I realize that according to a recent survey, Salt Lake City and surrounding hates baseball, but you can’t hate on opening day. Bush got booed as we discussed,  The Royals can say they’re in first place, the Cubs still think they have a chance to end a 100 year drought and ESPN thinks only two teams are in the league! In addition, Jon Miller is dirty and who knew AE did baseball???

The much talked about Bush gets booed video…......I say boo him like an athlete if you don’t like the job he’s doing. others, (Hans), said you can’t boo the Prez…....

Highlights today included….Who knew Erin Andrews did MLB?

Here’s some typical Cubs. 3-run bomb by the newest Japaneese import Kosuke Fukudome. Not a bad start, 3-3 and a walk. Too bad the Cubs still lost….Better luck next year…..Again.

Enjoy the Jon Miller “Happy Ending” call while you can. The ESPN Nazi’s already took it off their video service and off of You Tube, it’s only a matter of time until they catch the Red Lasso version as well…...

 

-Does the tournament make the tournament or does the bracket make the tournament?  I wondered that as I was watching my home state WV Mountaineers lose to Xavier last night in OT.  Gordon was standing there and said something to the effect that this game doesn’t really mean anything to him.  I thought maybe he didn’t care about either team but really it’s because he had Duke in the Elite 8 in his bracket and they had already been eliminated.  While we love the games, the upsets etc. in the end I think the Tourney’s popularity is what it is because of those brackets.  It gives us a reason to care about the games we normally wouldn’t care about.  It’s similar to how Fantasy Football has contributed to driving the success of the NFL.  What cracks me up though is Gordon hates Fantasy Football but what he doesn’t realize is that the bracket is pretty much the same thing.  I guess that’s what happens when you’re the station defending champion!

-We caught up with Ute QB Brian Johnson yesterday on the Big Show (Listen to entire interview in the Audio Section here).  Much like Max Hall, this kid is all class and you just hope that this upcoming season he can stay injury free.  Gordon asked him about focus and not stumbling against lesser teams like they’ve done the last few years.  Johnson brought up the 2004 Ute team in how there minds were always on football.  I’m sure he didn’t mean it this way, but the comment can be read as indicting to the lack of discipline of this program and that falls on Kyle Whittingham.  While Coach Whitt has had some bad luck in injuries etc. you know the coach before him (Do I need to say his name?) wouldn’t have allowed a loss to UNLV no matter what the injuries.  I think this is a big year for Whittingham and not so much that they have to win a MWC Title but they better challenge for one and definitely have to be more consistent.

-RSL starts the season tomorrow hosting Chicago and I’m curious to see a) if this franchise can take a step forward on the field and b) whether the fan support will remain strong or continue to erode.  Obviously if they can do a), b) won’t happen.  We’ve had GM Garth Lagerwey on several times (including yesterday) and I will say I’m impressed.  As many of you probably know, I’m not much of a soccer guy but just the fact he’s willing to bash players as he did on our show yesterday for taking dives makes him ok by me.  Now whether that will translate to building a competitive team I guess we will soon find out.

-If there is one Utah Blaze game to attend this season, tomorrow would be the one.  They are holding a celebration for the late Justin Skaggs who passed away last year towards the end of the season due to a cancerous brain tumor leaving behind his wife Tara and two young children, Jake and Abbie.  Having the privilege to broadcast the games last year, I had a chance to talk with him a few times.  He was a pretty low key down to earth guy who happened to be a solid football player.  I’ll never forget attending that funeral.  It was one the saddest events I ever witnessed.  He was way too young.  It’s a cliché but it reminds you that your time could be up any day so enjoy every moment while you can. 
 
-Check out Andrew Bogut here after he makes a free throw.  Is he a Mime or does his teamates not like him?

 

-As I revealed on yesterdays show, I watched the Jazz-Bobcats game from the Upper Bowl with my daughter’s Jr Jazz team last night.  Overall it was a good experience.  To steal a line from the old Bob Uecker Miller Lite commercials I thought “we must be in the front row” sitting just four rows from the very top.  Now it was way up but we were near center court and I honestly was surprised how good you could see the game.  For instance, from even way up there you could see how crappy the Jazz interior defense is or how wide open they like to leave three point shooters.

-I will say I was taken aback a bit by the divide between the Lower and Upper Bowl Fans on the program yesterday.  I didn’t really notice too much difference except that I didn’t see as many of the dressed to the hilt, heavily invested on body part ladies if you know what I mean up there.  What I did notice however were a fan base that seemed to be into the game pretty intently and a lot more kids overall…then again I was with a Jr. Jazz team.  I also noticed a lot of empty green seats all over the building.  I guess playing the Bobcats on a beautiful pre-spring evening doesn’t draw the fans out.  Couldn’t imagine why.

-One issue however is ruining the sports experience for fans and that’s the time it takes to get a freaking hot dog at the concession stand!  I don’t understand why they can’t hire enough people to serve the masses.  I counted six registers at the stand I went to but only two were open with two lines 20 deep in each.  Meanwhile I missed 15 minutes of the game.  So let me do the math.  If a typical NBA game say goes two hours and you make a minimal two runs to the concession stand causing you to miss 30 minutes that means 25% of your time (or 1 quarter of the game) is standing in line to buy overpriced food and drinks.  I think they should refund fans 25% of their ticket price for missing game action or perhaps just open up all the registers at all the stands and hire enough people to fetch us our food! 

