Rantings of a mad Utah Jazz fan...

I know most of you don't give a damn about the Utah Jazz, or even the NBA for that matter, but it is necessary for my own sanity to rant about the conclusion of this years season.

Going into the playoffs most Jazz fans knew that it was going to be an uphill battle facing Kobe and his Los Angeles Fakers, I'm the first to admit that. In fact, I would have been SHOCKED had Utah come out on top in the end. Yeah the Jazz had their "shiny moments" against the Lakers, but in the end those moments of execution hardly sidetracked the Laker course and Los Angeles closed the series 4 games to 1.

So what now?

I'll tell you what, some changes MUST be made. If I was offered the chance to make aforementioned changes this off season, without any hesitation they would be:

1. TOUGHNESS - With very few player exceptions, the team as a whole is neither mentally or physically tough enough to prosper in an NBA post season. Charles Barkley said it best while referencing the Jazz "Its hard to win in the playoffs when the toughest guy on your team is the coach." Jerry Sloan as a player was notorious for being rough and tough, was even named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team 4 times. Sloan is also the fourth all-time winning coach in NBA history. He's as hard ass as it comes, my hats off to you Jerry, getting ejected in the final Jazz game of the post season says it all(below). If nothing else at all, the Jazz should try to emulate Jerry's intensity ON the court.


2. Loose the Booz - Carlos Boozer is a worthless power forward. While he was out with an injury during the regular season, the Jazz thrived. You would imagine that a player of his size and stature (6'9" 266) would be a force in the post, but Boozer consistently shoots fade-away jumpers and throws up weak lay ups like a terrified middle-schooler. He's done nothing more than prove to Utah that he's a big softie that can't contribute when it matters. He also seems to believe that screaming after his in-game mistakes makes everything better. Seriously, who can argue...Paul Millsap has done more good on the court CONSISTENTLY than Boozer has done all season. I'd give Millsap the starting position (if he decides to stay) or bring in someone else for far less money. Losing Boozer would open up a lot of money for the Jazz, he made $11.6 million this season. Lets hope he opts out of his remaining contract before the start of next season. *fingers crossed.

I could easily keep going, but these were the biggest to chunks I needed to get off my chest. Now that our season is officially over, the Jazz need to spend this off-time recouping and thinking about how to building a better supporting cast for Deron Williams, he deserves it, Utah deserves it, hell, the late Larry H. Miller deserves it. That's my rant and I'm stickin' to it!

VP Debate + Football + Niel Diamond= AMERICA

Last night was a pretty eventful one. Not one that I will be forgetting anytime soon. First off, most Americans were looking forward to the Clash of the Vice Presidents, the debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. My mind was weighing heavy, due to the fact that I had 3 important events occurring at the same time. First, the much talked about debate. Second, my good buddy, Aaron, scored some free tickets to a ridiculous show at the Hollywood Bowl. And third, My undefeated University Of Utah Utes were playing a strong Oregon State. How could I possibly choose between all the options. I figured that our wonderful media would be talking about the debate for the next two or three weeks, as they always do. And thanks to the advent of the iPhone, I could keep tabs on my Utes as I enjoyed the GREAT NEIL DIAMOND in concert.

The concert was great. Granted, I'm not the biggest Diamond fan, I wouldn't even call myself a fan at all, but that man really knows how to put on a show. And at the age of 67, he's still got it. While singing along to "Sweet Caroline" I couldn't take my eyes off my iPhone, the Utes were up, then down, then tied. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I kept thinking "Why am I not at home, watching this game?" I was beyond nervous for my Utes, but luckily they pulled it out in the last quarter with a field goal. They are still undefeated and I got to enjoy some good old fashion rock and roll at the Hollywood Bowl.

Here are the remaining minutes of the incredible game that I missed. GO UTES!!!

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KOBE: As if Losing the Finals wasn't bad enough...

By now all of America knows that the Boston Celtics have triumphed over the Lack-luster Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals. Now, Kobe Bryant will go down in history as the NBA's 2008 MVP that couldn't live up to that accreditation in the Finals. In fact several sports columnists and reporters have been saying that Kobe can't and won't EVER be able to win a championship without another All-Star at his side. I tend to agree...Kobe is not a champion without Shaq. And then a few days ago, Shaq Desiel threw out his two cents on the subject in the form of a free-style rap at a New York City Club...Kobe haters enjoy!

Aww, Don't cry Kobe.
Now just eat up your plate of Shaq's Ass, before it gets cold!

Poppin my professional hockey cherry...

Today was a pretty monumental day in my life. I attended my first EVER professional hockey game. My friend hooked me up with some tickets to the Los Angeles Kings / Dallas Stars game at the Staples Center. I had been to the Staples center several times before, to see the Clippers play. Although this wasn't my first hockey experience, it was the first time I had seen an NHL game first hand and I must say that it was quite the experience. The cool crisp air in the stadium reminded me of the cool Park City mountain air back home. The sound of skates scraping on the ice and the puck slapping against the hockey sticks spoke to my soul. I knew I was experiencing something special. The game was surprisingly good. We hadn't even reached our seats and the score was already 0 - 2, in Dallas' favor. Now, let me explain a little something, for those of you that KNOW hockey, two goals in one period is VERY unlikely. So right off the bat, I assumed that the game wouldn't be very close and we would be lucky to see any more goals scored by either team. It wasn't much longer after that, the Kings scored a goal. Shortly after that goal, they scored their second, bringing both teams to a tie at the end of the first period.

"NOW WE HAVE A GAME!"

Not only was the game great, but so was the company. My friend, Katie, hooked us up with the seats, so thanks to her. Along with myself, Matt, Rafaela, Katie, Amy, Micalea and a few others, we filled nearly two rows. We all scored some sweet red shirts and killer LA Kings ball caps. The game carried on like any other, turnovers, several penalties, but unfortunately there were no fights. I don't care who you are, one thing is certain, if you're going to a hockey game in the U.S. of A. you're a hopin' for some fight to break out. But I'm not complaining too much, because the Kings ended up winning, which is a feat in itself, seeing that the team is ranked last in their conference. And not only did they win, but the game ended up going into overtime, which went goalless, so officials were forced to call a shootout. Now, besides fights breaking out, shootouts are the next best thing in hockey. LA went first, SCORED! Dallas followed, a miss! This put LA up 1-0 in a best out of three shots. The pressure was building on Dallas and LA fans were ecstatic, feeling that a victory was near. LA sent its second man in the shootout, a miss! Dallas went, SCORE!! Now the numbers are dead even, 1-1, with only one shot remaining for eachsquad. LA's third man, had to put one in the net to pull out the win and this is what happened...


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Yes, I shot that on my digital camera. The game was a lot of fun. If anyone is willing to hit up a Kings game in the future, I am your man.