2nd Place Is The First Loser

Another season down, another second place finish. Don't get me wrong, if you would have asked me before the season where I thought Utah would end up, I would have told you somewhere between #15 and #25...and that was being optimistic. I should be overjoyed that the Utes finished ranked 2nd in the country. Ahead of USC, Texas, Oklahoma, and other powers nonetheless.

But I'm not.

I'm sick of second place. I am sick of being satisfied to just be there. It's an accomplishment, sure, but you know what? I want that championship. They say victory is made sweeter after the agony of defeat. Agony? Check. Cross it off my list. I don't know what it's like to have a team like the Celtics, Lakers, or Yankees be my team. In fact to be honest it must be quite lame. How can you truly enjoy a championship when it's just an expectation; nothing more? All I know is, when my time comes, it will be awesome.

So, in memory of the 2008-2009 Utah Utes football team, I am going to countdown the "Most Devastating 2nd Place Teams." 8 being the easiest to handle, 1 being the toughest. Here goes:

8) 1999 World Series

I had never lived in a city with a professional baseball team, but 1998 changed my fortunes when we moved to Atlanta. I adopted the Braves as my favorite baseball team when I was younger (I even wore a Braves uniform in my 2nd grade school picture, my mom was furious), but never felt validated as having them be "my team" since I never lived there. In fact I was more of an Indians fan up until this point (Therefore the Braves 1995 World Series win didn't mean much to me, other than the fact they beat the Indians to win it. Ah,the first 2nd place). But it's baseball, and I didn't really care until now. After going to several Braves games, I was hooked. Turner Field is an awesome place to watch a game, especially during the 90's when "America's Team" was a perennial power. 1999 had me going to many games, and witnessing the Braves rise up and become dominant, all the way to the World Series. Then they got swept. I was disappointed, feeling we really had a shot to win it all, but then again, it's just baseball. Thus, the reason this was the easiest to take.

7) 1999 Fiesta Bowl

When I was 8 years old, my grandma bought me a looney tunes shirt. I don't think she realized it at the time, but the shirt actually was a Florida State shirt, with the looney tunes characters wearing FSU football uniforms. I was instantly a fan. In 1999, a new system was put in place to supposively pit the two best teams in college football against each other in a "Championship Game" every year. They called it the BCS. The ever-smart computers decided to place Florida State and Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl, that year's championship game. Florida State was led by star receiver Peter Warrick and Kicker Sebastian Janikowski (Yes, a kicker can be a star). Florida State played terribly and Tennessee won the game. On that day, I promised myself I would never, ever, step foot in the state of Tennessee. Some good that did me. And don't you think it's a little ironic that even in the first season of the BCS I got screwed?

6) Super Bowl XXXIII

Living in Atlanta during the Falcons Super Bowl season was awesome. I attended several games that year, including possibly the biggest sporting event I ever witnessed live: The playoff win against the 49ers. The team was solid, and they were led by Jamal Anderson (A Ute nonetheless) and the ever-awesome dirty bird. I remember going to the mall and they would be having dirty bird dance-offs for Super Bowl tickets. After the stunning victory over the Niners, and the field goal to beat the Vikings, the Falcons were in the Big Game. That week at school was called "Football Week," and the Friday before the game we did nothing but play football and have games all day (Best day of school ever). Then the game came. Not only did the Falcons get smacked around by John Elway, Terrell Davis, and the defending champion Broncos, I lost $5 to my uncle Tim in a bet. Almost as devastating for a 13 year old.

5) 1997 NBA Finals

The Jazz made the Finals! For the first time in franchise history they actually made it. We all remember the 3-pointer Stockton hit to send them there against the Rockets. Amazing. Next up was Michael Jordan and the Bulls. Game 1, Jordan hit a game winning shot, a heartbreaker. But after 4 games the series was tied up 2-2. There was still hope to beat the unbeatable. Game 5 was Jordan's epic "flu game" in which he scored 38 points. The Jazz lost by 2. Game 6 back in Chicago was the clincher, with Steve Kerr hitting a huge shot to seal the win for the Bulls. No one expected the Jazz to win the series, I mean come on, they were playing the Bulls. But they fought hard, and I was proud. Disappointed, but satisfied. We would be back.

4) 1998 NCAA Championship Game

This was unexpected. Keith Van Horn had just left for the NBA and the season was supposed to be a step-back from the Elite Eight they had made the previous year. Led by Andre Miller and Michael Doleac, the Utes entered the tournament as a #3 seed. They destroyed San Fransisco and followed it by grinding out wins over Arkansas and West Virginia to reach the Elite Eight once again. This is where they met Mike Bibby and the #1 seeded Arizona Wildcats. No problem, a 25 point domination put the Utes in the Final Four. But this is where it must end. Next up: Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood, and #1 North Carolina. I had a basketball game the night of the Utah/UNC game and I remember playing terrible. My mind wasn't on my game, rather it was wondering how the Utes were doing against the Tar Heels. My dad came up to me at halftime and told me that Utah was up 15. I told him he was lying and just trying to get me to focus. He wasn't. Utah went on to knock of the Heels and set up the championship game against Kentucky. An improbable run, this team had to be a team of destiny. After beating Arizona & UNC, there was no way Kentucky would stop the Utes. Utah headed to halftime up 10, and it looked good. It was going to happen. Then the collapse. After the loss to Kentucky I was depressed. I didn't even go to school the next day. It was devastating. To get so close...then blow it the way they did. Anyways, on with the list.

3) 1998 NBA Finals

Jazz/Bulls Part 2. This time it was different. The Jazz had won both regular season matchups against the Bulls and headed into the Finals with homecourt advatage. Many experts picked the Jazz to win, thus the expectations were much higher than the previous year. This was only several months after the Utes lost to Kentucky, my heart couldn't handle another second place. The Jazz took Game 1 in overtime, a promising victory. Off to a good start right? That until the Bulls won the next 3 games. Game 5 was in Chicago and the Jazz were as good as dead. Malone put together a monster 39 point game, but Jordan had the ball, down by 2, seconds left. He rose up for the winning shot....clank. New life. With Games 6 and 7 back in Salt Lake, this was very doable for the Jazz. The Jazz up by 1, Karl Malone had the ball stripped by Jordan with 17 seconds left. He dribbled the clock down, made his move (gave a little shove), and then:

I was at my grandma's house when this happened. In the back room. Luckily no one else was there to see me cry.

