Too busy for the Utes

Hooray for the Lady Utes, they beat BYU by 10 a victory made even more important than usual since this leave the Utes as the only undefeatedd women's basketball team in the MWC.
The men, however, lost by 10 to SDSU. So they're as bad as TCU, but not as bad as New Mexico, whose only conference win was against Utah. What's going on Giac? Remember it's BYU in the Huntsman Center this weekend and we want a win.
Since I'm nearly done with Sundance, I'll be paying better attention to sports again. One thing though I love the Australian Open, it's nice to have live sports at the bar late at night instead of the same highlight reel looped endlessly.

Go Utes!

So my post names are getting repetitive. Wait for baseball.
While I was at movies this weekend, the gymnastics team and both basketball teams won.
It's nice to get the third win when I was only counting on two.
It's Sundance, so sports are getting the back seat this week.
Let's just say, Colts vs. Bears is the opposite of what I wanted for the Super Bowl going into yesterday's conference championship games. But since I didn't care much after the second round of playoffs, go advertisers!
My hopes aren't up here either since there hasn't really been a non-Budweiser standout since the herding cats - and no one I've asked can remember whom that was an ad for.
I guess all the creatives have left advertising for independent film, and they're in Utah this week.

Why I love the Brewers

Once upon a time, in the 1980s, there was a high school girl in Salt Lake City who played slow pitch softball and loved baseball. The only problem was, she didn't have a team to call her own. She was ruining her knees playing catcher, but that's a different story.
She loved the home town minor league team, where there was one, but that wasn't enough.
She watched the Cardinals with her dad, and loved how Ozzie Smith threw himself into the game. Her early TV baseball days were full of "The Big Red Machine." That Pete Rose played with a passion, Johnny Bench was a hella catcher and the team was electric.
But that didn't solve her dilemma.
Charlie Hustle had slowed down a step, though he still was an amazing player, and Smith and her dad weren't enough to make her love the Cards. Her inherited love for the Detroit Tigers was important, but, despite their success in 1984 and 1987, not enough.
What was a girl to do?
Fortunately, she had another friend, Mandy, who loved baseball.
Mandy was from Baltimore and an Orioles fan to the core. That team was in her blood and in her heart, and she would talk about them constantly.
In those early 80s days, the Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers spent a lot of time in heated competition in the American League East - even when it was competition for last place. Our heroine became a Brewers fan in self defense, and to tweak her friend.
Well, the Brewers have yet to match their success of 1982. But her love of the Brewers stuck. The switch to the National League in 1998 took the team of her heart out of regular competition with the team of her blood.
And I still love the Brewers. 25 years after their last series, maybe this year will make it happen.

That's 502 for Elliott

Utah 72 TCU 61
TCU is no longer perfect in conference and the Lady Utes stand proudly in first place. Depending on the outcome of the byu game tonight that could leave the Utes as the only undefeated MWC women's team.
I'll admit I was watching "Ugly Betty" again instead of going/listening to the game. At least I skipped "CSI" this week.
Maybe Giacoletti can take a lesson from Elliott. Something along the line of take advantage of the talent on your team. Though after the Air Force game, it's possible that he has learned that lesson.
Gymnastics tomorrow. My brother and his family will be there. I'll be at the movies.

learn these

Last night at the victory over Air Force, some boys in the student section who've been bringing a white board to the games wrote "Stand Up Old People" on their changeable sign. Well, I'm not a particularly old alumnae (1990 is just moments ago) and I say "Learn the words students."
Here's a link to the lyrics and sheet music, and I've pasted in the lyrics in case you don't want to click. It's not that hard since they only ever play two verses.
"UTAH MAN"
VERSE
I am a Utah man, sir, and I live across the green.
Our gang, it is the jolliest that you have ever seen.
Our coeds are the fairest and each one's a shining star.
Our yell, you hear it ringing through the mountains near and far.

CHORUS
Who am I, sir? A Utah man am I A Utah man, sir, and will be till I die; Ki!Yi!

VERSE
We're up to snuff; we never bluff, We're game for any fuss,
No other gang of college men dare meet us in the muss.
So fill your lungs and sing it out and shout it to the sky,
We'll fight for dear old Crimson, for a Utah man am I.
(song usually ends here)

CHORUS

VERSE
And when we prom the avenue, all lined up in a row,
And arm in arm and step in time as down the street we go.
No matter if a freshman green, or in a senior's gown,
The people all admit we are the warmest gang in town.

