Denver, CO
The ‘youth movement’ by the 2024 Broncos is loved by fans
Earlier this week, I dropped a survey about the youth movement this team has experienced heading into Week 1 compared to last year. In 2023, Denver entered Week 1 as the third oldest team in the NFL and today they are the 10th youngest. That is a rapid shift towards youth.
71% of fans are loving the move and 28% are neutral on it. Then we have a Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs fans filling out the last 2%.
The movement to get younger has not gone unnoticed by the local media. In fact, veteran defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers was asked about what it means for a team to be ‘young and hungry’ in the NFL. Myers actually had a really good explanation of how a young team feels different from a more veteran-heavy one.
“I think there’s a different level of physicality [and] there’s a different level of effort playing with guys who are young and hungry,” Myers explained. “What’s kind of understood is that when you first get into the league, we’re all excited. We all just want to run and hit. You see that a lot here. Guys just want to run, they want to hit and they play with extreme effort and physicality. Those are the two things [I said] in my first press conference [that] if you ask anybody about my game, that’s what they’re going to tell you I play with. So I fit right in with these guys, and [I’m] looking forward to the season.”
The seven-year veteran enjoys the kind of atmosphere this young locker room has in Denver this season and he went on to say that the hunger to win is always there with him.
“It’s been a while,” Myers said of winning. “I went to the Super Bowl my rookie year, and I’m in year seven now. The hunger is [there].”
As a rookie, Myers was with the Los Angeles Rams when they lost to the New England Patriots. He ended up with the New York Jets every year since and that franchise has been stuck in a long rut just like the Broncos have.
Hopefully that changes this season for Denver.
However, if you ask most NFL fans the optimism that Denver is heading in the right direction is about 50-50.
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While that might seem like a bad number, its actually the 13th best rank out of all 32 teams. This survey was of all NFL fans, not just Broncos fans. Obviously, we’re about as close to 100% as we can be after two un-bo-lievable preseason games.
What did you think of these results? Share in the comments section below.
Denver, CO
Fire destroys home under construction in northwest Denver
DENVER (KDVR) — An early morning fire on Friday left a home completely ablaze in the Highlands neighborhood, just a week after another house under construction went up in flames in the same area.
The Denver Fire Department shared photos of the incident, as crews were called to 3643 Mariposa, where images show a fully consumed home under construction.
“I think they [firefighters] kicked in the neighbor’s door just to make sure nobody was at home,” neighbors Lucy and Kyle said. “Some of the other houses, their windows got blown out from the heat!”
Just 11 days earlier, on June 8, a home under construction caught fire in the same neighborhood near West 33rd and Navajo. Nobody was hurt in either fire.
And just about two years earlier, in July, another fire in the same area ignited around West 36th and Osage. All of the properties are/were under development by the same group.
“I wasn’t present for any of the fires,” Ryan Yoffe, a member of the developer group, said.
Yoffe does say he thinks he knows how the last two fires had been set, saying it’s the City of Denver that needs to do better with surveillance.
“It’s likely related to the amount of homelessness in the area, looking for properties under construction to live in or burn down,” Yoffe said. “The City and the Police Department need to do a better job patrolling to limit the number of homeless people camping in the neighborhood.”
Denver Fire Department officials say the most recent incidents are under investigation, but that nobody was hurt in either.
Denver, CO
Rockies ride Kyle Freeland’s gem, Braxton Fulford’s double to 4-3 win over Pirates
The night belonged to Kyle Freeland, who joined the 1,000 K Club. The moment belonged to Braxton Fulford. The ninth inning — and a big sigh of relief — belonged to closer Antonio Senzatela.
Fulford hit a two-run, two-out, pinch-hit double in the eighth inning off Mason Montgomery to lead the Rockies to a 4-3 win over the Pirates at Coors Field in front of a Friday night crowd of 33,596.
Fulford drove in Tyler Freeman and Cole Carrigg, who scratched out back-to-back two-out singles off Montgomery.
“I had been warming up in the cage for that at-bat for a couple of innings, so I felt pretty prepared,” Fulford said. “I got an advantage count (3-1) and I knew he was going to come with the heater and I was all over it.”
