Spoiled Fans

I guess maybe Bronco and his boys brought this on themselves. Despite what Bronco’s definition of perfection is, to everyone else a “Quest for Perfection” meant that the Cougars sole focus this year was to go undefeated. Maybe they painted their own targets.

However, what surprises and appalls me is the shear amount of anger and bitterness that has been directed at this team since that pitiful night in Texas. On Saturday I attended BYU’s first game since the disaster in Fort Worth. Now I will admit, I thought the Cougars were due for a big day with the Rebels of UNLV coming into town. A tie score at halftime definitely had me worried. With the clock approaching 6:30 in the fourth quarter, UNLV’s Omar Clayton connected with Ryan Wolfe for a 15 yard touchdown and a 35-34 UNLV lead. Some fans took the opportunity to publicly voice their dislike for this current group of Cougars. One man jumped up and started yelling at Mendenhall (as if the coach could hear him) while two little boys sat watching, wondering if this is how one acts at a football game. Another “fan” jumped to his feet, placed his hands around mouth, and proceeded to tell Cougar quarterback Max Hall that he (with his 4 touchdowns and 80% completion percentage) was the worst player he had seen in years. The anger must have been contagious, because yet another “fan” jumped up and swore that he wouldn’t donate another dollar to the university or its football program. Despite the criticisms coming from the stands, Max Hall drove the Cougars down the field for a touchdown and a two-point conversion. At this moment, something strange occurred. No one celebrated. My brother Bryan and I jumped to our feet in excitement and were joined by a few fans here and there, but overall the stadium sat still.

This is why I hate BYU fans. Yes, I said it. I fully understand why others hate BYU. It has little to do with religion and more to do with the fact that our fans suck. BYU fans are the most arrogant group of fans when the team is winning. We get in other peoples faces and hold up a #1 sign. We constantly talk about the BCS and how good we are, with little to back up our argument. I have watched BYU football for 18 years and I can honestly say the only great team we have had during that time is the 14-1, 1996 team.

However, fans will be fans and most fans are annoying. My biggest beef with Cougars fans, they are FICKLE. Did we learn nothing from the Gary Crowton era of a few years back? Do you, Joe Cougar Fan, realize that BYU is 7-1 this season? Do you realize that since John Beck’s pass was deflected and intercepted in double overtime at Boston College two years ago, the Cougars are 28-3? They are 17-1 in their last eighteen games.

I am confused as to how a group of fans who think of themselves as being so intelligent, can forget what we endured just a few years ago. Gary Crowton’s 2001 team flamed out late in the season and finished the year with two straight losses. The 2002 team carried on the ’01 teams momentum and finished at 5-7. 2003 = 4-8., 2004 = 5-6, 2005 = 6-6. Over a 49 game span, the team’s record was 20-29. In the midst of these seasons included some really humdingers. A 72-45 loss at Hawaii. A 52-9 loss at Air Force. A 58-13 loss to Colorado State followed by a 50-12 loss to Boise State. Oh yeah, don’t forget the 52-21 loss to Utah in 2004.

My hope is that the current “struggles” of the football team with skim off the ugly fat that is the current group of bandwagon Cougar fans. For those of you who are somewhere in the middle, humble yourselves. It is much better to beat UNLV in a close game than it is to lose. It is much better to be 7-1 than to be 3-5. Do you remember why Beck to Harline meant so much? Because the previous four years had been so bad. Enjoy being 7-1 because we won’t be this good forever.

Big Game Tonight

Sorry I have been away for a while. However, the sports season is in full swing.

I have to admit, I am a little surprised to see my Red Sox down 1-2 in the ALCS. I thought after winning Game 1, that Beckett and / or Lester would have won their starts. At worst, I felt the series would be 2-1 Boston. Yet, here we are down 1-2 in the series and tonight's game suddenly becoming critical.

