Tomorrow is the first day of October. For the sports fan, that means one thing.........Sports Heaven!
It doesn't matter what your sport is, there is something going on. Seasons are wrapping up in some cases, and others are just getting under way in others. For this month, they all seem to overlap and there is something for everybody.
Do you like Major League Baseball? Good! Me too. As we come up on the last few games of the season, there is some big time drama. Who will win the wild cards in the AL? Who will claim the title in the brutal AL East (Hint: It will not be my Red Sox.....I am petitioning to have this joke of a season erased from the record books).
Throughout this month, we will get to see some great baseball as we get closer and closer to the world series.
My prediction? I'll take the Giants to beat the Yankees in a seven game thriller.
How about College Football? This is the time of year when things REALLY get interesting. We are officially past the "let's see how good they are before we start talking" stage and into the "oh wow, we are really terrible/average/awesome this year!" portion of the season. At this point, those who were overhyped in the preseason have gone by the wayside. Over the next two months, we will witness some classics as teams try desperately to win their conference title.
Locally, its going to be a fun week. Utah will host the Trojans from USC on Thursday night. I certainly don't expect the Utes to win, but I am hoping that they can come out and show some fight.
The big match up this week will feature Utah State and BYU. Five games in, and I am not sure what to make of either team. I am looking forward to a close, low scoring game.
There is a lot of football left to be played, so I won't make a prediction as to who will win. I do have a good feeling about the Florida St. Seminoles, so we will see how that goes.
I can't forget the Jazz! I am intrigued by the makeup of this roster. I feel that the team has depth at all positions. But at the same time, this team is by no means a lock to get a playoff spot. The competition will be fierce.
How much has Gordon Hayward improved? Is he finally ready to be the player we know he can be? Will Alec Burks get more playing time this year? As always, how do we find time for all of our worthy front court players? Is Mo Williams an upgrade over Devin Harris? How will we ever survive without CJ Miles? (sarcasm).
I think the Jazz will take 6th place in the West this year. I look forward to a fun season ahead!
Is Hockey your favorite sport? Well you are in luck!
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How about Real Salt Lake? After winning the MLS cup in 2009, RSL has remained a force to be reckoned with in MLS play, but has yet to claim a second crown. Could this be the year for RSL? After a big win over the goats (Chivas USA) in LA last night, the team is playing with confidence.
Getting past San Jose and Sporting KC will be difficult, but RSL has the talent, experience, and chemistry to do it if they can get/remain healthy.
Whatever your favorite sport is, this is an exciting time of year. If you are into all sports, then this is the most wonderful time of the (sports) year!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Friday, September 7, 2012
Some memories and thoughts on "The Battle of the Brothers"
Tonight is the first time that Utah and Utah State have met on the gridiron since 2009. I thought I'd give some of my favorite memories of this series.
1996:
This was right after my family moved to Utah from Texas. It was the first game I watched as a real Ute fan (I had watched the 1994 Utah-CSU game in TX, and that remains one of my favorite all-time Ute moments). Unfortunately, we lost, but that game is where I truly fell in love with Utah football.
2001:
2001 doesn't seem like that long ago, but it was back in the days when Utah football gave out tickets to anybody who would take them to fill the stadium. As such, the kids in my ward (an LDS congregation) were all given tickets by the youth leaders. We went and had a blast. We sat in the North End Zone and I was in heaven, especially since we won.
2003:
My first game as a member of the MUSS (mighty utah student section). My buddy and I were walking in and past a guy wearing a USU shirt. My friend stopped, stared at him, started laughing hysterically, then kept walking. I LOVED my time in the MUSS.
2007:
Fresh off our win over #11 UCLA, we had gone to UNLV and been blown out 27-0. We were 1-3 on the season and things weren't looking good. I came up from SUU where I was in school to go to this game with my Dad. I remember converting a big 3rd down play and yelling "You just saved your job, Whittingham!" A laughable thought now was amazingly spot on back then. Strange, eh?
