raised him from Rookie ball? Better yet, a Cards-Rockies NLCS?

Ooh, I feel another poem coming on...

The Fast and the Curious

Well, I did it.

I went a week without sports. No sports on TV, no sports on the radio, no sports on my computer, no downloading TECMO BOWL 2000 on my cell phone (though I thought about it).

This Sports Fast wasn't easy, though. Here is the "cliff-notes" rundown of my Week Without Sports...

Monday, 7/13:

7:00 AM - Woke up to a calendar appointment on my phone that read "No Sports." Died a little inside.

9:30 AM - Typed "ESPN.co" into my Web browser, then had to stop.

11:00 AM - Almost decided tht a "4-hours Without Sports" fast was pretty impressive, too.

1:20 PM - Typed "Sportsli..." into my browser, then stopped.

11:40 PM - Wished I could turn on some ESPNradio to fall asleep. Instead listened to some guy on the AM dial discussing whether President Obama was a Russian spy. Seriously. He had a fairly compelling case, too.

Tuesday 7/14:

7:00 AM - Woke up, contemplated if life was worth living or not. Decided it most likely was.

10:34 AM - Typed "FoxSpor..." into my browser, stopped.

7:00 PM - Nearly jumped off the wagon to watch the MLB All-Star game. Instead walked around Old Town Fort Collins and had dinner with Becca. Turns out there are these things called "sunsets" most nights. I highly recommend them.

9:53 PM - My buddy Nick wanted me to come over after some "All-Star program" he was watching. He tells me to come over in about 20 minutes, as they are in the "top of the last segment of the show."

Wednesday 7/15:

7:30 AM - Wondered if kicking the soap in the shower qualified as "sports" or not.

7:35 AM - Made a freaking amazing "soap goal" just insde the left shampoo bottle. Money.

2:22 PM - Typed "Deadspi..." into my browser, stopped, cried a little.

9:49 PM - "Read" something called a "book" ??

Thursday, 7/16:

7:30 AM - Had my Dial bicycle kick denied by the Head and Shoulders bottle. Apparently it protects against dandruff and game-tying goals.

12:21 PM - Typed "Depression" into my browser, researched a little.

6:30 PM - Made a phone call to a family member and had something commonly referred to as a "conversation." Strangely informative...

9:12 PM - Received a text reading "DUDE THIS GAME IS AMAZING!!!!" from my brother. Not helping, bro.

Friday, 7/17:

11:11 AM - Typed "Addiction" into my browser. Wondered if there were "Sportsaholic Anonymous Groups" around... Me: "Hi, my name is Jeff. And I can tell you Todd Helton's On-Base Percentage in 1999." Group: "Hi, Jeff."

5:00 PM - Made an amazing Mix CD. Decided I needed to spend more time listening to music.

8:00 PM - Attended an 80's Rocky show at a "Neighborhood Nights" festival in Greeley. Wow this is lame.

8:59 PM - Screamed"DON'T STOP...BELIEVIN!!!" at the top of my lungs.

Saturday, 7/18:

8:00 AM - Woke up, wondered if going a "week" without sports necessarily included the weekend or not.

8:30 AM - Went for a "jog." It might be a silent "j," I'm not really sure...

10:28 AM - Laid at the pool and talked with Becca. Turns out time really flies when spending quality time with people.

4:00 PM - Took a tour of the Budweiser brewery in Fort Collins. Turns out time really flies when you get free samples of beer. Hey, I'm just saying.

Sunday, 7/9:

9:16 AM - Made an amazing fade-away Dixie Cup shot. Nothing but toilet water.

2:00 PM - Nearly decided to jump off the wagon a bit early to watch the Rockies' series closer with the Padres. Instead, I fell asleep. It was a miracle, I tell you. Something supernatural at work here.

5:10 PM - Got some "excercise." Decided I needed to do this more often, too.

8:00 PM - Started counting down the hours until the Fast was over at Midnight.

10:17 PM - Decided the only viable sports option on TV at midnight was a replay of the 1988 NCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship. It's amazing how excited you can be about Men's Volleyball after a week-long sports drought.

12:01 - Fell asleep during the national anthem.

Monday, 7/20

5:30 AM - Woke up early, flipped on SportsCenter.

6:00 AM - Saw Tom Watson's devastating loss at the British Open. Heartbreaking. Changed the channel.

7:30 AM - Thanked God for all the things that really mattered in life, things I often take for granted - like friends, family, sunsets and, of course, a slippery bar of soap in the shower.

It was a good week, after all.

Life Without Sports

Breathing.

Eating.

Drinking (water, of course).

U2.

And... sports. Sports and lots of sports.

This is the "stuff" of my daily life (not including: God, family, my beautiful girlfriend, and friends, of course. Oh...and my job... right, can't forget the job). These are the things I not only enjoy spending time on, but actually feel I almost "need" to spend time on.

