Photos: Tailgating Before Iowa Vs. Penn State

For a major league player, landing a spot in the All-Star Game is about talent, statistics, popularity, reputation, name recognition and the team you play on. And not necessarily in that order. For the Rockies, who are on pace to lose more than 100 games for the second consecutive season, only the first two aforementioned criteria (talent and statistics) will come into play this season.

Trust a team with Dick Monfort in charge and a dinosaur for a mascot to get accused of being stuck in the Stone Age. Full disclosure: The kids upstairs in the Grading The Week cubicles are a heck of a lot better at Strat-O-Matic than they ever were at hitting a curveball.

First, the Nuggets went two and ’que in the playoffs. Does that mean they are one-and-done when it comes to NBA titles? When the postseason began, Denver harbored aspirations of a dynasty. It has been the posture of the front office to take a macro view, focused on winning multiple crowns over a swath of time. There is no denying this wider-lens philosophy cost them in May.

Ryan Feltner knew it the nanosecond that Jack Suwinski clobbered his hanging 2-2 curveball. He’d made a big mistake. The Rockies’ right-hander contorted on the mound in frustration while Suwinski watched his two-run homer soar 459 feet to right to stretch the Pirates’ lead to 4-1 in the seventh inning. Pittsburgh went on to win, 5-2, in front of a Friday night crowd of 31,717 at Coors Field. The Rockies have lost four straight in LoDo for the first time all season. “I thought all of my pitches were generally working,” Feltner said.

Buy your shares of Adam Beaudry stock before it’s too late. Like any 18-year old goalkeeper, Beaudry wants to be one of the best the U. S. has ever seen. Colorado Rapids goalkeepers coach Chris Sharpe, without an ounce of doubt on his face, said Beaudry’s on that path. In a similar vein, Sharpe said he’d be “absolutely stunned” if Beaudry doesn’t become the U.

INDIANAPOLIS — The U. S. Olympic swimming trials will make a splash on their grandest stage yet — a temporary pool inside the massive domed stadium that is home to the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. The powerhouse American team will be determined over the nine-day, prime-time competition, which starts Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium with the spotlight on Katie Ledecky and her quest for a fourth trip to the Summer Games. As usual, there are plenty of compelling storylines at a meet that many swimmers find more nerve-wracking than the actual Olympics.