2) 2008-2009 Utah Football

I had always felt cursed, that the Sports Gods had some bone to pick with me. "We'll let his team get close, then make them lose" is what I always pictured them whispering to each other in some dark alley in Sport's Heaven. So many times up until this point I had gotten so close to tasting the sweet fruits of victory, and so many times I had been denied right at the gate of the tree. But this took it to a new level. This is just wrong. Only in college football could I go an entire season without feeling the sting of defeat, yet still have it rip my heart out at the end. I guess merely losing championship games got old. I bet the council went something to this effect: "How about this...let's let Utah go undefeated, beat 4 top 25 teams, and have them finish 2nd, to a team that only beat 3 top 25 teams, and lost a game." Brilliant. That would really tick Steve Evans off.

Mission accomplished.

1) 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals

Okay, okay, so it's not the NBA Finals, but anyone who knows anything about basketball knows this was the real championship. The NBA Finals that year was just the after-party, the parade, the skills competition. The Lakers and Kings were fiercest of rivals during the early part of the decade. That matched with the fierce Travis/Steve rivalry made this series one for the ages. Shaq's "Queens," the cowbells, the fist to Fox's face, what a great time to be a sports fan. The King's took the first 2 out of 3 games heading into game 4 in Los Angeles. The games were highly intense and tempers often flared.

As game 4 was winding down, the Kings were clinging to a two point lead. Dinner was ready and calls for the TV to be turned off were becoming intimidating. Fact is, I didn't care. I was watching the rest of this game even if it meant I was grounded for the rest of the summer. Under my breath I remember muttering, "If Kobe hits a game-winning 3 I swear I will fly to LA and kill him." This was game 4, a win for the Kings meant a 3-1 series lead, a most definite insurmountable lead. This was for the championship. Right before the inbound pass, I changed my mind. "If anyone was to make it, it would be Robert Horry" I told my dad. The shot....miss....the tip in....miss....Divac's swat....Robert Horry's 3....ball game....the remote in my hand....the wall....my dad...."#*&@*&*!"

Game 5 was much better, the tables turned and this time it was my main man Mike Bibby who knocked down the game winning shot. The Kings were up 3-2 heading into game 6 and the title was in reach. That is until Tim Donaghy and his gang awarded the Lakers 27, yes 27, free throws in the 4th quarter to hand the Lakers the game on a silver platter. Sure it was in the NBA's best interest to have the series go 7 games, but not mine. Game 7 was a classic. 19 lead changes. 16 ties. This game was as close as they come, that is until Mike Bibby's face got a little too close to Kobe Bryant's elbow, fouling it in the final seconds of overtime to wrap up the win for the Lakers. It was brutal. By far the most heartbreaking of them all.

But then again, there's always next year...

More about Utah

Sometimes I love Rick Reilly. Sometimes I hate Rick Reilly. How I feel about him is quite uncertain, but one thing is certain, he is Rick Reilly, and his opinion matters. He is known as "the back page columnist" for Sports Illustrated. In the most popular sports magazine of all time, he was it's most permanent (23 years) and visible (back page) fixture . He has won the national "Sportswriter of the Year" award 11 times. He has 6 articles in the Best American Sports Writing anthology.

The man knows sports.

I remember when Rick Majerus and the Utah basketball program was fined and put on probation by the NCAA. Majerus admitted to taking Keith Van Horn out to dinner...to tell him his father had died. He once bought Andre Miller $30 worth of groceries...because he hadn't eaten for days. What a rule-breaking heathen of a coach. Good thing the NCAA brought justice to the criminal by smacking him with a "year without pay" and taking away "3 scholarships for the next 7 years." The story didn't get much publicity, but someone had our backs. That man was Rick Reilly.

His satirical article, Corrupting Our Utes, brought to light just how ridiculous the NCAA had become, all-the-while backing the quality and integrity of the University of Utah. I remember exactly where I was when I read that masterpiece (The laundry room in our Sandy, Utah house). Someone from Sports Illustrated actually cared about the Utes? And Rick Reilly wrote about them? Awesome.

Well guess who's back? Read it and weep, BCS!

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Life of Reilly

Oklahoma and Florida can battle for the BCS. But we've already crowned the true national champ.

by Rick Reilly

The Utes trampled Alabama to complete a perfect season. How are they not national champions?

Some gifts people give are pointless: Styling mousse to Dick Vitale. An all-you-can-eat card to Kate Moss. The BCS Championship given to Oklahoma or Florida.

It means nothing because the BCS has no credibility. Florida? Oklahoma? Who cares? Utah is the national champion.

The End. Roll credits.

Argue with this, please. I beg you. Find me anybody else that went undefeated. Thirteen-and-zero. Beat four ranked teams. Went to the Deep South and seal-clubbed Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The same Alabama that was ranked No. 1 for five weeks. The same Alabama that went undefeated in the regular season. The same Alabama that Florida beat in order to get INTO the BCS Championship game in the first place.

FIND ME ANYBODY ELSE THAT WENT UNDEFEATED. THIRTEEN-AND-ZERO. BEAT FOUR RANKED TEAMS. WENT TO THE DEEP SOUTH AND SEAL-CLUBBED ALABAMA IN THE SUGAR BOWL.

Yeah, that's how it is now in the shameful, money-grubbing world of college football. If you're Florida and you beat Alabama, you get a seat in the title game. If you're Utah, you get a seat on your sofa.

Hey, remind me: What do they give out for one of those BCS things anyway? It's been so long since I cared. Something from Sears? This is the sixth year in the past 10 that the title has been in dispute under this cash-grab, fan-dis, monopoly that the BCS has created. Which is why the title game just doesn't matter anymore. It's like being named Miss Ogallala. Or Best Amish Electrician.

Just take a look at the teams that think they're worthy of being called national champs:

USC? Great year. Wonderful. Let's all go to SkyBar and celebrate. But it lost to Oregon State, a team Utah beat.

Texas? You think beating Ohio State by a nubby three points gets you the title? The Big Ten was 1-6 in bowl games! That's like pinning David Spade!