Yeah, seriously. I go a few days without some "Where the Streets Have No Name" and I feel like I missed breakfast. Go a few hours without checking ESPN.com and I feel parched. No, seriously, I do.

Am I obsessed? Probably. Am I concerned? Not really.

But this is why I have decided that I will be going a week - this week - without sports. That's right - no ESPN, no Rockies, no Jim Rome, no Sports page, no predicting how many TD's and INT's Kyle Orton will have in December road games this year (not that I've done that...recently).

I guess I just want to make sure that my priorities in life are in the right place. I guess I just want to make sure I can live a normal, well-adjusted, healthy lifestyle without sports.

Call it lent, call it a revival, call it insanity...whatever it is, it will teach me just how much I want (or need) sports in my life.

Time to get out there and give it my best shot...er, try.

Wish me luck.

Holy Joe

The past year in Denver, sports fans have watched an inexperienced coach dismantle a talented team, a spoiled young QB demand a trade, a spoiled young WR get in trouble with the law again - and then demand a trade, and an all-star outfielder turn down a $16 mil/year contract with the team that raised him in hopes of finding a bigger deal elsewhere.

It's enough to make even the most dedicated, local fan nauseous. It seems as if there is no longer any remnant of loyalty, class or commitment in pro sports today.

But then there's Joe Sakic.

"Burnaby Joe," as he is known internationally (or "Super Joe" as he is known to Avalanche fans), was the type of athlete who made you proud to be a sports fan.

Not only did he remain - incredibly - with the same franchise (Quebec/Colorado) for all 20 of his seasons in the NHL (and several times turned down potentially bigger contracts to do so), he excelled enormously throughout his career.

Sakic ranks 8th all time in the NHL for points, 7th in postseason points, and 1st in playoff OT goals - a stat that helped make him a Denver legend, helping leading the Avs to Stanley Cup titles in 1996 and 2001.

He is one of just six players in NHL history to record 600 goals and 1,000 assists in his career, alongside some guys named Gretzky, Howe and Lemieux.

And Joe not only excelled in the NHL, but also in international play, leading Canada to the Gold Medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics, becoming one of only 22 players in history to win a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold medal and a World Championshp gold medal.

But what made Joe so endearing to fans was his quiet demeanor, his "lead by example" style, his selflessness and commitment to his family and community. Sakic's charity work is estimated to have given over 7 million meals to underpriveleged children.

With all of the records, statistics, medals and cups, the thing that Avs (and Nordique) fans will always remember about Joe was that he was the ultimate professional - a man who never placed himself before his teammates or his work.

No Avs fan will ever forget June 9, 2001. The Avs had just won an emotional second Stanley Cup, made more dramatic by the recent addition of Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque, who joined the Avs in hopes of winning the first Cup of his career.

Though tradition holds for the captain of the Stanley Cup winner to receive and take the first skate with Lord Stanley's cup, "Super Joe" immediately handed it off to an ecstatic Bourque.

Joe knew he would have his time in the sun, though he never asked for it.

Here's hoping the sun shines bright over Burnaby the rest of his life.

Thanks, Joe.

Monday morning, 30 years of dawning...

It's been nearly three decades since Bono first screamed those opening words to "Out of Control" on U2's debut album, "Boy."

If only that Bono had known that 29 years later, on a Monday morning, the world would be heralding the relase of his band's 15th studio album.

Today is the worldwide release of No Line on the Horizon, the first U2 album since 2004's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

Of course, most of the world has already heard the new album, thanks to online leaks and a massive screw-up by the band's label in Australia.

(By the way, if you can't wait until you get the real thing in your hands, you can listen to it on teh band's myspace page.)

I, myself, have heard only three songs on the new album - Get on Your Boots (the lead single), Breathe and I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight.

Based on those three songs, along with what I've heard from those who have already digested "No Line," I can say that this album promises to be a serious change-up from the band's last two albums.

"All that You Can't Leave Behind" in 2000 returned U2 to its anthemic-rock roots, with a collection of songs that were both accessible and radio-friendly (see: "Beautiful Day.")

Four years later, U2 released "Bomb," which was less radio-friendly and a bit darker than its predecessor, but still an album that appealed to the masses.

"No Line on the Horizon," I think, will evoke differing reactions among both U2 fans and the general public. I think many will love the album and insist upon its genius (like ... in the Rolling Stone, who gave the album a Five-star, "masterpiece" review).

Others may not be so sure. While I'm not going to search one out, I'm sure you can find plenty of average-to-worse reviews of the CD.

But the beauty of being a U2 fan is that - honestly, it doesn't matter. There will be plenty in this new album that connects to me and means something to me, regardless of whether it gets (or deserves) the acclaim of The Joshua Tree.

I love every U2 album - yes even "Pop." Because Pop brought us plenty of gems, like the emotional verocity of "If God Will Send His Angels," the techno-rock of "Gone," and the unique classicness of "Please."

