PARKER: Making sure to do-rag it right

Penny Parker, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 29, 2007 at midnight

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Affable ad man Lew Cady, the Rocky's Rockies correspondent during the playoffs and World Series games, e-mailed this report from Game 4: "A young woman in Section 136 brought a sign that proclaimed, "THE RED SOX ARE THE YANKEES IN DRAG."

Then some Red Sox fan complained, and she was told she couldn't show the sign any more. So she revised it to "THE RED SOX ARE THE YANKEES IN DO-RAGS" and that was OK.

ALL SORTS OF SPORTS: The Westin Tabor Center was where the sports stars slept when the Red Sox, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Wild checked in over the weekend.

The Red Sox were here for World Series Games 3 and 4; the Packers meet the Broncos for tonight's game; and the Wild faced the Avalanche on Sunday afternoon.

"We are not at liberty to disclose the identity of our guests," said Tom Curley, area managing director for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. "But I can state that we are extremely proud to be part of the Denver hotel community this weekend, no matter where these teams and celebrities are staying."

Real coy, Curley. But I have it on the best authority that your hotel was indeed the site of the sportsapalooza this weekend.

GAL IN 'GUY' TERRITORY: So what's a chic chick like construction queen Linda Alvarado doing as an owner of a big-league baseball team?

"That's like asking me why I decided to become a contractor," Alvarado said to me while we were sitting in "the cheap seats" in the front row behind home plate Saturday night. "I have five brothers and no sisters. My dad played in the summer recreation league as a catcher. I played softball in high school."

As if that 'splains her passion to invest in Denver's fledgling baseball team way back when.

"When you look at the number of Latino players on the field, you get a big sense of pride," she said.

Apparently, Alvarado had an itch she couldn't scratch when she wanted to channel her considerable energy beyond the construction biz.

"I told Robert (her husband) it was either buy a part of the Rockies or my own cable cooking show," she said. "He said, 'You want to do what?' He said buying a part of the Rockies was less risky, baby."

BURGER BONANZA: Health care honcho David McReynolds, who threw a Game 2 World Series party for the Denver dudes and dude-ettes attending the Metro Chamber of Commerce Leadership Exchange trip to Phoenix last week, promised to have In-N-Out burgers (the best burgers on the planet) delivered to those still standing until 1 a.m.

At 1 a.m., a car service delivered four trays of the boffo burgers to the 15 peeps who ditched dinner to save themselves for the calories that count.

"The last 15 people got the best late-night food around," said political candidate Josh Hanfling, who was a burger beneficiary.

MAN FOR ALL SEASONS: Hanfling, man-about-town and future political candidate, has been a Rockies season ticketholder since Day 1. He was used to the Rocks' roller-coaster ride every season. So the home team's loss to the Red Sox in the World Series on Sunday night was bittersweet.

"The bottom line is this was the most exciting sporting event I've ever been involved in," Hanfling said just after the Rockies went down in a four-game sweep. "The loss to the Red Sox is disappointing, but these last few nights could have gone either way. This has been unbelievable for the city and unbelievable for the team."

Hanfling, a Washington native, relocated to Denver in late 1992. One of his first acts as a newbie was to buy Rockies season tickets.

"I was at the first game they ever played in New York at Shea Stadium," Hanfling said. "This team has been here since I've been here."

In that first season, before Hanfling gained the reputation as the go-to guy who knows everyone in town, he attended 50 Rockies games. "What else was I going to do? I didn't know anybody."

As Josh and his Brooklyn Dodgers fan dad, Bob, filed out of Coors Field Sunday night, the young politico was philosophical. "As they said in Brooklyn for so many years, just wait till next year."

THE SEEN: At Sunday's WS game at Coors Field were former Gov. Bill Owens, Mayor John Hickenlooper wearing his personalized Rockies jersey, Mrs. Mayor Helen Thorpe, John Elway, Steve and Cindy Farber, Charlie Gallagher in the front row with Pete Coors, Steve and Robin Chotin, Jeff and Jenn Geller with the kids, Tom Shane and Debbie Jessup.

Red Sox infielder Mike Lowell brunching at Delectable Egg on Saturday. I'm told he tipped well.

Red Sox ace pitcher Josh Beckett lunching at ESPN Zone with his mom and girlfriend Friday. "He got a phone call and had to take his food to go, although his mom and girlfriend stayed to finish," according to my spy.

Beckett's teammates first baseman Kevin Youkilis and right fielder J.D. Drew playing games at ESPN Zone on Friday night with a large group of friends and family. Red Sox relief pitcher Hideki Okajima also seen playing games in the arena.

Red Sox second baseman and front-runner for the American League Rookie of the Year Award Dustin Pedroia secured a table for his parents at ESPN Zone for lunch Saturday before heading to Coors Field.

Super sexy chef Todd English grabbing a drink post-Red Sox win Saturday night at the Westin Tabor Center. Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield dining at The Palm on Friday; Rockies owner Charlie Monfort Palming on Saturday.

Former CU women's basketball coach Ceal Barry and CU athletic director Mike Bohn in the FSN suite Sunday night.

EAVESDROPPING 2: on a man at Coors Field after the Rockies' World Series defeat: "Anyone got tickets to tomorrow night's Broncos game?"

Penny Parker's column appears Tuesday through Saturday. Listen to her on the Caplis and Silverman radio show between 4 and 5 p.m. Fridays on KHOW-AM (630). Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail parkerp@RockyMountainNews.com.

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