CHORUS


VERSE
We may not live forever on this jolly good old sphere,
But while we do we'll live a life of merriment and cheer,
And when our college days are o'er and night is drawing nigh,
With parting breath we'll sing that song: "A Utah Man Am I".

CHORUS

Utes win! It's a miracle!

I'm feeling better about the tall boys in shorts. In case you missed the score or the game, the men beat Number 13 (#11 in coaches poll) Air Force 85-79, despite some late efforts by the officials to change the result.
Actually, the officiating was not nearly as bad as it was against TCU, still not as good as it should be in Division 1-A college basketball, but better than we've seen.
It seems the Utes need a really good opponent to step up their game. After all, Washington State, whom they defeated 69-55 back in December, is #21 in the coaches poll. Maybe Giacoletti just needs better opponents to step up his coaching to match the potential talent on the team.
So I have hope again. But I'll missing the Wyoming game and won't be able to watch SDSU. But I'll be back up there for the BYU game. I'll be the one in red, yelling, who knows the words to "Utah Man."

Saturday's U. Games

Now I'm mad at The Salt Lake Tribune sports page again.
I had to search in Sunday's sports section to find out that the perfect in conference Lady Utes won by 12 in Las Vegas and the men's team lost by 4 at The Pit. I found BYU's loss to UNLV on the front page of Sports. Common guys, the Provo Daily Herald can handle Utah County on their section fronts. After all, there's a reason the words "Salt Lake" are in the paper's name.
I'm going to the men's game against MWC first place Air Force Tuesday, I'll be in my gear and stand up and sing every time the band plays "Utah Man" but I don't expect to be very happy about the game. Maybe I'll go to the women's game against TCU on Thursday for a last sports hit before Sundance and a shot at seeing the Utes win since I can't make it to gymnastics on Friday.
I'm hoping for the Saints and I guess the Patriots (given the options) in the Super Bowl, but dreaming of baseball.

Utes, Utes, Utes. I can't wait for baseball

The #2 ranked mighty Utes, that would be the gymnastics team, opened the season with a 196.325-195.975 win over #5 UCLA. Since that's the kind of behavior Greg Marsden has lead us to expect these many years it's a bit hard to get excited, but still a fine start.
The 0-3 (in conference) men's basketball team is playing 0-3 (in conference) New Mexico in The Pit tonight. Last place in the MWC is at stake since San Diego has played one fewer conference game than the Utes and Lobos. Let's hope they take a lesson from the tied for first in the conference Lady Utes and beat a usually tough team in a tougher arena.
I'm no longer an apologist for Ray Giacoletti (hey, Giac, why isn't your e-mail address on the team site?). What he is failing to do with all of the talent available on that team disgusts me.
The conference perfect Lady Utes are playing 2-1 (MWC) UNLV this afternoon. Starting right about now in fact. Let's make it 7 in a row for the Utes against the Lady Rebels.
Pitchers and catchers report a month from Wednesday, with everyone due for Spring Training on Feb. 21. Even when it's horribly cold outside there's still hope for spring.

Elaine Elliott wins her 500th

73-57 seems to have be in score in Fort Collins this week.
The Lady Utes beat Colorado State by this score tonight (1/11) and the men lost by the same on Tuesday (1/9). Funny how numbers work out sometimes.
I admit I wasn't listening to the game on the radio like I could've been, but "Ugly Betty" and "CSI" were on. What disgusts me more than my own fan behavior is that the KUTV news on KJZZ at 9pm failed to report the score and I had to go to CSU's web site because the U's was not updated. What's wrong with this picture?
Ute fans finally have a winning horse to back this academic year and you're not hyping them?
I'm not certain if I'm more disgusted with the KUTV people or CSTV who host the Mountain West Conference web sites. All I know is that both "news" outlets dropped the ball (as it were) on this one.

Go Lady Utes!

I must confess that I don't follow the Lady Utes as well as I do the men. But a big woohoo! for coming back 14 points, beating New Mexico and breaking their huge home winning streak in The Pit.
The 9-6 (2-0 conference) Lady Utes are also looking at a chance for coach Elaine Elliott's 500th win this week at Colorado State. It'd be nice if she could get that win at home, but I'd rather see the team get her win on the road and keep up the good work.
Also congratulations to sophamore Joh-Teena Filipe on her third triple-double of the season against San Diego State and her first, and I'm sure not last, MWC player of the week honors.

Again, the spell checker hates me so I'm sorry for any errors I missed.

