Yes, 1994. The year they beat the top-seeded Seattle Supersonics in the first round of the playoffs. Don't get me wrong: we've had good teams. Hell, they've been in the playoffs for the past seven years. Imagine being a basketball fan in Minnesota, Memphis, Washington, or Toronto. Things have been bleak for many other clubs for many, many years. But, does the likelihood of a playoff appearance imbue a team with relevance? Not really. The only thing that should matter, in a market like Denver, is whether they can contend for a championship.
And sadly, since Mr. Anthony was drafted, this team has never had a chance. They've had one glaring weakness that no championship-caliber team can do without: Dominance in the paint. (No, the playoff run of 2009 doesn't amount to much, either. They finished without a title.)
Hard workers, brilliant scorers, and great leaders have all helped to bring some luster back to the franchise and fill seats in the Pepsi Center. However, they've only been pieces to a puzzle that won't be complete any time soon. I'm not doubting the ability, character, or intelligence (well...there's one guy on the roster who still doesn't get it), of any of our current or recently-removed Nuggets. I'm just stating the obvious. The current iteration of Nuggets are relevant only for news sidebars and personal interest stories. The last big man to make a difference in the paint for the Nuggets was born in Kinshasa in 1966.
Until we have another beast like him in the middle, consider me unimpressed.
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The next one has been much tougher to answer. Should the St. Louis Cardinals pay The Machine the money he's asking?
Cons
-It's $300 million dollars. Honestly, I have no idea what that much money would even look like.
-He (reportedly) wants a 10-year contract. That would put him at 42 when the contract expires. For a baseball player, that's "getting the early-bird dinner at 3:00pm" old.
-It (along with one other severely bloated contract) could ruin the Cardinals payroll structure and prohibit them from doing virtually anything to build for Pujols' future seasons.
-It is fiscally irresponsible.
Pros
-From a numbers standpoint, he's established himself as the best offensive player in the game for the past ten seasons.
-Barring injury, he will continue to produce.
-He is a draw for attendance.
-The big What If: What if he can stay healthy and be a dangerous hitter into his late thirties and early forties? Wouldn't that be worth it?
I'm sure I've left out some more elegant elements of the entire saga, but I think I've finally come to an opinion. They have to let him go. As good as he is, I'll stand by the time-honored baseball cliche: Pitching wins championships. With Pujols and Holliday being paid what they would be, there would be little left to form a long-term, stellar pitching staff.
In short, Matt Holliday's contract hosed this entire thing up.
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I'm quite happy with the progress I'm making on my current story about two men who hate one another but are forced to travel to the same place to tend to something important. Yes, there's a supernatural element to it, and I imagine it will be done and sent out within the month.
Then, I have one more short story to wrap up before I get to work on the book.
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I wonder if this would be updated on a more regular basis if I thought of it like a newspaper column. Dedicate myself to writing something once a week. The problem is, I usually don't have much to say. And those columnists all get paid for thinking of things to say, so there's that.
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