I have taken abuse all day about my boy Timmy pitching tonight, but I have to have faith. I wouldn't be much of a fan if I didn't believe the Sox could get it done tonight. Timmy Wakefield needs to pitch well tonight, no doubt about it. If he has a bad game, I believe the Sox will lose. However, if he pitches just an average game, I think the Sox will win big. My senses tell me that tonight Drew, Bay, and Pedroia will play well. No such luck for Papi. He will continue to struggle. No worries, as the Red Sox win it 7-3.

OH NO! 0-2

Well, we have been here before. The Jazz lost both games in L.A. and now trail the Lakers 0-2 in the series. To truly believe the Jazz had a chance in this series, they needed to win at least one of these first two. They didn’t. We can cry, complain, and argue, but none of those change the fact of the matter. 0-2. However, the last time I checked, a team has to win four games to win a seven game series. So, I ask all of us to please keep hope alive.

To use the most overused sports phrase, the Jazz just need to take it one game at a time. Let’s break it down, realizing none of this is a given.

GAME 3: Jazz at home; No free-throw discrepancy; 19,911 (except those there to see David Archuleta sing the National Anthem) frustrated Jazz fans. JAZZ WIN (2-1)

GAME 4: This is the big one. I have seen numerous playoff series where a team down 2-0 will win Game 3, then lose Game 4. Home court does not guarantee a win. Both Game 3 and Game 4 will be hard fought. This is Kobe’s game, which also means it better be Williams’ or Boozer’s game as well. I think the media with hype this game, but most will believe the Lakers will come out victorious. If the Jazz are real contenders, then they will win this game. If not, then obviously the Lakers will win and go home with a 3-1 lead and wrap up the series in L.A. I am keeping hope alive. I believe the Jazz can compete against an overrated Lakers team. JAZZ WIN (2-2).

GAME 5: Back in L.A. If the series is at 2-2, everyone will believe the Lakers will win this game. They can’t lose 3 in a row in this series, right? Here is the dilemma the Jazz have put themselves in. They don’t have home court advantage, which means that have to win one in L.A. They have already used two of those chances. If the Jazz don’t win this game, then they would have to win in Game 7 to be able to win the series. Unfortunately, in my heart I cannot see the Jazz winning this game. This is why losing both Game 1 and Game 2 was such a blow. BUT, we’re not looking at the past here. Still, I say LAKERS WIN (3-2) Lakers.

GAME 6: Salt Lake City. Bryant is going to want to close this series out and would love to do it in Utah. Despite all his rhetoric about it being a team game, he wants to be in the highlights and hear all of the talk about him willing the Lakers to a win in a hostile environment. I actually welcome this. Kobe by himself is not as good as the Lakers as a whole. He’ll get his points, but he’ll need his teammates to win this game. I believe people will pick this to be a close game, with the Lakers winning in the end. I actually see the Jazz winning big. Things will come together. JAZZ WIN (3-3).

GAME 7: Los Angeles. Big time game! You never know what can happen in Game 7, because it is one game. You expect the home team to win, but there is always a chance. My concern is Kobe, national spotlight, MVP – gets away with a lot and makes many trips to the free throw line. If the game is called fairly, then it is up to the Jazz. Multiple guys will have to play great to win this one. It is almost impossible for me to pick against the Lakers in this game with the home court officiating advantage. Say what you want, but most people feel the officiating in the NBA is the worst. Too much favoritism for the Lakers here. EXCEPT! The Jazz play one of the most remarkable games in the franchise history and stun the Lakers. JAZZ WIN! JAZZ WIN!

I’ll see you at the airport on Monday May 19th to welcome the team home

Keep hope alive!

