Five for Five

1.  College football

As a 9 year old growing up in Tyler, Texas, one of my favorite things to do on Saturdays was to watch college football.  I would tune into different games and tried to learn the game.  I still remember very clearly watching the Utah vs. Colorado State game in 1994.  I remember watching Harold Lusk pick off that pass, jumping up and down with my dad and yelling "GO GO GO! " as he returned it all the way to the house to seal the win.  The Utes finished in the top 10 that year. 

The biggest football in those days was the Red River Shootout.  The University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas.  Played in Dallas each year, it brings hundreds of thousands of people to the area and millions more watch on TV. 

This past Saturday, the annual Shootout took place.  I only had a chance to watch the end of this game.  It was a sloppy mess.  Oklahoma nearly fumbled the game away when it was trying to put it away.  Texas blew their chance by dropping a punt.  It was awful football, but it showed me one thing.  Most years, these teams are right in the thick of it and the winner often goes into contention for the national title.  This year, neither team should be taken very seriously, particularly Texas. 

2. Ron Boone

It was announced this past week that longtime TV analyst Ron Boone will join David Locke for the radio broadcasts of Utah Jazz games this year.  Craig Bolerjack will continue to provide play-by-play on TV, while fan-favorite Matt Harpring will join him and give commentary.  For TV, this is a great deal.  Harpring provides great insight, has a lot of passion, and really knows the game.

For those who can only listen on the radio (like me!), this move could not be worse.  Locke is atrocious.  Instead of actually calling the game, he tries to get you to focus on him with obscure stats, off the wall phrases, and constant self-promotion.  That was never the case with Hot Rod.  Hot Rod called the game, made it fun, and I never felt like he was trying to make it about him.  Locke is a pure ego-maniac.  On his daily radio-show, he tries to take the spotlight no matter who he is talking to.  I have no idea why the Jazz brought him on, but it was a big mistake.  Putting Boone at his side is like making a symphony out of people scratching a chalkboard, hyenas, Vanilla Ice, and Billy Ray Cyrus.  Its going to be awful.  Boone only offers the most obvious comments ("down by 20, the jazz can only hope to get back into this game by getting some stops and shooting at a higher percentage") he often gets lost "was that boozer?" or gets so far off-topic (during a tight game with about a minute to go) "You know what my favorite movie is, its "one flew over the cuckoos nest"" that fans get frustrated.

Expect radio ratings to plummet.

3.  MLB playoffs

Its october, which means it must be time for the Major Leauge Baseball playoffs.  Its been a fun season with some surprise teams.  Outside of the 8 teams remaining, everyone else  has gone home to start the routine of contract negotiations, rehabilitating injuries, and enjoying the winter vacation.

For those who are still alive, the most intriguing matchup to me is the Twins and Yankees.  The Twins have the home field advantage, the Yankees have the experience.  A victory for the Twins would be a victory for all that is right and good about sports.  The Twins are the small market guys who don't have bottomless pockets.  It would sh ow, once again, that championships can't be bought, they have to be won.  But the defending champs, despite shaky pitching, will not be an easy out.  They have been there and know what to do. 

I am picking the Twins in 5.

4.  Austin Collie

 The man who made headlines with his "magic happens" comments nearly three years ago is tearing up the NFL.  In a loss this week to the Jaguars, he scored yet another touchdown.  He has quickly become a favorite target of quarterback Peyton Manning.  His presence has caused defenses to spread themselves thin while also trying to cover Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, to say nothing of Pierre Garcon.

Collie defies traditional logic.  After a huge career at BYU, he slipped in the draft after posting below-average times in the 40 yard dash.  But Collie runs his routes sharply, has some quickness, and a really good pair of hands.  On top of that, he works hard.  Its always good to see guys do the right things "on and off the field" and have success.

5.  Rec Center

Working out at the gym is pretty fun.  Its fun to notice little things. 

I love people who ride the elliptical machine backwards.  Its so funny because no matter how hard they work, they aren't getting a work out!  There is absolutely no resistance.  And it looks funny too. 

I saw something for the first time the other day that was even more humorous.  A guy next to me actually put both feet on one pedal.  I wanted to say "sir, you can actually save money by not coming here.  If you want to stand in one place, you can literally do that anywhere you want to, there is no sense coming to work out and then standing in one place, thinking you are getting a workout."

Another guy was actually riding the machine pretty hard.  I mean, he was going really fast, and surprisingly, actually doing it right.  All of a sudden, he just goes "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" and then calmly jumped off and walked away, leaving the machine spinning like crazy.  Random.

My favorite has to be the lady who sings along with her ipod.  And not just sings, but SCREAMS along with it.  I wonder if she notices that there are other people around her.  Probably not, but thats ok.

The ultimate point of the rec center is to work out, but walking away laughing is not a bad thing either.