Top 10 Games I've Seen At Utah

I'm one softball game away from completing my fifth go-around as a member of the University of Utah Athletic Communications office, so I thought I'd reel off and riff about what I consider my top 10 games that I have been fortunate enough to witness live and in living color ...

10. No. 14 Seed Harvard Defeating No. 3 Seed New Mexico in the 'Second Round' of the 2013 NCAA Tournament / Butler Beats Syracuse and Kansas State to Advance to 2010 Final Four One of the better perks of the job is hosting tournaments like this so 'Cinderella' going all the way to the Final Four in its home city and a No. 14 seed taking down a No. 3 makes it even that much more exciting.

9. Volleyball vs. Stanford in 2012: Probably the only Utah loss in the countdown, but it was a great atmosphere for the first match in the Jon M. Huntsman since 1993 and sparked the team's move into the JHC for the 2013.

8. Softball vs. Oregon State in 2012: After dropping their first 16 Pac-12 Conference games, the Utes picked up their first-ever Pac-12 win. It was awesome to see the progress they made in 2013, as they took two of three from No. 2 Arizona State and No. 15 UCLA.

7. Men's Basketball vs. BYU in 2009: Overtime game (of course) saw Luke Nevill score 32 to lead Utah to a 94-88 win over a young Jimmer Fredette and gave the Utes an early leg up in the Mountain West Conference title chase.

6. Football vs. BYU in 2010: Brandon Burton blocks Mitch's Payne field goal attempt as time expires.

5. Volleyball at BYU in 2009: Down 2-0, it was a foregone conclusion that the Cougars were going to win. It was just a matter of when and by how much. But someone forgot to tell the Utes and head coach Beth Launiere ...

4. Volleyball Makes Sweet 16 Run in 2008: After winning the Mountain West Conference title, I got a chance to travel with the team across the country to Clemson, S.C., and the team swept its first two matches, including a road match from Atlantic Coast Conference champion Clemson. Clemson had a particularly amusing fan, who would wear Tiger face paint and sit at mid-court and roar like a tiger as the opponent tried to make plays.

3. 'Championship Saturday' on Nov. 23, 2008: Volleyball clinched Mountain West Conference tittle with a 3-1 win over nationally-ranked Colorado State and then Football clinched the MWC with a 48-24 win over BYU, also my first taste of how intense this rivalry really is! Gotta love the 'BCS! BCS! BCS!' chants from the Rice-Eccles Stadium crowd!

2. Football at BYU in 2011: 54-10. Enough said.

1. 2009 Sugar Bowl: Tough to beat being along on this trip! From the get-go, Utah overwhelmed Alabama in the first three series with its no-huddle offense and the Crimson Tide seemed unprepared for the blitz packages called by then-defensive coordinator Gary Andersen. The whole week down in New Orleans and on Bourbon Street and the image of an Alabama fan giving our bus caravan the bird will be life-long images!

Go Utes!

Spring Movie Review

Now that every weekend is not owned by my job (the academic year is winding down a bit so home events are fewer and fewer between), I've been able to get to the movies a lot more so here my quick takes on the last four I've seen.

Disclaimer: By no means do I claim to be a movie expert, but these are just my own thoughts. I am easily amused and pleased with movies so it's not my intention to blast everything. I can only remember a few movies that I haven't liked, let alone hated (e.g. The Tree of Life, the most recent Karate Kid, Knight and Day). Feel free to call me out if you and disagree and let the debate commence ... :)

Oh, and I'm perfectly aware of my shallow tastes in movies. When I plunk down my $8, I want to enjoy myself and don't want to over think things.

So anyway, on with the reviews ....

42: This was a really a cool movie. Best I've seen this spring. I loved the attention to detail made in an effort to bring the viewer back to the '40's. It was an uncomfortable, yet powerful, scene when the manager from Philadelphia kept heckling Mr. Robinson. Although, it did seem like the 'time warp' effect by totally skipping over his time in Montreal. I understand that the main focus of the film should be on his first year in Brooklyn and Major League Baseball, but it just made me want to know more.

