What a GREAT weekend (well at least for me)!! Had a fantastic Thanksgiving day(s) feast and a great time up in Logan at the in-laws. Sports were great! All of my teams posted victories with exception of my fantasy teams that got skunked. With that in mind lets get into this mostly cheery recap of the weekends action.
The NBA:
This weekend in the was a good one for the Jazz. After their dismal performance on Tuesday night against the OKC Thunder, the Jazz bounced back with a couple of resounding victories over Chicago and Portland respectively. Surprisingly it appears as though the Jazz are playing better because Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer are at least pretending to like each other and as a they are playing beautiful. You gotta see this fantastic pass (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RtAzQQUYAE) at the 1:37 point of this highlight. Overall in the NBA it seems like a surprising year so far, the Suns and Hawks are among the leagues best while the Spurs are really struggling.
The NFL:
Once again the Colts come from behind to win a big game on the road. My boy Austin Collie had a nice game 4 catches for 70 yards, but more importantly the Colts came through again. The Vikings look awfully awfully good. I have been hesitant on this but I think I might finally admit that Brett Favre deserves to be in with Peyton and Drew Brees for MVP. Also I can't wait to see what happens with the Saints vs Patriots tonight. My guess is that the Pats win this one and if they do then the NFL pecking order should be Colts, Vikings, Saints, Pats. Quite the top 4.
College Football:
The Unholy War has been decided. Our predictions here at the Upper Bowl look pretty good in hindsight. BYU won 26-23 (our prediction was 27-21) and Max Hall was not eaten up by the Utah defense, as was predicted by us. (Nothing wrong with a little bit of honking our own horn when we get something right) On top of the exciting game that we were blessed to be witnesses to we got some more fuel for the rivalry from Max Hall. In case you have missed what Max Hall said here is a link you can go to and listen to his comments (http://www.kjzz.com/fansports/audio/dj-and-pk/77951307.html?video=pop&t=a','video','scrollbars=yes,width=800,height=630,screenx=15,screeny=15). Here is my take on Max's comments, I am glad he spoke his mind. This is a rivalry, and a bitter one at that. There is no need to be politically correct. However, I do not agree with his comments. I think he stepped over the line when he blanketed the whole university and it's organization. Anyways with the Unholy War being over we can look forward to bowl season. It looks like BYU will go to the Vegas Bowl, Utah to the Poinsettia Bowl and TCU hopefully gets into the National Championship.
So that is our View from the Upper Bowl this week
I agree about Hall. Rivalries aren't pretty and there's been plenty said from both sides for years and years (and surely more for years to come). I'm not shocked and appauled as a BYU fan that he said those things. Sure he probably shoulda left out the blanket 'I hate EVERYTHING Utah' statement but was probably so hyped up on the win he didn't think or care. If the roles were reversed and it was their QB saying the same things about BYU... well, who cares? I still love my Cougars and the rivalry continues. But, that didn't happen. Cougs won and Utes can feast on that for now.
ReplyDeleteThe Jazz are playing great! I friggin love this team. The young rookies are fun to watch...Fez is fun to watch...Boozer's D actually appears to have improved along with the rest of the team and the Jazz aren't even healthy. They won't win the Championship or anything, but damn...they are fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteThe Colts are scaring the Be-Jeezus out of me and I'm not so sure my heart can take much more. I do think that winning these close games is important and builds character, but they've got too much character at this point. Give me a blow out victory just so I can relax a bit. Peyton is the MVP but only by a hair over Favre and Brees.
I LOVE what Max Hall said. If someone poured beer all over my family I would call it classless too. He may have generalized an entire fan base in the process, but all the Utah fans I know act that way ;) I just love seeing BYU players be motivated for more than just the game. Sometimes they seem like robots out there and whenever they show some emotion I think they play better.
