Does Bronco Mendenhall Need to Apologize to BYU Fans Over Recent Comments? Nope

There is a new media created controversy regarding Bronco Mendenhall and BYU football...

I am not a great wordsmith, but there is a point where media members who are great writers seem to lower themselves to stirring the pot of controversy.

Bronco Mendenhall in his weekly press conference was asked if he is surprised about the criticism Max Hall has received for his turnovers. In response Bronco said the following:

“I would have been surprised maybe in my first year as the coach, at BYU maybe the second, but at this point the visibility of the program with the expectations I think it will always be here. For the people in the most visible positions: Head coach, quarterback, corner, offensive tackle, something like that; the positions which give up or could be criticized easily by a normal person, just by visibility, not necessarily a great fan, in terms of education and understanding the broader scheme of things, but if you're just to look out and say, where are the mistakes, the level of criticism usually matches the level of education and the fans, the people it comes from. So, I've learned not to take it personal, and I've tried to help Max do the same. And I think it will always be the case at BYU because of the visibility of the program.”

Bronco gave the quote in response to a question about why people are so critical of Max Hall. A football fan being critical of their quarterback isn’t a new topic; in fact I wrote about BYU fans being overly critical of their own quarterback this season, less than two weeks ago (“BYU Fans Need to Stop Blaming Max Hall”).

Yet, many members of the media are claiming that Bronco has insulted his own fan base. They claim he has gone too far, and he must now apologize to the BYU fans.

Salt Lake Tribune writer and 1280 The Zone radio host Gordon Monson, has gone so far as to write an article headlined, “Mendenhall owes BYU fans an apology.” He claims in his article that Bronco attacked the football intelligence of BYU fans.

While Monson makes his point in his usual way--he is just trying to stir the pot of controversy. He is just trying to make a story out of nothing.

In Bronco’s quote does he say the words, “BYU fans?” No.

Does Bronco talk about the lack of education in general among fans? Nope.

Now do some BYU fans fall under the umbrella of uneducated football fans? Absolutely, Yes!

A person attending a game at LaVell Edwards Stadium couldn’t throw a rock without it bouncing off two fans who know nothing about football. These bandwagon jumping, know-nothing fans seems to be everywhere in BYU football crowds; however, the same ratio of educated-to-non-educated fans exist in most any school’s college football crowd.

Bronco claims that the level of criticism a person gives about football is equal to the level of football education that person has. Is that true? Yes.

Bronco is simply stating a fact. It is a principle which exists in any field. A pianist could play a difficult concerto and make some minor mistakes, but a normal person often would be unable to tell. A normal person would think the performance quite outstanding, a person with little to no piano playing experience. A master pianist would have a different opinion of the performance. A master pianist would hear the mistakes, and would judge the piece by a different standard.

Now if the pianist made a major mistake, all the people listening would be able to tell that a mistake occurred. Yet, who would the pianist seek out for advice in order to fix their mistake? The novice listener or the Piano master?

Apply that same principle back to BYU football. Mistakes are occurring on the field, and the ball is being turned over. Max Hall is leading the nation in interceptions. Who is Bronco going to listen to in order to correct the problem? The average fan who has little understanding of the overall scheme of a college football offense or people with much higher football IQs?

The biggest mistake Bronco made, unknowingly or not in his statement, was insulting the bulk of media members. Bronco was not talking about just BYU fans in his statement; he was talking about all football fans. Whose job is it to throw out the most criticism about his job and Max Hall’s performance? Media members.

The bulk of media members, like me, have never played a single down of college football. The football education most media members have is quite limited. Usually the football education of an average media member is what they learned from high school football, watching football on TV, and playing football video games.

Media members will just look at numbers and try to assign meaning. Max Hall is leading the country in interceptions; therefore, Max Hall is playing poorly.

Most media members will not take a look at the bigger picture of why things occur on the field. Sadly, most media members, including myself, couldn’t explain exactly why everything occurs on the field in most college football. Why do you think media members are always asking for explanations from players and coaches?

Should I feel bad that a head football coach isn’t listening to my opinions and changing his game plan accordingly? No. I accept that a head football coach of a Division–I school knows more about football than I do.

Does this mean I don’t know anything about football or sports? No, although many seem to disagree. Fans can see things on the field and can figure out why things are occurring. There are times when fans can get to the bottom of a problem better than a coach. This is “The Emperor’s New Clothes” scenario, where the solution to a problem is really simple; however, the coaching staff is too prideful to make any changes.

Has BYU reached that point with Max Hall? Not even close.

Those football fans, whether BYU fans or not, who are calling for Hall’s benching due to interceptions are really just showing their lack of football knowledge. Not only are these fans not seeing the value of Max Hall, but they do not understand what a step down it is to Riley Nelson talent wise.

Being a head football coach requires having a tough skin to deal with all of your detractors. The same goes for being a quarterback at a university which is known for quarterbacking. Bronco and Max, do not take the criticism personally (which doesn’t necessarily mean they just ignore the criticism), and move forward trying to prove themselves on the field.

So, I must respectfully disagree with Gordon Monson. Not only do I not think Bronco should apologize for his comments in this week’s press conference, but I would think less of Coach Mendenhall if he were to even think about apologizing.

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The Big Podcast Episode 16 - NBA in Trouble Edition

Discussing the problems in the NBA and in Utah that have hit the level of dogs and cats living together.  Plus what might be done to resolve the problems...

In episode 16(really although Mark said 15) we discuss:

• The problems in the NBA
• John Beck moving to the Ravens
• Swine Flu (who isn't talking about it?)
• Sports falling apart in Utah
• The Kentucky Derby
• TV talk

Download here (Right click and save as...) or listen with the player below...

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Monday Night Football Election Day 2008 Special

In case you are still undecided here is Chris Berman asking the tough questions to the candidates...

Senator Obama

Senator McCain

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The Big Podcast Episode 7 - The Guestless Edition

We call it episode 8, but that is because we just can't count...

