You pick 'em

Fantasy football leagues are getting ready for drafts coming up here, and this may be the first year I get involved. I'm a lower- lower- lower- level beginner, so my friend Jamie offered me a few pointers for me and for other people who are clueless but don't want to lose their money w/o a fight:

_Make sure you have a list of players you like written out beforehand. Cuz you're gonna be drunk before the draft actually begins. Since most draft days are an EVENT, with beers, possibly golf, and unmentionables, chances are you ain't gonna remember who you wanted on your team, Jamie says. So bring the list.

_Buy one of those fantasy football magazines, which list all the players so you can mark them off and not be the one to call out names of players that have already been drafted when it's your turn.

_Some guys are going to bring their laptops to the draft. Some may have bought software from the football guys where you can type in the name of each player as they're picked in the draft, and the software will spit back out the next player YOU should pick. Jamie says I may need Excel.

_Running backs first, then Peyton Manning.

Anyone want to share more?

Highest, longest, scariest: The Royal Gorge

I took a quick road trip to the Royal Gorge recently in Canon City, about 2.5 hours south of Denver. The gorge has the world's highest suspension bridge, in a park with the steepest incline railway (it takes you from the top of the gorge to the bottom at a 45-degree angle) and the longest single-span aerial tram that takes you over the gorge. Admission to the park is somewhat pricey at $21 per adult, so make sure you take the tram and incline railway (get your money's worth). For extra, you can also ride a big swing that swings you out OVER the gorge. Yikes. There's also a small wildlife zoo.

Once you're in, you can walk across the bridge, which is 1,503 feet over the Arkansas River. It's quite breezy across the gorge. My buddy said that if I wanted to walk across the bridge, he would go with me. "I'll make sure we get across." That made me wonder. "It's got wood planks, and you can see in between 'em," he said. Hmm, freaky. It's quite a view looking down though.

But the best deal that we found: Book the private lodge looking out over the gorge. A while ago my buddy shot pictures for a wedding for folks who rented out the lodge. He says it sleeps eight. When we asked the park people how much it cost to book it, she said $200! Not bad. I'm not sure if the price goes up if you have more people stay. I think the park person assumed we only needed it for two people. My buddy and I didn't stay though because we had work to do, which involved looking for a woman who lives way way out in what I think is unincorporated Fremont County, in beautiful but remote mountains. If you want to disappear, the place to do it would be where this lady lives. But that's a-whole-nother story.

HEAT HEAT GO AWAY
Looks like the cooler weather is finally moving in. Yippeee!!!! No more hiding out in the library, mall, movie theater and swimming pool or getting to the office four hours early just to escape the heat! (Just kidding on that office one)

notes

THURSDAY, 7/27
The Colorado Symphony gives a free concert Thursday night at Cheesman Park in Capitol Hill. 7:30 p.m.
Also free music at the Denver Pavilions
And a free outdoor movie at Films on Fillmore in Cherry Creek. This week is "Madagascar" at sunset, or 8:15 ish.

The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is this weekend, by the way, at Sloan's Lake

I know it's early but Zero 7 is playing in Denver, Sept. 6. At the Gothic. (They come here after playing at Bumbershoot in Seattle)

Head-butting jockey, in case you didn't get enough head butting from the World Cup.

At the movies

"The Heart of the Game" is finally in Denver, at the Mayan on Broadway and 1st.

Sudoku backlash!

_Chicago Trib columnist Eric Zorn turns on Sudoku! read it
_This person hates it too!
_In fact, check out MySpace. Sudoku has no friends (Tom has to be friends with EVERYone!)
_Do you hate it too? Do you hate it at room temperature or on a beach?

h-o-t

It's hitting triple digits in Denver. I hope you have a friend with a pool. While they're beating the heat in Grand Junction, Colo. at the ice rink, I say just escape. Get out! Get OUT! I'm in Seattle, where I visited Madison Park Beach, Alki Beach and went canoeing, and the temperature has barely cracked 80.

If you're still in Denver, here's your forecast.

Lessons from the World Cup! (Turn up the sound too :) )

Urban Assault Race

How fun is this? Check out the Urban Assault Race. You've got two chances to get your act together and build a two-person team, with the Urban Assault Race hitting Denver on July 30 and Boulder on Aug. 27. It's like a bike race/obstacle course/scavenger hunt/adventure race. About 25 miles. There's a shorter family race too. It's a little pricey but you could also win bikes.

Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth is playing at Little Radio TONIGHT in LA. The guest list is full and you ain't gettin' in, but you can still hear the whole show at www.littleradio.com. The whole shebang, with openers and everything, runs 8p-12a Pacific time.

Summer reading list

July and August are time for beaches, mojitos on verandas, and road trips or holidays on planes. And every occasion could use a good book. This summer I've finished "The Crazed," and I'm in the middle of "Waiting." Then there's about five others that friends have loaned me after talks at the pool, at work or visits to their homes. Here's the summer list:

The Crazed, by Ha Jin. The payoff came at the end, and it took a while to get there.
Waiting, by Ha Jin. An award winner. It's good so far. I just got to Part Two.
Bel Canto, Ann Patchett. My friend has already warned me I won't like the ending. Her brother's wife got it for her as a gift. As for the book's plot, there's a Japanese executive, an opera singer and South Americans involved.
The Devil Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger. I've heard neither the book nor the movie are worth much time, but it's summer, so trash fits. My friend loaned it to me to read before I watch the movie
Rock of Ages, Stephen Gould. Loaned by a coworker after I told her I was writing about Biblically Correct Tours, which gives Bible-based tours at science and history museums, zoos and other Colorado attractions
Mona in the Promised Land, Gish Jen (I've already read this one a while ago but brought it down to the pool again)

I saw "Crossworld" at the bookstore the other afternoon, and it just made me think of the book "Word Freak" about Scrabble players and how the guy who wrote "Crossworld" was kind of piggybacking. It also made me think how I wanted to see the movie "Wordplay." I really don't have any desire to read "Crossworld."

Free

GoodTimes is opening another location on the 16th Street Mall, between Curtis and Champa. If you're one of the first 50 outside tomorrow (7/7), you get FREE Mighty Deluxe every week for a year.

By the way, the last few times I've walked down Champa between 18th and 16th, I've seen a couple parking meters bagged by Qwest. If you park at one of these meters with the white bags over them, you can park there free for two hours, courtesy of Qwest.

Rock and roller derby

I guess I should talk about Denver. The Rocky Mountain Rollergirls and Pikes Peak Derby Dames hold the Front Range Showdown on Saturday night at the Bladium. The after-party is at the Streets of London on Colfax.

Then the very next week, the Denver Roller Dolls bout on Friday, July 14, at the Denver Coliseum. (That also happens to be the night of the free show at the Larimer Lounge, with Thank God For Astronauts and Cat-a-Tac).

Another free show @ the LL on Friday, July 21. Starring Lord Zorplin (spot the members of former Denver bands).

Bus for a buck (or 20, but who's counting)

You've heard of the cheap Chinatown buses from Boston to New York. What would you say to a cheapie bus from Detroit to Chicago. Check out megabus.com, featured today in the Wall Street Journal. Prices are as cheap as $1.50 for certain cities in the Midwest. I checked a random trip from DET to CHI, and it said it was $20.

Bumbershoot

Have you seen the lineup for Bumbershoot???? It's a-ma-zing! Kanye West, Rogue Wave, Feist, Tribe Called Quest, Atmosphere, Lady Sovereign, Nouvelle Vague, Mates of State...just to list a very few. And the ticket prices are a steal for all that music. It's in Seattle over Labor Day weekend. Don't live in Seattle? Don't despair. KEXP has a contest giving away FREE airfare and hotel, plus tickets to Bumbershoot.

Temper, temper: Mikulik

(I'm posting this because I was talking with a friend about it and she hadn't heard about it.)

Rockies minor league affiliate manager Joe Mikulik of Asheville had a tantrum after what he thought was a bad call at second base. The tirade included screaming at the ump, diving belly-first on second base, picking the base up and throwing it, heading to the dugout and throwing bats on the field, and kicking dirt on home plate.

Watch the video

And from a different angle! The whole miserable thing

Miss your cigs? Head to the LL

Hobbs NM is MC'ing the BBQ on the patio at the Larimer Lounge today (7/1), so he'll probably sing a bit in between sets. Music starts around 2 p.m. $5. The indoor smoking ban in Colorado kicks off today (you can still smoke on many outdoor patios), so this may be the first of many odd times when folks at the Larimer Lounge head indoors for some fresh air.

I have to plug this: Thank God for Astronauts and Cat-a-Tac, together for a FREE (for 21+ year olds) show at the Larimer Lounge on July 14!!! The Hot House is also playing.

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The Chicago Tribune has an exhaustive list of stories today on the death of Northwestern football coach Randy Walker. Here, the school posts memorial service information and a way to send messages to the Walker family.