Florida and Oklahoma? They lost. Utah never did.

So that's it. Utah is the national champion. The Utes should probably have two now, actually. They went undefeated in 2004, too, and their coach still thinks they were the best team in the land. Smart fella named Urban Meyer. Coaches Florida now.

By the way, we're calling our title the "national" championship because it actually includes the whole nation­—all 119 Division I schools—unlike the BCS, which includes 66. Yeah, the BCS somehow eliminated the middleman—the NCAA. The conferences these schools play in take their dump trucks full of cash straight from the TV networks and fairness can go suck a lemon.

The Utes won't get the trophy they really deserve, so we gave them one of our own design.

Do me a favor. Call Ohio State president Gordon Gee and ask him why he won't support a playoff. He's one of the most powerful presidents in the NCAA. He could get it done. If he says anything other than, "We don't want to share the loot" then you know he's lying his bow tie off.

"This is not how we normally do things in America," says Utah president Michael Young. "In America, quality usually wins, not conspiracy. And there's a reason people usually enter into a conspiracy. It's money. You make money doing it. And those that are in on the conspiracy want to stay in and keep everybody else out."

Sure, BCS blowhards will hand you schlock about how the college football season is like a playoff, how it's an elimination tournament every week. Really? Well, how come Florida and Oklahoma weren't eliminated with their losses? Utah ran the table, beat everybody set in front of them, including Ala-damn-bama in no less than the Sugar Bowl, and gets the bagel.

Oh, by the way? It was Utah's eighth straight bowl win, the nation's longest streak. Among the losers during that run? Let's see USC, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, and now the legendary Houndstooth Hats.

"What else do we have to prove?" asks Utah's magical quarterback, Brian Johnson. Good question. He and the Utes essentially whipped Alabama at home. Handed Nick Saban a garlic necklace to wear the entire offseason. Stepped on his team's neck 21-0 in the first three possessions and never looked back. Let's see. Who was it that was losing to Alabama until nearly six minutes into the fourth quarter? Oh, yeah. Florida.

What, you want the Utes to win a spelling bee? Make a prize-winning souffle? Knock up Angelina Jolie? What?

It just slays me. It really does.

Call Myles Brand, president of the asleep-at-the-wheel NCAA, and ask him if he and his greedy presidents are going to stand in defiance of president-elect Barack Obama, who wants a playoff and wants it yesterday.

Ask Brand what he's going to do if Obama starts asking the Justice Department to look into anti-trust hearings against the BCS. The Utah attorney general has already launched an investigation into that very thing. Or ask him what he'll do if Obama asks the Department of Education to consider withholding federal funds from these schools that have entered into this secret club called the BCS. You don't think playing in the title game means millions in general-fund donations for a school? That's as unfair as anything Title IX fought against.

Until all these people do the right thing, I'll be celebrating with the true national champions — the undefeated, untied Utah Utes. (Our new slogan: Utahk about a team!)

Lemonades for everybody!

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No question, Utah is the national champion

Reasons The Utes Are #1

"While watching the Sugar Bowl the other night, I found myself wondering what a Ute was. Now I know. A Ute is a member of the No. 1 college football team in the nation."
-David Climer • THE TENNESSEAN

"I am writing to urge you -- no, implore you -- to cast your final ballot of the season with one team and one only team ranked No. 1: the University of Utah."
-John Feinstein • WASHINGTON POST

"I can’t see myself putting anyone other than Utah at the top of my final ballot."
-Tom Keegan • LAWRENCE JOURNAL

"If I were the king of college football, I would decree Utah the national champion and declare Thursday's supposed championship Game between Florida and Oklahoma to be moot."
- Mike Bianchi • ORLANDO SENTINEL

Utah is the only undefeated team in the country


This should be reason enough. I mean come on, out of 119 teams, only 1 went undefeated. Sure there are several teams that only lost one game that are being considered, but they lost. Utah didn't.

"All are fine teams (Oklahoma, Florida, USC, Texas) that have had outstanding seasons. They have, however, one thing that Utah does not have. A loss. All of us know that in competition anyone -- whether an individual or a team -- who does not lose once is the champion. It's really pretty simple: If no one beats you, then you are the winner. You are No. 1. You go home with the first-place trophy. " -JF

"All the Utes did was line up and beat every team on their schedule, including ranked opponents TCU, BYU and Alabama." -DC

"Utah is the only undefeated team in the country. Period. Case closed. Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Southern Cal all have one loss. They have no argument." -MB

They played a quality schedule, and the MWC had a strong year

You know it's coming, the strength of schedule argument. Many will say that if a team like Utah played in a BCS conference, there is no way they go undefeated. While BCS conferences typically are superior top to bottom most years, this year has been an exception. In fact the Big (L)East and ACC were so horrid, they don't even get consideration here.

The SEC was tough at times, but definitely vulnerable. Just look what Utah did to Alabama. They were ranked #1 longer than any other team this season (5 weeks) and were half a quarter from the title game. Utah didn't just beat them, they completely overpowered them. Wyoming even beet Tennessee in Knoxville. Wyoming.

USC lost to Oregon State. Utah beat Oregon State. The Mountain West had a great out-of-conference record and had 3 teams finish in the Top 16 of the final BCS standings. Of all the BCS conferences, only the PAC-10 had a remarkably good bowl record (5-0). The Mountain West went 6-1 against the PAC-10 during the regular season.

The Big Ten went 1-6 in bowl games. We all know how Big Ten champ Penn State looked against USC in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State took Texas to the end, but that doesn't mean anything. Ohio State always loses bowl games. All that game did was validate the weakness of Texas.

