Shout-out to a Silent Follower

This Shout-out is to Erin Lock’s Mom (Erin is a co-worker of mine). Why does a lady whose name I don’t even know and whom has yet to officially follow the blog deserve a post dedicated to her? Erin’s Mom lives in Virginia, but lived in Colorado during Erin’s childhood, and for some reason became a loyal Colorado State Rams fan. Unfortunately for Erin and her Mom Colorado State just happen to play in the same conference as BYU this past season. As a friendly gesture I invited Erin over to our home to watch the Colorado State vs. BYU basketball game this year. To my surprise Erin showed up decked out in her Colorado State gear (surprising part was I didn’t know such gear existed), including her lucky Cam the Ram doll. Erin’s dress was matched by my BYU ensemble from head to toes, including blue shoes, blue and white terrible towels, and a blue and white Sombrero. Prior to the game Erin received a random phone call from her mother, following Erin’s explanation about her where about and reason, Erin’s Mom started to trash talk me from a couple of States away and over the phone. This wonderful, kind lady (assumption only, because I have never met her) had no fear in letting me know her passion for Colorado State, and her dislike for any team standing in opposition. The impression left on my mind was, poor, misguided soul, but any person in her position willing to go toe to toe with me deserves a post dedicated to her. Erin’s Mom this is your post, and I hope you will officially follow our blog, and encourage many more to join.

I know Erin and her Mom are big Chauncey Bilups fans, and I wanted to give a Shout-out to the New York Knicks who announced they would keep Chauncey with the team instead of buying him out as originally planned. Chauncey is a Colorado native and a former NBA finals MVP with the Detroit Pistons. After Chauncey was traded to New York earlier this season, he showed his ability to continue to hit the big shots when he hit a late game shot to beat the Miami Heat just 4 days after the trade. When the trade for Carmelo and Chauncey was made I told Dave “Top Dog” that Chauncey was the key piece in the deal, and the individual that would make the Knicks a Championship contender.

I have to include a CSU Shout-out since that is how this post came to be. I would like to give Coach Miles credit for his management of the CSU basketball team. Tim Miles has proven to be a winner with every program he has had the opportunity to coach. Tim Miles has an overall coaching record of 248-193, which includes North Dakota States transition years to Division I basketball, and shockers against #8 Marquette (2007) and #12 Wisconsin (2006). Coach Miles has been known as a Fan’s coach, and the story is told when invited by BYU students to a party this last season, Miles accepted and showed up.
Steve Fairchild (CSU Football Coach) is also making news as a Fan’s coach. Coach Fairchild has recently offered up a challenge to the CSU student body. Coach Fairchild is offering an honorary team membership to any student who can beat his 3 fastest players in a single race. Details of the challenge can be viewed at http://www.csurams.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/042511aaa.html. Anyone wanting to participate should clearly read the clarification in the article, “To be clear, this is not an official tryout for the team. The winner will not wear pads during the week or at the game, or participate in any practice drills. The prize is only an honorary roster spot for that week, and does not count toward the number allowed by the NCAA.”

So this Shout-out is to you Erin’s Mom and CSU (I can say this now that BYU and CSU are in different conferences).

Jake

The future here in Provo?

There have been a number of these "trick shot" videos that have gone viral over the last few months. I gotta give this kid his own shout out! He is in middle school, at Dixon here in Provo and he seems to be well on his way to great things.



Somebody offer this kid a scholarship before Lane Kiffin does!

-Dave

Combo Shout-out

The first Shout-out is to Mama Monsivais who is celebrating the completion of another year of experience.  With sixteen kids she has proven that she can hang with the best of mothers.  And I know that she would be embarrassed with me sharing this, but with sixteen kids it would be tough to have a favorite, luckily I am number three of sixteen, and made her pick for favorite easy, so from your favorite, Happy Birthday Shout-out to Mama Monsivais.