In Episode 7 we discuss...

• What happened to BYU at TCU
• The outlook of the Mountain West Conference 
• The national polls
• Utah's impressive win over Colorado State
• The worst losses BYU football has ever suffered
• An improbable story of one armed love

Download here (Right click and save as...) or listen with the player below...

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The Wife's Outburst: Annoying Commercials

A look back at last year's NBA playoff coverage...

With the start of the new basketball season, I thought I would pay homage to the playoffs. Every year during the NBA playoffs on TNT, you see a Saving Grace or Closer commercial every commercial break. Annoying!!! Seeing that many commercials in a 3 hour time period does not make me want to watch this show. In fact I avoid it at all costs. I can't stand it. When it is shoved down our throats, why would I want to see it. I feel like I have already seen a season by watching all the commercials. Sometimes TNT will even show both tv trailers in one commercial break.

Saving Grace


The Closer


To end on a happy note, TNT does know how to have a good commentating crew on Inside the NBA.  They have a good groove going on.  It is a nice change of pace from the annoying commercials.

Charles and the Ring of Fire

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Mark's Thoughts: The Economics of College Football

Why was the Oregon State win over USC so satisfying?

I was thinking about the USC vs Oregon State game for the hundredth time this morning, and smiled again thinking about it. I have never hated USC at any point; in fact, I think Pete Carroll is a very classy coach and Steve Sarkisian (former starting QB for the 1996 BYU Cotton Bowl team) is one of my favorite players ever. Yet, there was something about the game on Thursday night that was very satisfying to watch.

One element that made this game satisfying to watch is the current economic crisis that we face in America. Law makers are making the news circuit rounds telling citizens about a $700 billion bailout program for the banking system and Wall Street. Just hearing the number 700 billion is meaningless. Virtually no American can even comprehend that amount of money. Sure cable news stations will keep telling us how many things you could buy for that amount of money. (My favorite is the fact that for that amount of money every man woman and child in the US could have 2,000 McDonald's Apple Pies. I really want to meet the person that came up with that number, because they must love McDonald's.) Even with that money taken away from us (The American tax-payer) and given to corporations to buy their bad debt, there is no guarantee that it will fix the United States economy.

(Not to get too political, but...)
I view the current crisis as if we were out at sea on a coal driven steam ship during a hurricane, and the ship just ran out of coal. There needs to be a decision made on the ship for how we want to ride out the storm: do we start breaking down pieces of the ship to fuel the fire or do we let the engines stop and hope that everything takes care of itself. Either way, there is no guarantee that the ship will survive the storm, and either way it will take damage. Also, the facts remain that the Captain should have avoided putting us in the storm, brought more coal to power the ship, or better yet provided a more modern ship, than a coal-driven ship, for us. Yet, in the middle of the storm those facts don't matter. The simple choice remains destroy part of the ship to save the whole ship or keep the ship whole and let the storm play out. I would prefer to start breaking down the ship to feed the engine and give myself a fighting chance to survive the storm. It might not work, but I trust my own hands that I can see, rather than the "invisible hands" of nature. I believe that work will be rewarded, and that there are calmer seas on the ocean to be reached.

Even with the hope of the better days to come, the anger of the present situation remains. Why do these companies, who already have the most resources, need to get all the advantages in the current economic system?

USC is that elite corporation. USC is the AIG of college football. They are four deep at every position with high school stand-outs. They have future first round draft picks everywhere on their roster. They have two or three Heisman Trophy candidates every year. They are in a conference that fiscally rewards them regardless of whether they play well or if they don't. They are the national media darlings, before the game ESPN analysts were saying USC might be the best college football team ever. They gave Oregon State no chance to win the game, and were looking ahead to JANUARY and speculating about who USC would play in the National Championship Game. (ESPN's Herbstreit kills me when he won't speculate on "BCS Busters" until they have 8 or 9 wins (although he wasn't afraid to speculate about Fresno State or East Carolina "His BCS Busters") but Herbstreit is more than willing to speculate about the National Championship game in September...hypocrite!) With all of the advantages that USC has in college football today it was good to see them go down to Oregon State.

It was great to see Jacquizz Rodgers, the 5' 7" Oregon State running back, pile up 186 yards on the ground against the supposed best defense in the country. Oregon State coach Mike Riley said, "I guess they have about five first-round picks in their front seven, but our guys blocked them OK tonight."

To witness the Oregon State's defense shutout the Trojans in the first half and only giving up 10 yards to USC's talent running back Joe McKnight was really amazing.

Seeing a sea of orange storm the field and seeing the Trojans in their white uniforms to flee the field was extremely satisfying. Seeing this scene was especially satisfying due to the "Main Street" class that Oregon State fans had when interacting with the USC players. While I can't speak for every fan, the fans that passed USC quarterback Mark Sanchez on his way off the field stopped to share their thought with him. Instead of taunting Sanchez fans would pat his shoulder pads/his back and say things like, "good game," or "keep your head up." Whether these comments were sarcastic or not, it still shows the "Main Street" values and class of those fans.

Mark Sanchez's reaction going up the tunnel after the loss was the best example of the elite mentality at USC. In disgust over the outcome of the game he threw his mouth guard against the wall. That level of frustration is very understandable considering what had just happened to the Trojans on the field. Yet, the more interesting thing was the fact that Sanchez didn't even give a look back to see where his mouth guard landed. Instead an equipment manager raced around on the ground grabbing and caring for mouth guard, which must have been as fun for that equipment manager to pick up as someone's used gum. Sanchez didn't think about the consequences of his action, because he knew that it would be taken care of for him. That is what happens when you play at USC.

The fall of USC shows just how close the non-BCS schools are to the "Mighty Elite BCS" schools. Just as the current economic crisis shows how close the average American is to the elite businesses in the US. The national media will continue to prop up their flawed BCS system. The claims will still be made that the "Elite BCS Programs" would destroy any team that the non-BCS teams could offer; however, another lesson the current economic crisis has taught is just because something looks good on paper doesn't mean it means anything in reality. There is a reason games are decided on the field by players, and not by analysts in studios.

