Utah Jazz #1

For the first time since Karl Malone and John Stockton, I can honestly say with statistical evidence and no bias that the Utah Jazz are #1. At 15-4, the Jazz are first place in their division, first place in the Western Conference, and first place in the NBA. I wouldn't be as ecstatic if they were first place on the Eastern Conference. Bill Simmons of ESPN.com has an excellent article concerning the crappiness of the Eastern Conference, it's definitely worth a read. Did you know that 11 of the 15 teams in the East are at least two games below .500? Well, they are, and that is pathetic. This year, some people are calling the East the worst conference in sports history. I can't say that I disagree. Moving back to the Jazz, they have a team full of a bunch of "no names" that will never make good for themselves, yet they continue to win. I guess my #1 preseason prediction wasn't as far fetched as some people thought. I know how hard it is for the Jazz to earn respect, I have been a lifelong Jazz fan and can attest to that. Even tonight on TNT, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith questioned if the Jazz are legitimate. Hello? You don't go 15-4 just by getting lucky. I guess Sir Charles still has a bitter taste in his mouth after Stockton hit that game winning shot at the buzzer of the 1997 Western Conference Finals right in his face! Check out that picture, Barkley got "posterized!"

Most Underrated Rivalry in College Football?

No question about it, that rivalry would be BYU vs. Utah. This year's matchup will go down as one of the greatest rivalry games in college football history. If you missed it, you missed out. BYU won the game 33-31 on a touchdown pass from senior quarterback John Beck to senior tight end Jonny Harline with no time left on the clock. It was BYU's first win in five years and was the sixth in the last seven games between the two teams where the winner won by seven or less points. BYU moved to 10-2, having gone undefeated in the Mountain West Conference for the first time in five years as well. BYU still has one game to play in the Las Vegas Bowl, they will be playing the Oregon Ducks. The offensive coordinator for Oregon is former BYU head coach Gary Crowton. Crowton was at BYU from 2001-2004, this will be his first meeting against BYU since leaving. It should be an interesting and intense game.
Click HERE to watch highlights from the 2006 BYU-Utah game!

What's in a Uniform?

Have you ever found yourself rooting against a team because they have ugly uniforms? I have, all the time! It's just so hard to watch ugly things, that's why I don't watch Desperate Housewives, or any of the awards shows. I had a difficult time rooting for the Cincinnati Bengals for the longest time, but their uniforms have grown on me lately and now I like them. There haven't been many weeks where I've been able to cheer for the University of Oregon's football team. Nike has made sure that Oregon's jerseys are constantly the laughing stock of college football. As bad as those uniforms are year in and year out, at least Nike has never sunk as low as to put a "bib" on Oregon's jerseys like they did to BYU's uniforms in 1998. Really bright colors are horrible for jerseys; they are hard on the eyes and look...well...horrible. The WNBA can get away with it because nobody watches them anyway. Teams such as the Atlanta Hawks, Seattle Supersonics, and Cal's football team with their yellow uniforms, and even the Chicago Bears with their orange uniforms should feel embarrassed every time they play in those ridiculously bright uniforms. The internet pictures do not do them enough justice. With the college basketball season starting again, well over half of the schools have changed their uniforms, and well over half of that half has traded nice jerseys in for fashion nightmares. Why does Nike and Adidas continue to get paid to put out such awful uniforms? It will be a mystery to me forever more. Very few teams outfitted by Nike have been lucky enough to get decent uniforms. As for the rest, as sad as it may be, they will NEVER win in style.

NFL Mid-Season Report - Part 2 of 2

As eight games in the season have come and gone, there have been a lot of interesting stories. In my mid-season report I will cover the five most depressing stories of the season thus far in part 1 and the five most exciting stories in part 2.

The 5 Most Exciting Stories of the 2006 NFL Season

1. Nobody has complained about the new ball yet
With all of the attention going to the new NBA ball, nobody has commented on the new NFL ball. What? You didn’t know that NFL has a new ball this year? Well, they do. This year there is a large gold NFL insignia, and it’s signed by the new commissioner Roger Goodell. While NBA players have been crying bloody murder over the new ball that isn’t consistent, and gets sticky, the NFL still continues to play in the rain and snow with their new ball. I think the volatile weather conditions on a football put the players at a larger disadvantage than NBA players when sweat gets on the basketball. The last time I checked, the “new” NBA ball is the same size and weight as the old ball, and aren’t the rims the same diameter?

2. T.O. single-handedly destroying the Dallas Cowboys
Terrell Owens is a disease that infects whatever team he is playing for. This season's victim is the Dallas Cowboys. Owens is like an amazing drug with horrible side effects. “Incredible receiver with speed and quickness! WARNING! Side effects may include: having a losing season, having more news reporters than players at practice and in the locker room, total destruction of team morale, and one more overpaid crybaby that “wants the damn ball.””