Ah the Big 12. Ohio "BCS game loser extraordinaire" State took Texas to the final 16 seconds. The same Texas that beat Okla- "Championship Game" -homa had to squeak out a win over a team that finished 2nd in a 1-6 bowl conference. Texas lost to Texas Tech. But TT lost to Ole Miss...who lost to Alabama, but beat Florida. What a mess. In a season where everyone seems to beat everyone, how could one ever decide who the best team is? (See Reason #1)


"The Utes went 4-0 against teams that finished the regular season in the AP Top 25. The victories came against No. 4 Alabama, No. 11 TCU, No. 17 Brigham Young and No. 24 Oregon State." -TK

"The Utes have beaten four top 25 teams this season; Florida has beaten two." -MB

"The MWC was 25-11 in all games against non-conference opponents and 6-1 against teams from the Pac-10" -Josh Peter • YAHOO SPORTS

Common Sense

Just look at it this way. Let's say for example, TEAM ANONYMOUS, is being considered for the championship. Let's check their credentials:


a) Out of 119 teams, they were the only one that didn't lose. Everyone else lost. They didn't. Got it?

b) They beat 4 teams in the Top 25 (5 if you count rankings at the time the game was played)

c) They beat 2 Top 10 teams

d) They dominated the team which held the #1 spot longer than anyone else all season, in a location where the other team held a dominant home-field advantage.

e) Their conference, which they obviously won, was arguably the 3rd best in the country, going 25-11 in all out-of-conference games. 2-0 against the SEC. 7-2 against the Pac-10.

If TEAM ANONYMOUS' name had been revealed to be USC, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, or Florida...or even Baylor, Iowa State, or Duke (Yes, they all play in BCS conferences), this team would be the undisputed, no questions asked, absolute National Champion.

But it's not.

This team is Utah. Utah. The only team since the BCS's inception to have gone undefeated twice. Winners of the Fiesta and Sugar Bowls. Winners of 8 straight bowls for that matter. Owners of the nation's longest active winning streak. Holders of the best record against non-conference BCS opponents (17-10). No matter what any computer, coach, or media member has to offer, here's to the real 2009 National Champions: The Utah Utes.

This shouldn't be the only trophy being hoisted this year to say "2009 Champions"

I hear ya

Sure then, since Trav wants to use this as debate, I'm all for it. I see what you are saying, Like I posted over on your blog, I am excited about this year's team and ready to get the domination back on track like those great 92 and 96 teams. And you know what, you are right, as it stands the 96 team is better than the team we have just assembled.

As of now.

Would you say that a team consisting of Gary Payton, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, and Shaq is better than Chauncey Billups, A young Tayshaun Prince (Your Christian Laettner), and Rasheed Wallace? You know where this is going.

When you look at it on paper, of course those 04 Lakers were more talented then the Pistons, but around the time when the Pistons got up 40 in that game 5 to win the series, it dawned on me. Team basketball is how championships are won. Your comparison matches individuals, not the collective team.

Now Trav, of course we're talking Olympic basketball here, and the 96 team was incredible. An assembly of basketball gods. But unless that team and this year's team somehow meet in the afterlife (And we'd have courtside tickets my man), we'll never know which team is "better". Like I said, the competition is improved, and only time will tell how great the 08 squad really is.

And one more thing, you wrote, and I quote, "John Stockton is the greatest point guard of all-time..." Dude, Trav, whatever happened to those week-long Magic/Stockton arguments? Have you conceded?

Team USA

The Olympics start on August 8th and I am super excited. It is by far my most favorite sporting event that the world has to offer, and it is because the whole world is offering it. I mean where or when else can we have members from all cultures, countries, and races come together peacefully? It is a nice relief from wars and differences that separate and divide the Earth every day. Sure there will be many political rallies and opportunities for debate and divide, but it is in the spirit of friendly competition that the games are set.

With that said, I hope Team USA puts the "friendly" competition aside and puts a good ole' fashioned American Beatdown at the Olympics. I have a lot of pride for my sports teams, and more importantly for my country. It doesn't matter if I am watching ice dancing or boxing, I always cheer for our team. We as Americans are a prideful people, we believe we are better than everyone, and that is why a lot of countries despise us. I think our USA pride gets us a bad rep. But let's face it, there are certain things we are just dang good at and no other country comes close. I'm not saying we are "better" than any other country when it comes to something such as culture or tradition because individuality is what makes this world so great. But when it comes to one thing, no one should be able to touch us. You know what I'm talking about.

Basketball.

Bronze? Are you kidding me? How do we get anything but the gold in basketball? 2004 was an embarrasment. We lost more games (3) in that one Olympics than all previous Olympics combined, and that dates back to 1936. I will not accept that Argentina won the gold, or Italy won the silver. We lost those medals. Arguments have been made like, "Well those countries practice together year round and the US only gets a month." I don't care. On any give night, Team USA could be assembled, and should go out and beat any team the world can put together. They shouldn't even have to practice. The fact is that the team we had in 2004 just didn't care. That needs to change.

Upon receiving news that knee surgery was imminent, Yao Ming had to choose between missing the Olympics or the NBA Playoffs. Not even thinking twice, Yao stated that playing for his country was much more important than playing in the NBA.

How many Americans would do that? What happened to the pride of being able to stand together and listen to the Star Spangled Banner with gold medals around their necks? Today's players are more concerned with money and status. Or concerned about getting an injury that could jeopardize future money and status. Just go play the game, and be proud.

With all this said, the team we have put together this year is probably the best since the 92 dream team, which was the greatest team ever assembled, with one exception (Sorry Christian Laettner...but you know). Just for the fun of it, did you know that the 92 Dream Team won every game by an average margin of 43.8. Coach Chuck Daly never even used a timeout. There is no reason why we should lose a game this summer, no reason why we shouldn't win by an average of at least 3o.

Let's take a look at the team.

With a team this star-studded, the playing time between starters and non-starters will be pretty equal so it shouldn't make much difference. This is how I see the depth chart:

Starters:
G: Chris Paul
G: Kobe Bryant
F: Lebron James
F: Carmelo Anthony
C: Dwight Howard

Bench:
Dwyane Wade
Chris Bosh
Deron Williams
Tayshaun Prince
Michael Redd
Jason Kidd
Carlos Boozer

Black Uniforms

Football season is rapidly approaching. Yeah, I wish. Still a little over two months to go, but a whole lot better figuring it's been over six months since the bowl game. A while back I wrote an article on the evolution of Utah's uniforms. Remember it? Amazing huh? Anyways, at the end I tried to photoshop an idea for the new rumored "all black" uniforms. Well, check out what I found. This is supposively from the new NCAA 08 video game, and it has the Utes in an alternate, black uniform.


It's okay BYU, you can cry. Or do you want to wait until after the game?