So that brings us to tonight. Here are some of my thoughts:
-I LOVED Jake Murphy in last Thursday's game. In that one game, he had more receptions and yards than in last year total. However, Northern Colorado a) probably didn't game plan for him much and b) didn't have the personnel to contain him anyway. Utah State will have both. I'm anxious to see how Murphy does tonight. Hopefully, he can show that he is a force to be reckoned with.
-I thought that John White would have a line more along the lines of 20 carries, 157 yards. We also used him a lot more than I anticipated (he sat most of the fourth and still had 24 carries). The backups had their moments, but they will need to get better. John White is great, but we can't run him like we did last year.
-Keep your eyes on Seni Fauonuku, #98. He is the backup to Star, but he can play either spot on the interior of the line. He was extremely active during his limited reps last Thursday. He has quite possibly the quickest jump off the snap on the team and remains active until the play is dead. He is only about 6'0 but that can have its advantages. The comparisons to Steve Fifita and Kenape Eliapo leap to mind. Personally, I think he is going to be much closer to Fifita than Eliapo, which is a good thing. Also, it helps ease my concerns over next year when Star is not here. I'm not saying that there won't be a dropoff, but I think having Seni will be great for us. Though I have no doubt that we will be endlessly bombarded with "The Utes are in trouble without Star!" from the media, but what else is new?
Prediction:
Utah 27-USU 17
1996:
This was right after my family moved to Utah from Texas. It was the first game I watched as a real Ute fan (I had watched the 1994 Utah-CSU game in TX, and that remains one of my favorite all-time Ute moments). Unfortunately, we lost, but that game is where I truly fell in love with Utah football.
2001:
2001 doesn't seem like that long ago, but it was back in the days when Utah football gave out tickets to anybody who would take them to fill the stadium. As such, the kids in my ward (an LDS congregation) were all given tickets by the youth leaders. We went and had a blast. We sat in the North End Zone and I was in heaven, especially since we won.
2003:
My first game as a member of the MUSS (mighty utah student section). My buddy and I were walking in and past a guy wearing a USU shirt. My friend stopped, stared at him, started laughing hysterically, then kept walking. I LOVED my time in the MUSS.
2007:
Fresh off our win over #11 UCLA, we had gone to UNLV and been blown out 27-0. We were 1-3 on the season and things weren't looking good. I came up from SUU where I was in school to go to this game with my Dad. I remember converting a big 3rd down play and yelling "You just saved your job, Whittingham!" A laughable thought now was amazingly spot on back then. Strange, eh?
So that brings us to tonight. Here are some of my thoughts:
-I LOVED Jake Murphy in last Thursday's game. In that one game, he had more receptions and yards than in last year total. However, Northern Colorado a) probably didn't game plan for him much and b) didn't have the personnel to contain him anyway. Utah State will have both. I'm anxious to see how Murphy does tonight. Hopefully, he can show that he is a force to be reckoned with.
-I thought that John White would have a line more along the lines of 20 carries, 157 yards. We also used him a lot more than I anticipated (he sat most of the fourth and still had 24 carries). The backups had their moments, but they will need to get better. John White is great, but we can't run him like we did last year.
-Keep your eyes on Seni Fauonuku, #98. He is the backup to Star, but he can play either spot on the interior of the line. He was extremely active during his limited reps last Thursday. He has quite possibly the quickest jump off the snap on the team and remains active until the play is dead. He is only about 6'0 but that can have its advantages. The comparisons to Steve Fifita and Kenape Eliapo leap to mind. Personally, I think he is going to be much closer to Fifita than Eliapo, which is a good thing. Also, it helps ease my concerns over next year when Star is not here. I'm not saying that there won't be a dropoff, but I think having Seni will be great for us. Though I have no doubt that we will be endlessly bombarded with "The Utes are in trouble without Star!" from the media, but what else is new?
Prediction:
Utah 27-USU 17
The Best of the Rest
The University of Utah football team has become the top dog in recent years up on the hill. But that doesn't mean that the other sports are taking it easy. Here is a rundown on how some other teams are doing this year.
