Leading Off: Verlander Backs Rolling Astros, Mending Dodgers

Unthinkably, Michael Porter Jr. would be made of iron, if not for some faulty string. On Feb. 9 in Sacramento, the Nuggets were embarking on a two-game weekend road trip. They were mercifully one week away from the All-Star break, a much-needed breather for a team that had played 102 games the previous season en route to a championship. Porter, in particular, was pushing himself physically more than any season yet in his NBA career.

After dropping down to third place in the Central Division at the end of the regular season, the Colorado Avalanche begins the Stanley Cup Playoffs on the road against the Winnipeg Jets. Here’s a breakdown of their first-round matchup. Who has the edge? Forwards The Avs definitely have the two best forwards in this series, and they might have five of the top … seven?

The best way to play a LeBron James flop? Have a Joker up your sleeve. “Listen: To have the success that they’ve had, as great as (Nikola) Jokic has been­ — if you go back and look at that (Western) Conference Finals, the Lakers had no answer,” former NBA guard Greg Anthony, now an analyst with Warner Bros.

A viral video showing a Colorado Rockies baseball coach in the cockpit of a United Airlines charter flight from Denver to Toronto sparked a federal investigation, officials confirmed Friday. The video, originally posted to social media by the Rockies’ hitting coach Hensley Meulens, appears to show Meulens sitting in one of the plane’s two pilot seats while the flight was en route to Canada. The Wall Street Journal first reported the story. “Had some fun in the cockpit on our flight from Denver to Toronto,” Meulens wrote in the caption.

Editor’s note: This is the 10th in a series of NFL draft previews as it relates to the Broncos. Previous previews: quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, edge rushers, inside linebackers and cornerbacks. Today: Safeties.  Broncos’ in-house moves: Released Justin Simmons, re-signed P. J. Locke to two-year deal, signed Brandon Jones to a three-year deal. Under contract: Locke (two years), Jones (three years), Caden Sterns (one year), Delarrin Turner-Yell (two years), JL Skinner (three years), Keidron Smith (one year), Devon Key (one year) and Tanner McCalister (one year). Need scale: 7.

The Broncos are taking a quarterback in the draft. There, I said it. Coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton did not utter those words during Thursday’s press conference. Anytime executives speak this close to the first round, they might as well be senators filibustering dam construction, drone policies or guardrails on artificial intelligence. Talking without saying anything is part of the dance. No teams know who they are taking.