Will soccer icon Lionel Messi join Inter Miami at Empower Field? | The Starting Lineup
Turn on the game!
Three must-see events this week:
1. No. 2 Denver vs. No. 1 Michigan (6:30 p.m. Thursday, ESPN2) — The last time DU played Michigan? In 2022 on this stage, a national semi. That one needed overtime in a 3-2 Pios win.
(Stephen Swofford, Denver Gazette)
2. Oklahoma City Thunder at Nuggets (7 p.m. Friday, Altitude TV) — Denver is trending toward the West’s No. 4 seed, meaning the Thunder probably would be waiting in the second round.
3. Vegas Golden Knights at Avalanche (6 p.m. Saturday, ABC) — Will Jared Bednar opt for a rare goalie rotation in the Stanley Cup playoffs? The Denver Gazette’s Evan Rawal says yes.
Numbers game
.389 — the batting average for Albuquerque Isotopes first baseman Charlie Condon, the fifth-leading hitter in the Pacific Coast League, whose Coors Field arrival would inject interest into a Rockies season destined for 100 losses
Box office
$30 — for a seat at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park when the Rapids host Houston at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (Ticketmaster)
On this day
April 5, 1993 — the Rockies’ debut game included Andres Galarraga recording the franchise’s first hit and David Nied on the mound in a 3-0 loss to the New York Mets at Shea Stadium.
Final word
Will soccer icon Lionel Messi come to Denver when Inter Miami CF visits the Rapids April 18? The game was moved to 76,000-seat Empower Field at Mile High to make room for a super-sized crowd. And Messi had played in four of Inter Miami’s five games entering Saturday. But the World Cup is months away. And the Rapids hedged their bet by not including Messi’s name in the formal announcement back in December. Stay tuned.
— Paul Klee, The Denver Gazette