But on this night, everyone was lingering around the dozen or so televisions, screaming or jeering with each turn of events. For a second, I wondered if the Broncos were playing or if a bunch of WWE fans had invaded.

Then I realized what was going on: everyone was watching the Rockies.

Now, if you ain't from 'round here, you may not understand what an anomaly this is. For Colorado fans, it's Broncos, Broncos, Broncos, then Avs and Nuggets. Except for the first few years after expansion in 1993, the Rockies have been a step above greyhound racing on the popularity ladder.

The only time there's any atmosphere at Coors Field is on Opening Day ( http://asap.ap.org/stories/489808.s ), if a team like the Yankees comes to town ( http://asap.ap.org/stories/1534733.s ), or at games with fireworks displays.

That's what comes with not seeing a pennant race since Bill Clinton was president.

But this season something strange happened: the Rockies got good. Nobody saw it coming, figuring it'd be another baseball season that would essentially be over shortly after the All-Star break.

Instead, the Rockies stayed in it until the end, creating a buzz in LoDo (lower downtown) that's been missing since the Blake Street Bombers were jacking Mile High homers. Perhaps more surprising is that the Rocks finished it off, rallying from a two-run deficit in the 13th inning to beat San Diego in a one-game playoff Monday night.

That's right, the Colorado Rockies are playing in October, a scenario that once seemed as likely as Lindsay Lohan getting her act together.

Funny thing is, Denver has been through this before, and not that long ago.

It was 2004 and the Nuggets were in the playoffs, a season removed from tying for the league's worst record. The Pepsi Center, a place where individual taunts could be heard from the upper deck, shook with noise. The streets filled with fans no longer embarrassed to wear their Nuggets jerseys.

So what if they never stood a chance against San Antonio; the Nuggets were in the playoffs after years being laughingstocks. It was almost as if the fans had escaped kidnappers who made them watch nothing but bad basketball.

Of course, fans of other once-futile franchises know what we're going through here.

Take New Orleans last year.

Saints fans had become so embarrassed by the home team that they used to wear paper bags over their heads at games. Seems like the fans would have just stayed away if the team was so bad, but at least they were supportive and finally got rewarded last year with Reggie Bush and Drew Brees. Sadly, it's back to losing this year.

Cleveland had a similar transformation with the arrival of LeBron James four years ago, making the jump from sad-sack to the NBA finals. Now, that's doing it in style.

The Arizona Cardinals got a chance to see what the NFL playoffs are like for the first time in 1998. They even got a surprising victory on the road over the Dallas Cowboys, but, sadly, it might be just as long before they get good again.

Perhaps the ultimate rebound was the Los Angeles Clippers.

They were the model of what not to do as a franchise: bad draft picks, signing mediocre players to way-too-expensive contracts and losing more than any other team -- even the Nuggets. Then they surprised everyone, making the playoffs in 2006. Only problem was that it happened in Los Angeles and no one really cared.

That isn't likely to happen here in Denver. The fans here have wanted a reason to support baseball, clinging to the hope that somehow, some way the home team would find a way to wade past its patheticness -- maybe even feel like a baseball town for a moment ( http://asap.ap.org/stories/1546002.s ).

It finally happened and now Rockies fans are loving every minute of it.

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BAD CALL

Greg Ryan's decision to replace goalie Hope Solo with Briana Scurry against Brazil in the semifinals of the Women's World Cup has to rank among the worst coaching blunders in sports history.

The thinking was that because Scurry had so much previous success against Brazil -- 12-0 career against them -- she'd be able to do it again. But no matter what's happened in the past, it doesn't make sense to replace a player like Solo, who hadn't allowed a goal in nearly 300 minutes.

The danger in switching goalies, like quarterbacks in football, is that change can kill momentum. This one was like poking a stick in the spokes, sending the Americans over the handlebars in the form of a 4-0 thrashing.

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John Marshall is asap's sports reporter, based in Denver.