PART I: MAX HALL, THE PLAYER
ReplyDeleteYa ya ya, the cougs got the "W". So you have bragging rights. (even though your bragging rights this yr are nothing like what the Utes enjoyed after last year's DOMINATION hahaha)
However, Kyle, since you brought it up, Max Hall DID get SHUT DOWN. I understand all BYU fans turn a blind-eye to his terrible performance because of a LUCKY BREAK: a defensive mistake which allowed the winning TD pass. Since you really got into the pre-game stats, I'll give you some post-game stats:
>FIRST, the Utes shut Hall down BETTER than TCU:
HALL VS. TCU
completion%: 64%
passing yds: 162
pass rating: 117
HALL VS. UTAH
completion%: 37% (WOW)
passing yds: 134
pass rating: 93
***This was Hall's LOWEST passer rating since his 2008 MVP, 5-INT performance last yr vs. Utah, when he got a whopping 26***
FUNNY FACTOID: The Utes' 19-yr-old true-freshman QB Jordan Wynn played HORRIBLE vs. BYU, right? Yes, I agree that he did. Connect with any 1 of the 5+ WIDE-OPEN receivers he overthrew and we'd be having a different conversation right now......but he STILL threw for MORE YDS (198) and a BETTER completion% (51%) than Hall!!! Just a fun stat hahaha
***The only reason BYU won was Unga running for 116 yds. I certainly didn't anticipate that, and I don't think the Utes did either.
So, Cougar fans, savor the flavor. The Utes' train to rivalry domination is on a much faster track than BYU's is. The Utes' coaching, recruiting ability, and the program in general are in better shape and improving much faster than BYU's. Two big BCS wins have made the U of U much more attractive to top-notch recruits.
PART II: MAX HALL, THE PERSON
ReplyDeleteAbout Max Halls' shocking hate speech, everyone should read this short article from bleacherreport.com:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/300351-keeping-it-classy-max-halls-rant-a-mirage-of-own-convictions/show_full
If you are too lazy to look it up, I will give you the most important part right here:
"Hall put himself on a pedestal. Above the University of Utah, and more obviously, his team, which had just pulled off a great overtime win against its, dare I say, hated rival.
It was suddenly all about Max. Max this, and Max that.
Me. Me. Me. I. I. I.
Sometimes things are best left unsaid. Hall won his game, was hoisted upon hundreds of fans, and given the chance at a collegiate football exit kids dream of, and some receive.
Max Hall found it more important to put himself first and discharge the abomination that is the team located 45 minutes north.
Coretta Scott King said, "Hate is too great a burden to bear—it injured the hater more than it injures the hated."
For Hall, he'll forever be remembered as a hater—not as the quarterback that beat Utah two out of three times."
Max Hall's running-of-the-mouth goes way beyond a "political incorrectness" issue. Like it or not, he bears a big "Y" on his uni, standing for Brigham Young, the second Prophet and President of the LDS Church. There IS a double-standard. BYU players ARE held to a higher standard than all of their opponents. BYU players' scholarships, facilities, etc. are paid for LARGELY with tithing monies donated by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
The worst part of it all is that Hall, a returned missionary of the church, insulted all Ute fans, LDS and non-LDS alike. Great member missionary work Maxi.
Gabe, you have to seperate Max from the church, he was an individual acting as an individual. Was he wrong? Probably, should he get killed for it? No. Alex Smith, Utah's poster boy said very similar things prior to the game in 04 and no one ever brought it up. Max shouldn't be held to a higher standard because he is a cougar. Are you saying that because they play at BYU cougar players have to act at a higher standard than Utah players? That's garbage, it's sports and it's a rivalry. Anyone who takes comments made by players on either side is taking it way too seriously. Bottomline is it is football, that is it football. The rivalry adds excitement and players popping off makes it fun, but the fact that Max's comments "deeply offend" Ute fans everywhere just shows that Utah is still BYU's little Brother, 3 out of the last 4 helps out with that too. ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, you do have to separate Max from the church. Just like Max needed to separate those classless Ute fans from the rest of the fans, the University, and everyone else.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what Alex Smith said prior to the game in 04', I was on my mission then. Did he make a blanket of disparaging comments about the entire BYU organization, BYU fans, BYU players? You'll have to show that to me. I have no problem with trash talk. I LOVE the trash talk, its fun. Even if the players insult eachother, it doesn't look good on the player's character, but thats between the player's.
