Jimmy Haslam, son of James Haslam and CEO of Pilot / Flying J corporation, purchased the Cleveland Browns for a reported sum in excess of one BILLION dollars from Randy Lerner.

Haslam takes over a team known more as a laughing stock than as a powerhouse. He has promised the people of Cleveland that the team isn't going anywhere and that it will establish a new winning tradition. Peyton Manning might help him accomplish that.

Haslam and Manning share an Alma Mater, the University of Tennessee. In fact, Haslam's brother, Bill, is the Governor of the State of Tennessee. His father, Jim, also graduated from the University and is amongst it's most noted donors.

According to Pro Football Talk, Manning may take on an Elway-like role with the Browns once his stint in Denver has been completed.

Prior to signing with Denver, Manning was lured by the Tennessee Titans, who suggested to him that an ownership role could be made available to him once his playing career ended. It's beyond conceivable that a similar opportunity could avail it's self in Cleveland, where Manning could work with his close friend, Haslam.

He played catch in a Castle Rock ball park with his former team mate - a Hall-of-Famer name Peyton Manning who loves him. He looks great with no shirt on. He's Brandon Stokely and he should be on your team in 2012 Fantasy Football. Especially in PPR leagues.

Stokely won't necessarily be a starter for the Broncos; but he will be number one in Peyton's heart. The two players have a long and rich history together which includes many, many wins back in Indy. They have a genuine rapport. Stokely will be a security blanket for Manning and, as such, should make a nice bye week / flex player at WR in leagues that reward points on a per-catch basis. He should pull down three or four passes in most games.

Don't sleep on Stokely. Clever drafters should find him available after the tenth round in 10-12 team drafts as Decker and Thomas steal the headlines. Reports from camp have been favorable. We've all heard stories about Manning and Stokely working together in the off season. 

In Fantasy Football 2012 Brandon Stokely is your home field advantage. But don't reach. Grab Stokely only after you have drafted RB1 RB2 WR1 WR2 QB1 TE1 RB/WR TE/RB/WR.

The Rockies P.R. department has told the Denver Media to go get it's fucking shine box.

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This just in: Dan O'Dowd has not been fired.
Mile High Sports broke the story that O'Dowd will be retained by the club, although in a lesser role. MHS reports that, according to their source: "Assistant general manager and senior vice president of scouting and player development Bill Geivett would assume day-to-day baseball operations responsibilities with O’Dowd moving to a new role within the organization as vice president of baseball operations"

In other words, the Monforts are pussies. Rather than putting O'Down through a humiliating (and much deserved) firing, they opted instead to just kind of string him along. Basically, they are going the "let's just be friends and maybe see other people for awhile" route rather than just straight-up sending O'Dowd packing.

It's pathetic.

The Rockies just continue to prove that, as an organization, they have no balls whatsoever. Fans are disgusted. They want to see blood in the water. Instead all they are getting is more of the same weak-sister B.S..

O'Dowd needs to be completely removed. He has no faith in the Rockies or their ability to overcome the altitude in Denver. He's the primary reason the team is rudderless. As soon as his replacement is named, Jim Tracy should be fired, too. And, no, the team should not hire from within.

(Via the Big Lead)

I was out of the loop all weekend - with a house full of people and a gut full of Coors. But I am working to get caught up.

While I was down a writer at the Denver Post, John Henderson made made what might be the greatest accidental public posting of a direct message ever on Twitter. It was just the kind of thing we live for around here.

Henderson explained himself in an e-mail to Michael Roberts of Westword:

“I was having an innocent direct Twitter conversation with a reader before the Opening Ceremonies and she just said a couple things that got me excited, “Somehow, some way, I sent a response to my general Twitter account and not to her directly.

“Her comments made me horny. Not any athlete, Good Lord, that came on the heels of a blog about a 16-year-old girl? I really hope nobody made that connection.

I’m new at Twitter and that’s the LAST time I’m holding a Twitter conversation with someone I’ve never met.”

The internet fired Dan O'Dowd last night but the Rockies weren't listening.

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The Broncos are in camp, so there's not likely to be much talk about the Rockies for the rest of the summer. But we will try and keep you filled in as to how crappy they are.

There are precisely two teams in Major League baseball with fewer than 40 wins - and the Rockies are one of them. The other one is not the Cubs. They have exactly 40 wins. It's the Houston Astros, who have 34 victories to the Rockies' 37 on the season.

For the Rockies to reach their non-goal of losing 100 games this season they must drop 40 of 65. We're pretty sure that they can handle that ... but can they catch the Astros?

It's almost unfathomable, but everyone seems to have forgotten 2011.

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The newest sports blabber in Denver is a woman. Finally.

It's Lindsay Jones, the Denver Broncos beat writer for the Denver Post who we know from experience will have no problem at at all filling time with her banter. Lindsay can talk. We did two hours with her on the South Stands Denver Fancast just last night. She's an insider with a million stories to tell so she should be a great fit on the show currently known as the Mile High Club on Mile High Sports radio FM93.7, AM1510.

Lindsay will be on air with her fellow Post-ian, columnist Mark Kiszla and Peter Burns, a nationally syndicated host with a strong background in NFL and NBA. We expect the chemistry to be excellent and for the show to make a real impact in the mornings. It airs from 7 to 9 am. The new lineup takes effect next Tuesday morning. Jones will not be in the studio on Mondays due to her schedule covering the Broncos.

Here's a link to an article we ran in February calling for one of the stations to add a female voice, entitled "Where the women at, Denver Sports Radio?"