3. The Oakland Raiders being so bad
I was secretly hoping that Oakland Raiders wouldn’t win a single game this season. Then I thought about the pain and agony of seeing Adrian Peterson from Oklahoma get drafted by them next year. So, I secretly cheered for the Raiders to win at least a couple of games and now they have. Now I have a new predicament, if the Houston Texans finish last and pick first in the draft, they’re bound to screw it up and NOT pick Peterson. If that happens, the Raiders would then get Peterson. So, now I am bound to cheer for the Raiders to win at least a couple more games.

4. The resurgence of the New Orleans Saints
Was I the only one that believed in Drew Brees? The New Orleans Saints picking him up was one of the biggest free-agent signing that nobody cared about. I can’t believe that the New Orleans Saints stayed with Aaron Brooks as long as they did. The Saints have all the weapons to make a run this season. Reggie Bush is the best decoy player to ever take the field. He hasn’t had incredible stats this season, but when he takes the field he opens up so many other players for the Saints.

5. Peyton Manning working his magic yet again
He just keeps silencing the critics. Every year they say that you can’t win with a bad defense, but Peyton Manning just keeps on doing his thing. Watching Peyton run the offense is like watching somebody doing something good that looks and/or sounds good! The Indianapolis Colts are 8-0 this season, having beaten the Giants, Patriots, and Broncos, all on the road. Now the question becomes, will the Colts choke in the playoffs again? If the Colts do choke in the playoffs, Peyton can always fall back on his successful commercials, those are great.

NFL Mid-Season Report – Part 1 of 2

As eight games in the season have come and gone, there have been a lot of interesting stories. In my mid-season report I will cover the five most depressing stories of the season thus far in part 1 and the five most exciting stories in part 2.

The 5 Most Depressing Stories of the 2006 NFL Season

1. The Seahawks Playing Without Hasselbeck and Alexander
Given, the Seahawks did not look that great with Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander, but seeing both of them go down just doesn’t seem fair. Maybe this is the year where the “Super Bowl Curse” starts. That is, the two teams that go to the Super Bowl will have a downer year the next season. The Pittsburgh Steelers are sure living up to their part of the curse; the Seahawks are not going to lie down as easily though. Oh, and has anybody else ever seen such a pathetic excuse for a tight end have so much trash to talk? Ahem, Jerramy Stevens, you're not that good, and I'm glad you got kneed in the crotch.

2. The NFL Being Such Stiffs Over TD Celebration Dances
Ask any loyal NFL fan and they will tell you that last year had the best end-zone celebrations ever. So what does the NFL do this year? Yeah, if you guessed they took the fun out, then you would be correct. Where’s the fun in a spike? Marvin Harrison of the Indianapolis Colts got a penalty last week because of an errand spike that hit an opposing player. The spike just might be gone next year, stay tuned.

3. People Thinking the Chicago Bears are for Real this Year…Again!
Rex Grossman is the quarterback that fantasy football players love to hate. You never know when he might throw for 3 touchdowns, or 4 interceptions. I’m so glad that the Miami Dolphins just squashed the Bears' hopes at an undefeated season so that talks stop now. I don’t believe in the Chicago Bears, the same hype surrounded them last year when the Carolina Panthers exploited their "perhaps the best defense of all time" in the 2005 playoffs. Here’s a prediction for you, the New York Football Giants will beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday, and they might do it again in the playoffs if they meet.

4. Matt Leinart Getting Stuck in Arizona
Matt Leinart has so much promise as a quarterback in the NFL. He has great mechanics and poise for a rookie. He also has a lot of guts to drop back in the pocket knowing that at any second he could get smothered because the Arizona Cardinals have such a shoddy offensive line. The Cardinals spent so much money getting Edgerrin James that they forgot to get an offensive line to block for him. Sounds to me like the brain trust in Arizona will squander two more talents. And I thought that Matt Leinart would be better off than Reggie Bush...

5. Michael Vick Not Living Up to Lofty Expectations…Again!
Michael Vick is sure athletic, but he’s not a quarterback. He has some good games, has put up some good stats, but he is incapable of leading his team. I like Michael Vick, but we all need to just realize that Michael Vick will never win a Super Bowl no matter where he plays, unless he’s sitting on the bench watching.

Preferential Star Treatment

After going to the Houston Rockets/Utah Jazz game in Salt Lake, there is one thing I know for certain. The "NBA Live ’07 Curse” will not start this year. Barring some freak accident, or T-Mac not being able to cut it because he’s not conditioned enough, he won’t have a “bad” year. Last night he scored 25 points in the Rocket’s season opening loss. Not bad, considering he was 8-24 from the field and 8-13 from the free throw line. At least he made over 50% of his free throws. The fact of the matter is that any player who came close to making contact with T-Mac was called for a foul. On two instances, Matt Harpring and Andrei Kirilenko were called for fouls without even touching T-Mac. One was on an air-ball 3 point try, and the second on a layup in crunch time with five minutes remaining in the game. Ridiculous? You better believe it! And what can opposing players do about it? Absolutely nothing! With the NBA’s new “zero tolerance policy,” a player will get a technical foul for even raising an eyebrow over a questionable call. As if the officials did not have a hold on the game before, the NBA has given them more power. It’s going to be another fun-filled season; I’m looking forward to it. I think I’m going to have a heart attack when I’m 35.