I can't believe you don't think that ALL BYU athletes aren't held to a MUCH higher standard!?!
BYU's Board of Trustees for 2009-2010 are:
THOMAS S. MONSON
HENRY B. EYRING
DIETER F. UCHTDORF
RUSSEL M. NELSON
M. RUSSEL BALLARD
DAVID A. BEDNAR
STEVEN E. SNOW
JULIE B. BECK
ELAINE S. DALTON
You HONESTLY don't think this Board of Trustees expects BYU athletes to behave on a MUCH HIGHER LEVEL than those they compete against? If you think they accept BYU athletes' behavior as acceptable just because it's "football", maybe we should interview them together.
To clarify my position a little more, consider this.
ReplyDeleteAlex Smith, Morgan Scalley, and any other Ute only represent their school. HOWEVER, when you play for BYU, you not only represent your school, you also represent the Church. I'm sure you're aware Bronco Mendenhall has said various versions of that on many occasions.
If you disagree with BYU Football's fearless leader, well, that would be an entirely different discussion.
Gabe maybe I wasn't clear earlier in my post. I don't necessarily agree with Max, nor do I agree with Bronco all the time. Do I think that the list of people you mentioned care about what Max said? No. Despite everyone's rosy coloured glasses, BYU doesn't have a football program for the reasons that everyone thinks they do. They have a football program in order to make money for the university. And I would go as far as to say BYU's football program more than pays for itself through ticket sales, merchandise and bowl games. So tithing isn't the catalyst. And furthermore if that committee you rattled off cared about something as meaningless as Max Hall's rant against Utah fans/coaches/players and the university then they certainly would care more about all of the stuff that has gone on at BYU in their football program for the past 30 years. People have done far worse things, things that that committee would care about and yet despite all of that they still have a football program. But regardless, my point was not can that committee expect their football players to hold a higher standard, they certainly can if they wish (although I would bet they don't care one bit about Max Hall's comments). My point was, who are you or I to hold BYU players to a higher standard? When in your case you don't expect the same out of the Utah players who you support with your wallet? It's just not reasonable. Nevermind the fact that what exactly happened was Max Hall, a man utah fans should hate, declared his very ill opinions of anyone associated with the university of utah. Why does that offend Utah fans? Why do Utah fans care at all about what Max Hall said? The reason the Alex Smith and Morgan Scalley comments didn't get blown up like this is because, in part, BYU fans don't care what Utah players think about them. And re-enter our Little Brother syndrome. It really is amazing that Ute fans still have that problem because they are the team that has gone to 2 bcs games, they have a great program. Yet Ute fans still react to BYU more than they do to their own team, why you ask? Because Utah fans still feel like our little brother and they hate it.
ReplyDeleteTo clarify my point (I got into too much of a rant myself). I do think that in some instances BYU athletes are held to a higher standard, that is why they have an honor code. My main point was that what Max said is nowhere near the level of those things. What Max said was essential worth nothing more than regular trash talk. It's the reaction of fans that blows this thing up.
ReplyDeletehahahahaha.....that little brother thing is cute. You are the first I've ever heard say that, so no, I don't think there is a syndrome.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, if you want put it into a family tree context, Brigham Young founded The University of Utah long before BYU was even thought of. So there........hahahaha
You are probably right about the program being self-funded. But the school the football players represent IS funded with tithing dollars. This is where the religion mixes with everything the school is involved in........and too many fans don't want to accept it.