-If you missed Max Hall on the Big Show yesterday (go to audio section to listen) he admitted he’s a lot more comfortable this Spring compared to last year when he was fighting for the job.  He talked about the teams “Quest for Perfection” saying the BCS is definitely a goal he feels they can achieve.  The non-conference schedule is there for the taking.  Washington is definitely beatable on the road while UCLA I think will be a tougher win even though it will be played at home.  Think about it…UCLA almost beat the Cougars in the Vegas Bowl while they were looking for a head coach and playing with their 3rd string quarterback.  You know with Norm Chow now heading up their offense they’ll be much better there and while the BYU offense is loaded their weakness early on will be on the defensive side of the ball.  It also won’t be easy staying unbeaten in the MWC having to travel to TCU and Utah.  An unbeaten season is doable but they will have to play perfect football something they haven’t been able to do quite yet during the Bronco era.

-Judging by the amount of Laker fans attending the Jazz game last week I thought I would include this video/parody song I saw on Extra Mustard today called Laker Rhapsody.  Even if your not a Laker fan I think you’ll appreciate it.

WARNING!!! WARNING!!! VIDEO CONTAINS PROFANITY!!!...As in an F-Bomb…...


Here is the video of former Lone Peak football coach Monte Morgan slamming a student’s head against a wall and putting him in a head lock. The coach and student were suspended and the parents of the kid said he had it coming. According to school officials there was much that went on before and after this video. AGAIN….THIS VIDEO CONTAINS AN F-BOMB. IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY THIS TYPE OF LANGUAGE DO NOT LISTEN TO THE AUDIO OR DO NOT WATCH THE VIDEO.


The question is: What if a teacher did this to your kid??

Cue the music…....Lebron James is the first black man to grace the cover of Vogue and some “experts” say that the image is racist.


Here is the story from USA Today:


When Vogue announced its April cover starring LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen, the magazine noted with some fanfare that James was the first black man to grace its cover.
But the image is stirring up controversy, with some commentators decrying the photo as perpetuating racial stereotypes. James strikes what some see as a gorilla-like pose, baring his teeth, with one hand dribbling a ball and the other around Bundchen’s tiny waist.

It’s an image some have likened to King Kong and Fay Wray.

“It conjures up this idea of a dangerous black man,” said Tamara Walker, 29, of Philadelphia.

Photographer Annie Leibovitz shot the 6-foot-9 NBA star and the 5-foot-11 Brazilian model for the cover and an inside spread. Vogue spokesman Patrick O’Connell said the magazine “sought to celebrate two superstars at the top of their game” for the magazine’s annual issue devoted to size and shape.

magazine analyst Samir Husni believes the photo was deliberately provocative, adding that it “screams King Kong.” Considering Vogue’s influential history, he said, covers are not something that the magazine does in a rush.

“So when you have a cover that reminds people of King Kong and brings those stereotypes to the front, black man wanting white woman, it’s not innocent,” he said.

O’Connell, the Vogue spokesman, declined further comment.

In a column at ESPN.com, Jemele Hill called the cover “memorable for all the wrong reasons.” But she said in an interview that the image is not unusual — white athletes are generally portrayed smiling or laughing, while black sports figures are given a “beastly sort of vibe.”

For example, former NBA star Charles Barkley was depicted breaking free of neck and wrist shackles on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Dennis Rodman graced the cover of Rolling Stone with horns poking out of his forehead and his red tongue hanging out.

Images of black male athletes as aggressive and threatening “reinforce the criminalization of black men,” said Damion Thomas, assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at University of Maryland.

But others say the image show James’ game face — nothing more. And they note that Bundchen hardly looks frightened.

“James is a huge, black beautiful masculine statue and Gisele is a feminine, sexy gorgeous doll,” said Christa Thomas, 36, a black account supervisor in Los Angeles.

“I didn’t see any kind of racist overtone to it,” she said. “I still don’t. I think there is such a hypersensitivity to race still in this country.”

Husni said it is too soon to know how the magazine is selling, though the controversy could increase sales as people rush out to get a “collector’s edition.”

If nothing else, Walker said the cover underscores the need for a more diverse workplace.

“If more people of color worked for Vogue in positions of editorial authority, perhaps someone in the room might have been able to read the image the way so many of us are reading it now, and had the power to do something about it,” she said.

“

 

Here is the French play by play of the fight…......

Here is the ESPN replay in English which shows Patrick Roy’s goalie fight vs. Detroit back in 1998. Like father like son…....

Ever wonder where Hans gets his hankerin’ for always breaking out in song during the show? Here is some early footage…......

As a bonus Kyle Korver should be almost as afraid of this kid as he is Shauna Lake…......

.,.....Apparently the people have spoken and they are upset that a show called “How I Met Your Mother” on CBS is airing a promo where Brit-Brit appears and talks about S-E-X!! The funniest part to me is that Doogie Howser is gay in real life….Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Enjoy!

Michael McCarthy of USA Today writes:

Worst promo. Who’s the genius behind the lame promo during CBS’s coverage of the tournament Saturday and Sunday about Britney Spears’ appearance on How I Met Your Mother? In the clip from tonight’s episode, Spears’ flirty receptionist asks Neil Patrick Harris’ character if they can have sex, then go shopping. Cute. We know Hollywood loves to outrage the squares in Middle America. But there are kids watching these games.