Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Jazz vs. Nuggets Blogging

I'm also a Utah Jazz fanatic. They are playing the first game of the season against the Denver Nuggets tonight. It's the third quarter. The Jazz are down by 25 with 9:31 to go in the third. The following are some of my musings:

8:53- Hair. AK's hair is like a baby's. It has that limp and floppy quality to it. Nene wants to be this guy.

6:19- Deron's feeling it. It's that LeBron commercial, what should he do? Not make commercials like this.

5:40- I wonder if Vegas has an over/under for Matt Harpring's use of "I'll tell you what" during a broadcast. Whatever it is, I'll tell you what, I'm taking the over.

2:40- I hate it when teams go on 3-point barrages against the Jazz. It seems to happen a lot. Um, you know, in past seasons.

4th Quarter

10:10- Elson gets the second put-back to go in. That's always nice.

7:40- How bizarre is it that Don Nelson has the most wins as an NBA head coach?

6:47- Wait a minute? Carmelo is still in the game? What are they worried about?

Commercial- My TV buzzes sometimes.

5:19- Earl Watson at the line. His name is Earl.

3:08- I guess I'm sitting the rest of the game out.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Fan-Dumb

Yesterday a local radio station was taking calls from people who claimed that they once were BYU fans, and now were UofU fans. One caller said something about how his entire life he has loved BYU, but BYU has not reciprocated that love. That BYU isn't about winning football games, they are about building young men into good people. Utah, on the other hand, is all about winning. So, therefore, this dude was going to switch allegiances and become a Ute fan.

Good riddance to you, bandwagoner.

In fact, anyone at all who is even considering whether they should switch their fandom from BYU or not, for whatever the reason, I say, Go! You were never a real fan anyway.

Being a fan is so much more than cheering for a team when they're winning. You bleed with your team. You feel, oh how you feel, all of the ups and all of the downs, with your team. But you stick by them. Even if you're not happy with them, you stick by them. You may call for things to shake up within the organization, you may be critical of them, you may even scream at them that their offense needs to play with heart like the defense (at least that guy isn't switching his allegiance, even if he is nuts). But the thing that remains is that you still cheer for your team. You still watch their games and you suffer when they lose.

And when they eventually come around again, and they will, you know they will, the satisfaction is so much more because you were with them in the trenches when things were terrible. The thrill of cheering for whoever is winning at the time has all the satisfaction of an imaginary spouse. It's nothing compared to a real relationship.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Play Calling

Far be it for me. I mean, I know very little about coaching and play calling. Maybe it's because I couldn't watch the game, so I listened to it on KSL and my opinion was influenced by Greg Wrubell and Mark Lyons.

Whatever.

Let me just say, let me declare right here once and for all, that I am a Cougar fan who would not complain if BYU reinvented itself this year as a power running offensive team.

Honestly, not a single complaint. They have a great offensive line, they are tough, and seem to really love driving defenders backward while Kariya pounds ahead for four or five yards. Granted that's not like Max Hall throwing his customary 50+ yard pass once or twice a game like we got used to watching over the past three years. That was exciting to watch. But you know what?

Four or five yards is freaking FOUR OR FIVE YARDS!!

I'm watching Wisconsin take on Ohio State right now. Ohio State, you know, the top ranked team nationally. Big favorites to win this game. Wisconsin is ahead by 11 points right now half way through the third quarter.

And they have got most of their offensive yardage by running the ball up the middle.

It works for them, and their offensive coordinator doesn't seem to mind calling the play many times over. Because, again, it's working for them. So why stop, right?

It's satisfying to watch a football team utilize something that works.

Unlike the BYU-TCU game earlier today.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Huzzah!

I like the coaches' t-shirts. They are very cool. I like the idea of a Band of Brothers. I hope this emotional charge stays with the Cougars.

I'm so glad they won this game today.

So glad.

Did I wear a BYU t-shirt under my work shirt?

Nope.

But that's not what made the difference. Coach Bronco Mendenhall made the difference, and the players believing in him made the difference.

And defense made the difference.

And running the ball up the middle consistently made the difference.

Whew!

Friday, October 1, 2010

I Know My Place

I try to convince myself that nothing that I do has any affect whatsoever on the success of the Cougars. I try to avoid using the term "we" when referring to the team. I am a fan, and that is all. Their success depends on coaching and execution, and things like that.

Not me.

I have made great strides in this area. In fact, today, I wore a BYU shirt underneath my work shirt to demonstrate my loyalty to the Cougars. I did this in spite of the fact that I have done the same thing for three of the four games this season.

What three games?

The last three.

You know, the ones we, no wait, the Cougars lost.

(I didn't do this on the day of the Washington game, but that's because I didn't go to work that day, so I couldn't have.)

So this morning, when getting dressed, I was sorely tempted not to put on a BYU t-shirt underneath my Seagull Book shirt. I mean, I was really considering it.

What if it is my fault that they lost those games? What if I could change the outcome of the game by changing my game day ritual?

This is the way fans think. Or at least the way this fan thinks.

But I threw caution to the wind, decided that even though the Cougars three straight losses this season came on days that I wore the white and blue underneath my garments of labor, that it really can't have anything to do with their performance on the field.

Right?

I'm right. I know I am. And tonight's game will prove as much.

That is, unless BYU loses, and then... well, let's just say I probably won't be dressing this way again for the rest of the season.