Breck Bronc
07-06-2007, 08:01 AM
No, the current Denver professional sports scene isn’t littered with the staggering athletic talent it had during its golden era of 1995-2001. In those days the Broncos and Avalanche had numerous future Hall-of-Famers or All-Stars on their rosters, including John Elway, Patrick Roy, Shannon Sharpe, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Terrell Davis, Ray Bourque, Rod Smith, Chris Drury, Adam Foote, Ed McCaffrey, Steve Atwater, Rob Blake, etc. The Rockies had great hitters like Larry Walker, Todd Helton and Andres Gallaraga. The Nuggets had, well, they didn’t have much, but it didn’t really matter with the success of the local football and hockey teams and the Blake Street Bombers playing to huge crowds in LoDo.
Now the 4 major pro teams in Denver have a ton of young talent that leads me to believe the city will enjoy another run like it did when the Broncos and Avalanche won 4 championships in 6 years while downtown saw 3 sparkling new venues opened (Coors Field, Pepsi Center, Invesco Field).
In picking Denver’s 10 best current pro athletes I based my choices largely on how they are presently performing, but also how they’ve done in the past and how rosy their future looks. Here we go:
1. Joe Sakic, Center, Colorado Avalanche - This is a no-brainer. Sakic just completed one of the greatest seasons in NHL history by a player his age (37). Sakic had 100 points for the first time since 2001-’02 and nearly led a defensively flawed Avalanche team to the playoffs with a stirring late-season 15-2-2 surge. Off the ice, there’s not a more humble or classy athlete in North America than Burnaby Joe. His past accomplishments are too abundant to list, but they’re highlighted by 2 Stanley Cups, 1 Olympic Gold medal, World Cup titles, World Championship titles, NHL regular season MVP (Hart Memorial), NHL playoff MVP (Conn Smythe), Olympic MVP, etc etc. With his noted off-season workout regimen, the addition of free agents Ryan Smyth and Scott Hannan, and a group of young players that will only get better, Sakic will be hunting for his third Stanley Cup this coming season.
2. Champ Bailey, Cornerback, Denver Broncos - Another no-brainer, Champ is a clear #2 in this city and coming off a great season at cornerback. Like Sakic, Champ’s individual brilliance still couldn’t land his team in the playoffs, but that should change in 2007. Bailey arguably should have won the 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award with his league leading 10 interceptions, but lost out to Miami’s Jason Taylor. There’s no doubt that Champ is the best player at his position, and it’s not even close. Just think, the 2002 NFL draft could have landed Denver both the best cornerback in the league (Portis trade), but also the best safety in the league had they drafted Ed Reed instead of Ashley Lelie (yes, yes, I know that Javon Walker and others were targeted by the Broncos in the first round and Reed wasn’t on their radar, but he should have been with the team’s glaring need at safety).
3. Matt Holliday, Left Field, Colorado Rockies - Holliday has transformed himself from a possible failed prospect earlier this decade into 2007’s best non-steroid outfielder (Barry Bonds) in the National League. He’s currently leading the league in batting average by a good margin and has the sixth best OPS in all of baseball. In years past that might not be such a great accomplishment, but Coors Field is not the same hitters heaven it used to be. Holliday would be starting in next week’s All-Star game had he played for a team on the East Coast rather than in the Rocky Mountains, but the people that matter, his MLB peers, made him the highest vote getter on their ballots. Matt has also significantly improved his glove in left field in the past year and is no longer the butcher that he was in ‘04 and ‘05. His towering home run off Andy Pettitte and the Yankees last month is one of the greatest moments in Coors Field history.
4. Carmelo Anthony, Forward, Denver Nuggets - Admittedly, I know or care nothing about basketball, but Carmelo did finish second in the NBA in scoring last season. There’s a valid argument of placing Anthony third on this list, but his cowardly punch and run tactic in Madison Square Garden last season along with his abysmal 4-16 playoff record keeps Carmelo out of the top three. Hopefully for local basketball fans Carmelo will someday lead the Nuggets to the NBA Finals like fellow 2003 draftees DeWayne Wade and LeBron James.