2nd Round Predictions

Alright so the first round is pretty much over as of now, the only game left being a game 7 between Atlanta and Boston...yep, game 7. During the regular season, Atlanta went 37-45, Boston went 66-16. 7 Games. Amazing. The home team has won every game in that series and unless some sort of divine intervention happens, Boston will finally get their act together, and finally dispose of the Hawks Sunday afternoon. But, tomorrow kicks off the start of the second round for 4 teams, so I have to get these predictions rolling. I'm just going to presume Boston will win Sunday and roll with that...if Atlanta wins, well then I will have to edit this later.

Lets take a look at how I did in the first round...

So when the Celtics win Sunday, I will be 8-for-8 on my first round predictions. All the top seeds advancing. However, I only got two series right on with my series-length predictions, both the Cavs and Jazz winning in six. Both my sweep predictions ended up being the only series to be tied 2-2, but lets be honest, who thought the Sixers would win two and that the Hawks would even win a game? I was shocked at how easy the Hornets beat up the Mavs...and so was Mark Cuban. Goodbye Avery Johnson. I thought Denver would win one, but no surprise they got swept. I also thought the Suns would be a little better too, but the Spurs are the Spurs. Were there any other series? Oh yeah, the East. Who cares.

2nd Round Match-Ups and Predictions


Eastern Conference

(1) Boston Celtics (When they win)
(4) Cleveland Cavaliers

So, assuming the Celtics win, I am sure they will be glad to finally get rid of the Hawks. I still think they are the best team in the East, they are definately the most talented team. The tough opening series with the Hawks could either do two things for Boston. 1) Wake them up and remind them that this is the playoffs, and anything can happen, so get out there and come to play every night. -or- 2) Show the league that Boston is vulnerable and expose their weaknesses. I think that #1 is the more likely scenario. I don't think Cleveland has the collective firepower alongside Lebron to expose Boston enough to win the series. Boston is a mature team and will be more focused. Cleveland just didn't look very in-sync at times against Washington and that will continue, and be more evident, against a better team in the Celtics. Lebron will win a game or two for his team, but that's about it.

Boston in 6


(2) Detroit Pistons
(3) Orlando Magic

After watching the Pistons lose a couple in Philly, I began to question this team. They have the same basic core as when they were champions, but they didn't seem to have the same desire. I blame Flip Saunders. He looks lost sometimes when the team needs him to draw up quality plays down the stretch in close games, and his name is Flip. However, the Pistons are too talented to let him personally lose this series. Plus they completely dominated the Sixers the last two games like they should have. The Magic are a good team. Young and still developing, but not yet mature and experienced enough to take out Detroit. The centerpiece is in place for a good future, and Dwight Howard will dominate several games in the paint, but it won't be enough. Pistons just have two many steady and consistent weapons.

Pistons in 6


Western Conference

(1) Los Angeles Lakers
(4) Utah Jazz

This will be fun. The Lakers are playing great basketball and the first round was a breeze, but who in the West wouldn't have swept the Nuggets right now? It didn't really tell us anything new about LA, except that they continue to consistently win games they should. The Jazz on the other hand are very inconsistent. During the season, they lost to Minnesota one night, and beat Boston by 18 the next. They beat the Rockets twice in Houston, and then lost at home for just the fifth time all year. This series' outcome is 100% contingent on which Jazz team shows up. The Lakers will be the Lakers. We know they're a great team. The Jazz are a great team too, sometimes. If they want to beat the Lakers, they need to be great every game. I think the Jazz can win, I really do. The problem is, I think the Lakers will win. In my opinion, this series is a toss-up. But with homecourt belonging to LA and their consistently good play, they are the logically correct, but painful, choice.

Lakers in 7



(2) New Orleans Hornets
(3) San Antonio Spurs

This series will be interesting. The Hornets gained some good experience during the first round, but now the real test begins. It's playoff time, and that means the Spurs have flipped the switch which turns them from a good team into a championship team. Every year. It will be very hard for the Hornets to win this series. Tony Parker will play Chris Paul a lot tougher and quicker than old-man Kidd (no pun intended), and maybe even Bowen will get in on the act as well. Add Ginobili and Duncan to the mix..how does New Orleans counter? I don't think they have the talent and their lack of experience will finally catch up. Homecourt doesn't matter against the Spurs either. The Spurs owned the Suns, and the Suns are much more talented then the Hornets. The Hornets have proved me wrong before, but I am pretty confident it won't happen this time.

Spurs in 6

You Learn Something New Every Day

I was browsing ESPN.com just checking out if their were any articles worth reading today and I was reminded of something that confused me. The NHL playoffs are going on right now but I have never really been into hockey before so I know very little about it. I occasionally watch a Stanley Cup Finals game or two if nothing else is on, but that is about the extent of my interest the NHL gets. I also went to an Olympic Hockey Game in 2002, Czech Republic vs. Sweden, and I went to the first ever Atlanta Thrashers game. I may be a complete idiot when it comes to the game, but I understand enough to know that the team in Montreal is called the Canadiens.

But everywhere I look and whenever I hear something about them on TV, they are called the Habs. And why do they have an "H" in their logo? Is their a correlation between the two?

It made absolutely no sense to me, until now, after some research. I had to get to the bottom of this. If you know me I hate not knowing the answer to something, and I especially hate not knowing the answer to a sports question So, here is today's entry of "You Learn Something New Every Day"

Montreal is in Quebec, and the official language of Quebec is French. Thus, the official name of the Canadiens is "Le Club de Hockey Canadien" but a common nickname for the team among the locals is "Les Habitants." Les Habitants refers to the French settlers who farmed the land between the St. Lawrence Gulf and the St. Lawrence River, in what is now Quebec. The Habitants referred to themselves and others of French Canadian origin as "habs." The nickname died off in the early 20th century giving way to the more popularly used term "agriculteur" which simply means "farmer."

I always wondered why the Canadiens had the letter "H," on their logo inside the "C." With my newfound knowledge I figured it simply stood for "Habs" or "Habitants." But that in fact is not true. The "H" in fact just stands for "Hockey." So there you have it, the mystery of the term "Habs" and the mystery of the logo's "H," all solved in one day!

