Saturday Score sees the writing on the wall

Could Rockies bench boss Clint Hurdle be asked to turn in his uniform? While it might not be a surprise move to outsiders it would be to fans who know that Hurdle and GM Dan O'Dowd both are respected and extended by team ownership. Colorado will do all it can to avoid making a change this season but a 85-90 loss season could mean rolling heads. A typical mid-summer slump could result in an in-season exile of Hurdle. O'Dowd isn't going anywhere yet.

Yeah, it's early, and it is, as advertised, ridiculous but sorry, no Buffs, Rams or Falcons on the radar come bowl season 2007-08. Not a surprise, really. Of course, while the odds are stacked in the article's favor, it says here the Rams could surprise with a healthy, driven Kyle Bell and an improved Caleb Hanie. The Buffs, breaking in a new and maybe inexperienced quarterback are a long shot while the Falcons, according to what coach Troy Calhoun told me, have a lot of work to do.

The early returns on new CSU basketball coach Tim Miles look awfully promising this way. The latest -- signing a 6-foot-10 center who was once good enough to be signed by Purdue. The guy's numbers elicit a yawn but Miles has high hopes for him. Just wondering if the man's name will fit on a jersey? Rams hoops might be headed in the right direction, out of first gear, where they have long resided.

One thing is for certain -- Miles and new CU basketball boss, Jeff Bzdelik are not all about fitting in. They don't mind walking in the front door, shaking things up and taking over a room, or a party. And truth be told, that's exactly what their respective programs most need.

Not quite going out on a limb when I say that Broncos wide receiver David Kirkus is done in Denver. The hammerin' hamburger head sealed his fate when he punched out some guy escorting the rowdy Kirkus out of a party. Guys like Kirkus, fringe players, have little margin for error. He worked so hard to be called a pro and now his dream will go poof.

Teammate Brandon Marshall (what's up with the receivers for the Broncos) will remain employed and while he is selling his false imprisonment domestic dispute charge as minor, his future behavior will determine whether that was an isolated incident. Hey, we're all human, we make mistakes. What matters is that we don't go overboard with our actions. He failed there, no matter how the other party may have been at fault. Marshall has paid a price. The question is can he stay away from potential bad situations and keep his name clean from now on?

Color me cynical but I don't see the NFL's new hard line on players' bad behavior really being a deterrent, do you?

Sweeping the Nation

Kansas scored a major recruit when star guard Brandon Rush withdrew his name from the NBA draft. Rush would have been a first-round pick but a late one. Not only is this a smart move for his future as he wasn't ready to start no matter how talented he is but it is a huge jolt of vitamin B-12 for the Jayhawks 2007-08 season.

Ken Griffey Jr. is red hot again, hitting career home run no. 574, which of course means he will be going on the disabled list any day soon. If injuries wouldn't have been his curse he would be as much of the part of the discussion about breaking Hank Aaron's record as Barry Bonds and the likely winner when both player's careers were over.

Greg Maddux, victory no. 337 by winning Friday. Amazing the number of future Hall of Fame players currently chopping wood and piling up big numbers.

Love all the criticism of LeBron James, who has simply been a force since he entered the NBA. Michael Jordan had early detractors too. When the final sentence of the final chapter is written, James will have the last laugh. He can even be smug if he wants to. The media knows little on who he is and what he will become. He is a young man learning and basketball is a team game. Get off his back. He is going to be a champion, either of a team or simply because of his body of work. Maybe both.

Hey, NBA followers, remember this name -- he's been on scouts' minds for over a year. The guy is a baller and will become a fine pro. How good is unknown but will tell you he could have been a fine backup to Andre Miller and now Allen Iverson, last season.

Only in NASCAR. And what a great country song it could make. My stripper girlfriend got caught stealing and ruined my racing dreams.

Scoreboard Grumblings

Colorado beating the Giants in San Francisco? Scoring 5 runs late to do so? What kind of Twilight Zone episode was that? Such things just don't happen often out west. Starter Jason Hirsh has proved to be a find by Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd, potentially as good as the departed Jason Jennings. Outfielder Willy Taveras started slow but is now a serviceable talent. Even Taylor Buchholz has contributed. This team still has but a little stick and that remains the mystery of the season. Things are getting so bad with third sacker Garrett Atkins (.221 average) that a decision might have to be made to bench him, ship him to Colorado Springs, get him counseling or start putting the ball on a tee.

Random Ramblings

Is anyone else's email inundated with colon flush spam? Just grateful that I'm also getting Tide sample spam too. You never know when all that colon flush can bust out on you.