Denver, CO

Keeler: Rockies even had Denver youth league coaches shaking their heads Saturday

Published

10 months ago

May 25, 2025

Keeler: Rockies even had Denver youth league coaches shaking their heads Saturday

It was a youth league play. Only the youth leaguer sitting next to me would never have done it.

“That’s illegal,” Easton English said. The 8-year-old from Parker then rose higher in his seat in Section 126 at Coors Field. “That is Illegal!”

Sure is. When you’re on the express train to 100-plus losses, you’re going to come up with creative ways to lose over 162 games. The Rockies managed to find a new one on Saturday against the big, bad Yankees.

The Local Nine gave up a 10-spot in the top of the fifth that featured three walks, seven hits, 14 batters and a viral moment from second baseman Adael Amador.

As Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt looped a single over the infield and into short right, the sublime gave way to ridiculous. At game speed, Amador appeared to lose his glove in midair as the ball went whizzing over his head. Only on replay, it didn’t look as much “lose his glove” as “fling his glove at the ball during mid-flight.”

“I haven’t talked to him about that,” Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer said after Colorado was smushed, 13-1, dropping to 9-43 in a season that’s still got 110 games left. “I’m not quite sure what that was. We’ll get to the bottom of it.”

Actually, young Easton already did. MLB rule 5.06 (4) (C) awards the batter and runner three bases if the fielder is adjudged to have deliberately thrown his glove at a live batted ball and said glove touches that ball. There’s no penalty if the ball is not touched or the removal is perceived to have been accidental. Amador told The Post’s Corey Masisak, through an interpreter, that the glove accidentally slipped. The umpiring crew agreed.

Amador stayed in the game. Goldschmidt’s single made it 9-1 Yankees. The Bronx Bombers plated two more after that to put the game away, so the airborne glove became a moot point.

But back in Section 126, where Easton was watching the game with his family, it became another Rockies learning experience. Another perfect example of what not to do.

Easton, you see, is a center fielder with the Parker Knights 8-and-under baseball team. His father, Kevin English, is one of the Knights’ assistant coaches.

“You ever see a flying glove in Parker?” I asked Kevin.

“Never seen it,” he replied.

“You ever teach a flying glove in Parker?” I asked.

“Never would teach that,” he countered. “Don’t think it would ever come up beyond t-ball.”

English brought the crew to 20th & Bleak because it was a rare Saturday matinee and because Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was in town. He expected some jaw-dropping moments. He didn’t count on a teaching one.

“I mean, that was like 8U ball, that one,” Kevin said. “That many runs (in an inning)? That’s what youth baseball is all about.”

Come for the party deck, stay for the life lessons. The Rockies are 2-10 since firing manager Bud Black, and Colorado finishes May with the Cubs and Mets on the road.

“Everybody knows it’s not Bud’s fault,” Kevin said. “That’s a good baseball guy right there.”

Kevin knows good baseball guys. In the English family, the pastime is more than a legacy deal — it runs in the blood. Kevin’s dad, Randy, was a pitcher at Oklahoma State in the late ’70s. As a Poke, his position coach was Tom Holliday — father of Rockies legend Matt Holliday and grandpa of next-gen baseball standouts Jackson and Ethan.

“Every now and then, (my dad messages me), ‘Hey, the Rockies, they just (stink), don’t they?’” Kevin chuckled. “I’m like, ‘Yeah.’”

Yet English wants to watch the games with his son, the way his dad watched games with him. Even if it means forking over $89.99 to the team directly for streaming access, or $19.99 per month.

“I like bringing my son out because I’m trying to teach him young,” Kevin continued. “It’s a game of failure, right? … You’re going to fail more than you succeed. ‘Watch them do the little things. Watch them hustle. Watch them just do little things over and over before the play.’”

Watch them chuck a glove at a single while it’s in the air!

“It’s kind of funny, because my son never really showed a ton of interest in baseball (before this year),” said Kevin, who, yes, named his Easton after the iconic baseball equipment company.

“I never made him play. I’m not going to be like that. But this year, kind of his first year at it, we’re going pretty good.”

In fact, Dad says, their Knights had more wins (12) than the Rockies (nine) as of Saturday night. Must be the coaching.

“Are you rooting for the Rockies or Yankees?” I asked Easton.

“Yankees.”

“How come?”

“Aaron Judge.”

“What advice would you give Rockies players right now?”

“They should pretend it’s a scrimmage and have fun. Don’t worry if people are on base. Just do what you do.”

Please don’t.