2008 NBA Playoffs

Now that the season is officially over and the playoff bracket is set, I can make my predictions for the first round. The seeding came down to a couple game 82's in the West and after a predictable night, playoff pairings settled into where most thought they would be. At first glance, the East is pretty predictable, at least we all know who will be in the East Finals. But I'll do my best at who I think will get through the first round. The West on the other hand bunches 5 or 6 teams all with a legitimate shot at getting to the Finals because for good teams in the playoffs, which the West is full of, anything can happen. So, for the fun of it, and I think this is a lot of fun, here are my first round picks:

Eastern Conference


(1) Boston Celtics
(8) Atlanta Hawks

I think that the Celtics and the Pistons should just play a 21 game series for the Eastern Conference title. Just get all of these meaningless 1st and 2nd round series out of the way. But unfortunately, that's not how it works. So, I bring you my analysis of this match up between the Hawks and Celtics. Celtics = really good. Hawks = Not really bad. Hey give credit where it's due. The Hawks are back in the playoffs after taking a ten year break. (Thank you Eastern Conference). The Celtics are arguably the best in the league, backed up by the league's best overall record and a 25-5 record against the West. This series will be an intriguing, intense, gritty, tough it out, hard fought battle for both teams. Just kidding.

Celtics in 4.


(4) Cleveland Cavaliers
(5) Washington Wizards

These teams meet again for the third straight postseason. You think that would make for a great and epic playoff rivalry (ex. Lakers and Kings). But if you were thinking that, you thought wrong. There have been some exciting games in the past, but for the most part this match up has been irrelevant. The Cavs have Lebron of course, so you can never completely count them out. Plus the addition of Big Ben in the middle gives them championship experience and some added defense. They were in the NBA Finals last year, but if I remember correctly they were also in the East last year, so that doesn't mean much. The Wizards have done a commendable job getting this far without Gilbert Arenas for most of the season and should be pleased with a playoff appearance. A win or two would be icing on the cake.

Cavs in 6.


(3) Orlando Magic
(6) Toronto Raptors

This series could be closer than most people think. But the reality is, most people will forget this series is even happening. I mean get real, one team is from Disney World and the other is from Canada. If you need a reason for caring however, the match up between Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh will be awesome. Both teams have legitimate young talent and some highlights are bound to be made. But other than that, check out this series to see who will lose to the Pistons in the second round. My bet is on the Magic.

Magic in 6.


(2) Detroit Pistons
(7) Philadelphia 76ers

This series is a no brainer. The fact that the Sixers are in the playoffs should be reward enough for Philly. My vote goes to Andre Miller for Most Improved Player...or more like the award for Most Under Appreciated Player Until Now. He has singlehandedly got the Sixers to the 7th seed. But the Pistons are the Pistons. Too much experience, depth, and talent. Not much needed to be said here. Bring out the brooms.

Pistons in 4.

Western Conference

(1) Los Angeles Lakers
(8) Denver Nuggets

This series in my opinion is the most predictable in the West. The Lakers are playing great basketball lately with Pau Gasol and it's almost disgusting how smooth his transition from the Grizzlies to the Lakers went. In fact, that whole trade was disgusting to everyone outside of LA and Pocatello, Idaho. If Andrew Bynum can work his way back into the lineup nicely during the playoffs, this might be the team to beat. The Nuggets have to play flawless basketball in order to put up anything resembling a fight. They are a streaky team and when they're on they are good, plus Iverson is a fighter. But, possibly the only thing they will leave this series with is another Carmelo DUI.

Lakers in 5.


(4) Utah Jazz
(5) Houston Rockets

By virtue of winning the Northwest Division, the Jazz get the #4 seed although the Rockets finished with a better record and will have homecourt advantage. The Jazz match up well with the Rockets and seem to be in their heads. With homecourt advantage this series would be a lock for the Jazz, who finished with a league best 37-4 record at home. But the Jazz will have to steal a road game in Houston in order to move on to the second round. The Rockets have come back to Earth since tearing off a 22 game winning streak. The absence of Yao Ming and a definite inside game will hurt them in the playoffs. If they get hot from the three point line, they have a chance. But, I see this series going to the Jazz like last year.

Jazz in 6.


(3) San Antonio Spurs
(6) Phoenix Suns

The Suns have been playing great basketball lately and the Shaq trade looks better every game. The Suns still have a top point guard in Steve Nash and a superstar in the making Amare Stoudemire. They pose difficult matchups for a lot of teams because of their ability to play both an up-tempo and half court game. But, unfortunately for the Suns, so can the Spurs. Tim Duncan is getting old, but Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili more than make up for his age. And I mean come on, he is still Tim Duncan, and the Spurs still are the defending Champions. I see this series being very fast at times and very slow at times, but ultimately, the Spurs will grind it out when the games get down and dirty.

Spurs in 6.


(2) New Orleans Hornets
(7) Dallas Mavericks

Normally you would think the #2 seed would have the distinct advantage in this series, but this year I don't find that to be the case. Dallas seems to have finally got things in working order since the Jason Kidd trade and might be gelling at the right time. However, I can't discredit the season the Hornets are having. They finished #2 in the West for a reason, they win games. They are collectively young and inexperienced in the playoffs, but I think Chris Paul and friends will continue past the first round, albeit a tough and grueling series.

Hornets in 7.

Playoff Sechedule

Yankee Stadium

I have few regrets in life. For the most part I have made good decisions and been able to avoid disasters that bad choices can sometimes produce. I try to look at past decisions that maybe were not the smartest and use them as examples to learn for the future. Mark Hoppus sang "The past is only the future with the lights on," and I think that if I look at past mistakes as stepping stones for the knowledge I have today, then it's easy to not have any regrets.

With all of this however, I do have a regret. After living in New York City I never went to a game at Yankee Stadium. Now I know what you are thinking, "How can a Braves fan even think about stepping foot in such a terrible place?" Well, if you know me you've learned that I am a sucker for the hometown team. Think about it. All of my favorite teams are from places I lived. While living in NYC I met the craziest, die hard fans I have ever met. I loved it. So, I had to pick a team and my choices were either the Yankees or the Mets. While the Yankees have given the Braves problems in recent World Series, I could never lower my standards and become a fan of the Mets who are a division rival.