BCS Championship game

Congratulations to Urban Meyer and the University of Florida. I only watched the end of the game (See becksday.blogspot.com for what I was up to) but wow. I wish he hadn't abandoned us here in Utah. I like a good looking youngish coach who prowls the sidelines - especially one who wins. Coach Meyer is all that. Kyle Whittingham, whom he left us with, is youngish and has won more than he's lost but...
It's been since November of 1999 that anyone's scored as many as 41 points on Ohio State. So well done and well won.
Of the bowl games I paid attention to, only the Utes and Boise State came through with wins for me. Good thing I tend not to gamble.
And Urban and the Gator's win also makes the whole BCS system, which he started screwing up when he took the Utes to the Fiesta Bowl (a mere, but oh so long, two years ago), even more suspect. Thanks for beating Ohio State and giving the sensible football fans who think the BCS is a joke fodder for dissent. Go Broncos! (That's Boise State - not Denver.) Nothing against Florida, but they did lose one.
Another point about this game, my mom's family is from Michigan so I also seem to have a genetic dislike for OSU, though I'd cheer for them over BYU any day of the week in any sport or academic endevor.

No NBA for you or the Utes find a new loss margin

I assume that basketball officials work their way up through the college system before they hit the pros, much like baseball umpires start out in a rookie league and work their way up. I'm not confirming this now because looking it up would spoil my momentum.
So the Utes lost their men's basketball game again last night, once more by 3 or fewer points -- but they found a new point margin and lost by 2. That doesn't make me happy but isn't what had me fuming 24 hours ago either. Frankly I'm not certain if TCU won or the officials did.
If I were UofU athletic director Chris Hill or the AD for TCU I would have spent today writing a letter to whoever is in charge of NCAA officials filing a complaint against the officials.
Now I admit I get distracted by shiny objects and probably miss seeing half of the fouls in any given game. But I certainly saw some the officials either missed or miscalled last night. My favorite was when the Utah player was charged with charging, but the TCU defender wasn't planted, and the in arena big screen replay showed that he had a foot off the ground. Didn't look planted to me. Too bad college basketball doesn't have the red hankies that football has. Both coaches could've used them with abandon and not lost a time out.
It was horrible.
I respect officials. They have a really tough job. I rarely join the crowd in yelling at baseball games unless a pitch is obviously a foot or so out of the strike zone and called a strike or a runner is called out when the baseman is nowhere near the bag. I try to be the same with other sports and only join the yelling against officials when it's REALLY BAD.
This was probably the worst officiating I've ever seen. The Mountain West Conference and NCAA should be ashamed that these men work for them.

Hello, and welcome to Beck's Balls

I love sports.
I love baseball most of all. Go Brewers! Go Tigers! Go Bees!
That was an easy start.
A summer Sunday at the ballpark, whether Franklin Covey (no longer Derks') Field or in the land of the major leagues, is church to me. In fact it doesn't have to be Sunday. It can be a rainy April Tuesday evening when I'm wearing a warm coat and it's still summer and church at some level in my head. Don't forget that pitchers and catchers report on February 17.
University of Utah football games are revival meetings. U. men's basketball has been a burden thus far this year. So much talent, so few wins.
Alex Smith has made me start watching pro football again the last two years. Go Niners! Nice OT win that kept the Donkey's out of the playoffs on New Year's Eve. If only they'd beaten the Cardinals there'd be at least one more game. Next year, when they buy Alex an offensive line and another receiver or two...
Hockey and soccer are visiting someone elses church, but enjoying the sermon all the same.
Tennis is a grand sport (mmmm legs...Nadal and Federer in the French Open final last year, sigh).
I must confess I'm just not that into pro basketball. The Jazz are doing well, playing as a team and looking happy. Hey, even Jerry Sloan has smiled this year. But I can't stand to watch the game on TV, just give me the late night highlights on ESPN, that's enough. Though I have enjoyed the few games I've attended - despite the beer price.
I don't see the point of golf or poker on TV.
Anyway, keep an eye out, I've got opinions and humanities degrees and I'm not afraid to use either.
The photo above is from my pilgrimage to Denver last summer to watch my Milwaukee Brewers play. I met a lot of nice people from Wisconsin at Coors Field and the vowels were very long in Denver that week. That's Derrick Turnbow pitching, he's turned into an ok closer considering how he made us cringe with his wildness when he played for the Salt Lake Stingers. Let's just hope he can get back on form this year, since he went from first team All-Star to no longer closing during the month of July last year.