“You know, (Easton) asked me, ‘Are the Rockies any good?’ It’s like, ‘They’re not that good, no. But, you know, they have been good. They have been to a World Series. Rocktober, that was fun.’

“But you just tell them, like, ‘Hey, you’re going to be on teams that aren’t always the best, right? They’re not always good, but your attitude and effort is what you can control when you go out there and you play hard, right?’ So, yeah. You know, (the Rockies) are not going to be bad forever.”

He chuckled again.

“At least, you hope not.”

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Originally Published: May 24, 2025 at 7:44 PM MDT

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Denver, CO

Purple Row After Dark: Is Denver the best sports town in the US?

Published

10 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Purple Row After Dark: Is Denver the best sports town in the US?

In case you missed it, the Denver Summit — the Mile High City’s new NWSL team — made quite a debut today:

The game ended on a 0-0 draw, but what a great day for Denver sports.

And that raises an interesting question: Is Denver the best sports town in the United States?

The sooner the Mile High City gets a WNBA team, the better.

Me, I think you can’t beat Denver for sports. But I’m willing to entertain other perspectives. Let us know in the comments!

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Denver, CO

Every Opening and Closing This Week: Six Spots Debuted

Published

22 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Every Opening and Closing This Week: Six Spots Debuted

Paperboy has opened its first location outside of Texas.

Paperboy

Denver is a city that loves to brunch and now, one of Austin’s top daytime spots has opened a location in the West Highland neighborhood. Paperboy’s third outpost is its first outside of its home state of Texas. The concept, which founder Rynan Harms started in a food trailer, has taken over the former home of Rooted Craft American Kitchen (and FNG before that).

“We love this neighborhood because it’s still close to downtown but has its own unique and relaxed vibe,” says Robert Brown, Harms’ longtime business partner, who has lived in Denver for nearly a decade. “People know their neighbors, they show up to community events, they’re invested in this place in a way that feels increasingly rare. That sense of connection is something Paperboy has always tried to foster, and we’re honored to be a part of it here in Denver.”

The menu includes staples such as the chicken and biscuit drizzled with spicy honey; Texas Hash with roasted pork, sweet potato, onion, kale, poached egg and pecan mole; and the Paperboy Pancake, described as “a cake-forward cornmeal pancake that still manages to be impossibly fluffy.”

martini on a table in front of a bar — FiNO’s martini is made with pickled tomato water.

Also now open is FiNO, the restaurant inside the revamped All Inn Hotel on East Colfax. We enjoyed our first meal there; if you’re planning to visit, don’t miss the signature martini, the Medi Nachos and the caper-studded charred cabbage.

On East Sixth Avenue, the powerhouse duo behind the city’s best new barbecue restaurant, Riot BBQ, has debuted Chicken Riot in the former Truffle Cheese Shop space. Meanwhile, the former Whiskey Biscuit in Englewood is now the Barn, a neighborhood eatery from a pair of longtime hospitality pros, including former Brider chef Chase Devitt.

Taqueria Los Gallitos has expanded once again, adding an eighth location in the former Taco John’s near the shuttered Denver Merchandise Mart.

And just in time for the Rockies home opener on Friday, April 3, McGregor Square has opened its revamped food hall. The former Milepost Zero moniker is out. Now, the space is dubbed McGregor Square Food & Drink and includes six food stalls from local eateries: Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta, C Burger, G-Que BBQ, High Point Creamery, TaCo! and Tora Ramen.

There’s just one closure to report this week: Ballyhoo Table & Stage, which actually shuttered last month after an eviction notice was posted.

In other openings and closings news:

chicken club sandwich — A chicken club is one of the sandwiches on off at the Barn.

Here’s the complete list of restaurants and bars that opened and closed this week*:

Openings

The Barn South Broadway, 3299 South Broadway, Englewood
Chicken Riot, 2906 East Sixth Avenue
FiNO, 3015 East Colfax Avenue
McGregor Square Food & Drink, 1601 19th Street
Paperboy, 3940 West 32nd Avenue
Taqueria Los Gallitos, 5810 Logan Street

Closures

Ballyhoo Table & Stage, 3300 Tejon Street

*Or earlier and not previously reported.

Know of something we missed? Email cafe@westword.com.