The second Shout-out in the combo goes to the BYU basketball team, with breaking news indicating that Brandon Davies is working towards readmission to the university in the fall semester, and all indications that Davies will be a member of the 2011-12 BYU basketball team.  The breaking news on Davies return was one of the top stories on SportsCenter this afternoon, and was one of the Headline stories on ESPN.com, indicating that BYU continues to be relevant.  Another indication that BYU is relevant to the sporting world was evident in the ESPN article “Top Sports Telecast on Cable” (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/thelife/news/story?id=6397850).  The article reported the most watched sporting event for the time period of Feb. 28 – March 27, 2011, with a total number of 5,261,344 viewers, was the BYU-Florida NCAA Tournament game on March 24.  So here is a True Blue Honor Code and All Shout-out to BYU and Brandon Davies.  

Here is a shout out to Major League Baseball for taking control of the Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball program, while the owners try to figure out who is the real owner, how much they own, and where all the money has gone.  The Dodgers are one of the most storied programs in baseball; however, with the recent beating of the Giant fan at Dodger Stadium, the owner’s messy divorce, and financial woes of the team being publicized, Major League Baseball did the right thing by stepping in before the team was a complete loss.  That deserves a Stepping in before the Dodgers became as relevant as the Expos Shout–out to Major League Baseball.

My last Shout-out in this combo goes to a sporting activity that I never thought I would give a Shout-out for, Dance.  I recently was shown a video by wife in which 4 individuals are dancing away to some video game.  I could not help but laugh, and watch the video multiple times.  This video was posted on Facebook by one of the followers of this blog, since I do not have access to the video I would like to have the follower who posted the video on Facebook post the video below in the comments, so all the followers can join in my Shout-out for the wonder of Dance.  This video earns my Lord of the Dance, Quality video, and Joshua what were you doing Shout-out.

Jake

Response to Kaytlyn Question

Kaytlyn,

In regards to your question from the "First Positive Shout-out" article, "Do you think we have a chance to do any where near as well as this year?" my answer is YES (of course this could be partially to my eternal optimism, especially when discussing BYU sports).  I understand the concern for many BYU fans, and the excitement of BYU haters for next years basketball season.  The BYU basketball team lost the best backcourt duo in school history (and arguably the best backcourt duo in the nation the last two season) to graduation.  Jimmer rocked the college basketball landscape this last season and drew attention from every direction, including a clean sweep of the Player of the Year awards.  Jackson Emery quietly went about his blue-collar work while setting the all time steals record at BYU, and being the Robin to Jimmer’s Batman.  I do not anticipate that these two individuals will be easily replaced, but I do believe that BYU will be a solid and deeper team.  Of course I also have to mention the loss of Kyle Collinsworth to a Church Mission.

When discussing supporting facts for why I believe that BYU will do just as well next year, if not better, we have to keep in mind that the BYU basketball roster is far from being finalized for next season.  Brandon Davies has still not been cleared by the University for eligibility next season, Dave “Top Dog” just broke the news to me today that James Anderson has decided to forgo his final year of eligibility, a point guard transfer from UCLA will not be available to play until the Winter Semester next year (due to transfer rules), and a couple of Freshman and Blue shirt Freshman (normally called Red shirt, but we don’t like the color red) will play important parts in next years team. Three new comers to the team in 2011 are 6’-10”, which means the team next year will have more depth at the big man spot, allowing for improved match ups on defense, and better inside out play on offense (which hurt us at the end of last season).  Depending on the return of Brandon Davies to the squad, BYU has a solid player from last year’s starting line up, or an individual who played significant minutes at each position except for at point guard. Charles Abouo would be able to take over at the 2 guard or the small forward position, while I believe that Stephen Rogers showed signs of promise, and could potentially step in at the small forward position, allowing Abouo to play the 2 guard.  Noah would continue to play the power forward position and Davies would stay at the center position.   Of course a few of the new comers have the potential to shake up the starting line, but I believe if we could find a solid player at the point, BYU could walk away with its first WCC Championship, and make another run in the tournament.