The USC's of the college football will get second chances. If USC puts this game behind them and wins the rest of their games they still have a chance to play in a BCS bowl game or even the National Championship Game. The national media will complement how they overcame adversity or giving excuses for the loss calling it a "fluke." Yet, the non-BCS schools don't get a governmental type hand out from the national media if things go wrong. In the current college football structure if a non-BCS school drops a game regardless of circumstances the best they can do is play in a lower bowl game, and most likely drop out of the polls completely.

That is why I smile thinking about the Beaver's victory on Thursday, because they rose up by themselves and proved everyone wrong. Just as Utah did in 2004, Boise State did against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, and Appalachian State did at the Big House last year; Oregon State proved they could stand up and do the unthinkable. Sure Oregon State is in the PAC-10, and they are part of the establishment that is building up the paper giants like USC; however, Oregon State is much closer to the non-BCS teams than they are to the BCS elite. In this time of crisis it is nice to smile and say, "GO BEAVERS!!!"

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The Big Podcast Episode 3

Have a listen to this week's Big Podcast...

What's inside - 

Welling Roundtable With Aaron Welling
BYU vs. Wyoming and the upcoming bye week
Utah football
Utah State Football
Other teams around the Mountain West
and a touch of baseball...enjoy!

Download here (right click and save as...)

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Jim Rome Interview Of Bronco Mendenhall

An Interview with Bronco...

Today Bronco Mendenhall was interviewed by Jim Rome on the Jim Rome show. Bronco talks to Jim about BYU's Quest For Perfection, the games versus UCLA and Washington, the type of player BYU recruits and what it is like being a BYU football player. Pretty interesting stuff. Check it out...

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The Big Podcast Episode Two

Week of September 7-13 of The Big Podcast...

This week's big podcast we discuss the result of the BYU Washington game. Cousin Larry is invited to the Welling Roundtable and he discusses Utah and Utah State football. We also break down the weeks college games and then the BYU vs. UCLA game. Sharing what we thought would take place in that game.

The podcast can be downloaded here (right-click and save target as...).

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The Big Podcast: BYU vs. Washington Video Highlights

Here are the highlights that The Big Podcast(Jake) put together of the BYU Washington game. Enjoy!

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The Wife's Outburst: The NBA Draft

Today is the NBA draft and many sports lovers will be glued to the television tonight to see who their favorite team will draft. How many surprises do you think we will see? For the last month, the sports analysts have been constantly projecting who will go to which team. They seem to be saying the same thing everyday. There is nothing new about their analysis. Then suddenly, a team makes a move and it is Christmas for the analysts.

Now, while I was on my honeymoon, the NBA Draft was on. Before we could go out that night, my husband had to see who the Jazz were going to take. (FYI: This was the year the Jazz took Deron Williams.) I was like, "Come on, you can see who was drafted later!" So now I know when the NBA draft is because it always comes a few days after my anniversary.

I really don't care for the draft. You have to sit for 10 minutes, listening to the analysts break down who has been taken and who is still on the board. I say just get on the Internet the next morning and see the results. The anticipation is not that great. So you can all guess what I will be watching tonight...

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Weekend Links and Videos

More good links and videos...

Good information from Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret News about the current status of CSTV, now CBS Sports College(CBS C). Also an interesting look back at the Mountain West Conference's television coverage since leaving ESPN.
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695265285,00.html

The University of Utah gets new uniforms from UnderArmour for the up coming season.
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695265372,00.html

ESPN reports that first round draft pick Greg Oden, who has been out this entire season after having knee surgery, was playing pick up games.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3316689

Good write up by Jack McCallum of SI.com about his predictions for the NBA Western Conference playoffs.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jack_mccallum/03/27/western.conference/index.html?eref=T1


Funny ESPN Celtic Commercial


Another Funny ESPN Celtic Commercial(Not a great rip, but still pretty good)

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Mark's Thoughts: The Best Sports Radio in Utah

1280 The Zone vs. 1320 KFAN, breaking down show by show...

Editors Notes: Here is a link to the current "The Best Sports Radio in Utah, Volume II"

I am a sports radio junky. It is not only an excellent source of entertainment, but a great forum for voicing opinions about sports related topics. There are more than two sports stations in Utah, but there are only two that really matter. 1280 The Zone and 1320 KFAN. Both have overall solid content but here is a head-to-head guide comparing the two.

1320 KFAN DJ & PK In the Morning(David James & Patrick Kinahen) 6-10AM
VS.
1280 The Zone Manly Morning Show(John Lund & Hans Olsen) 6-10AM

When David James and Patrick Kinahen were with 1280 The Zone they were the kings of the morning sports shows in Utah. Then they took more money and moved, with most of their audience, to 1320 KFAN. With this change came the rise of John Lund and Hans Olsen for 1280 The Zone. The chemistry between Han and John is great and hilarious. Lund deserves the lion's share of the credit for his ability to set up Olsen's wackiness. With the move to 1320 KFAN the chemistry between James and Kinahen has gone down hill. Kinahen, known for his sarcastic whining, has become even more foul tempered, and James now comes off as disinterested. They are still entertaining, but not to the same level as they were when they were on 1280 The Zone. Content is really the deciding factor between the shows. DJ & PK get the much better interviews with local and national players/reporters. Overall I would have to give this match up to 1320's DJ & PK; however, it is close enough to switch back and forth during the commercials to catch segments of the Manly Morning Show.