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Denver, CO

Preview: Spirit Prepares for First Match Against Denver Summit FC, Another Record Crowd

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Preview: Spirit Prepares for First Match Against Denver Summit FC, Another Record Crowd

Denver, Colo. (03/27/2026) – In front of another expected record-breaking crowd, the Washington Spirit is set to take on Denver Summit FC in the side’s inaugural home match at Empower Field at Mile High. With over 60,000 tickets already distributed, the match is poised to break the NWSL attendance record of 40,091 set last summer when the Spirit visited Bay FC at San Francisco’s Oracle Park. Kicking off at 2 p.m. EDT, the match will broadcast nationally on CBS.

The Spirit

Washington comes into this weekend’s fixture off a difficult 1-1 home draw with Utah Royals FC earlier this week. After scoring in the 18th minute, the Spirit nearly earned its first victory of 2026 but conceded an equalizer late and had to settle for a single point on the table. Washington’s goal was scored by midfielder Rebeca Bernal, the Mexican star’s first since transferring to the NWSL last year.

Saturday afternoon’s match will mark the first-ever meeting between the Spirit, one of the NWSL’s original clubs, and 2026 expansion side Denver Summit FC. Denver will be the 17th different opponent for Washington across its regular season history: the Spirit has played against 13 active clubs (all except expansion sides Denver and Boston) as well as defunct clubs the Boston Breakers, FC Kansas City and the Western New York Flash.

The Spirit has had success against expansion sides as of late, tallying 11 wins in 15 matches against NWSL clubs in their first season of competition since the start of the 2021 campaign. In 2024, the Spirit went a perfect 5-0-0 against Bay FC and Utah Royals FC, outscoring the teams 10-3 with a playoff win to boot. In 2022, Washington earned a 1-3-0 record against Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC and, in 2021, the eventual NWSL champions went an impressive 5-1-0 against Kansas City and Racing Louisville FC.

This weekend’s matchup at Empower Field at Mile High, home of the NFL’s Denver Broncos, is set to shatter the NWSL’s single match attendance record with over 60,000 tickets already distributed. The Spirit has also been the visiting team for two of the league’s previous three record-setting attendances: 34,130 fans at Seattle’s Lumen Field when the Spirit took on the Reign and 40,091 in the stands at San Francisco’s historic Oracle Park to watch Washington play Bay FC.

Washington is in good standing in several attacking categories through three matches despite two draws and a loss. The Spirit remains first in the league in rate of possession at nearly 62% and top three in both shots and shots on target with 49 and 17, respectively. With just three goals through three matches, look for the Spirit attack to continue getting attempts on frame this weekend.

Following Saturday’s match, the Spirit will hit the road again next weekend for an away match against Bay FC in San Jose on Sunday, April 5. Washington’s next home match will be on Friday, April 24 at 8 p.m. EDT when the side hosts the defending Shield winner Kansas City Current at Audi Field. Information on tickets can be found HERE.

The Opponent

Denver Summit FC opened its inaugural season with three straight away matches, collecting a win, a loss and a draw to carry four points into its home opener this weekend. Summit FC dropped its first match to Bay FC 1-2 before drawing Orlando 1-1 and beating Gotham 2-0.

Summit FC is led in scoring by star German forward Melissa Kössler who has three goals in three matches, scoring once in each contest. With a goal tomorrow, the forward would join Alex Morgan as just the second player in league history to score in each of her first four matches with a club. Look for the Spirit defending third to place an emphasis on limiting chances to Kössler on Saturday afternoon.

Denver has only allowed one goal across its last 240 minutes of action after giving up two in the first 30 minutes of the side’s opener. The strong recent form of Summit FC’s defending third against the Spirit attacking third’s ability to generate chance after chance will be a point to watch this weekend.

Three former Spirit players are currently on the Summit FC roster as midfielders Meg Boade and Jordan Baggett and defender Camryn Biegalski signed with the side ahead of this season. Baggett spent four years with the Spirit after being drafted by the side in 2019 while Biegalski signed with Washington in 2021 and played three seasons, both winning the 2021 NWSL Championship with the team. Boade spent the first half of the 2025 season in DC as a short-term injury replacement, even scoring a goal for the Spirit.

Following tomorrow’s match, Denver will travel to Seattle to face Reign FC on Saturday, April 4.

All-Time Series History

This weekend’s match will be the first-ever meeting between the Spirit and Denver Summit FC.

About The Washington Spirit

The Washington Spirit is the premier professional women’s soccer team based in Washington, D.C. and plays at Audi Field in Buzzard Point. The Spirit was founded on November 21, 2012 and is an inaugural member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) the fastest growing sports league in the US. The club is home to some of the best players in the world who have won championships for both club and country. For more information about the Spirit, visit WashingtonSpirit.com and follow the club on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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