5. Javon Walker, Wide Receiver, Denver Broncos - The Broncos stole Walker from Green Bay for a second round pick. He scored 9 total touchdowns and had over 1,200 total yards despite being only a year removed from ACL surgery and having a washed up Jake Plummer throwing him the ball for 11 games. We all saw what’s in store for Walker with his 54-yard touchdown grab against Arizona from some rookie quarterback (more on him later). Javon’s numbers should increase with a completely healthy knee and a second year in the Denver system.
6. Paul Stastny, Center, Colorado Avalanche - After leading the University of Denver to the 2005 NCAA Championship and having another great season for the Pioneers in 2006, Stastny joined the Avalanche last season and had one of the best rookie seasons in franchise history. His 20-game scoring streak in March is an NHL record for a rookie and helped him finish second in the Calder Trophy voting (Rookie of the Year). Like former Avalanche center Chris Drury, Stastny is a clutch performer. He also has great bloodlines -- his father is in the Hockey Hall of Fame and his uncles had distinguished careers in the NHL. Paul Stastny is going to be a force for the Avalanche for years to come.
7. Todd Helton, First Base, Colorado Rockies - He’s extremely overpaid and has lost his home run power, but Helton still gets on base more than anyone in baseball other than that roider in San Francisco. His defense is also very good at first base. Will he ever make the playoffs, with the Rockies or another club? Will Helton ever shave his goatee? Can the Rockies beat any team other than the two from New York?
8. Milan Hejduk, Right Wing, Colorado Avalanche - One of the few remaining pro athletes playing in this city who has won a championship, The Duke finished 2007 on fire. Hejduk has finally recovered from a knee injury that limited his success two seasons ago. When he’s healthy and has a center that feeds him the puck there’s not a better pure goal scorer in the NHL than Milan Hejduk. He found his playmaking center in Paul Stastny and the two should wreak havoc on goaltenders next season.
9. Marcus Camby, Center, Denver Nuggets - He won the 2006-’07 NBA Defensive Player of the Year while leading the league in blocks and finishing 5th in rebounding. The worst you can say about Camby is he’s injury prone and has never played more than 72 games in a season. There’s always the question of whether the Nuggets will trade Camby.
10. Jay Cutler, Quarterback, Denver Broncos - He’ll most likely be number 1 on any Denver best pro athlete list before long. Denver is Cutler’s city to own and he already has a Super Bowl-type roster and coaching staff around him. Jay is the only rookie quarterback to throw at least two touchdowns in his first 4 starts in NFL history. His 54-yard touchdown pass to Javon Walker in Arizona was a thing of beauty. Cutler seems to be able to make any throw asked of a top tier NFL quarterback. I’m sure we all can’t wait to see what he can do in his first full season as starter and hopefully it turns out like Ben Roethlisberger’s second season.
Honorable Mentions
Jeff Francis, Pitcher, Colorado Rockies - If the Rockies had one pitcher playing the the 2007 All-Star game it should be Francis, not Brian Fuentes.
Allen Iverson, Guard, Denver Nuggets - The hype didn’t turn into a playoff series win, but there’s no denying that Iverson is a great player. Locals will never forget the huge blizzards that hit the area at the time Iverson was traded to Denver
Troy Tulowitzki, Shortstop, Colorado Rockies - Like Cutler, Tulo will be a star in Denver for years to come. His throws to first base are reason enough to go to Coors Field and catch a game. His bat is coming around nicely, too. It’s about time the Rockies had a shortstop with this much talent. Now if they could only get a premier center field prospect, too.
Peter Budaj, Goalie, Colorado Avalanche - It was the young Slovak, not the overpaid, overrated French Canadian (Jose Theodore) that backstopped the Avalanche on their incredible late-season run. With a much improved defensive corps in front of him for the upcoming season, Budaj has a chance to move way up on this list if he proves to be a true #1 NHL puck stopper like he showed after winning the starting job.
Brad Hawpe, Right Field, Colorado Rockies - Hawpe is having a very good season for the Rockies and could have been an All-Star had Barry Bonds not been voted into the starting lineup. Like Troy Tulowitzki, Hawpe has an absolute cannon of an arm.