1320 KFAN A-Game In The Afternoon(Alema Harrington & Dave Fox) 1-3PM
VS.
1280 The Zone Jake and Jim Show(Jake Scott & Jim Fuchuck) 1-3PM

There is a clear cut winner and loser in this situation. Jake and Jim blow A-Game out of the water. There is no good chemistry that exists between Harrington and Fox that translates over the radio. While Scott and Fuchuck are the most underrated radio tag-team in the market. Jake Scott, an admitted Utah fanatic(I really enjoy when the host will explain their biases and keep them in the open), is a good straight man for Fuchuck's type of humor. They are also able to attract good interviews to the lower rated early afternoon audience. Fox and Harrington on the other hand are unbearable to listen to for the most part. They have some good moments, but they are very few and far between. Fox is unattractively full of himself. I don't know if he is that way in real life or if it is just his radio personality, but either way it is not very pleasant to hear. Alema Harrington...we know you are from Hawaii, you don't need to keep reminding us of this fact with all of your comments. If you haven't yet discovered Jake and Jim make the switch and enjoy.

1320 KFAN Locked On Sports(David Locke) 3-6PM
VS.
1280 The Zone The Big Show(Gordon Monson & Kevin Graham) 3-7PM

The match up between Locked On Sports and The Big Show is the battle of the biggest egos in the market. Gordon Monson vs. David Locke, the battle of the bigheads. They both have different tactics of trying to prove their superiority to their listeners. Locke will establish a position and not deviate from that stance no matter what. While Monson is like that honors society nerd you sat next to in college classes that always tried to hijack lectures, because he thought he was on a higher mental plain then all the other good-for-nothings in the class. At least Locke likes to be challenged by callers with a differing point-of-view(as long as they acknowledge the validity of Locke's point-of-view);however, Monson will lash out at those callers not agreeing whole heartily with him. Kevin Graham is a terrible tag team partner for Monson, and it is really to bad that he is paired with Monson. Alone he is a very good host, with Monson he sounds like a hyper fourteen year old. Content is the difference maker. Locke interviews can't be matched by the Big Show. Locke might not be the best interviewer, but the lineup of stars he gets is awesome.

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CSTV Now CBS College Sports

CSTV is dead.... so what does this mean?

Now that CBS has finished the accusation of CSTV, what does this mean for Mountain West Conference sports fans? Here is a very good article from Scott Pierce of the Deseret News explaining what this means to fans. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695241176,00.html

Also here is the link to the press release about the change back in February.

http://www.byucougars.com/Filing.jsp?ID=10281

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Game Journal: Utah Jazz Vs. Dallas Mavericks

March 3, 2008 Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz

Pregame: Good to see that Jeff Hornacek with the normal Jazz live crew. He really works well with Big-T, and cuts out many of the pointless comments that come out of Pace Mannion's mouth. Jazz need to break the habit of poor starts to games. It is going to take an A- effort to come away with the win tonight.

1st Quarter
12:00: The fansports.com is getting in on the ranking highlight against highlight to try and determine what is the great highlight. Can there ever be to much comparison? The interactive introductions on KJZZ are just a little creepy. No emotion. Also, when did C.J. Miles become the lucky charm that all starters need to touch before the game starts? Is that why we resigned him? I have been waiting for Sloan to grab him and tell him were he should be sitting at the start of the game.
11:17: Good start with Booz underneath. Okur going inside will also help out tonight.
10:48: Watch for Dampier to have an awful game, I just picked him up in the fantasy league.
9:54: Jazz are coming out guns blazing. I am glad that Booz and D-Will have their act together. Williams owns J. Kidd. Utah 11 Dallas 4 going into the first timeout.
9:02: Bolerjack gives the ultimate jinx again. "The Jazz are perfect from the floor tonight." CLANG.
8:06: When D-Will is running the break it is a thing of beauty. He knows how to space the court, and give the ball up at the right time.
7:04: DIRTY DIRTY DIRTY!! What a dirty play by Dirk, grabs AK across the neck. Dirk should be tossed. Awful foul. Jazz 19 Mavs 6
7:04:b: STOP TALKING ABOUT THE MAGIC SPRAY! It is standard comedy from Boler and Boone. Any injury, Gary Briggs on the court, "Magic spray..HA HA HA."
6:45: Timeout Dallas. Fans waste no time in booing the Mavericks. TV shows video of AK limping big time going to the locker room. (Not a good night for the fantasy team. Dampier is playing like he got an e-mail that I picked him up and he should stop playing. AK get thrown WWE style to the ground....ouch)
4:57: First, terrible foul call that Boone tries to justify. Boone the league yes man.
4:48: Jazz 29 Mavs 12. It would be nice to see the Jazz lay down the hammer and destroy Dallas' will to play.
4:07: Dampier once again got the memo he got picked up by my fantasy team, he needs to stink.
3:26: It is obvious that Devin George didn't think through trying to block the Jason Kidd trade. Everytime they have a terrible game they are going to blame him. With the lack of size the Mavs now have due to that trade, there is going to be a lot of blame to go around in Dallas.
2:32: I like that Sloan is letting Willams stay in the game while the Jazz are playing well. He is young enough to have more flexability when it comes to managing his minutes.
2:02: Jazz 35 Dallas 18. Jazz are starting to coast. They need to lay down the hammer. It would be a shame to let the Mavericks back into the game after having the chance to put them away. Steve Brown, why is he not doing the play-by-play? It is always a good game when Brown takes over for Boler. Although, it will never happen because of the love affair fans have with Bolerjack.
36.2: Price picks up the third foul...he is hanging out with J. Hart way to much. Wow! how far has Jason Hart fallen. D-Will is coming into the game instead of Hart.
4.4: Dumb, dumb, dumb. Not a smart foul by Harpring. The Jazz are letting the Mavericks back into the ball game.
End of Quarter: Utah Jazz 37 Dallas Mavericks 24. Jazz have given the Mavericks hope that they will be able to come back. They had a chance to finish this game off early and they choked. Hopefully the Jazz will come out in the second quarter and put them away.