I think you are wrong if you believe BYU's leadership doensn't care about Hall's comments. BYU athletes represent the school, and the school represents the church. Pure and simple!
As you know, I'm Mormon, and I served a mission. I think all Mormon's realize we are looked at as a "peculiar people". As such, everyone that knows what BYU stands for (not just Ute fans) looks at everything that comes out of BYU with a different eye.
I've been receiving Google Alerts about everything "Max Hall" since Maxi opened his big mouth. The OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of articles agree Hall was WAY OFF BASE. Only BYU fans are sympathetic. To tell you the truth, I've actually been surprised at how polarized all of the articles are, AGAINST Hall, his character, and questioning the deafening silence coming from the BYU organization. But then again, it really isn't surprising. Because I realize one thing, that Hall's comments give a big bruise, maybe even a blackeye, to BYU's image. And that BOTHERS me because I'm LDS!!!
Scalley and Smith's comments remained confined within the realm of FOOTBALL.....THAT IS THE KEY HERE.....how is that not obvious???.....how can I clarify this......
NO UTE HAS EVER CALLED THE ENTIRE BYU ORGANIZATION AND IT'S FANS "CLASSLESS", OR ANYTHING EVEN COMPARABLE TO THAT....
if any Ute player were to cross over into insulting an entire organization and ALL of it's fans, I wouldn't defend it for one second.
I know it must make some BYU fans feel better to lump Hall's comments together with all the past "regular" trash-talk, but they're in entirely different categories!!! Not even close!!!
In the end, I think some BYU fans are actually having a very hard time accepting the error of Hall's disparaging comments BECAUSE BYU IS a religious institution. If everyone would just admit that Hall's rant was way off base, over the line, and EMBARASSING, then this would all go to bed.
But most BYU fans can't seem to cough that hairball up.
Gabe, if you haven't heard the Little Brother thing then you haven't talked to enough people. It is a common understood syndrome, Whitesox fans have it against Cubs fans. Jets fans towards Giants fans, Mets fans towards Yankee fans. Michigan State fans towards Michigan and Utah to BYU.
ReplyDeleteOn the Max Hall thing we are going to have to agree to disagree. Because obviously while I don't agree with Max, I don't have a problem with him saying what he said, and I think Utah fans are overreacting. Conversely you think that it was way out of line and that the higher ups care about his comments (despite any evidence that supports that). I think it is easily separated from religion while you do not. Clearly neither of us are budging on this one.
hahaha, yea buddy, i think we will have to put this debate to sleep.
ReplyDeleteYea, its funny I've never heard that before, cuz I've done a LOT of UofU vs. BYU trash talk in my day!
I want to thank you for creating this area for sports talk, it's a lot of fun!!!
but one more thing.....I can't help but notice, u never commented on my comment "PART I: MAX HALL THE PLAYER"....
So I guess you agree that Max Hall DID get shut down?......hahaha i can't wait to hear your response on that
Yeah no problem on the creation of this blog. It is just as much a goofy thing for me to just write down what I think about sports and argue with people. I am glad you like it. On the Max Hall the Player, he did get shut down in that game. He made the play when it counted, but I still think Max was an excellent player, BYU fans will realize that more when we only win 8 games next year with Riley Nelson or Jake Heaps at the helm.
ReplyDeleteHey, you almost forgot who else will miss Hall......UTE FANS EVERYWHERE!!!
ReplyDeleteHall's astounding 37% completion percentage allowed the Utes to stage a huge comeback and miss winning by a HAIR.....in a year when Utah was down 12 starters from the previous year....
So I will truly miss Hall.....his 5-pick, 26 passer rating performance vs the Utes....his air of class and humility (not)....and the obvious leadership ability he showed when he single-handedly united Ute fans everywhere (and BYU-haters too, unfortunately) in a matter of SECONDS with one scathing statement......
So I'll miss Hall.....and maybe even more than BYU season ticket holders! We shall see....