Great Question (mostly because it was about BYU)

Jake

Shout-Out with a Foot in Your Mouth

Professional athletes are fiercely competitive.  Being the best, at whatever they do, is what drives them from day to day.  That being said, it is obvious that many professional athletes think extremely highly of themselves and they can't help but run their mouths.  I've narrowed down the past few weeks to my top 3 athletes who probably should have thought twice!  In no particular order:

Adrian Peterson:  The NFL players association and the owners were not able to come to an agreement on how to split the Billions of dollars of revenue that the NFL produces(they ignored my proposal to donate it to my "Monsivais in need program").  Sounds like a "problem" that to most of us seems like, regardless of the outcome, everyone stands to make a big payday.  After one particular day of failed negotiations, Peterson had this to say;

"It's modern-day slavery, you know? People kind of laugh at that, but there are people working at regular jobs who get treated the same way, too. With all the money," Peterson continued. "The owners are trying to get a different percentage, and bring in more money."
Yo, A.P. are you kidding me?  You signed a contract last year to make $17 million dollars a year.  The minimum salary for a rookie is $325 thousand dollars a year, and the minimum increases incrementally each year your in the league up to ten years.  If your a single person living in the lower 48 states, the poverty line is $10,890!  Your salary is a far cry from slavery.......and don't act like you have a "regular job."


Jalen Rose: ESPN has begun the 30 for 30 documentary series, of which I am a fan.  This series highlights various sports related events, people, teams, and other related sports stories over the years.  Recently released was a 30 for 30 highlighting the much hyped "Fab Five" of Michigan University.  The Fab Five was considered to be one of the best recruited college basketball classes ever.  This particular episode was partially produced by former Fab Five member, and current ESPN analyst Jalen Rose.  In the documentary Jalen expressed some very candid opinions about that time in the college basketball landscape.  Included in his remarks were some controversial comments about Duke University and the Black student athletes that attend there, calling them "Uncle Toms".  Jalen made the claim that Duke wouldn't recruit a "guy like him."  Upon the airing of the documentary Jalen came under intense scrutiny but stood by his comments.  He then proceeded to back up his comments by........BEING ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF DUI!  Big shout-out to you Jalen, use your one call more wisely.


Albert Pujols: Compared to the others I think Albert will get off easy.  He is one that you just gotta roll your eyes at.  This last off season of baseball, nobody drew more attention to their looming free agency than Albert Pujols.  He is looking to sign a deal that would pay him $300 million dollars over the next 10 years and he wasn't budging. Can you blame him?  He is arguably the best player in the game over the last few seasons; a solid first baseman and a terror for pitchers when he is at the plate.  The negotiations between Pujols and his current team, the St. Louis Cardinals, ended in a stale mate by the time the season started.  Through the first 11 games of the season Pujols seems to have stuck his foot, or rather his bat, in his mouth.  Pujols is batting a microscopic .150 with 4 RBI's and only 1 home-run.  Way to back up your demands $30 million dollar man!


Dave "top dog"

Dave, I would salute your picks for this article, but I feel that you have left out to notable mentions from this past week (maybe due to your personal man crush for these individuals).  Kobe Bryant was recently fined $100,000 by the league for his use of a gay slur towards the referee after being given a technical foul during his game last Tuesday.  Just as inappropriate as the use of the gay slur was the way Kobe punched the chair (along with teammate) and threw his childish fit when he was pulled from the game, and prior to his "potty mouth" moment.  I also liked the part when Steve Kerr, who was an analyst on the TNT crew that night, said "You might wanna take the cameras off of him right now, for the children watching from home."  The technical fouls are no surprise, after all Kobe has been ranked in the top 10 for technical fouls in the league over the past 6 years, and actually lead the league in technical fouls in 2007-2008 season (he is currently second in the league this year with 16).  I guess Kobe had been able to keep his rants and remarks towards the referees in check over his illustrious technical ridden career, or they had never been caught on camera like this before.

The second possible candidate for this category would be Barry “Home Run King” Bonds who was convicted this week for 1 count of Obstruction of Justice, and narrowly escaped 3 other possible convictions connected to his testimony before congress concerning his use of steroids during his playing career.   

Also a quick note on Albert (since he is from the local team for me now), Albert has previously had a slow start to his season, and bounced back by the end of the season.  In the 2007 Albert was only batting .158 at this point in the season,  and finished the season batting .327.  True this season is a little different, being a contract year, but I am not bashing on him yet; however, I do agree that he looks bad with his slow start after the contract issues of the off season.

No Adrian and Jalen I have no excuse for.

