Author: Derek Kessinger

Growing Pains from Colorado Rockies Baseball

As the losing streak wears on, Colorado Rockies fans are getting worn out. Is Colorado prepared for the grind that lies ahead of them if they want to embrace baseball?

During this losing streak, the only thing surprising about the result was the time—1:00 AM. The walk-off win for the San Francisco Giants was the inevitable ending of the 14-inning game Tuesday night. A long slog of innings could only delay the Rockies demise—as they failed to grab big hits and extra bases. Continue reading “Growing Pains from Colorado Rockies Baseball”

Rockies Summer Plan is to win the National League West Crown

The Colorado Rockies find themselves in a three-team National League West Pennant Race with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers. This is how baseball reaches peak excitement.

We’re coming up on three straight months of good baseball in Colorado—all in the first half of the season. As the summer heat scorches the rising number of fans heading to Coors Field, we’re gearing up for an extended summer of Rockies baseball. Even better, the Rockies are finally finding out what makes regular season baseball great. Continue reading “Rockies Summer Plan is to win the National League West Crown”

Seeing the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals

It was the ghosts of the Denver Nuggets Past, Present and Future in the NBA Finals. The series was full of redemption, remorse and anxiety over how long the Golden State Warriors can be great.

The Denver Nuggets were well connected to the NBA Finals for a team that missed the playoffs entirely. In a year where the finals felt predetermined from the moment the Golden State Warriors signed Kevin Durant to match LeBron James’ Cavaliers, it might be easy to discount everything that happened in the NBA this year.  However, I’m still thinking about the 2016-17 season through a lens focused on the Denver Nuggets. Continue reading “Seeing the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals”

I’m required to write about Siemian vs. Lynch

I will lose my ability to write about Denver sports if I don’t address the Broncos Quarterback Competition between Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian.

The Denver sports mob boss is imposing. Built like a lineman, he sits in a smoky bar all day watching Denver media people. He reads all of the articles. He listens to the radio shows simultaneously. He watches each sports anchor in succession. He sees everything. He runs this sports town. He’s had one directive since January—talk about the Broncos quarterback battle. Continue reading “I’m required to write about Siemian vs. Lynch”

My greatest fear as a sports reporter was realized this week

Terry Frei’s firing from The Denver Post is a stark reminder of the power of social media.

For context, I suggest listening to Terry Frei’s interview on 104.3 The Fan with Mark Schlereth and Mike Evans. The interview covers the tweet, the fallout and Terry’s explanation.

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My worst fear as a journalist was realized in the fallout from the Terry Frei situation. It’s a fear that caused me to leave the Denver sports scene for over a year. It causes me to never quite write what I want to and to worry about whether I’m saying ‘the right thing’. It keeps me from working on other projects that I’m passionate about outside of sports. Continue reading “My greatest fear as a sports reporter was realized this week”

Tragedy strikes on a random Tuesday sports night

On Tuesday night a variety of fan bases were on display in Denver, Nashville, San Antonio and Philadelphia. Another fan base was thrown into terror in Manchester, England.

These were my two worlds on Tuesday night—the world of tragedy in Manchester and the world of sports from my couch. While I waited for news on Manchester, I forced myself to focus on the only escape route in front of me—the sports world. When the sports night ended, I returned to Manchester and the grief I felt for the victims.

In a lot of ways, it was just another sports night in May, but it also served as a window into what makes each group of fans unique. Continue reading “Tragedy strikes on a random Tuesday sports night”

The Denver Nuggets face an uphill climb in the Western Conference arms race

Denver Nuggets fans want something to believe in for the short-term future of this team. Recent history tells us that there is hope in the Western Conference, but not in the way I originally thought.

I started this article with the best of intentions. I wanted to make the case that the window was opening in the Western Conference. Surely teams like the Denver Nuggets could soon compete with the contenders. Continue reading “The Denver Nuggets face an uphill climb in the Western Conference arms race”

The Cubs would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for those meddling kids

The Colorado Rockies rookie starting pitchers deserve all of the praise for knocking off the Chicago Cubs this week. While it’s unbelievable to type, it was through pitching that the Rockies deserved to beat the Cubs.

Without looking, I can say this for certain the Colorado Rockies have never won a series against the defending World Series Champions based on the performance of three rookie pitchers. That is, until this week. In the second week of May 2017, the Colorado Rockies won two out of three against the Chicago Cubs with rookies controlling the mound. Continue reading “The Cubs would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for those meddling kids”

You aren’t a Coloradan until you’ve experienced life as a suffering Rockies fan

The argument between Coloradans and transplants is heating up as the Denver Metro Area continues to evolve. As a native Coloradan, I know that it’s our Rockies fandom that divides us into categories. Also, Coloradans are supposed to be nice.

In the streets of LoDo, a culture war is being fought over the soul of the Mile High City. While this might sound like hyperbole, ask anyone in Denver. They will give you an emotionally charged opinion on Denver’s changes. One question to ask both natives and transplants, what makes a true Coloradan? Continue reading “You aren’t a Coloradan until you’ve experienced life as a suffering Rockies fan”