2nd Quarter
12:00: Jazz shot 68% in the first quarter. Need to keep up the intensity.
11:38: The press is useless in the NBA. Teams are too good, and will end up with dunks and lay-ups.
11:05: Another Bizarre call, a no call as Jason Terry plows into Korver. Sideout Dallas.
10:48: Airball by Dampier. How are NBA players so bad at free throws?
10:39: Only an 11...wait Millsap knocks down a jump shot 13 point lead.
10:24: AK is being wheeled out of the arena. That is not a good. Little werid that they only have a hand cart. They can't have a NFL style cart? Larry, open the wallet and get a golf cart.
8:52:Another NBA where amazing happens commercial. They should add Dirk taking out AK, and have the caption, "where our MVP is a dirt bag happens."
8:28: Good to see Dirk being booed every time he comes close to the ball.
8:03: I wish I could have been a fly on the wall during halftime of the Detriot game and heard what Sloan said to Millsap. He is playing like last year ever since. Great move.
7:20: KK hits deep shot. It is always good to see his shots going down. The Jazz play
6:38: Utah 52 Dallas 34. Memo is playing like an All-star again. Which proves I am having the worst fantasy league ever. I had the choice today of picking up AK or Memo....I took AK. D-Will already has 11 assists.
5:50: Dallas goes on a mini-run, they now have a chance at cutting it to 10 by the half.
5:36: It is offical, Boone acknowledged the mini run of the Jazz. It is now a 12 point game. Losing AK really hurts the Jazz on defense. C.J.'s man is running free.
4:44: Howard gets fouls and it is now a 11 point game.
4:22: Another terrible foul call. C.J. gets run over and gets the foul.
4:05: 9-0 run 9pt game
3:15: KK HUGE three. He is a momentum changer.
2:43: I held my breath when Stackhouse is behind KK on the fast break thinking he will pull a Dirk. If it was Harpring he proably would have. Stackhouse is on record saying he hates Harpring.
2:36: Utah 59 Dallas 45. Without AK in the game the Jazz are going to need to keep scoring, because the defense is going to be lacking for the rest of the game. Love that they send Horny to get the update on AK's condition. Thanks for sitting in Jeff, go do the grunt work while we sit around.
2:27: I hope that Dirk has good security, because he might get a nice shower going to the locker room of Bud and popcorn.
1:46: Interesting to see how Sloan is handling the shooting of Korver. Threes off of fast breaks without people underneath to rebound. Time will tell if Sloan stays with KK. I hope so.
1:19: Jazz have a chance to finish the quarter strong. Booz underneath for an easy two, who was guarding him? Howard, formerly of the Rockets. Yet another reason to hate Dallas.
20.8: CJ surprises sometimes with his quick hands. He is going to be a good player in the NBA. To bad he will be with another team, due to his contract situation.
7.8: Good to see Hart hasn't lost his knack of closing the quarters with terrible plays.

Halftime: Utah 64 Dallas 50 - Williams is a Kidd slayer He already has 14 ASSITS.
I am a little upset that nobody from the Jazz got into Dirk's face after the take down of AK. That is what the Jazz are missing. That is the reason we needed a Rafa type player on the team. So that Sloan could have put Rafa in the game after the foul, and you know that Dirk is going to end up on his back. Nothing rallies a team like a team mate backing up another team mate after crap hit the fan. Nobody ever questioned Stockton's toughness after he body slammed David Robinson into the basketball standard. There needed to be a message sent to the Mavericks that you don't bring that cheap stuff into the Delta Center. (I know it is called the energy solution arena....but come on I would rather call it the dump. It is just a terrible arena name.) Alright I might have trashed Devean George to early, 11pts and 2 rebs.

3rd Quarter
12:00: AK is taken to a hospital in Bountiful because the Jazz don't have a strong enough x-ray machine in the arena. LARRY shell out for the good stuff.
11:10: CJ just picked up his 3rd foul... CJ and that defense that keeps him in the lineup showin up again.
10:51: Great finish by Brewer. I love that Brewer has started to use the reverse jam. Doesn't even bother turning around, he just goes straight up and puts it in behind his head. He gets up so quick it is hard to stop.
9:55: Yes, my halftime pep talk to Dampier works, rebound and the pts.
9:20: Yet another question by Boler that Boone restates and doesn't answer. It is like they think their questions are award winning and unanswerable. They just need to be repeated and pondered.
7:48: CJ is getting beat like a rented mule.
Technical difficulties Blogger freaked out on me and I lost the second half of the third quarter.
End of quarter: Not to pile on, but not having AK is killing the Jazz against Howard. Bailey moving commercial is the best Jazz commercial on TV. Simple and funny. I was a little shocked that Sloan didn't move Brewer to the three, and play Kyle Korver at the two.

Fourth Quarter
12:00: Utah 87 Dallas 81 Jazz need to get off to another good start to start the quarter.
11:22: Dirk is really great off the dribble.

10:44: Kyle Korver rejecting Dirk. Needs to finish on the other end. Need Booz back in the game