Jake

 

Shout-out of Congratulations

UNLV has just announced that they have offered their open coaching position to Dave Rice, and that Rice has accepted the offer.  An official news conference is to be held on Monday to announce Rice as the new Head Basketball Coach at UNLV.  Coach Rice who played at UNLV during their “Glory Years,” or at least during the period of time in which UNLV won a national championship and was not under NCAA investigation or sanctions, will return to his Alma Mater where he has previously served as an assistant coach.  Since 2005 Dave Rice has been with the BYU basketball program as an Assistant and Associate Coach.  Coach Rice has been an instrumental part of BYU’s program success over Coach Dave Rose’s tenure at the University, and in recruiting talented young men into the program, including young men from the Las Vegas area.  Dave Rice probably shared the excitement of the BYU basketball program's anticipated move to the WCC, but now is probably even more excited about BYU’s departure from the MWC, seeing how he will be remaining in the conference with his new team.   
Dave Rice we appreciate your part in the success of the BYU basketball program over recent years, congratulate you on your new position, and wish you the best of luck.

With Appreciation

Jake

Masters Shout-out

I know it is difficult for many to get excited about Golf on television (including many followers of this blog), but the Masters wrapped up this afternoon in true Masters fashion.  Only one of the few times when the eventual Masters Champ did not come from the final pairing, the Masters remained an open race to almost ten players on the last day.  At one point in time during the final round six players had a share of the lead, and seven different players lead the masters at some point during the final round, including Tiger Woods, who seemingly found his “Masters Touch” on the front nine when he birdied four holes, eagled another, and only had one bogey to claim a share of the lead heading into the back nine.  Of course Tiger (who remained at ten under for the tournament) and others slowed on the back nine, and eventually fell short to the 2011 Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel.  Charl, who is from South Africa, a seemingly unknown to most of the common Golf watchers, has apparently underachieved for many years and has been touted as a talent to watch by professional golfers in the past.  Congratulations to Charl who birdie the last four holes in the tournament to walk away with the Championship, that just so happen to fall on the 50^th Anniversary (to the day) that Gary Player (also from South Africa) became the first international player to win a Green Jacket.

Notable Shout-out to the young Rory McIlroy from Norther Ireland, only 21 years of age, who lead the Masters through the first three rounds, and entered Sunday's final round with a four stroke lead.  Rory continued to lead or Co-lead the Masters through his 63rd hole, before he had an epic collapse, finishing with a final round score of 80.  Rory, who seemed to make no mistakes in the first three rounds, must have saved all of his miscues for the final day, and finished ten strokes behind the eventual Champion.  Watching Rory’s collapse was at time difficult to watch and heart breaking, but everything and everyone seemed to indicate that this young man has a good head on his shoulders, and in his post round interview he mentioned learning from this experience and evaluating what he can take away to become a better player in the future.

If you missed it, there is always next years Masters

Jake

Not so Elite Royalty

The NFL continues in their Lock Out struggle that is strangely reminiscent of a 5^th grade election battle, with both sides unwilling to accommodate the demands of the other, and with little movement in comparison to the television coverage and whining that is taking place.  Although a lengthy discussion, bashing, or roasting could be had on the Lock Out its self, I feel that this discussion already receives too much time, and frankly I don’t think I want to spend any additional time thinking on the topic.

Even in the NFL’s current Lock Out state the NFL draft will still take place, which means that ESPN will continue with their traditional “On the Clock” teams drafting needs evaluation.  Last night prior to the Friday night chick flick with my wife, I watched the “Dallas Cowboys: On the Clock “ discussion (http://search.espn.go.com/on-the-clock:-cowboys/videos/6). 

In the evaluation of the Cowboys team needs Trent Dilfer shares with the television viewers his “man-crush” of Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo.  Trent Dilfer states that he feels like Romo is one of the best Quarterbacks in the league, and that he was off to a good start last year prior to his season ending clavicle fracture.  Of course Trent Dilfer’s praise of Romo comes directly after the opening comments and report on the Cowboys 2010 season, which includes their 1 win in the first 5 games which Romo started at the Quarterback position.  Granted I can’t blame Romo solely for the loses, but can you really make the statement that Romo was off to a good start when he only had one win in the five games that he started and finished? 