I keep telling people that it's difficult to tell the whole story of Jackie Robinson in two hours and eight minutes. I couldn't help, but do a quick Google search and found a lot of cool little factoids that were' left out, like the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers Branch Rickey making Mr. Robinson a deal to not retaliate for three years --- but after those three years up, Mr. Robinson began to retaliate, being taunted with a black cat   by two fans, etc.

And there was even a movie 'The Jackie Robinson Story' that was made in 1950 --- starring Jackie Robinson. Cannot even imagine how 'trippy' of an experience that would be --- MAKING A MOVIE ABOUT YOUR OWN LIFE! And I just saw a blog where they called Robinson a bad actor --- PAUSE.

Oblivion: One of the more original movies you'll see. I thought it was a cool story with a lot of action. I'm not the biggest sci-fi fan, but as long as you're willing to "just go with it," I think you'll enjoy it.

Quick side note: TC (I guess Kanye West calls him) is playing a character named 'Jack Harper', but in December he was just in a movie called 'Jack Reacher.' Wouldn't his people insist on changing the name a little? Just sayin' ...

Now we enter the 'meat head' portion of the reviews ...

Pain and Gain: Yes, it was as 'brotastic' as it appeared in the previews ... AND IT WAS AWESOME! There were some funny lines and some pretty cool action sequences. And even a few twists in the plot ... Still can't believe it was a true story!

G.I. Joe Retaliation: This brought me back to my childhood. I was a big fan of the action figures as a kid so it was cool to see those characters come to life --- even though they did not shoot lasers from their guns. But the cameo by Bruce Willis as the original Joe more than makes up for that.

Up next, I want to go see Iron Man 3 and Olympus Has Fallen ... Gimme a shout if there's anything else I'm missing.

- Mike

Blog For Boston

Pretty scary stuff this week after the Boston Marathon Bombings, but this is America and that's not going to stop us from doing what we do .... I do have some thoughts, but will let the events breathe for now.

So I present to you my trivial blog post about the everyday boredom of my life because if I stop doing this then the terrorists win ...

'MURICA

I went 5-for-5 in going to the gym this week, four times in the morning before work then once during lunch. I've found that going to Gold's Gym any time after 5 p.m. is meat-head central so I try to avoid going after work to avoid the gym bros ...

I found a little beginners lifting workout and then combined it with the Couch-2-5k program to ease back into the swing of things:

Monday

Bench Press  4x 12,10,10,10 (135)

Incline Bench Press  2x10 (95)

Skullcrusher (Machine)  3x 10 (100) 

Tuesday

Walk (3.5 MPH) 5 min.

Jog (5.0 MPH) 1 min.

Walk (3.5 MPH) 1:30

x 8

Walk (3.5 MPH) 20 min

Wednesday

One Arm Dumbbell Row 3x 10 (30

Standing Barbell Curl  3x 8 (50)

Military Press  4x8 (95)

Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3x10 (10)

Thursday

Walk (3.5 MPH) 5 min.

Jog (5.0 MPH) 1 min.

Walk (3.5 MPH) 1:30

x 8

Walk (3.5 MPH) 20 min

Friday

Leg Press  4x 12 (180),10,10,10 (270) 

Leg Extension  3x12 (105)

Leg Curl  3x 12 (105)

I'm not trying to bore you, but I hope this will help me feel more accountable. Carry on until next friends ...

March Madness!

It's been a rough winter so I'm ecstatic that spring is on the way ... FINALLY! Spring training games are starting for my Cubbies and conference tournaments are starting for men's basketball!