9:58: Dirk takes off one of Memo's arms...no call. The refs might need a police escort off the court.
9:27: Millsap gets pushed in the back. No call.
9:00: Kidd for three cuts the lead to one. Jazz are out whack.
8:32: Two Dallas players hit each other. Foul Utah. This is getting out of hand. During the timeout AK is wheeled back in, in an actual wheelchair. Looks like Larry went out and spent some money during the break.
8:10: Utah 89 Dallas 88 Booz back in the game.
7:54: Double fouls are the weakest trash in the NBA. They need to man up and call it one guy or another.
7:44: Dallas take their first lead Utah 89 Dallas 90
7:21: Terrible alley-oop thrown by Matt. They need to stop making that pass. It needs to be perfect for Memo to get it.
6:36: Jazz are now ice cold. Two points in the quarter.
6:03: Jazz need to go inside if they are going to win this game.
5:38: Sloan windmilling on the sideline, begging the Jazz to get the ball up the court quickly.
5:33: Time out Utah 91 Dallas 92. Boler is going to beat the buckle up thing into the ground until it catches on. That will be his thing whether you like it or not. Mountain America commercials are the worst commercials on during Jazz games. Must have been written by the same writers as, "Dragon Wars." Just not good.
5:32:Korver, Willams, Harpring, Okur, and Booz on the court for the Jazz.
5:04: Okur is going to the hoop. He needs to knock down his FT's shooting 50% from the line.
5:01: Tundra tough questions....have Boler and Boone answered one this year. It usually goes as follows. Boler reads questions, Boone, "that's a tough question." Then Boone parrots the question. That is a tough one. Then they don't answer the question. Pointless!
4:43: Korver...3 time out Utah 98 Dallas 92 7-0 run for the Jazz. PC laptops contending for worst commercial. Why are there no Razzies for commercials? Especially in Utah, we might sweep them every year.
4:25: Booz playing some defense. It happens. (Another great where amazing happens commercial in the making.)
3:58: Dirk is working on getting tossed. He might as well when the league takes a look at the Ak take down there will be a suspension.
3:46: Utah 102 Dallas 92. Jazz 13-0 run. I will admit when I am wrong. I didn't think the Jazz could rely on their defense in this game. They have put this run together through a solid defensive effort.
3:13: Dampier goes to the bench for another solid fantasy move by Mark. He will end with 6pts 5 rbs. Dirk gets the T. Yep... he is working on getting tossed.
2:57: 13 pt lead. Great defense leading to this lead. Terrible call underneath. Goes over the back of Korver, then Booz, then throws himself into Memo. Boone likes the call.
2:30: Jazz really trying to give the game away. Terrible passes. Booz fouling away from the ball.
2:00: Jazz really trying to give the game away. 7 point game.
1:24: Memo = clutch. You can't teach height and you can't teach clutch.
1:06: Dumb foul by D-Will. Three point play for Kidd.
41.6: Boozer needs to learn how to rebound without pushing people in the back
38.0: Korver goes to the line and does what the Jazz pays him for knocks down the FTs
34.0: Not a good play by Williams, pushes him in the back. Stops the clock. Kidd knocks them down.
23.0: Slow whistle coming when Korver is getting hacked at mid-court. It is nice to have an automatic free throw shooter again. When games come down to free throw shooting contests, you give him the ball. Time Out Utah 114 Dallas 107 When did the NBA stop caring about the whinning that happens in the league now. He hits the pair. What is a skillet? Yes when the game is on the line Boone is asking the in depth questions.
19.2: Kidd develops a jump shot. Hits a three. Kidd 19pt 9 assists D-Will 17 pts 20 assists
12.0: Korver hits another pair of free throws. It does worry me when he misses the first shot, because he tends to be really hard on himself and misses the second.
END OF GAME UTAH JAZZ 116 DALLAS 110

Player of the Game: D-Will 17 pts 20 ast 5 rebs 2 blocks
Story of the game? AK's injury. What is it? How long will he be out?

I am a little surprised about the post game interview with Boozer. Very polite when it comes to AK and Dirk. He is no Karl Malone when it come to interviews. Malone would have said something like he is dirty, he is the enemy, he a no good German..etc. Threw in some third person self references and get it done. Also, Pace Mannion hit the problem on the head. The Jazz don't have the killer instinct. They are letting teams back into games instead of finishing them off early..... Nobody is saying anything about the Dirk foul, someone should step up and say something about it. Maybe, J. Sloan will take the lead on it and say what it was, a no good dirty play. Just talked over the no comments with the sister, both of us think that the Jazz don't want to get fined. Sloan taking the I didn't see it approach. Although, Channel 5 needs a new foam thing on the mic. It looks like they have been using the same mic for the entire Sloan era. Look at the logo foam thing next interview it is nasty. Big win for the Jazz, now they need to keep it going for the rest of the week.

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Mark's Thoughts: James Bates the Best of the Mtn.

The Mtn has a problem now that the deal with Direct TV is in place. What is this problem? People will actually SEE the network. How is that a problem? Have you seen the Mtn? The production value and current use of talent is horrific. The additional viewership will increase the outrage the viewers have felt but has yet to voice due to the networks obscurity. With the new deal in place and the television audience increased, what is the Mtn to do? Relaunch. They should view the start up date with Direct TV as a new beginning. They should distance themselves from the negative perceptions the Mountain West fanbase has of the network. They should put a new face on the network. Who is that? James Bates.

James Bates is the best thing to date that has come out of the Mtn television deal for the Mountain West. Here is the back ground information of the network savior.

James Bates - Football, Men's Basketball, Baseball Play-by-Play; Studio Host James was an All-Southeastern Conference linebacker at the University of Florida and captain of the Gators’ 1996 national championship football team.He has a wide range of sports broadcasting experience on OLN, SPIKE, SUN SPORTS, ESPN, TNN, Speed, and CSTV, hosting and providing play-by-play and color commentary. In addition, James produced and hosted The James Bates Show, which CSTV aired nationally over the past two years. (Source: http://www.themtn.tv/mtn/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=81&Itemid=167 )


James Bates is the only stand out talent on the Mtn. It is like watching a young Chris Berman, Dan Patrick, Linda Cohn or Kenny Mayne. You can see the talent he has whether he is doing a pregame prep rally or commentating the biggest football game of the year.

In interviews he has conducted with Mountain West Conference personas, he has carried the interviews by making them not only watchable, but interesting as well. His interview with Ardie McInelly, head coach of Air Force women's basketball, is a great example. He made the interview interesting and informative. He took an interesting person and told her story. Making the interviewee the focus of the program is what made it great. He has that Dan Patrick quality around him of putting his stamp on the interview without becoming bigger than the interview. I haven't seen another member of the Mtn crew with this ability.

He is a superb play-by-play broadcaster. His work in the most recent BYU - Utah basketball game showcased his talents. He single handily saved the broadcast. He took terrible comments from his color analyst and made them relevant. He did an in-game interview with Shawn Bradley interesting while not taking away from the flow of the game. The awkwardness of in-game interviews is a problem that affects not only every other Mtn. broadcast team, but major network broadcasts (ESPN) as well. He knows the exact level of enthusiasm to use during key plays. He also focused on the game at hand instead of drifting around and talking about every subject under the sun. (That is something that Craig Bolerjack should take notes on.)