Just think, next year’s list should be even better, with the Broncos adding Travis Henry, Daniel Graham, and Dre Bly while seeing more playing time for Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler, and Domenik Hixon!!, a new role for D.J. Williams that better suits his talent, and a ton of rookie defensive lineman that may break out. The Avalanche added two premier players in Ryan Smyth and Scott Hannan, while Wojtek Wolksi or Jordan Leopold could have breakout seasons. Even the Rockies could add an impact player at the trade deadline (yeah right!).
Now the 4 major pro teams in Denver have a ton of young talent that leads me to believe the city will enjoy another run like it did when the Broncos and Avalanche won 4 championships in 6 years while downtown saw 3 sparkling new venues opened (Coors Field, Pepsi Center, Invesco Field).
In picking Denver’s 10 best current pro athletes I based my choices largely on how they are presently performing, but also how they’ve done in the past and how rosy their future looks. Here we go:
1. Joe Sakic, Center, Colorado Avalanche - This is a no-brainer. Sakic just completed one of the greatest seasons in NHL history by a player his age (37). Sakic had 100 points for the first time since 2001-’02 and nearly led a defensively flawed Avalanche team to the playoffs with a stirring late-season 15-2-2 surge. Off the ice, there’s not a more humble or classy athlete in North America than Burnaby Joe. His past accomplishments are too abundant to list, but they’re highlighted by 2 Stanley Cups, 1 Olympic Gold medal, World Cup titles, World Championship titles, NHL regular season MVP (Hart Memorial), NHL playoff MVP (Conn Smythe), Olympic MVP, etc etc. With his noted off-season workout regimen, the addition of free agents Ryan Smyth and Scott Hannan, and a group of young players that will only get better, Sakic will be hunting for his third Stanley Cup this coming season.
2. Champ Bailey, Cornerback, Denver Broncos - Another no-brainer, Champ is a clear #2 in this city and coming off a great season at cornerback. Like Sakic, Champ’s individual brilliance still couldn’t land his team in the playoffs, but that should change in 2007. Bailey arguably should have won the 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award with his league leading 10 interceptions, but lost out to Miami’s Jason Taylor. There’s no doubt that Champ is the best player at his position, and it’s not even close. Just think, the 2002 NFL draft could have landed Denver both the best cornerback in the league (Portis trade), but also the best safety in the league had they drafted Ed Reed instead of Ashley Lelie (yes, yes, I know that Javon Walker and others were targeted by the Broncos in the first round and Reed wasn’t on their radar, but he should have been with the team’s glaring need at safety).
3. Matt Holliday, Left Field, Colorado Rockies - Holliday has transformed himself from a possible failed prospect earlier this decade into 2007’s best non-steroid outfielder (Barry Bonds) in the National League. He’s currently leading the league in batting average by a good margin and has the sixth best OPS in all of baseball. In years past that might not be such a great accomplishment, but Coors Field is not the same hitters heaven it used to be. Holliday would be starting in next week’s All-Star game had he played for a team on the East Coast rather than in the Rocky Mountains, but the people that matter, his MLB peers, made him the highest vote getter on their ballots. Matt has also significantly improved his glove in left field in the past year and is no longer the butcher that he was in ‘04 and ‘05. His towering home run off Andy Pettitte and the Yankees last month is one of the greatest moments in Coors Field history.
4. Carmelo Anthony, Forward, Denver Nuggets - Admittedly, I know or care nothing about basketball, but Carmelo did finish second in the NBA in scoring last season. There’s a valid argument of placing Anthony third on this list, but his cowardly punch and run tactic in Madison Square Garden last season along with his abysmal 4-16 playoff record keeps Carmelo out of the top three. Hopefully for local basketball fans Carmelo will someday lead the Nuggets to the NBA Finals like fellow 2003 draftees DeWayne Wade and LeBron James.
5. Javon Walker, Wide Receiver, Denver Broncos - The Broncos stole Walker from Green Bay for a second round pick. He scored 9 total touchdowns and had over 1,200 total yards despite being only a year removed from ACL surgery and having a washed up Jake Plummer throwing him the ball for 11 games. We all saw what’s in store for Walker with his 54-yard touchdown grab against Arizona from some rookie quarterback (more on him later). Javon’s numbers should increase with a completely healthy knee and a second year in the Denver system.
