I became a fan of the Nuggets (and Broncos) for the oddest of reasons.

As a young child growing up outside of New York City in the early 70s, one would think I'd be a fan of teams of that city, and indeed, I am a Mets and Rangers fan. But, I was also a child enamored of maps and place names. And I took an immediate liking to the sound of the name "Denver". Being a somewhat obsessive kid, I learned all I could about the city with the name I liked so much. And that led me to the two sports franchises which shared the name. (But, NOT the hockey team which was the COLORADO Rockies. For some reason, 'Colorado' had no appeal to me at all.)

Having discovered the Broncos and Nuggets, I then went about trying to see what the teams looked like. One look at the Broncos classic "D" helmet had me hooked on them, and when I saw the Nugget's old 'pickaxe' uniforms, I was an immediate fan of them as well. I was probably 8 at the time, and clearly already a connoisseur of fine team livery!!

In any case, being a fan of both teams while growing up in New Jersey wasn't easy, since they rarely played on local TV, but I followed them closely in the old Newark Star-Ledger which had a quite fine sports section, oddly enough. Over time, the Broncos success has meant they are more visible, but I have been just as loyal to the Nuggets even though I still only get to see them occasionally on TV. And, in my life, I have seen both teams play away games against the Nets, Giants and Patriots.

But, I have never actually BEEN to Denver in my five plus decades on this planet! Someday, I will get there to see my favorite teams play, but for now, I am happy living and dying with them from afar.