So I went and did this:

It was tough at first and I think I actually suffered some brain damage and hair loss as a result, but I bought a Yankees cap (not hat, I learned the hard way). Look at me, I look confused and scared, maybe even a little cold, but it wasn't because I was in a busy Times Square at night. Luckily, over time I got used to wearing the NY on my head and believe I have made a full recovery.

Now that I had this new cap and a new team to cheer for, I figured I better go to a game, and what's better than seeing the Yankees game at historic Yankee Stadium? So, I began to petition the idea of a "Day at the Ballpark" with those I knew. No one bit.

I know baseball is not the most exciting form of entertainment known to man. And believe me I would choose to go to a football or basketball game over baseball any day. But come on! This is Yankee Stadium. This is like visiting a national monument! Only this national monument is being torn down at the end of this season to make way for the "New Yankee Stadium." No one would go with me, they just hated baseball more than they wanted hot dogs on a July afternoon at the park. I should have manned up and just went by myself, but I never did, and now most likely never will get the chance.

Is it worth a trip to New York this summer? I'm not sure. Chances are it's not happening. So I figured I could write a little bit about the history of Yankee Stadium. And maybe, just maybe, I can learn from this past mistake and seize any opportunity that grand next time it comes around.

History Lesson: Yankee Stadium

In 1900, plans were made to add another team to New York City, but the existing National League New York Giants wouldn't let it happen. Western League President Ban Johnson decided to form a team, placed it in Baltimore, named them the Orioles, and began play in Baltimore's Oriole Park. Soon after learning of the newly founded team not far down the road, the Giants began to steal players from the Orioles. After a lot of tension, a "peace conference" was held (although their relationship stayed pretty nasty) and Oriole owners Frank Farrell and William Devery moved the team to New York as originally planned.

The Yankees joined the American League and moved to their new home, Hilltop Park (because it was built on the highest point of Manhattan), not far from the Giants' stadium, Polo Grounds. The Orioles were renamed the Highlanders, a reference to their park's location. The Highlanders had a home of their own until 1911, when Polo Grounds burned down. The Highlanders allowed the Giants to share Hilltop during the reconstruction of Polo Grounds.

In 1913 the new Polo Grounds was completed along the Harlem River, and since the relationship between the two teams had grown better, they shared the bigger and better facility. As a result of the move, the nickname 'Higlanders' no longer applied and the team became known as the 'Yankees.' Farrell and Devery both were in need of money, and decided to sell the team to Colonel Jacob Ruppert and Captain Tillinghast L. Hommedieu Huston. Ruppert had inherited a brewery fortune and thus had the money to support the Yankees with big time funds. This led to the Yankees being able to buy Babe Ruth from the Red Sox for $100,000 in 1920.

The acquisition of Babe Ruth enabled the Yankees to develop plans for their own stadium and avoid a possible eviction from Polo Grounds at the hands of the now less-popular Giants. Plans were made for a $2.5 million stadium, a huge financial risk for the owners. The stadium design called for 60,000 seats, nearly double the average of other stadiums at the time. Doubters speculated that New York City could not support a stadium that size due to the fact that the city had 2 other teams (Brooklyn Dodgers and the Giants).

Many locations were scouted including 137th Street and Amsterdam Ave. in Manhattan, West Side Manhattan, and Queens. The owners settled on a 10 acre lumberyard not far from Coogan's Bluff in the Bronx and purchased it for $600,000. Construction began on May 5, 1922 and finished less than a year later. So, after several years of playing home games at Oriole Park, Hilltop Park, and Polo Grounds, the Yankees finally had a permanent home. The first game played at Yankee Stadium was an April 18, 1923 defeat of the rival Red Sox 4-1, with Babe Ruth hitting the stadium's first ever home run. The Yankees also went on to win the World Series in the stadium's inaugural season (The first of 26).

Baseball stadiums at the time were all known as parks, fields, or grounds. Due to the massive size of the Yankees new park, it was called a "stadium." The term "stadium" referred to the Ancient Greece measurement of a footrace, thus Stadiums were the buildings that housed these footraces. Yankee Stadium was the first "three tiered" sports facility in America and housed the first ever electronic scoreboard. The original capacity was 58,000. Nonetheless, the opening game somehow managed to fit 74,217 with over 25,000 turned away. It wasn't rare for attendance to exceed 80,000.

Renovations in the mid 30's replaced wood with concrete. The second and third decks were extended around the foul poles, and the green colored exterior was painted white. During the 70's another massive renovation occurred. The 118 columns supporting the upper decks were removed, new lights were installed, the famous copper frieze (fans call it the facade) was extended around the entire stadium, a new upper concourse was constructed, the press box was expanded, the dimensions were narrowed (now allowing monument park to be out of the field of play), and several other attributes were added or modified.


All in all, this is the Yankee Stadium we see today. But the new stadium will be finished by next season and this landmark will be torn down. Although most of the new stadium will look exactly the same, and elements of the old stadium will be physically transferred, it won't quite be the same.

New Yankee Stadium

Quickly, Baseball is here

So, baseball season has started and once again that really excites me. Not really because baseball has actually started, but because it means the weather is getting nicer. This year however, I am going to try and be a better Braves fan and follow them much more closely than I have since I moved from Atlanta. I feel good about the team this year and think we can take the NL East back. The two year drought has been agonizing, especially after winning the division 14 years in a row. The Phillies and Mets will be tough to beat out, but I like our chances.

Although I don't think the Braves will win it all this year like Jayson Stark believes, I do agree that the team's play will turn some heads. I just wish we could go back to the old "Laughing Indian" logo.

Now that would turn some heads! Go Braves!

New Uniforms

So the Utes have new uniforms for the upcoming season. One thing that has always frustrated me, or should I say confused me, is that the football and basketball teams seem to switch the uniforms every couple of years. It's not unusual for teams, especially in college sports, to always be changing things up. But the big time programs like Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida State, USC, and several others have kept the same uniform design for years, with the exception of a wrinkle here or there. I believe this just adds to the tradition and aura of these programs...it's why they remain elite year after year. For example, check Notre Dame:


<--- Here is the uniform worn by Notre Dame's Joe Montana in the mid 70's

And here is the current Notre Dame uniform worn by Brady Quinn --->

You see, hardly any difference. I love it. But, to say that the Utes have a tradition as rich as any of those major college football teams would be wishful thinking. So for now, I figure we look for a uniform that works and when we do get one, stick with it. After all, I guess some pretty big names in college football also change it up quite a bit, such as Miami and Oregon.

