Blogs

by Derek Kessinger

In a packed Athletic Building on a rainy day in Boulder, Colorado, now former University of Colorado Football Coach Jon Embree addressed the media, fans and players before turning the microphone over to the administration. It was an emotional roller coaster briefing after the news that Embree would be let go after two yearsraced through Colorado last night. Add Buffalo students and alumni to the equation and it was one of the most charged press conferences in recent memory.

The man who fired him, Athletic Director Mike Bohn, introduced Embree. The coach spent a lot of time talking about the kids in his program. He reiterated that he did things the right way no matter what anyone said. He told his players to never let anyone take anything away from them. He talked about being a mentor to the kids and looking out for them. At the beginning of the conference, the first of several times he choked up, a player in the back of the room yelled, “We love you coach.”

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Her Twitter Bio said it best, “You can find me in the TV studio, NHL arena/ locker room, on a plane, or writing. Southern. Sarcastic. Sass.Class.Crass. Grammar snob.” When I first started talking to Jessica Redfield, she was the new girl from Texas looking for a place in Denver. She tragically left this world while trying to enjoy the Dark Knight Rises in Aurora early this morning. The gunman took away the life of a young woman who had blossomed into everyone’s favorite red head in the Colorado Avalanche community and the Denver media.

My friendship with Jessica was based on talking about sports. She was a big hockey fan and was covering the Avalanche for a blog and later a radio station. The first team she helped covered was the minor-league hockey San Antonio Rampage. She spent her college years in College Station, at Texas A & M, and then moved to Denver to continue her education and pursue her dream in sports journalism.

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by Derek Kessinger

It’s been almost a week since the prime events for both boxing and horse racing went awry. Both sports were hoping for big comeback victories, but a late scratch and a controversial decision have left the classic sporting events reeling. With the controversy already dying down, both sport’s declining popularity will likely continue, as the new landscape of sports does not have time for either of them.

With the Belmont Stakes being significant in the Triple Crown for the first time since 2008, horse racing was hoping to build on their first three-race champion since 1978. Unfortunately, I’ll Have Another was scratched from the race and will likely never enter a competition again. The hype of the previous three weeks was suddenly lost among suspicion and a feeling of defeat for those hoping to see the pinnacle of the sport achieved one more time.

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