ICE Out Protests Hit Colorado

Thousands of Coloradans took part in ICE Out demonstrations yesterday, according to reports in the Denver Post. Crowds in Denver marched past the Colorado State Capitol and through downtown to Denver's La Alma-Lincoln Park, where an afternoon rally drew over a thousand people. Many schools closed for the day, students walked out of schools that didn't close, and many people skipped work or closed their businesses to join the protest against ICE (Immigration Control and Enforcement) and Donald Trump's actions. And will these demonstrations change anything? In my opinion, only if enough people flood the streets of every city in the country to the point that everything - trains, buses, cars, everyday life itself - stops, and then keep it up until Congress finally decides to take action and put a leash - and perhaps a muzzle - on Trump and his policies. And they won't do it unless they feel there is no alternative. Otherwise, we will all have to wait until the next election, or perhaps even the next administration, to start putting all the pieces back together.  And by the way, I took the photograph above in front of the Colorado State Capitol yesterday afternoon, long after the parade passed by. What else is new?

The ICE Out Protest and General Strike Is Today!

Activists have called for nationwide protests and a general strike today to protest ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) operations in this country. It is still uncertain what the response will be here in Denver. Yesterday, in the Denver Post, the big story about the event was that the ICE Out protests and general strike will close more than a dozen restaurants on January 30th, which seems to sum up what many Denverites are most concerned about. There was no other article in the paper about today's event. However, Westword, a free weekly alternative newspaper, had a listing of various protests taking place around Denver, although most of them are taking place on Saturday instead of today. It did list a protest taking place at the Colorado State Capitol Building, where such protests are usually held, at 6:00 P.M. on Saturday, although no permit for this event has been issued. One sign that there could be a big turnout is the fact that in suburban Aurora, the Aurora Public Schools, as well as a school district in nearby Adams County, will be closed today, due to so many teachers calling in sick. Hopefully that means there will indeed be a big turnout. In Minneapolis, tens of thousands of protestors took to the streets last Friday in below zero temperatures to protest ICE, as seen in the photograph above that I took off the internet. The protests there seem to have finally convinced the Trump administration to make some changes to ICE tactics, although how that plays out, we have yet to see. And that is what it will take to really produce meaningful change. Everyone turning out in the streets, so much so that nothing can move in virtually every city in the country. Let's hope that happens.

A Rare Weekend Of Snow

Denver got some much-needed snow this past weekend, but unfortunately, not very much. Denver received between 1 and 2 inches, which combined with the strong winds was enough to play hell with the 2nd half of the Denver Broncos-New England Patriots AFC Championship Game, but not enough to help with the dry conditions here this winter. Colorado's mountains did receive more snow than Denver, with many ski resorts receiving double-digit amounts, but meteorologists say that this is not nearly enough to turn things around. As of Monday, Colorado's snowpack is still only 58% of normal, the lowest level since the 1970s. The next chance of snow isn't expected until February 10th, and the weather forecasters are not sure that will be much of a storm, either. This when everywhere east of the Rockies seems to be buried in snow, with more forecast this weekend. Colorado gets most of its snowfall between February and April, but if that doesn't happen, it will mean high wildfire risk and low water basins this summer. Not a good situation. And by the way, I took the photograph above last Sunday driving through the Ken Caryl Ranch area, which is against the foothills southwest of Denver and a popular area for hikers. And if you are from out of state and decide to head to Colorado for a vacation this summer, better bring your own water with you. Lots of it.

Lunching With Peter At Spanky's

I had lunch yesterday afternoon at Spanky's Roadhouse here in Denver with Peter, my friend and former Tattered Cover Bookstore officemate. Peter is doing well, although being a big Denver Broncos fan, he is still disappointed about the team's 10-7 loss this past Sunday in the AFC Championship game, although I notice he is still proudly wearing his Denver Broncos cap, as seen in the photograph above. Peter was the Accounts Payables person at the Tattered Cover for many years. After that local bookstore chain went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it was decided that the best course of action would be to sell it to Barnes and Noble, which promised everyone the chain would continue as an independent operation. And then after the sale went through, promptly laid off all the back-office people and kept only a single manager and the sales floor personal, much like Follett Higher Education Group did when the University of Denver Bookstore was outsourced to them. The moral of the story: beware corporate takeovers. In any case, Peter and I had a nice lunch, and he caught me up on how everyone we used to work with back when I was the Tattered Cover's bookkeeper is doing these days. Great to get together with you again, Peter! 

