Denver

NOW THIS IS a Rocky Mountain low. A Trenton man flew from Philadelphia International Airport to Denver on Friday to meet what he believed was an underage teen, according to Colorado authorities. Instead, Edward Gutierrez, 38, was met by Colorado investigators who charged him with luring a child and Internet sexual exploitation of a child, according to the Jefferson County, Colo., District Attorney's Office. Gutierrez came to the attention of Colorado authorities when he accepted a friend request on Facebook from a 13-year-old girl in November, police said.

Coming into the weekend, Kansas City found itself all alone atop the AFC West for the first time since Oct. 25, 1981. Sure hope it was nice while it lasted. The Denver Broncos (5-2) saw to that by beating the visiting Chiefs yesterday, 19-16. It was the ninth straight time the Chiefs (5-3), who had won four in a row, have lost at Mile High Stadium. And Kansas City coach Marty Schottenheimer is 1-7 against the Broncos, 0-5 at Denver. Before yesterday, Denver quarterback John Elway had thrown more interceptions against the Chiefs (24)

From the point of view of interim coach Gene Littles, Denver's losing streak was "five going on 10. " Had the Nuggets lost to the visiting New Jersey Nets for loss No. 6 last night, the Nuggets could easy have slipped into double digits with upcoming road games against San Antonio, Houston, Utah and the Los Angeles Lakers. They avoided that possibility as Dale Ellis came off the bench to score 17 points and Dikembe Mutombo had 19 rebounds, ending the five-game skid with a 96-90 victory.

John Elway said Denver got manhandled, and Tyrone Braxton decided the Eagles could play a little defense after all. So if yesterday's Eagles-Broncos bash at Veterans Stadium was supposed to be a preview of the next Super Bowl, Denver must have felt right at home. The Broncos played almost exactly the way they do in Super Bowls, those grand NFL contests they lost three times in the 1980s by increasingly lopsided margins. Never moving the ball or playing defense with any great consistency, the Broncos managed only 82 yards in total offense - 306 yards short of the Eagles' total.

Denver is one city that lives up to its nickname. The Mile High City is exactly 5,280 feet above sea level, if you measure from the 13th step of the Colorado Capitol In most other ways, Denver defies its stereotype. Denver is a new city, stocked with post-World War II arrivals and their children and a representative cross-section that reflects the traditionalism of the Midwest and the wackiness of the coasts, with a strong Hispanic influence, too. It is the largest non-Sunbelt city between the Mississippi and the Pacific, with nearly 2 million people in the metropolitan area.

The Mile High City proudly touts the fact that it's gone for two whole years without a single air pollution violation. So, um, what's that smear on the horizon? For that matter, where is the horizon? Alas, said Margie Perkins of Colorado's Department of Public Health and Environment, just because Denver's air - after years of smoggy notoriety - now meets federal standards on dangerous pollutants doesn't mean it's any clearer. "We still have our Brown Cloud," she said.

MAYBE IT'S ME, but I thought the circus left town awhile ago. So how come when I put on the TV, my 3-year-old son points at the screen and says, "Look, daddy, look at all the clowns!" - only then do I realize I'm watching the Democratic National Convention in Denver. I only say this so that the term "Pie in your face" can be used. We have a governor who makes statements that put doubt in everyone's mind about the Democratic candidate. Then we have Hillary, who six months ago couldn't find a nice thing to say about the presidential hopeful now telling everyone that "he's the man. " Is this what politics is all about, the art of illusion and trickery, maybe sabotage and intimidation?

LeBron James left one rebound shy of a triple-double. That's about all the Heat could complain about. James finished with 24 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds, and the Heat won their 27th straight by running away at the finish to beat the Magic, 108-94, on Monday night in Orlando, Fla. Miami pushed its lead to 20 before Heat coach Erik Spoelstra emptied the bench in what was his 250th win with the team. The Heat are within six games of matching the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers for the longest winning streak in NBA history.

DENVER - When you're in the midst of a winning streak, luck and good fortune is always by your side. When you're mired in a losing one, the inexplicable becomes ordinary. The Nuggets' Corey Brewer, fouled on a desperation three-point shot with 2.1 seconds left, made all three foul shots Thursday night to complete an improbable comeback and steal a 101-100 victory over the 76ers. Brewer's winning free throws were preceded by the Sixers' Evan Turner missing two foul shots with 7.1 seconds left and the foul by Damien Wilkins that put Brewer on the line.

Even eternal optimist Jimmy Johnson admits his Miami Dolphins face long odds in the second round of the playoffs. Jacksonville's 25-10 victory yesterday over New England determined the pairings for next weekend's AFC games, and the Dolphins will play Saturday at Denver. That means Miami must contend with the well-rested defending Super Bowl champions, a hostile crowd and winter weather. And the Dolphins must do it without their only Pro Bowl player. Defensive tackle Tim Bowens underwent surgery yesterday to repair a torn tendon in his arm, and he'll miss the rest of the postseason.