The other characteristic that he demonstrated in the BYU - Utah broadcast was his ability to interact with fans. He doesn't come off appearing full of himself, which is a commonality among any network talent, and generally looks to enjoy his work. He will go into student sections to do segments. He gives off a vibe of not wanting to be put on a platform, but wants to appear to be one of the fans. This Lee Corso/Dick Vitale attribute also makes him unique compared to his Mtn co-workers.

James Bates is able to do big games. His calls of the BYU-Utah football games, the biggest Mountain West Conference sporting contest of the year, haven't been good. THEY HAVE BEEN AMAZING! Just listen to the calls he makes during the end of the 2006 game or the 2007 game...

BYU vs. Utah 2006


BYU vs. Utah 2007


He brings great knowledge and intensity to the rivalry. He brings the right amount of respect. He is also able to express, in words, the amazing and to do so on the fly.

During those game he takes Todd Christensen and Blaine Fowler, two men that have talent but are not stars, and elevates their performances. In sports, in business, or in television the ability to make those around you better, in big situations, is a talent prized more than any other. You can't teach that type of leadership, and James Bates has it.

The Mtn has an opportunity. With the new deal in place and national exposure coming in the fall they can put a new face to their faltering network. The face of the network should be James Bates. He should be the star, the focus, and the jack of all trades. He should be on every show he can possibly be on. He should do every big game. When fans think about the network, James Bates should be the first thing to come to their minds. If the heads of the network don't follow this course, BYU, the flagship school of the conference, should demand that he be their exclusive television voice.

James Bates has the talent. The network has the opportunity. The time is now to make the changes they need. I hope that the Mtn. has a long term contract with James Bates, because frankly right now he is better than the network he is on.

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Problems On the Mtn.

This segment of the Blog has taken a vacation during the football off season, but with word coming that the Mtn has finally made a deal with Direct TV it called for a special edition of, "Problems On the Mtn."

The San Diego Aztec Athletic Director, Jeff Schemmel, told reporters that the deal had been signed, and a press release would come out either Thursday or Friday. This is the best news the struggling and almost bankrupt network has ever had. If it is true. That is the rub. It is now almost 2pm MST on Friday, and no press release. Not only that, but no other AD or President is making any announcements about the television deal. All bad signs when it comes to the veracity of the comments given by Schemmel.

Jeff Schemmel is competing in a different type of sports market in San Diego. Interest in the Aztecs' athletics are little in comparison to the Padres, and the Chargers. To get anything into the main stream media he has to make a large splash. If it proves he is running on faulty information, there would be little backlash from the media, in his market. Not to imply he is making this story up. Just that contract negotiations do have a strange way of falling apart quickly. The negations with DirectTV and The Mtn have already had many other people calling the, "wolf," of completion. Virtually an unanimous message of, "wolf," completion came out prior to the beginning of the 2007-08 football season. ADs from the bulk of conference school keep leaking that the deal would be done with in the first month, or shortly there after.

Nothing would hurt The Mtn more, at this moment, than for this contract to fall through. It might be the final nail in the coffin of the network. There would be no better way to fire up all the fans with more anti-Mtn ranting then to make them think they have it on satellite and take it away again. Hopefully, for all parties involved, the press release is pending shortly.

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Game Journal: Utah Jazz v Denver Nuggets 1/17/08

(Keep Refreshing as I will publish every few minutes. Please leave comments also I will address them as they come.)

7:06pm Boler and Boone are welcoming us back to the game, and we are about to see an entire segment dedicated to another terrible Bloer saying, "thunder and lightning." How many terrible saying do we need to hear before we can get someone who is good to announce the games?
7:13pm Quick start from the Jazz, it is good to see the shot of Memo falling. Need to keep up the intensity.
7:15pm Just saw that Joey Crawford is doing the game, that is always a bad sign for the Jazz. He is a Jazz killer.
7:16pm Memo looks like the Memo from last year.
7:17pm Crawford makes a questionable call regarding A.I. Any surprise?
7:16pm Memo hitting the threeeeeeeeee.
7:17pm Late whislte.....JOEY!!!
7:19pm A.I. is the man. He is one of few players I will pay money to see.
7:20pm AK is getting mugged underneath every time down by Melo.
7:22pm Brewer goes out and Korver comes in, I am actually really good with that. I like the way we play when he is on the floor. He is a two guard version of Harpring.
7:23pm 'Thunder n Lightning' meter- first reference of the night during the game.
7:24pm D-will is so good at setting people up
7:26pm Jazz 17- Nuggets 11 - Good start, need to continue to contain Melo and A.I.
7:27pm Jason Hart comes into the game way to early! Two fouls on Brewer and D-Will is not a good sign.
7:28pm Nuggets take bakc the lead within a minute of Hart coming into the game. Korver hits a big three. Hart takes a shot, a "push shot." How did we get this guy?
7:30pm I remember thinking a few years ago that AI had lost a step. NOPE! He just burned Hart and will continue to burn Hart as long as he is in the game. Melo runs over three guys, no call.....JOEY!!! AI falls down, must have been a foul....JOEY!!!
7:32pm I am glad to see the Mcrib is back. What better way to give Americans heart attacks than to do a two for one deal with the McRib?
7:33pm Jazz 24 Nuggets 24 AI going to the line to for three free throws.
7:35pm All-Star spots in the west are going to be very hard to come by. I only see one Jazz man making the team Booz. I think Williams is the second best PG in the west, but they are going to give the spot to Chris Paul.
7:36pm Booz misses free throw on a three point play, have to hit those. HARY IS THE WORST GUY RUNNING THE BREAK. He doesn't make anyone commit and gives it to the big wat to early. I love how Boone and Boler blaim the big running the break when they get called for a charge.
7:37pm Collins, Hart, Collins not the guys you want shooting the ball. Nuggets go on a run. We need a new point guard coming off the bench for D-Will.
7:39pm AI hit a shot after the buzzer, but I wouldn't be surprised to see JOEY count it somehow.
7:40pm End of the First Quarter Utah Jazz 28 Denver Nuggets 31
Sorry due to technical problems I have to wrap up the Journal early tonight. Nuggets on a run up 10.