Fulford caught Montgomery for three seasons at Texas Tech, so he knew the left-hander’s tendencies.
“It’s kind of unfortunate for pitchers that you catch, because you kind of get to see their stuff,” Fulford said. “You kind of understand more of who they are. So I do feel like I had the advantage there.”
In the ninth, the Pirates loaded the bases against Senzatela with no outs on a single by Marcell Ozuna and an error on a groundball by shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. But Senzatela struck out pinch-hitter Tyler Callihan and induced Jared Triolo to ground to Tovar, who started the game-ending double play.
“It was kind of a crazy ending to the game — bases loaded and no outs,” Freeland said. ” ‘Senza’ got a big punchout in that situation, picks up Tovar. Then Tovar gets another opportunity to turn a double play, and he gets it done.”
Before all of the late-game drama, Freeland pitched his best game of the season: 7 1/3 innings, two runs allowed on four hits, no walks, and eight strikeouts. It marked the fourth time in his career that he pitched 7 1/3 or more innings.
“Tonight, I thought he was absolutely exceptional,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “I thought his body language was impressive. He attacked the strike zone — relentlessly. His heater had good ‘vert’ tonight. The breaker was good. It seemed like he was in control all night.”
“Gritty” is the word often used to describe Freeland. Dominant was a more apt description on Friday night. History-making works, too. Freeland’s eight Ks gave him 1,001 for his career, joining right-hander German Marquez (1,069) as the only two pitchers in franchise history to eclipse 1,000. Freeland struck out Marcell Ozuna in the seventh for No. 1,000, and then promptly fanned Brandon Lowe for 1,001.
The hard-core Rockies fans behind the dugout gave Freeland a standing ovation.
“I’m very grateful for the fans always supporting me, and for making it this long in my career to reach some of these milestones, especially with one ballclub,” said Freeland, who struck out eight and walked none for the second time in his career. “I definitely hear those fans when I pop out of the dugout after every inning.”
The 33-year-old Denver native blanked the Pirates for the first seven innings, giving up just two hits. Pittsburgh finally got to Freeland in the eighth, putting up back-to-back doubles by Esmerlyn Valdez and Triolo to cut Colorado’s lead to 2-1. Up to that point, it looked as if Freeland had the juice to throw a complete game, especially since he threw just 81 pitches.
Freeland was pulled in the eighth for right-hander Jaden Hill, who gave up an RBI single up the middle to pinch-hitter Bryan Reynolds, tying the game, 2-2. Then Hill hit leadoff hitter Spencer Horowitz, and Nick Gonzalez scorched a triple off the right-field wall, scoring Horowitz and giving the Pirates a 3-2 lead.
Colorado staked a 1-0 lead in the third against hard-throwing right-hander Bubba Chandler. Willi Castro’s single scored Ezequiel Tovar, who reached on a bunt single.
The Rockies extended their lead to 2-0 in the fourth on rookie first baseman TJ Rumfield’s leadoff homer. He sent Chandler’s first-pitch slider 427 feet into the right-field seats. It was Rumfield’s 11th homer and his 38th RBI.
Pitching probables
Saturday: Pirates RHP Paul Skenes (6-6, 2.85 ERA) at Rockies RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (7-4, 4.54), 7:10 p.m.
Sunday: Pirates RHP Jared Jones (1-1, 6.23) at Rockies RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-8, 7.13), 1:10 p.m.
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM
Want more Rockies news? Sign up for the Rockies Insider to get all our MLB analysis.
Denver, CO
Man arrested on suspicion of murder in Denver shooting near South Park Hill, Hale
Denver police arrested a 35-year-old man on suspicion of first-degree murder in a fatal shooting near East Colfax Avenue and North Dahlia Street.
Joseph York was arrested Thursday after detectives identified him as a suspect through interviews and surveillance video, the Denver Police Department said in a news release Friday.
Detectives believe York was arguing with the victim, 25-year-old Elijah Barr, before the shooting in the early hours of June 7, the Denver Police Department said in a news release Friday. The intersection is between the city’s South Park Hill and Hale neighborhoods.
Barr was found with multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
York is being held without bail in the Downtown Detention Center and is set to appear in Denver County Court on Saturday, jail records show.
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