No disrespect to Tony Romo, but I believe he is one of the most overhyped and credited Quarterbacks, maybe even player altogether in the league.  To often I hear Romo grouped in the category of Elite Quarterbacks, along with the likes of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and even Ben Roethlisberger (Not my favorite, but the young man does have two Super Bowl rings, and thus qualifies).  On paper Romo appears to be a legitimate regular season Quarterback, posting a career QB rating of 95.5 with a career pass completion percentage of 64.1.  Although Romo has impressive career statistics rivaling those of Peyton Manning’s non-MVP years, he does not have the history of being a champion or the track record of even being a winner.  Case in point, since taking over as the Cowboys starting Quarterback Romo only has a 57% regular season winning record in games that he starts, and has only won one playoff game in four tries.  Meanwhile the Cowboys as a team have not made it further then the Division Championship game (2009), while only making brief wild card visits two seasons (2006, 2007) and failing to make the playoffs in 2008.
 

Tony Romo busted onto the scene in 2006 when he showed up from seemingly nowhere (Eastern Illinois University, pretty close to nowhere) and took over the reigns of “America’s Team” (an issue in and of its self) and led them to a playoff appearance.  Since that time I feel as though his fame and glory have ridden on the wings of a fumbled extra point snap that turned into an awkward and futile 2-point conversion run and a romantic escapade with a pop culture celebrity.

I believe that Tony Romo is a talented Quarterback and athlete (he has an impressive golf game); however, I don’t believe that he is one of the elite quarterbacks in the league, yet he is given the royalty and attention that accompanies Quarterbacks with championships and credibility.

Just a thought about something actually related to the game of football

Jake

First Positive Shout-out

It's official, Dave Rose has signed a new contract to stay on as the Head Basketball Coach at Brigham Young University through the 2015-16 season.  Although there was little doubt in my mind that BYU would retain Coach Rose, there were some moments as team after team expressed interest in the coach.  Having the opportunity to talk with Coach Rose in the past, it seems that this is where he wants to be, he loves the area, he loves his young men, and he loves the University and everything it stands for.  Of course it does not matter how much you love an area or a situation if it does not financially make sense.  For this reason I was happy to hear that Coach Rose was also granted an increase in pay for this contract period.  Once again the Coach's salary has not been made public, but President Cecil O. Samuelson had this to say about Coach Rose's new salary, "We believe he's the finest coach at any level,  Whatever he is paid, he'll be underpaid economically."

Coach Rose has done an amazing job with the Basketball program since taking over in 2005.  Rose has just finished Coaching the best season, in terms of wins, in program history with a record of 32-5.  Overall as the Head Coach at BYU Rose is 159-45, a winning percentage of .779, which is the 4th highest among active Division I Head Coaches,  and has led the Cougars to at least 20 wins each season, and currently 5 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.  Most importantly Coach Rose has built a winning attitude, recruited honorable young men, has left little worry about NCAA investigations and sanctions, respected and upheld the University's Honor Code, and has exemplified the University's and what it stands for. 

Even with the drastic changes to the BYU Basketball landscape next year, losing arguably the best back-court in program history and moving to the WCC, along with the possible departure of assistant coach Dave Rice (maybe opening a spot for Dave "Top Dog"), I believe Coach Dave Rose will continue to produce and more importantly will continue to be a worthy representative of the University.

So This Shout-out is for you Coach Rose, Congratulations

Jake

UNLV Rumors

The UNLV basketball program was recently thrown into the Coaching carousel when Lon Kruger jumped ship to take the vacant coaching position at Oklahoma State.   Since his departure, like any coaching job, rumors have been swirling around about who might be the next coach at UNLV.  The basketball atmosphere in the Mountain West Conference is not as deflated as football, as long as New Mexico and San Diego St. can stay relevant, but with that said UNLV can not afford a mediocre coach to step in and struggle for any period of time. Dave Rice assistant at BYU and Reggie Theus, an assistant for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and former NBA head coach for the Sacramento Kings in 2007-08, both former UNLV players, are considered the top of UNLV's wish list.

