I dare you not to at least smile at this…

The video is a few years old now. I’m guessing that little boy is now so tired of the word “donkey” that he may never want to hear it again. But every time life has got me down, I go back to the well on this one. I have yet to have not had those peals of laughter make me start to giggle, even in the toughest moments.

Life is filled with challenges, whether you’re an 18 month old getting hysterical at flash cards, an 18 year old trying to figure out where life will take you, or an 81 year old who is simply trying to figure out how to navigate the internet. Anyone and everyone needs a “donkey” in their lives to remind them why they got out of bed that morning in the first place.

For many denizens of these pages, one of those areas of refuge has been your Denver Nuggets, the mile-high hoops balm that usually eases the pain of the tougher elements of a day. But as with any joy more complex than a flash card, those delights can break one’s heart as well. Whether the Nuggets are succeeding or failing, a part of what gets many Denver Stiffs readers over the hump is the play of one of the most exciting young teams in basketball.

The Nuggets are certainly not the primary sports relief in Denver, often falling anywhere from second to fourth on a list that also includes the Broncos, Rockies, and Avs. The Donk… Broncos seem to own the heart and pulse of Colorado sports fans, even when they are stinking up the joint as heartily as they are now. Slots two through four are usually predicated on who in town is succeeding, or even simply who is playing that night. For the lion’s share of the Colorado sports faithful, there’s orange and blue at the top, and an ever-rotating jumble the rest of the way down.

But with the Broncos suddenly being less than delightful in their on-field outcomes, is now the opportunity the Nuggets need to gain an even bigger share of the hearts, minds, voices, and wallets of local sports fans? Most major cities see the largest revenue garnered by their Major League Baseball team, and Colorado is no exception. Much of that is attributed to the expanded calendar of games and large stadiums where the game is played. Hockey is rarely at the top of that list for any city. An NBA team being the first love for most cities with more than one pro team is also especially rare. Even cities with deeply passionate fan bases like the Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics have just as many Dodgers or Patriots/Red Sox/Bruins fans screaming heartily for their share of the pie.

It’s compelling to think of the Nuggets having that sort of local passionate fan base, and the team is building a highly entertaining product to try and surmount that giant hill which the Broncos stand atop in Denver’s Delight. With an offense that draws the oohs and aahs of hoops geeks and initiates alike, the Nuggets have an opportunity to be the most compelling show in town, and that against the likes of a Western Conference that is somehow more stacked than the past several years we’ve all said so. With the Broncos leaving a flaming bag of something on Denver’s doorstep, there may never be a better opportunity than now for the Denver Nuggets to run their way to their first playoffs in years, and run away with the hearts of the Mile High fanbase in the bargain. I know this makes me giggle like that little boy every time I watch it:

This content is no longer available.