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Mark's Thoughts: American Gladiators Needs Some Work

American Gladiators has returned. No longer banished to ESPN classic, there are new gladiators with new events. Yet, the new version of the show is missing many key elements that made the original so much fun to watch. They are trying to tell us the life story of the competitors, and the Gladiators. They are trying also to make the Gladiators out to be amazing athletes, and all athletes try to be gladiators. They also try to add suspense where none is needed, cutting to commercials when an event is about to begin to try and keep the audience in suspense. The producers are trying to make the show into something that it is not, a reality show.
Reality TV has taken a firm place in the standard diet of any TV watcher, and this is no surprise seeing the enormous success of numerous reality shows. Yet, American Gladiators is not a reality show, it is a game show. There are contestants that are competing for a prize. They need to treat it as such. They don’t need to jazz it up also they can let the competitions stand on their own. The additions of theatrical elements just add a cheesy factor to the show.
The show has potential to be good; here are some suggestions for making this show better:

• Stop getting to know the Gladiators. Every time that Titan opens his mouth and speaks into the microphone is a bad moment for American Gladiators. They come off dumb and cheesy both bad things unless you are trying to get a target market of 10 year olds. They either need to take the gladiators in one of two directions; one make them into comically villainous people, much like pro wrestling, or two make them into mysterious mute characters, that might each have a tag line or special trait. (Much like the Gladiator Wolf, who I am actually okay with in terms of his howling before events. It is cheesy, but in a good funny way and is something that is short and distinctive.)
  
• Cut out the interviews. The little introduction that is given at the beginning of the show is all the information that we need to know about the competitors. We DO NOT need to be introduced to the family in the crowd, reminded later on about a certain trial the person had to overcome as a child, or to hear an interview before each event, in which the competitor tells us, “I will do my best to win.” Of course they are going to be trying to win the event, why else would someone be on this show? It really does go without saying the motivation the competitors have.
  
• STOP FORCING US TO LISTEN TO THE HEAD (and only so I assume he is the head) REFEREE ASK IF THE COMPETITORS AND GLADIATOR ARE READY AND WAIT FOR A RESPONSE. This can be resolved easily, and the guy can still say the line. Ask the question quickly and if nobody objects start the event. Also in the eliminator don’t show him tell the two competitors that they will have two whistles, one for the one in the lead and the other for the one starting late. They don’t show all the instructions given between Pro athletes and officials and we still get it, what make you think that all of America will be lost if we don’t see that scene?
  
• Following the first three points should allow for an additional event, which are really the bread and butter of this show. Keeping the events going keeps people watching the show. The events need some tweaking. Little things like the Barrel role part of the eliminator, the containers being too wide in the Powerball event, the weapons given to the competitors in the Assault game being poorly designed, the course giving to many hiding spots to the competitors, and so on. Also they need to scrap some of the events. The event of crossing the bridge with the huge weights coming across is really dumb, you can duck under the balls. The gauntlet was taken away from the original show for a reason; take it away from this one. Also the artificial surface used in the Powerball event is a law suit waiting to happen. That is an ACL killer; did they get a sweet deal on old NFL Astro Turf?

Making these moves should take care of all the other smaller problems on the show. (Hulk Hogan, Ali’s daughter, and creepy voice over guy) If not talent can always be found.

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Problems on the Mtn.

Picture Quality:

I think that the worse thing that the Mtn. did in its first year of broadcasting was to start and broadcast old Mountain West Conference football games. Sure they needed to fill the empty space on the network that had no show besides the games themselves. Plus, there is only so many hours a station can broadcast infomericals before becoming a home shopping channel. Also at the time it did seem like a good idea, what better way to show the fans (those lucky few who could get it) what this station is all about.

Yhey began to broadcast the classic games, and it seemed for a while like Jim McMahon was reincarnated at the Y; he was throwing the Hail Mary in the Miracle Bowl four or five times a week on the new station. People seemed to like it, and the idea of broadcasting old games was a success.

Next the station started to broadcast live games, and then it happened. You couldn't tell what games were live and what games were classics. The picture was just as pixilated as it was in the 80's. In fact, it might actually have been better with the Sports West broadcasts in the 90's then the Mtn. feeds in the present day. I would put money on it that if you put a side by side feed, without any of the newer graphics (which the Mtn. to their credit do blow the older feeds out of water, even with the poorer graphics that they have) you would not be able to tell which was the older and newer signals.

In an interview the director at programming, Steve Hurlbut, claimed the Mtn. uses the same equipment that all the other rivals use. (he mentioned CBS, (which is odd because they are the same company, that is like Microsoft comparing themselves to Xbox it doesn't make sense) Fox, and ESPN) Yet, even to the must unknowlegable viewer changing back and forth from the Mtn. to ESPN or NBC (that are not in HD, because lets be a little fair) can tell the difference. You can't even read the name on the jersey or tell which of the massive blobs are which. If they do have the same equipment then they have no idea how to use it.

It doesn't help that the blurry image appears to be coming from a camera that is somewhere in low orbit above the stadium. Seriously could you get a wider shot of the filed? It is like they only have two choices either too tight to see the formation, or so wide you can see every fan in the stadium. (although you are unable to make them out as anything besides blurs)

Why? If you are going to pay all that money to broadcast games why wouldn't you do it right. Why wouldn't you spend the extra money and get high quality regular, or better HD cameras. The start up capital would have been much higher, but the broadcast would have been amazing. It would also be a nice piece for negotiating if you are a HD channel rather then just standard definition.

The Mtn. missed another great opportunity to have quality video feeds, and look like they are a network that is worth watching.

Next Week: Pre and Post game shows.

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