One rumor about a candidate expressing interest in the UNLV coaching position was former player, and arguably the best UNLV player of all time Larry Johnson.  Larry Johnson is attacking his campaign for the coaching position in true Larry Johnson fashion. http://www.lvrj.com/sports/larry-johnson-has-eye-on-unlv-basketball-coaching-job-119140404.html

Larry Johnson has little to no coaching experience, and has turned down most of, if not all, the coaching opportunities he has been offered.  Larry is not currently being considered as a serious candidate for the position at this time. 

Another rumored interest in the position is coach Bob “The General” Knight.  Bob Knight has the most wins all time in Division I basketball, currently at 902 wins.  This total will soon be passed by his protégé Coach “K” at Duke, but with Duke’s poor Tournament appearance Coach “K” will have to wait until next year.  Now the fact that Bob Knight is interested in the UNLV coaching position is quite the rumor in and of its self; however, the Bob knight portion of the rumor was only mildly shocking when placed into the full context.  The rumor continues that once Bob Knight expressed interest, UNLV quickly made it clear that they were not interested in Coach Knight’s services.

Now I understand that Coach Knight would be a risk for most teams, not for his ability to coach and win games, but for his lack of self control at times and possible embarrassment to the University he represents (I believe that Coach Knight may have better control of his emotions at this stage in his life, but one could only hope).  For most teams this would not be a risk worth taking; however, when your UNLV and your city is built around shows, lights, and the unusual, shouldn’t you at least consider the all time Division I leader in wins?  Yeah there is that chance he may make the University look bad, but its not like the UNLV basketball history is a squeaky clean program, and I guarantee Coach Knight would not be dipping into Jerry ("Tark the Shark") Tarkanian off the court playbook. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,972568-1,00.html

No disrespect to the UNLV basketball team, but a “General” may help to bring promising players back to the “Sin City,” without so much of the “Sin.”

What do you think Tre’von?

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5341481

 That’s what I am talking about Willis!

Jake

First Shout-Out goes to Rick Reilly!

Dear Rick Reilly,

Upon completion of the NCAA basketball tournament, including the painful to watch national championship game, I anxiously await your analysis.  After crucifying Jimmer and poorly analyzing his abilities and potential based on what was his worst game of the season, I look forward to your take of the remaining stars of the tournament.  To help speed up the roast, let's take a look at some of the facts.

Against Florida, Jimmer shot an extremely mediocre (for Jimmer) 11/29 (38%) from the field including 3/15 (20%) from 3-point range in scoring 32 points.

Compare and contrast this to Kemba Walker's championship performance.  Kemba shot a blistering 5/19 (26%) from the field including and 0/4 (0%) from behind the arc while scoring 16.  Oh, and he was rewarded for this performance by being named the most outstanding player of the tournament.  I expect you to tell Kemba and UCONN fans that the next time they see him he will be the best player in the local "YMCA" league.

Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard, the undisputed leaders of the Butler squad, shot 4/15 (27%) and 1/13(8%) from the field while scoring 13 and 7 points respectively.  I assume the entire Butler team should be placed in the category of "looking like pizza delivery guys."

These are the stars of the national championship?  And you say that the "myth" of Jimmer is overblown?  It looks to me that Jimmer on his worst day would embarrass either of these teams with their National Championship performance.

Jimmer isn't a myth, Jimmer is a Legend!  And you, Rick Reilly, with your faulty analysis and bias opinions, just got Jimmered.

Love,
Dave

A Toast to your Roast

Elegantly put, and may I add, Dear Mr. Riley religion should have no place in your argument. I have noticed that this may be difficult for you to understand, seeing how after being told this following your first poorly written and uninformed article with slights of Jimmer “POY” and fans who connect themselves with a religious institution, you continued to make religious references such as “Others who are not going to heaven,” in your poor excuse for clarification to readers in your “Jimmer: Readers React” article (http://espn.go.com/blog/rick-reilly-go-fish/post/_/id/869/rick-reilly-mailbag).

For all those who have not seen the original article by Mr. Rick Riley, ESPN continues to post the article on the front page of its website. I am sure the article remains on the Front page due to fan reaction, not because it is well written. You can view it here http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=6257636.

Jake