Rocky Mountain rave

Once invisible, Colorado is now the center of the sports world. \nTwelve years ago, a baseball and hockey team were non-existent, while the brightly-colored rainbow basketball jerseys were the only thing notable about the Nuggets. \nBut my, have times changed.\nA two-time Super Bowl Champion, a two-time Stanley Cup Champion, a half-decent baseball team, not to mention the biggest rape trial since Mike Tyson's, the biggest recruiting scandal and oh yeah, the biggest surprise in the NBA are all happening in Colorado. \nIn spite of being a place where the total snow fall is usually the day's biggest news, the square state has been the bull's-eye in the circle of sports. \nUnfortunately, so much of the news in Colorado will be decided in court rooms and other off-field-venues that Court TV will have as much air-time as ESPN. \nKobe Bryant has turned a once quiet and reserved Eagle County into the largest circus in the country, while numerous sexual assault allegations have a prestigious Colorado football program on the brink of disaster. \nBut not all news has been bad. As of Wednesday night, the Avalanche own the second best record in the Western Conference, and the Nuggets are in serious playoff contention and have been all year. \nEvery win for the Rich N' Creamies sets a new franchise record -- not to mention it makes people forget about the days of Robert Pack, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Johnny Newman. \nEven though the Nuggets own the eighth and final playoff spot in the West, with the exception of Indiana, Detroit and New Jersey, I would not hesitate to take Denver over the rest of the Eastern Conference. \nAnd if acquitted outside of Denver, Kobe could wind up in Denver making the Nuggets a more serious contender. \nPlease, LeBron might steal the hype, but Carmelo Anthony runs the show. He wins a national championship in one year at college and then leads the usual laughingstock of the NBA to its finest season to date. \nKobe's rape trial and the Buffaloes' mess would tear up any other city that size, but thanks to the Avalanche and Nuggets, Denver is taking care of business not just in the court but on the court. \nAnd how 'bout the Rockies?\nWell, it's a nice ballpark. \nBut the thin air at Coors Field makes Rockies' games look more like 12-inch softball contests where double-digit scores are as common as peaks and cliffs. \nThe thin air and whoever-bats-last-will-win type of games won't produce a champion anytime soon, but, well, MVP Baseball home run derbies on the PlayStation 2 will always be fun at Coors. \nRegardless, the Avalanche continue to win, the Nuggets are beginning to win, the Broncos usually win, the Rockies are fun to watch and while Buffalo football is digging a grave, the hoops squad seems poised for an NCAA tournament appearance. \nSo while the Kobe trial and the Colorado football scandal will be decided by guilty or not, sports on the field in Colorado have already reached a verdict:\nWinners.