Jazzin' up the Colors

Word on the street is the Jazz will be changing their colors and logo next year. Navy, gold, and green would be the new colors. The change in colors/uniforms explains the price slashing on all current jerseys. I'm still not sure how I feel about the change, the hues of blue have grown on me, but they are also very widely used around the league right now. I have always been a fan of the music note though and it be sweet to see it play a bigger role! Better yet, it would be awesome if they could somehow combine the note and the mountains that represent Utah.

Game 3 Tonight!

Once again, eBay proved to be a successful venture as Aaron and I scored tickets to tonight's playoff game between the Jazz and Nuggets.

After blowing the last game of the season and home court advantage it looked like the Jazz were in trouble. Then, after falling apart and losing Okur in a game 1 loss, it seemed as if the team was doomed and that the Nuggets would run away with the series. Game 2 proved to be a different story as a scrappy Jazz game out shooting hot and stole a game in Denver.

Tonight is a pivotal game and should prove to be exciting! Look for me on TV and go Jazz!

(Dawnia and I at the playoffs. April '08)

Two Videos You Must See!

Take Me Out to the Ballpark

Five years ago, on this very day, I was in Anaheim, CA and at one of the most magical places on earth. No, not Disneyland, just down the rode at Angel Stadium attending my first major league baseball game.

I still remember entering the home plate gates, walking through the concourse and taking my first glance at the beautifully manicured field; the grass was a perfect green and mowed in a criss-cross pattern, the infield dirt was a sparkling brown after being watered down and raked my the groundskeeper. The smell of hot dogs and other concessions filled the air. There were sounds of bat cracking as majors leaugers took batting practice and of people joyfully laughing and talking as they made their way to their seats. The ballpark was abuzz with life.

And that's what baseball stadiums really are, they are ballparks. Different than where other professional or college sports are played, a ballpark is unique. For starters, all ballparks have different dimensions in the outfield; from Fenway Park's Green Monster to Wrigley Field's ivy covered brick walls to new Yankee Stadium's short right field porch.

Each ballpark also has it's own atmosphere, it's own local food and own local flair; Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, mascot sausage races at Miller Park in Milwaukee, the Tomahawk Chop at Turner Field in Atlanta, Coors beer at Coors Field in Denver, the singing of Sweet Caroline in the middle of the eighth at Fenway.

From that day when I entered Angel Stadium five years ago, it has been a goal of mine to attend a game at each and every major league ballpark and I plan to blog about them all! Be sure to look for upcoming posts in the Ballpark Series

Possible Prodigy

On Sunday I took my friend Ceed to the driving range. Ceed is from China and had never even swung a golf club before. We got to the range and I got him all set up. Had him do some practice swings and then allowed him to take a couple whacks at the first ball. It eventually scooted across the ground. Same with the second ball. I gave him a couple more tips and helped him move his arms on his back swing.

And then it happened. A ball struck so clean and crisp and had a beautiful flight through the air. A shot that would make any beginner addicted, a shot that will make Ceed want to be a golfer! The next shot was just as good.

I immediately thought I had a golf prodigy on my hands. I was about ready to quit college, become his golf coach, and start making millions. It was that amazing!

Well the thought didn't last long. Ceed probably got a little too excited and I probably over-coached a bit, as the rest of the bucket wasn't quite as good as the third and the fourth shots. But when it comes down to it, thats what why I love the golf, and why probably most golfers love golf, striving after those perfect shots... It was still a great time! We will get back out to the course soon and get the rest of the game down!

Sons of Pitches

Top of the 6th inning.. Sons of Pitches are down by one run. An amazing comeback is brewing. The team scores 3 to take a 2 run advantage into the home half of the inning.

Bottom of the 6th.. Easy first out. Now at the plate the Lightning Thiefs big slugger. He hits a drive into the outfield for a double. A girl now up, hits a dribbler back to the pitcher. The runner on second fakes going for third causing a throw over to third base, runner stays on second... everyone safe! One out, runners on first and second. Now a guy at the plate. The pitch. The swing. And a drive over the outfielders heads for a three-run walk-off homerun to end the game and the Sons of Pitches chances at an intramural softball championship.

Oh so are the pains of intramural softball. It is sure a heck of a lot of fun though! And to be quite honest, nobody has as cool as name as us!

Play Ball!