6. Paul Stastny, Center, Colorado Avalanche - After leading the University of Denver to the 2005 NCAA Championship and having another great season for the Pioneers in 2006, Stastny joined the Avalanche last season and had one of the best rookie seasons in franchise history. His 20-game scoring streak in March is an NHL record for a rookie and helped him finish second in the Calder Trophy voting (Rookie of the Year). Like former Avalanche center Chris Drury, Stastny is a clutch performer. He also has great bloodlines -- his father is in the Hockey Hall of Fame and his uncles had distinguished careers in the NHL. Paul Stastny is going to be a force for the Avalanche for years to come.
7. Todd Helton, First Base, Colorado Rockies - He’s extremely overpaid and has lost his home run power, but Helton still gets on base more than anyone in baseball other than that roider in San Francisco. His defense is also very good at first base. Will he ever make the playoffs, with the Rockies or another club? Will Helton ever shave his goatee? Can the Rockies beat any team other than the two from New York?
8. Milan Hejduk, Right Wing, Colorado Avalanche - One of the few remaining pro athletes playing in this city who has won a championship, The Duke finished 2007 on fire. Hejduk has finally recovered from a knee injury that limited his success two seasons ago. When he’s healthy and has a center that feeds him the puck there’s not a better pure goal scorer in the NHL than Milan Hejduk. He found his playmaking center in Paul Stastny and the two should wreak havoc on goaltenders next season.
9. Marcus Camby, Center, Denver Nuggets - He won the 2006-’07 NBA Defensive Player of the Year while leading the league in blocks and finishing 5th in rebounding. The worst you can say about Camby is he’s injury prone and has never played more than 72 games in a season. There’s always the question of whether the Nuggets will trade Camby.
10. Jay Cutler, Quarterback, Denver Broncos - He’ll most likely be number 1 on any Denver best pro athlete list before long. Denver is Cutler’s city to own and he already has a Super Bowl-type roster and coaching staff around him. Jay is the only rookie quarterback to throw at least two touchdowns in his first 4 starts in NFL history. His 54-yard touchdown pass to Javon Walker in Arizona was a thing of beauty. Cutler seems to be able to make any throw asked of a top tier NFL quarterback. I’m sure we all can’t wait to see what he can do in his first full season as starter and hopefully it turns out like Ben Roethlisberger’s second season.
Honorable Mentions
Jeff Francis, Pitcher, Colorado Rockies - If the Rockies had one pitcher playing the the 2007 All-Star game it should be Francis, not Brian Fuentes.
Allen Iverson, Guard, Denver Nuggets - The hype didn’t turn into a playoff series win, but there’s no denying that Iverson is a great player. Locals will never forget the huge blizzards that hit the area at the time Iverson was traded to Denver
Troy Tulowitzki, Shortstop, Colorado Rockies - Like Cutler, Tulo will be a star in Denver for years to come. His throws to first base are reason enough to go to Coors Field and catch a game. His bat is coming around nicely, too. It’s about time the Rockies had a shortstop with this much talent. Now if they could only get a premier center field prospect, too.
Peter Budaj, Goalie, Colorado Avalanche - It was the young Slovak, not the overpaid, overrated French Canadian (Jose Theodore) that backstopped the Avalanche on their incredible late-season run. With a much improved defensive corps in front of him for the upcoming season, Budaj has a chance to move way up on this list if he proves to be a true #1 NHL puck stopper like he showed after winning the starting job.
Brad Hawpe, Right Field, Colorado Rockies - Hawpe is having a very good season for the Rockies and could have been an All-Star had Barry Bonds not been voted into the starting lineup. Like Troy Tulowitzki, Hawpe has an absolute cannon of an arm.
Just think, next year’s list should be even better, with the Broncos adding Travis Henry, Daniel Graham, and Dre Bly while seeing more playing time for Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler, and Domenik Hixon!!, a new role for D.J. Williams that better suits his talent, and a ton of rookie defensive lineman that may break out. The Avalanche added two premier players in Ryan Smyth and Scott Hannan, while Wojtek Wolksi or Jordan Leopold could have breakout seasons. Even the Rockies could add an impact player at the trade deadline (yeah right!).