And Pop, like all U2 albums, means more to U2 fans than just another album.

That's because U2 is not just another band.

Enjoy the new album, world.

Let me in the sound...

You know that feeling you get when a friend or family member returns home after years away?

Sure, you may have talked to them over the phone or e-mail, you've got pictures of them around your place... but there's nothing like seeing them again in person after a long break.

It's sort of like seeing them again for the first time.

Well, that's my emotion when I hear a new U2 song. I felt it when I heard "Beautiful Day" for the first time back in 2000, I felt it when I heard "Vertigo" debut in 2004, and I experienced it again in 2006 when "Window in the Skies" first hit the airwaves.

And today I felt it with the debut of "Get On Your Boots" - the new single from U2's upcoming 12th studio album, "No Line on the Horizon."

Sure, I've been listening to plenty of U2 recently. I've watched some live DVD's, read some good interviews, popped in "October" for another listen.

But there's nothing like hearing Bono scream and Edge's guitar blaze and Adam's bass sway and Larry's drums rock - and I mean, absolutely, positively rock.

It's sort of like hearing the best band in the world again - for the first time.

Check out the song here.

The best way I would describe the song to a U2 fan is: Fast Cars meets The Fly meets Vertigo meets a Muse guitar riff.

The best way I would describe it to a non-U2 fan is: this is some crazy stuff.

Lyrics to "Get on Your Boots"

The future needs a big kiss
Winds blow with a twist
Never seen a moon like this
Can you see it too?

Night is falling everywhere
Rockets at the funfair
Satan loves a bomb scare
But he won’t scare you

Hey, sexy boots
Get on your boots, yeah

Free me from the dark dream
Candy floss, ice cream
All the kids are screaming but the ghosts aren’t real

Here’s what you gotta be
Love and community
Laughter is eternity if joy is real

You don’t know how beautiful
You don’t know how beautiful
You are

You don’t know
You get it do you?
You don’t know
How beautiful you are

That's someone's stuff they're blowing up
We’re into growing up
Women are the future
All the big revelations

I’ve gotta submarine, you’ve got gasoline
I don’t wanna talk about wars between nations
Not right now

Sexy boots
Get on your boots yeah
Bossy boots

You don’t know how beautiful
You don’t know how beautiful
You are

You don’t know
You get it do you?
You don’t know
How beautiful you are

Sexy boots
I don’t wanna talk about the wars between the nations
Sexy boots, yeah

Let me in the sound
Let me in the sound
Let me in the sound sound
Let me in the sound sound
Let me in the sound
God I’m going down
I don’t wanna drown now
Meet me in the sound
Let me in the sound
Let me in the sound
Let me in the sound sound
Let me in the sound

Get on your boots
Get on your boots
Get on your boots
Yeah yeah, yeah
Get on your boots
Hey, hey, hey
Get on your boots
Get on your boots


Welcome home, U2...

The New Hoover?

When historians are polled on the best and worst Presidents in U.S. history, one name that seemingly always appears at (or near) the cellar of the list is Herbert Hoover.

That's probably because Hoover is remembered as the President who presided over the country as it fell into the worst economic collapse in its history.

But many historians will tell you that Hoover often gets a bad rap - that it wasn't so much his mistakes that caused the country's problems, but rather the country's problems that caused (or led to) his mistakes.

In many ways, I see a lot of similarities in President George W. Bush to Hoover.

Today, Bush has become a laughing stock around the world - the butt of political jokes, the dart-board for angry liberals, the easy target for op-ed columnists.

It seems more common to see him referred to as "the worst President in American history" than as simply "the President."

Now, I will agree that Bush's eight years in office have been far from perfect. There have been many mistakes (see: the handling of Katrina, the unchecked influence of Vice President Cheney, the WMD disaster in Iraq, the economic debacle).

But is he really the worst President in history?

Try this: next time you are hearing someone bash Bush, ask them to name a few good things President Bush did. Chances are, they won't know any. That's a shame, because they'd be missing:

- the dismantling of the suppressive Taliban regime in Afghanistan

- the turnaround of a recession early in office

- the disarming of Libya without military force

- the most diverse Cabinet in Presidential history

- the banning of partial birth abortion

- the formation of the USA Freedom Corps - the largest volunteer organization ever created

- the tripling of aid to Africa

Do these accomplishments outweigh the mistakes? History will decide that.

But for a man who inherited a recession, had to react to the worst attack on American soil in history, and served during perhaps the most heated political climate this country has seen its inception, I would say that he deserves better than a knee-jerk, emotional verdict.

Two interesting (and polar opposite) articles on Pres. Bush's place in history, each written by foreign columnists:

The Star: Goodbye to worst President ever

Telegraph: History will show Bush was right

Whatever the final judgment on the Bush administration is, it appears clear that - for now, anyway - the cloud of our current circumstances and political atmosphere won't allow much praise for number 43.

At least Herbert Hoover will have some company.