In just seven minutes, his team trailed by seven goals. But the coach's plan was working just fine. It was Bill Tierney's first game as coach at the University of Denver in 2010. He wanted the Pioneers to get a taste of big-time college lacrosse and they opened the season with a 15-9 loss at Syracuse's Carrier Dome. The freshmen who were on that Denver team are now seniors. On Saturday, the fourth-seeded Pioneers (14-4) will have a chance to show how far they have come when they meet No. 1 Syracuse (15-3)

No.    Player   Pos.   Ht.    Wt.    Class    Hometown (Prev School) 34    Eric Adamson    Attack    6-1    175    So.    Anaheim Hills, Calif. (Foothill-Santa Ana) 9    Sander Aplet    Midfield    6-1    190    So.    Arvada, Colo. (Ralston Valley H.S.) 24    Harrison Archer    Attack    6-1    200    Jr.    Washington D.C. (Landon School) 15    Drew Babb    Defense    6-2    205    RJr.

DENVER - A crowd of marijuana smokers expected to swell to 80,000 gathered Saturday in Denver to mark the counterculture holiday known as 4/20 on the first celebration since Colorado and Washington state made pot legal for recreational use. Reggae music filled the air, and so did the smell of marijuana, as revelers gathered by midmorning in a park just beside the state Capitol. Few police were in sight, though public marijuana use is still prohibited here. "People aren't afraid to come out and celebrate it the way they used to be," said Charles Bade, 52, of Denver.

NEW YORK - The Denver Post won a Pulitzer Prize on Monday for its coverage of the movie-theater massacre in Aurora, Colo., while the New York Times captured four awards for reporting on the rise of a new aristocracy in China, the business practices of Apple and Wal-Mart and a harrowing avalanche. The Associated Press received the award in breaking news photography for its coverage of the civil war in Syria. In awards that reflected the rapidly changing media world, the online publication InsideClimate News won the Pulitzer for national reporting for its reports on problems in the regulation of the nation's oil pipelines.

DENVER - Prosecutors in the Colorado theater massacre case have rejected an offer from suspect James Holmes to plead guilty in exchange for avoiding the death penalty, saying the proposal can't be considered genuine because the defense has repeatedly refused to give them information needed to evaluate it. No plea agreement exists, prosecutors said in a scathing court document Thursday, and one "is extremely unlikely based on the present information available...

DENVER - Prosecutors in the Colorado theater massacre case have rejected an offer from suspect James Holmes to plead guilty in exchange for avoiding the death penalty, saying the proposal can't be considered genuine because the defense has repeatedly refused to give them information needed to evaluate it. No plea agreement exists, prosecutors said in a scathing court document Thursday, and one "is extremely unlikely based on the present information available...

LeBron James left one rebound shy of a triple-double. That's about all the Heat could complain about. James finished with 24 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds, and the Heat won their 27th straight by running away at the finish to beat the Magic, 108-94, on Monday night in Orlando, Fla. Miami pushed its lead to 20 before Heat coach Erik Spoelstra emptied the bench in what was his 250th win with the team. The Heat are within six games of matching the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers for the longest winning streak in NBA history.

RYAN ANDERSON scored 23 points, Brian Roberts doubled his career high with 18 assists and the New Orleans Hornets beat visiting Denver, 110-86, on Monday night, ending the Nuggets' 15-game win streak. New Orleans, playing without its starting backcourt of Eric Gordon and Greivis Vasquez, won its third in a row and was in control all the way. Roberts, a rookie making his second start, had 11 assists by halftime, two more than his previous best. Anderson was 5-for-11 on three-pointers, and the Hornets sank 14 of 25 threes as seven players scored in double figures.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - It's over. The 76ers ended their almost three-month-long road losing streak with an offensive explosion, running past the Sacramento Kings, 117-103, on Sunday night at Sleep Train Arena. It was the Sixers' highest-scoring game of the season. Their previous high (109) came in a loss to Oklahoma City. The win is their first on the road since they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers on New Year's Day. The victory ended their string of road losses at 15 games.

Defensive end Elvis Dumervil , 29, chose Baltimore over Denver, agreeing to a five-year deal, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said Sunday. Financial numbers were not given. Dumervil, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, had 631/2 sacks in seven seasons in Denver. He agreed to reduce his 2013 salary from $12 million to $8 million, but the paperwork didn't reach the NFL offices in time and the Broncos had to release him. The Chicago Bears agreed to a one-year contract with former Carolina linebacker James Anderson , 29, two days after they signed D.J. Williams , 30, from Denver to replace Brian Urlacher , 34. GOLF: Tiger Woods had to wait one more day to try to reclaim No. 1 in the world.