WOMENS SOCCER
The Utes' are off to a great start to the season as they head into year 2 in the Pac-12. So far, they have accumulated a 3-1-1 record. Included in that record is a 1-0 victory over the Team Down South. The victory was the first for the Utes over their rivals since 2007.
Tomorrow at noon, the Utes face a tough test as the Texas Longhorns come into town. First kick is set for noon at Ute field. Next weekend, the team will head up to Boise to participate in the Boise St. Tournament. The two games up there will be the final tuneup before the rigors of conference play start.
WOMENS VOLLEYBALL
The theme of this year's team has been a youth movement. With only one senior, all conference candidate McKenzie Odale, the team is light on experience but high on talent.
So far this season, the team is 6-2. After a fast start, the team struggled a bit in last weekend's tournament at UC-Davis.
The schedule does not get any easier as the team will be in Provo tonight to take on the Team Down South. They will remain in Provo and take on Portland State and Bowling Green tomorrow. It will be a grueling weekend, but they have the talent to win.
Next weekend, they return to Crimson Court to host the Utah Classic. On a personal note, if you have never been to Crimson Court, I STRONGLY recommend it. GREAT environment.
BASEBALL
Utah has never been known as anything close to a "baseball school", but a couple of Utes have really done well this season.
CJ Cron has been on a tear at High-A Inland Empire in "The Los Angeles Angels" (which can I remind you is "The the Angels Angels" when you translate it.). He has far more RBIs than any other minor leaguer. Look for CJ to start next season in Double-A and maybe even get some time.............at Triple-A Salt Lake!
Less commonly known is former Ute pitcher Stephen Fife, who was drafted by my Boston Red Sox in 2008. He has since been traded to the Dodgers and remains in their organization. He was able to get two starts at the Major League level this year, but has been in Triple-A with the Albuquerque Isotopes for most of the season.
Last night, he recorded the win for the Isotopes as he went 7 innings, giving up three runs in the win over Omaha in the PCL playoffs.
Check back in early next week as I update you on all that happened this weekend, and as always, GO UTES!
WOMENS SOCCER
The Utes' are off to a great start to the season as they head into year 2 in the Pac-12. So far, they have accumulated a 3-1-1 record. Included in that record is a 1-0 victory over the Team Down South. The victory was the first for the Utes over their rivals since 2007.
Tomorrow at noon, the Utes face a tough test as the Texas Longhorns come into town. First kick is set for noon at Ute field. Next weekend, the team will head up to Boise to participate in the Boise St. Tournament. The two games up there will be the final tuneup before the rigors of conference play start.
WOMENS VOLLEYBALL
The theme of this year's team has been a youth movement. With only one senior, all conference candidate McKenzie Odale, the team is light on experience but high on talent.
So far this season, the team is 6-2. After a fast start, the team struggled a bit in last weekend's tournament at UC-Davis.
The schedule does not get any easier as the team will be in Provo tonight to take on the Team Down South. They will remain in Provo and take on Portland State and Bowling Green tomorrow. It will be a grueling weekend, but they have the talent to win.
Next weekend, they return to Crimson Court to host the Utah Classic. On a personal note, if you have never been to Crimson Court, I STRONGLY recommend it. GREAT environment.
BASEBALL
Utah has never been known as anything close to a "baseball school", but a couple of Utes have really done well this season.
CJ Cron has been on a tear at High-A Inland Empire in "The Los Angeles Angels" (which can I remind you is "The the Angels Angels" when you translate it.). He has far more RBIs than any other minor leaguer. Look for CJ to start next season in Double-A and maybe even get some time.............at Triple-A Salt Lake!
Less commonly known is former Ute pitcher Stephen Fife, who was drafted by my Boston Red Sox in 2008. He has since been traded to the Dodgers and remains in their organization. He was able to get two starts at the Major League level this year, but has been in Triple-A with the Albuquerque Isotopes for most of the season.
Last night, he recorded the win for the Isotopes as he went 7 innings, giving up three runs in the win over Omaha in the PCL playoffs.
Check back in early next week as I update you on all that happened this weekend, and as always, GO UTES!
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