My good buddy Aaron hates this, but baseball is truly is America's Past Time. A couple quotes from the movie Fever Pitch can explain my feelings a little better than I can.

"I like being part of something that's bigger than me, than I. It's good for your soul to invest in something you can't control."

Troy: Why do we inflict this on ourselves?
Ben: Why? I'll tell you why, 'cause the Red Sox never let you down.
Troy: Huh?
Ben: That's right. I mean - why? Because they haven't won a World Series in a century or so? So what? They're here. Every April, they're here. At 1:05 or at 7:05, there is a game. And if it gets rained out, guess what? They make it up to you. Does anyone else in your life do that? The Red Sox don't get divorced. This is a real family. This is the family that's here for you.

To be honest up until a few years back I didn't really like watching baseball on TV and with no major leauge team within 500 miles, it was a hard sport to follow, especially after the nostagila of little leauge wore off. Don't get me wrong, I still had my favorite teams and I stilled cared about the big games but I didn't really have a love for the sport. Then about a year and a half ago my friends had all left on their missions and I was kinda going through a rough stage in my life when one crazy October night I bought tickets to the National League Championship Series. It was game 5 in Los Angeles, the Dodgers against the Philadelphia Phillies. My dad had always loved the Phillies and I chose them as my team.

It was a hell of a trip to LA, a story that needs to be saved for another blog, but all in all I came back with a new found love for the Phillies and the game of baseball. The Phillies won that game, advancing to the World Series, and made everything that went wrong on that trip, feel alright, it made everything in my life feel alright. A week later the Phils won it all! I've been hooked ever since. And last summer when I had no job, I looked forward to baseball games because when there was nothing else to do, baseball was there for me. Everyday.

Tonight was the seasons first game, it was a great start to the season, especially with the Yankees losing! 1 game down, 2429 more regular season games to go!

Sorry Aaron, baseball truly is America's Past Time!

The Best in Week in Sports

It all starts tonight, the best week in sports!

Tonight-
The Final Four
Butler vs. Michigan State & West Virginia vs. Duke
Who woulda thought it would come down to these four teams! I don't really have an overall favorite but I would love to see Butler and West Virginia in the final.

Tomorrow-
MLB Opening Day
New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox
One of the greatest and oldest rivalries in all of sports. It's the 2,065 meeting of these teams. The Yanks are defending World Series Champions.

Monday-
NCAA Championship

Thursday-Next Sunday
The Masters
"A Tradition Unlike Any Other." The years first major and the offical start of golf season. Tigers return is the biggest storyline.

All Week
NBA Playoff Race
NBA players actually playing basketball! Teams battling for position and the final sports. Hopefully the Jazz can hold on the the 2 or 3 spot in the West!

All Week
2010 MLB Season
Can't wait to watch the Phillies and their new weapons! Back to the World Series!

Sometimes Less is More

This week, amid what has been one of the most exciting and fun to watch NCAA Tournaments that I can ever remember, the NCAA has been trying decided if they should expand the tournament from the current 65 teams to 96 teams, with each regions top eight seeds getting a bye. Now that's madness if you ask me! Why fix something that isn't broken! Here is why I don't like it!

1) The champion is already in the field of 65. The 31 teams that will be added will be middle of the road, average teams, only diluting the field.

2) The new format will replace the NIT. The NIT is a necessary tournament for young teams and gives them postseason experience of more than one game.

3) Giving teams a bye, gives them an advantage. More rested legs, more time to prepare and the teams will probably have the opportunity to watch the live game between the teams that they will be playing.

4) Takes away from conference tournaments and Selection Sunday. I like conference championship week almost as much as the NCAA tournament itself. Teams from bigger conferences having to make runs in their respective conference tournaments to get in Big Dance, the smaller conference schools leaving it all on the line knowing that this is their one shot to make it.

5) The NCAA Tournament will no longer be a reward for a good season. If there are 96 teams selected, this years mediocre North Carolina would have been in even with their 16-16 record.

Basketball analyst, Jay Bilas said that the tournament will be great either way, but expanding it will probably make it a little less great. Dick Vitale wishes the NCAA would come out and say this move is primarily for money reasons. And that's really what the move is for, the almighty dollar. Maybe the NCAA should realize the earning power of football playoff system and leave something that's as close to perfect as you can get in sports alone!
NCAA Expands March Madness To Include 4,096 Teams