The Party's Over At Denver's Empower Field - At Least For This Season

All is now quiet at Denver's Empower Field, except for the geese, of course, as seen in the photograph above. The Denver Bronco's Superbowl hopes vanished this past Sunday afternoon when the New England Patriots beat them by a score of 10-7 in the AFC Championship Game. Just one game away from the Superbowl, too. This was not an unexpected outcome, of course. Last week Denver's quarterback, Bo Nix, broke his ankle just before the end of the Bronco's playoff game against the Buffalo Bills, whom they beat 33-30. His replacement for Sunday's contest, backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, had not played in a game for the past two seasons. Although fans kept talking like the Broncos had a good shot at winning, in their hearts they knew it was a longshot. Plus, blizzard-like conditions dominated the second half, which made it impossible to actually see the field, let alone score any points. And so, that is that. Now we will all be subjected to constant Broncos talk for the next 7 months, even during the middle of baseball season, with local television sports broadcasters discussing the playoff loss, draft prospects, free agents, training camp, predictions for the coming season, what the psychics have forecast, and on and on and on. May God help us all.

My Mother's 110th Birthday

Today would have been my mother Mary's 110th birthday if she were alive today. She and my father Nelson moved to Stuart, Florida back in 1976 from Chicago. My mother did not want to move, but said she was doing it for my father, who wanted to retire down there and play golf every day. But after learning to play golf herself and in the process making more friends than at any other time in her life, she began to love it there, as did my father, who passed away in 1983. My mother lived in Stuart for 29 years, and when due to health reasons she moved in with me here in Denver, we still went back to her condo at least three times a year to visit her friends and just enjoy being in Stuart. And so, all in all, she had a very happy life. For which I am grateful. And yes, that is indeed my mother in the above photograph leaving the 9th and final hole at the complex's golf course. No doubt beating me once again. As usual.

Rockies Fest 2026

It is just a little over two weeks until pitchers and catchers report to baseball spring training camps in Florida and Arizona, and yesterday the Colorado Rockies hosted Rockies Fest 2026 at Coors Field here in Denver. This event opened up the non-public areas to visitors and featured autograph sessions with current and former players, question and answer sessions with players and management, and activities for kids. I attended this fest with my friend Mark and sister Susan, and we all enjoyed it very much. The photograph on the left shows the Rockies Clubhouse, which as you can see looks nothing like the baseball clubhouses you see in the movies, with their bare cement floors and wooden benches facing old time metal lockers. 

In addition to the Rockies and visiting team clubhouses, we also toured the broadcast booths and the Press Box. We were able to walk into the KOA radio booth, and I must say, it was a bit claustrophobic. The Press Box was located directly below the broadcast booths, and was much roomier, looking more like what you see in the movies. I took the photograph on the right of the view out the window, and as you can see, they have a pretty nice view, so much so that I am tempted to wear my Chicago Daily News Press Pass, which I made myself, next season and see if they let me in. Hopefully here in Denver they will not know that the Daily News went out of business in 1978. In any case, while looking around the Press Box, I saw that they were televising a question-and-answer session with the new Rockies management team, which was currently taking place somewhere in the ballpark. Walker Monfort, who now oversees baseball and business functions for the club, was introducing Paul DePodesta, the new President of Baseball Operations, Josh Byrnes, the new GM, and Warren Schaeffer, the Rockies' manager. All seemed to know what they were talking about and were optimistic about the team's future.

We also visited the Toyota Clubhouse, which is a museum with Rockies memorabilia, historic photographs, and artifacts celebrating the Rockies, including a 1993 map of Mile High Stadium, where the Rockies played for two seasons before moving to Coors Field, and seen in the photograph on the left. I remember attending Opening Day that year, along with 80,227 other fans, a major league record, and they won 11-4. The exhibit also showed ticket prices for that season, a fraction of what they are today. And most importantly, that was in the days before "dynamic pricing," where the price of a seat changes depending on the game. Back then an Opening Day ticket cost the same as any other game, while today you will pay over $100 for a seat that will cost just $30 the following week. To watch a game at the beginning of April that might be on a day that is below freezing, if not snowing. But I digress. Time to stop whining.

Our final stop was at the PNC Press Box, which is evidently a prime seating area where you will NOT find a ticket for $30, no matter what day it is. And this is where my good friend Dinger, the Rockies mascot and seen in the photograph on the right, was signing autographs and having his photographs taken with fans throughout the day. Rockies Fest was very well attended, and it was a fun experience for all. The Rockies are still popular here in Denver, despite having three hundred loss seasons in a row, and this past season coming within two losses of tying my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, for the worst record in the history of major league baseball. With the hiring of new management that actually knows something about baseball, perhaps they can actually get those losses under 100 this coming season. With the Rockies, you have to keep your expectations modest, at least for the next 5 years or so.