The Denver sports scene makes a dazzling first impression
May 1, 2019, 6:00 AM
Hello, Denver. My name is Parker Hillis. If it’s your first time hearing that name, you’re probably thinking one of the following right now:
1) Who is this new guy?
2) What should I expect from him?
3) Wait, why am I reading this again?
Okay, hopefully not that last one, but Nos. 1 and 2 are definitely fair. So, if I may, let me provide some answers.
I’m the new Executive Producer at 104.3 The FAN and ESPN Denver 1600, as well as a weekly contributor right here on denversports.com. Easy enough.
My entire life (aside from a couple years in college) has been spent in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. That means I was born and raised a fan of the Texas Rangers, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars, and *ducks* Dallas Cowboys. That’s just who I am. Hopefully, you can learn to accept it with time and a little humor.
Here’s something I know you can get on board with: It hasn’t taken long for my wife, Jena, and me to fall in love with the city of Denver.
We spent an afternoon enjoying 16th Street Mall. After a couple Rockies games at Coors Field, I’m convinced there’s no better ballpark experience in baseball. We’ve cheered on the Avs and Nuggets at a local bar… well, I cheered them on while she enjoyed a drink and browsed online for our new sofa. She’ll come around eventually. Bottom line, there’s plenty of exploring left for us to do, but in just a little more than a week, the people and places here have truly made this feel like home.
I think that just about covers question one, so let’s move on.
What should you expect from me? Well, a little bit of everything honestly, but most importantly, an outsider’s perspective. Pull out your Webster’s dictionary if you have one handy and find the word fan. Somewhere on down the page past “an instrument for producing a current of air” you should find my picture next to the proper definition: “An enthusiastic devotee (as of a sport or a performing art) usually as a spectator.” Name a sport, I’m a fan.
Football? Duh.
Basketball? My first love.
Baseball? Yup.
Golf? If it wasn’t so dang expensive, I’d play a round every day.
Jai alai? Sure, why not?
With an unbiased perspective on Denver sports, I’m not going to sugarcoat things, but I can assure you I’ll be watching and reacting accordingly. My opinions will be fair, but I will be honest based on what I see. All I ask in return is that you don’t show up to our studio offices with torches and pitchforks if you don’t agree with me. Just send me a tweet or an email; it’s easier for all of us that way.
My first impressions? I couldn’t have gotten here at a better time.
The Nuggets and Avs both advanced to the second round of their respective playoffs in the same season for the first time in Denver history. That’s awesome. Both franchises are having success now with a young core providing hope for the next half decade. Trust me when I say that is a difficult mix to find. We thought we had that combination in Dallas a few different times. We were wrong.
The Rockies have the pieces to compete in the National League West. Don’t let their currently sub-.500 record fool you. It won’t be easy, but with Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story, Charlie Blackmon, German Marquez, Jon Gray and Kyle Freeland as the foundation, we should be excited. With two straight years in the playoffs already on the ledger, this group is learning how to win. That’s not easy, but long term, it’ll pay off.
The Broncos may be in the worst situation of all the big-four teams in this town, but all things considered, it could be worse. Six wins last year wasn’t good enough. But let’s not forget that Case Keenum was the quarterback. He’s not anymore. I think that alone should be enough to provide a glimmer of hope. Maybe I’m being optimistic, but adding Joe Flacco, Dalton Risner, Drew Lock and Noah Fant into the mix (among others) fills some glaring holes. At the very least, we’re heading in the right direction. I can’t wait to see how this all shakes out in a few months.
Four teams, four positive outlooks. It’s hard to ask for much more than that. We can’t possibly know how the next 12 months will play out, but as an unbiased sports fan, I couldn’t be more excited to dive into the Denver sports scene right now.
The tradition of success comes with the territory here. Two teams are fighting for a championship opportunity right now, one is on the cusp of breaking through and the other is at least attempting to correct the wrongs of its recent past.
So here’s my first bit of honest, outside perspective: Things are good here in Denver and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of it.