SPORTS HELL

With my little girl finally in bed asleep, I grabbed my diet drink, sat down on the couch, and let all of the stresses of the day leave my mind. The Jazz / Rockets game 5 had just tipped off and I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the evening watching the game. As the seven minute mark of the first quarter passed, my wife asked me if I wanted to American Idol. I gave her a quick smile, naturally assuming that she was joking. One look at her face, however, told me that she wasn’t. With all the kindness I could muster after a long day, I calmly explained the importance of the game to my sweet eternal companion. With the same sweetness, Julie uttered the words I hoped I would never hear, “My life has become a sports hell.” Ouch!

To be fair, I couldn’t have asked to have a wife who enjoys sports as much as she does. This was one of the qualities that drew me to her. Back in our carefree dating days, we even traveled to Boston to see the Red Sox play. Through nearly every triumphant win and painful loss during the last four years, Julie has been by my side. So I ask, what has happened to my one time sports companion? I can’t help but feel that I might be responsible in some small way.

Maybe not everyone enjoys the 12 month sports season. College football kicks off in September and runs to the first week of January (or however long the BCS is dragging the season on these days). NCAA basketball tips in November and runs through March. This is just in time to pick up on the NBA playoffs beginning in April and running to June. Don’t forget that baseball opens in April and carries us through until October. Yep, 12 months of enjoyment . . . or hell according to some.

Maybe it’s that fact that Sports Center and ESPN News play constantly when I am at home on Saturdays and Sundays.

Maybe it’s the fact that Julie can’t sleep at 3:00 am when I am downstairs breaking down game film from an especially painful loss.

Maybe it’s the fact that we had to postpone Caitlyn’s baby blessing because BYU football was playing in San Diego on the first weekend of December.

Maybe it’s the fact that on some nights I tell Manny Ramirez that I love him, before I tell Julie that I love her.

Maybe I am somewhat to blame, but to call her life a “sports hell” was a low blow. I better trade her Red Sox shirts for mom jeans and buy her a minivan because my days of having a “cool” wife are over. She fooled me and I bought it hook, line, and sinker. How long before she asks me when the basketball games kicks-off or how many points do the Red Sox have.

BTW- I love you Julie!

OLD "MO"

Oh momentum you fickle, fickle thing. You seemed securely set with the Jazz until Deron Williams shot was blocked and time ran out at the Energy Solutions Arena late last night. Where have you gone old “Mo” a Jazz nation turns its lonely eyes to you? I was up late working on a project for school, but recorded the game on Tivo. Yet, even without watching live, I could almost sense the panic that filled the Wasatch Front at about 11:00 pm last night. The series now sits at 2-1, Jazz.

For me, the start of every seven game series is the same. In game one, you as a fan are trying to figure out your emotions just as the two teams are trying to figure out each other. You want to care, but it is not life or death. You’re upset if your team losses game one, but there are six chances left. You’re not going to lose sleep over it. Game two is more vital. The hate that was established by a bad call, hard foul, or perceived feeling of disrespect in game one, now begins to boil. Lose game one and two and you’re in a very deep hole. A split feels good, especially if you are the road team. A 2-0 lead, and you start watching the other series to see who your next opponent will be. At 2-0, old “mo” is your loyalist friend. He makes you laugh. He makes you feel good about yourself. He makes you proud to be a sports fan. Oh “mo”, you fickle, fickle man.

The Jazz came home from Houston with an unthinkable 2-0 lead in the series. Sports talk radio was a buzz, car flags were flying out of Fanzz stores, and billboards began to read “We Love Our Jazz.” “BEAT L.A., BEAT L.A., BEAT L.A.!!!!” Uh Jazz fans, didn’t you forget something? Oh yeah …those two meaningless games in Utah. There was no magic at the ESA last night. Williams couldn’t see Boozer and his shot didn’t find the bottom of the net. Series, 2-1. There will be another game in Houston. “HEY MO!” “Where do you think you are going?!?”

