The Rockies and Nuggets both postponed their scheduled
games last night after yesterday's tragedy at suburban
Denver's Columbine High School. Earlier in the day, the
Nuggets were planning to go ahead with the game along with a
moment of silence and a request for blood donors, but the
decision changed after news surfaced of the severity of the
events. Nuggets GM Dan Issel: "When we heard the extent of
the tragedy -- at that point, athletic contests hold little
meaning after that." Rockies C Jeff Reed, after Rockies
Chair Jerry McMorris addressed the team and announced the
cancellation: "It shocked me at first, but it shows that our
ownership is not all about money. They showed a lot of
class. Like he said, 'We're a community.'" It is "believed
that a major-league game had never previously been called
off because of outside tragedy" (DENVER POST, 4/21).
McMorris: "It's an emotional time, a highly charged time of
mourning. We reached out to everybody that we could reach
out to make the decision, which, in our heart, was right.
Our players don't want to play. Nobody in the organization
wants to play" (CO Springs GAZETTE, 4/21). Issel pledged
financial assistance to the victims from the charitable arm
of the Nuggets and Avalanche (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 4/21).
AVALANCHE TO DECIDE TODAY: The Avalanche and the NHL
will "wait until today" before making a decision whether to
postpone Game 1 of its Stanley Cup Playoff series tonight
against the Sharks (DENVER POST, 4/21). In Denver, Mike
Littwin writes, "You have to hope that once the enormity of
the situation is understood, the NHL will realize what must
be done. ... The NHL must postpone because teams tell us
every day how much they are part of our community. Because
postponement says that we are a community" (RMN, 4/21).
REAX: In CO, Lynn Zinser: "With remarkable swiftness
and clarity, two professional sports understood their place
in the world. It's a place that takes a back seat to real
tragedy in a real world often rocked with real heartache.
Or at least it should" (CO Springs GAZETTE, 4/21). FSN's
Keith Olbermann said last night that the "teams and leagues
deserve great credit for the signs of respect represented by
the cancellations" ("FSN," 4/20).