Things got off a great start tonight as the Utes picked up a big win over USC. Coach K had the guys playing a really disciplined brand of basketball and it was awesome to see them respond to those two huge runs. Earlier this season, I'm not so sure that the Utes could have been able to take a deep collective breath and re-focus. Next up is Cal tomorrow at 6 p.m. PT. The No. 2 seed Golden Bears have superstar and Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year Allan Crabbe. It was hilarious when Jared DuBois was asked about if he can stop Crabbe and said with a tongue in cheek, "Yeah, maybe if he doesn't show up, lose his jersey or something ..." It will obviously be a tall order against Cal, but underdogs and upsets are truly what make March Madness magical.

And another dose of comic relief has been Bill Walton dropping knowledge as the color analyst for Pac-12 Network. How he talks about the game is just incredible! He is entertaining yet informative and just brims with enthusiasm for the game, which is to be expected from a color analyst ... But the things that set Walton apart are the little random, historical and intellectual references he'll make out of nowhere at any given moment. Here's a brief list of allusions I remember him making: "The fatal shore of Australia," "Dakari Tucker has a chance to reverse human history," "Basketball, like life, is decision-making," referring to Utah center Jason Washburn as an "impenetrable wall." He just has an absurdly dramatic way of telling the narrative of the game and  I can't get enough!

The Badgers get going Friday at 12:30 p.m. MT so then we'll really cooking ...

Happy March Madness everyone!

Here Goes Nothing ...

A lot has gone on since I took my vacation for the holidays. I caught the flu and had to miss the Rose Bowl. I've been battling the snow here in Salt Lake City. The crappy weather has really sucked the life out of me, but I haven't written in a long time so here's what's on my mind. The only way to become a great writer is to write and read as much as you can so here I go! ...

JRE 

I just started listening to Joe Rogan's podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience" It's actually made me think a lot about because he really attacks how we think about everything in life (relationships, government, economics, etc.). Well, 'attacks' may be too strong of a word, but he definitely forces you to reexamine how you view the world. I'm really late to the party because at the end of last week, I have listened to nine of them, but there are over 300 of these so I will have plenty to listen to for a while! He seems to have a really positive outlook on life and believes that if you put out positive vibes, good things will happen for you. I feel like I lose sight of that too often in my own life so it's already helped me try to improve myself. While maintaining his positive vibe, Rogan also has a snarky, sarcastic sense of humor that I can identify with. And thanks to him, I've been obsessed with 'Midnight Rider' by the Allman Brothers.

"Are You Serious!" - Dick Vitale

Like Roscoe Dash would say, college basketball is all the way turnt up!

So right now I'm watching No. 1 Michigan at No. 3 Indiana and Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., is rocking! And Dickie V is still super, scintillating, sensational! I'm still amazed Wisconsin won there a few weeks when the Hoosiers were No. 1! What a game! The Badgers executed so well offensively, banged on the boards and made timely shots. If they can play like that, they can beat anyone in the country. But enough blatant "homerism" for my alma mater ...

I have been fortunate enough to have already seen some games from some pretty cool venues like the Kohl Center and UW Fieldhouse (Wisconsin), Jon M. Huntsman Center (Utah), Williams Arena (Minnesota) and Cassell Coliseum (Virginia Tech). That got me to thinking about some of the top five college basketball atmospheres that I would like to hit during my lifetime in no particular order:

Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke): I always have to tune in when the Blue Devils play on their home court. I love when the student section, the Cameron Crazies, hop in unison and yell 'WOO' as the preamble to tip-off. It's a tradition that's often been imitated, but I want to see it for myself. Also, bonus points for the crammed quarters, which makes for a cozy atmosphere. Preferably, I would like to seem them play their Tobacco Road rivals, North Carolina.

Phog Allen Fieldhouse (Kansas): The school where Dr. James Naismith, the guy who invented the game of basketball, coached has the best tradition in all of college basketball. It's a pilgrimage that every basketball fan should make so hopefully I'll get to go one day. Also, you gotta hear the 'Rock. Chalk. K. U. Woooo" chant in its native environment. I've heard it in the United Center during the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, but I don't think that did the tradition justice.