2-1 becomes too close for comfort after a 2-0 lead. Suddenly fans with tickets to Saturday’s game aren’t just “takin’ in a ball game.” They are in an all out pressure cooker. If the Jazz win (which I will bet dollars that they do), they will be up 3-1. Ah, it’s good to see you again “Mo.” If they lose, the series will be 2-2, with two games left in Houston. In this case, old “Mo” will be known as the biggest two-timing whore you have ever met! At 2-2 . . . old “Mo” will have chosen his lot – the Rockets. He will never come back.

I think “Mo” is just checking out the scenery. Looking for some adventure in life. Saturday night he will find himself back on the Jazz bench with a 3-1 lead.

At least I think. . . Oh “Mo” you fickle, fickle thing.

OPENING DAY 2008 - Boston, MA

~OPENING DAY~

I often reference October 2003 as one of the most painful times in my life as a sports fan. The Red Sox late inning collapse against the Yankees in Game 7 of the ALCS was a devastating day for those in Red Sox Nation. Those days were so dark that I actually wondered how difficult it would be to find a 1981 De Lorean that I could race to 88 mph and go back in time and change the outcome of the game. I nearly accomplished it, but I could never get the flux capacitor to work. However, it was because of this experience that Tuesday April 8th was so special to me.

I stood on Lansdowne Street in the chilly Boston air on April 8th with my friends and thousands of other Red Sox fans waiting for the gates at Fenway Park to open. It was truly an awesome experience. I was amongst my own, the true Red Sox Nation. Separate from those who joined only after Keith Foulke got Edgar Renteria to ground out in 2004. To be at Fenway Park is an event. To be there on Opening Day is truly surreal. It is almost as fun to be outside the park as it is to be inside. On every street corner posters, calendars, and World Series pins were being handed out. The street vendors were out in force. “Peanuts, pistachios, cashews, super pretzels here!!!!!” To be back on these narrow streets which surround the park was like coming back home.

Once inside the park we quickly found our seats. There are few things in life that are as amazing as the first glimpse into Fenway Park. Walk up any portal and a new world opens right before one’s eyes. The park was alive with activity. The grounds crew was putting the final preparations on the field. The scoreboard on the Green Monster was ready for a new game and a new season. Fans anxiously awaited the beginning of the Opening Day festivities. Every worry in life suddenly seemed so far away. Before I settled in, I bought my traditional Fenway Franks. The price was steep, but the best things in life usually come with a price. A Fenway Frank is not simply a hot dog, but an experience.

At 1:00 pm the festivities began. A “2004 World Series” banner rolled down and covered the entire Green Monster. A moment later, a “2007 World Series” banner took its place. The crowd erupted! I hadn’t teared-up that much since my daughter was born. The Boston Pops Orchestra, situated in center field, began to play. One by one each member of the Red Sox staff and each member of last years World Series team received their rings. With new rings in hand, David Ortiz and Red Sox legend Johnny Pesky raised the 2007 World Series Champions flag high over Fenway Park. A new season was ready to begin. The Boston Pops played the National Anthem and the Vermont Air National Guard gave the fans a fly-over better than any aerial stunt show (see “Fenway Flyover” on Youtube if you don’t know what I am talking about). In the final moments Bill Buckner, 1986 Red Sox scapegoat, walked across center field into the infield and stopped at the pitchers mound. The Fenway crowd stood and cheered a man who had wrongfully taken the brunt of the 1986 World Series collapse. With a tear in his eye, he threw out the opening pitch. The 2008 Red Sox season was underway.

I spent three cold days in Boston, waked back and forth across the city too many times (including 294 painful stairs at the Bunker Hill Monument), and spent more money than I should have. Yet, I wouldn’t trade the experience. There is no city greater than Boston. Its history symbolizes everything good about the United States. The Boston Red Sox are part of that history. To be there on Opening Day and celebrate the 2007 World Series Champions was a once in a lifetime event. I forgot about the pain of 2003 when the Red Sox won in 2004. In 2008 I finally got to celebrate the revival of Red Sox baseball. Thank you to my friend Eric for this opportunity. GO RED SOX!