So, I figured to celebrate the history and tradition of Utah football, we would take a look at some of the uniforms the team has sported over the years.

The year: 1930








Leather helmets with long knit sweaters. Wish it wasn't in black and white so we could see the sweater design in color. Nonetheless...classic old-school.


The year: 1939




















The Utes (white sweaters and dark pants) defeated New Mexico 26-0 in the '39 Sun Bowl, their first bowl game victory. Note the use of block numbers on the sweaters instead of the fancy design used 9 years previous.


The year: 1964

















The Utes, pictured here in their 1964, 32-6 Liberty Bowl defeat of West Virginia, are wearing the dark jerseys with gray pants. Instead of leather, the use of a hard football helmet which appears to be white, is worn by the Utes. Most visible is the snazzy block U cheerleader outfits.

The year: 1973


Arizona State, riding a 12 game winning streak and ranked 8th in the country, was defeated in Salt Lake City 36-31 by the Utes in these uniforms. White helmets with double stripes, dark tops, and white bottoms with double stripes are featured here. (This must be where BYU got the idea for their uniforms, thiefs)

The year: 1978

















Finally a colored picture! The uniforms worn during this 23-22 victory over BYU in 1978 feature a red top with white bottoms. The now red helmet featured double white stripes, white facemask, and the classic drum and feather U logo on each side. White pants with red stripes are also featured atop red socks. Simple white block numbers adorn the chest, back, and lower sleeve.

History lesson: The year previous this picture, which was 1977, BYU beat a clearly over-matched Utah team handily. Marc Wilson, BYU's quarterback, was left in the entire game in order to run up the score and attempt an NCAA record. After the game had finished, the coaches met midfield and a BYU coach voiced some racially-disparaging comments to coach Wayne Howard about the Utes' team. Wayne Howard comments following the game:

"This today will be inspiring. The hatred between BYU and Utah is nothing compared to what it will be. It will be a crusade to beat BYU from now on. This is a prediction. Utah will drill BYU someday, but we won’t run up the score even if we could set an NCAA record against them."

One year later, coming into the Holy War with a 6 game losing streak, the Utes rallied from 16 points down to knock off the more-talented Cougars. Perhaps they were inspired from the year before? You be the judge.

The year: 1988























After a period known as the "Dark Ages" of Utah football, otherwise known as the 1980's, these uniforms, worn on the cover of this game program, were featured. BYU was favored by 11 points coming in to this episode of the Holy War, only to leave Cougar Stadium with a 29 point blowout loss to the U (57-28), despite the Utes subbing in backups and attempting to avoid classlessly "running up the score" (a la the 1977 Cougars).

When I think of the "Classic Ute Look," I think of these. The uniforms pictured here are the away uniforms (white top, red bottom). The Utes stayed consistent, wearing dark tops and light bottoms for home games, light tops and dark bottoms for away games. The red helmets featured the same double white stripe, logo, and white facemask. Double stripes down the side of the pants remained. Last names appear on the backs of the jerseys. The numbers feature an outline. A wide stripe surrounded by two thin stripes replace the number on the lower sleeve while the number finds its way to the top of the shoulder pad.

The year: 1996


















Future Pittsburgh Steeler Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala helped the Utes to a 45-42 victory over the #20 Kansas Jayhawks wearing this Utah uniform. The double white stripe has been removed from the helmet, but the rest of the helmet remains the same. The white stripes have also been removed from the lower sleeve and replaced with the drum and feather logo; the numbers remain on the shoulder pad. The pants are now red, ushering in the era of the all-red home uniform (the away uniform rotates between all white, and white top-red bottom). The stripes are also removed from the pants as well. Possibly we were trying to distance our uniforms as far from BYU as possible, even though they stole their "classic" design from us.

The year: 2004























During the Utes perfect 12-0, BCS busting season in 2004, the Utes sported these jerseys worn here by Alex Smith. Black trim made a big debut on these Nike designed models. The home uniforms were all red and the away were all white, both featuring a thick, solid black stripe up the sides and curving around the armpit. The helmet design stayed the same but the crimson red took on a deeper, darker color, despite the jersey and pant colors remaining traditional crimson. The numbers were outlined in black and a small print "UTAH" appeared above the chest numbers. Numbers were also located on the lower sleeve. A drum and feather was located on the upper left leg. Other teams such as Cal and West Virginia wore uniforms along the lines of this template.

The year: 2007


















The most recent Ute uniforms are pictured here. Adopting the "Miami design," the Utes were one of several teams to wear this style. Awarded #10 in "College Football's Worst Uniforms" by Sports Illustrated, the death of this design was in the making last year. The uniforms are very busy, to the point I don't even want to describe them. Several elements from previous uniforms remained, but the addition of a few new lines and curves, such as the ugly line going beneath the back numbers, made this uniform one to forget. In fact, they were so forgettable that Utah dropped Nike in favor of UnderArmour, the designer of this year's new uniform, pictured here:

So this is what we will look like next year. Personally I think they are pretty classy, but still a little busy like the last design. At least the back stripe is gone, I hope. (Can't see the back, but doesn't appear to have anything going back there) UnderArmour has been an up and coming brand that prides itself on innovative and revolutionary design/fabric. They have made a splash in the NFL and several other college teams such as Auburn, South Carolina, and Hawaii have UnderArmour gear. One thing that has become popular over the past few years is the "all-black" uniform, used on special occasions such as rivalry games. It has been rumored that an all-black uniform is in the works for the Utes, but no confirmation or images have been release. Using my modest photoshop skills, I have come up with this possibility:

This is pure speculation, and I know the art is pretty choppy, but you get the idea. I think they would be awesome, especially against BYU, and especially since this year's game is at night! Most traditionalists are opposed to this, and don't even like black trim, but I'm all for it. Let the players have a little fun.

So there you have it, a little history of the Utah football uniform and a sneak peek to next year!