Assembly Hall (Indiana): The intensity in that building seems electric, but what else would you expect from the most basketball-obsessed state in the nation? I just hope I can get a seat in the main grandstand because the upper deck seems a little too steep for me!

Pauley Pavillion (UCLA): Another tradition-rich program. It would be a thrill to watch a game in the same place where John Wooden, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, and many more called home.

Rupp Arena (Kentucky): The home of the Kentucky Wildcats seats 23,000 people! That's insane! Much like Indiana and Kansas, Kentucky has an entire state (minus Louisville faithful) of round-ball fanatics who will support them until the end of time.

If you made it this far down, thanks for bearing with me and let me know if I'm missing any other college basketball gyms!

Enjoy the "Big Game", a.k.a. Super Bowl XLVII, tomorrow!

- Mike

It's Been Too Long ...

Since the University of Utah men's basketball team won in Provo. 2005 to be exact. Die-hard Ute fans will be making the trip down to see if Coach Krystkowiak's new and improved crew can put a stop to this seven-year drought. I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed with the Utes' performance last Wednesday at the Huntsman Center. They dismantled a Boise State club that earlier this season had defeated No. 11 Creighton, 83-70, on the road in Omaha. The Broncos were averaging 77.7 points per game and were out rebounding their opponents by a +4.6 clip.

The Utes took care of business and held the Broncos to 55 points and earned a 31-18 edge on the glass. Utah played with a level of toughness and defensive tenacity that I haven't seen a lot from them since moving out to Salt Lake City. And that attitude, my friends, comes from coaching. The much-maligned JHC crowd fed off the product on the floor and the atmosphere was amazing.

Traveling down south to a game is definitely a high-risk, high-reward proposition. You definitely have to take some razzing if you lose, and obviously our hoops team hasn't played well down there lately, but that is part of the fun. And it makes a victory behind enemy lines even that much sweeter!

Photo courtesy of Chandler Wride (@TransistorUte). Thanks "breh."

GO UTES!

It's Not About X's and O's. It's About Jimmy's and Joe's

Much is always made about the man or woman serving as the head coach of your favorite team because we're fanatics. We always point to this person when we're pleased or frustrated with the progress, or lack thereof, of your favorite ball club. But like my Dad, a 30-plus-year football coaching veteran, always says, "Coaching football is not about X's and O's. It's about Jimmy's and Joe's."

When it comes down to it, the players have to make the plays.

But nonetheless, as a Wisconsin football fan am gearing up for the roadie down to "Pasa-THREE-na" at the end of the month, I just had to type down some thoughts on Bret Bielema leaving his post as the head coach of my alma mater's football team, just the third B10 team to do so in the 99-history of the "Granddaddy of them all"  ..

Bielegone!

The departure of former Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema brings up a lot of questions and adds even more story lines to what I think is going to turn out to be a pretty intriguing 99th Rose Bowl presented by VIZIO ...

Although the rumor mill in sports can often be misleading, especially for head coaching positions, you can usually count on the name of the person who is eventually going to be hired, will be in the mix of those thrown out for the masses to speculate about.

Most of the time there are ulterior motives that determines why a "source" will bring a name out there. And in a big and cruel twist of irony for me earlier this week, Boise State's head coach Chris Petersen, who seems to always be in the middle of the rumor mill for every big coaching vacancy, was once again mentioned for the Arkansas job. Arkansas' fan site, 'Hog Country', had been pumping up Petersen as the lead candidate for a few days so I finally texted a Boise State fan friend of mine to see if there was any truth to it. The answer was a resounding NO. My buddy told me that the Hog Country editor hated Boise State and had been going out of his way to stir rumors about 'Coach Pete' for a few years now. And then out of left field, Bret Bielema was named the head coach at Arkansas. Welp, irony can be a cruel b**** sometimes. I guess I'll stay out of other team's coaching search rumor mills form now on!

And it's very intriguing to see how two groups of people can look at one man and see completely different things:Arkansas Football: 5 Reasons Bret Bielema Is a Perfect Fit for Razorbacks (by James Brown at bleacherreport.com)

Instant Discipline: Valid / Badgers were second in the B10 in penalty yardage (33.9/game)

Simple Football Philosophy (Running game + stout defense): Valid / I agree it all starts with defense and the running game, buuuuuuut what made the 2011 team so special was one-and-done quarterback Russell Wilson and wide receiver Nick Toon (Al's son) running wild with play passes and that's precisely kept Wisco in the game against Oregon. And I haven't been impressed with Wisconsin offensive coordinator Matt Canada this season (obvious exception being the B10FCG against Nebraska), so I'm interested to see what Coach Bielema

Not Afraid to Take on the Big Dogs: Not Valid / Brown's strongest evidence for this assertion is his media jabbing with Urban Meyer over the summer during a recruiting battle. I'm not sure why this is relevant and quite frankly, Bret came off as fragile and sensitive. I heard rumblings that Coach Bielema was affected by the criticism this season in Madison. If you can't take it Madtown, I'm interested to see how affects him in Fayetteville.

Saban the Last B10 Coach to Leave for SEC: Not Valid / This is where Brown lost me. I'm not quite sure what one thing has to do with the other. Two very different guys and even though both of their respective paths to the SEC included B10 jobs, they couldn't have gotten there any differently. Bielema, of course, hand-picked by retired coach and athletic director Barry Alvarez for his first-ever head coaching job, while Saban took a more 'circuitous' route. He started at Toledo, re-energized the Michigan State program but left amid NCAA sanctions and then went to LSU. I'm not really seeing how this means instant national championships for the 'Bielemonster' in Fayetteville.

Then there's the polar opposite point of view from the Wisconsin fan base written by Ryan Glasspiegel at outkickthecoverage.com. I highlighted what I read as the top five points ...

Clock Management: Valid / Unfortunately, there were multiple situations where the Badgers' two-minute drill was not ran as crisp as possible.

Bielema Took the Money to Leave A Better Situation: Not valid / Who knows what a better situation means to Coach Bielema? There are a multitude of behind-the-scenes factors that we will never know about and speculating about those would be in poor taste as well. There may come a time in your career where you feel that your ceiling has been reached and you don't have any room to grow. If Coach Bielema feels that is the case, then it's best he moves on. I'll say this, if he is looking for a challenge, he'll certainly get one in Arkansas.

Record in Close Games: Valid / Glasspiegel cites an article by Tom Oates in the Wisconsin State Journal Wisconsin's last nine losses have come by a touchdown or less. And it's three wins were Michigan State in the inaugural B10 Championship game as well Northern Iowa and Utah State.

Wisconsin A Better Job than Arkansas: Not Valid / Again, we do not, and never will, know about all of the internal issues Coach Bielema was weighing. Although pay for assistant coaches has surfaced. It is not impossible for people to say the Wisconsin job is better or worse than Arkansas because you don't know the whole situation that Coach Bielema is in. It really comes down to individual preference.

'Good Riddance': Not valid. This phrase has been used all over the internet by my fellow Badger fans. And I will caution you with another adage: "Be careful what you wish for." Not long ago, Michigan fans were happy when Coach Lloyd Carr was let go. We all know how that went and Big Blue is finally starting to regain the form it had under Coach Carr.

As you can hopefully tell by my breakdown of each article, I hope you can tell I'm on the fence about Coach Bielema and will continue to take the middle road. I can understand why he would want to look for another opportunity (without Coach Alvarez and in a really challenging conference), but I also get why Wisconsin fans would be upset (horrible timing and his seemingly anti-SEC stance).

I may be in the minority among my fanbase, but I wish Coach Bielema the best in the future at Arkansas. But now we have that behind us and we now know we will have a 'Wisconsin Man'  as head coach on the sidelines on New Year's Day.