Pennsylvania State University (more commonly known as Penn State) is located in State College, Pennsylvania. State College is basically your typical “Anytown USA”, known for it’s family friendly surroundings, laid back environment, community orientated citizens, with a reputation as a safe haven for people to raise their children. It’s a happy place.

So happy, in fact, it’s known as the original “Happy Valley”.

So safe, in fact, that in 2010, the “CQ Press” deemed it the third-safest metropolitan area in the United States, while “Sperling’s BestPlaces” research group ranked State College the number 1 safest small city in America.

So laid back, in fact, that “Physchology Today” ranked it as one of the least stressful places to live in the United States.

Penn State is a highly respected school, placed among the top 15 public universities nationally and is considered to be one of America’s “Public Ivy universities”.

Recently, the town of State College was ranked 19th among the “50 Smart Places to Live” by Kiplinger.com.

And for the last 40 years, State College Pennsylvania has been the home of the sickest man in the history of college sports.

Jerry Sandusky played defensive end for the Penn State football team from 1963-1965. He returned to campus in 1969 as the defensive line coach, and 8 years later was promoted to the team’s defensive coordinator, a position he would hold for 30 years before retiring in 1999.

Sandusky was known as one of the best assistant coaches in all of college football, credited for laying the foundation of one of the most dominant and fiercest defenses in the entire country.

Under his tutelage, Penn State became known as “Linebacker U”, producing the likes of Greg Buttle, Shane Conlan, and Lavar Arrington.

He was twice named college football assistant coach of the year (1986, 1999).

He was part of a staff that won two national championships (1982, 1986).

He was thought to be the heir apparent to Joe Paterno, ready made to become the next Penn State head football coach after “Joe Pa” retired.

He also raped and molested young boys.

On November 5th, Sandusky was arrested for 40 counts related to allegations of sexual abuse over a 15-year period. He was inexplicably released on $100,000 bail, and now awaits trail. The initial grand jury report released on November 6th named 8 victims who had been molested by Sandusky. As of this writing, more than 20 male victims have come forward, claiming they had also been violated by Sandusky.

And while Sandusky is clearly and obviously the sick twisted sociopath in this situation, what’s come to light over the last three days is he was protected by those around him for what is believed to be close to 17 years.

The grand jury report names 16 separate people thought to have some sort of knowledge of Sandusky’s sick and perverted habits, making this all the more maddening. The first incident of indecent behavior involving Sandusky and a young boy (10 years-old) is reported to have taken place in 1994. He was allowed access and spotted working out in the Penn State facilities last week.

For 17 years Sandusky has been given every possible platform to enable and support his lifestyle choice as a pedophile by the administration and coaching staff at Penn State. If the charges against Sandusky are indeed held up in the court of law, they all should lose their jobs, and potentially spend years in prison.

In 1977, Sandusky founded “The Second Mile”, a charity that, in a sick and ironic twist, was supposed to be “devoted to helping troubled young boys”. Part of The Second Mile’s mission statement reads: “we aim to help children who need additional support and would benefit from positive human interaction”. It was under the guise of this foundation where Sandusky found his prey. All 8 of the young boys named in the grand jury report were all members of The Second Mile program.

Sandusky would take them to Penn State and Philadelphia Eagle football games, give them cash, buy them clothes, send them to sports camps, and do whatever else he could to make sure they saw him as a hero. But his main motivation was to keep them quiet for as long as possible, while he went about his business of ruining their lives and taking their innocence to fulfill his own deviant and disgusting desires.

He molested the boys at his home, offering his basement spare bedroom as a “safe place” for them to stay, when in reality his intention was to turn the room into his own personal perverted play place, while his wife was sleeping upstairs.

He molested boys at the local Toftrees Golf Resort and Conference Center, where the football team and staff stayed prior to home games.

He molested boys on road trips to bowl games. Trips where Sandusky was thought to have taken young boys on as part of his contribution to The Second Mile.

He molested boys at a local high school, where he was a volunteer assistant coach for the football team. On two separate occasions, employees of the school (a wrestling coach and a janitor) witnessed Sandusky engaged in inappropriate behavior with young boys.

He molested boys in the Penn State facilities, using his clout as a former coach and his emeritus status at the University to gain access to his own private office and the football locker rooms. The same locker rooms where Sandusky was caught in 2002 raping a 10 year-old boy in the shower by then graduate assistant coach and now wide receivers coach Mike McQueary.

Through all the years of Sandusky’s perverse existence, people knew what was going on. People witnessed it in person, and people talked about it.
Important people.

Penn State head coach Joe Paterno was directly informed of the shower incident in 2002. And don’t believe for one second Paterno didn’t hear anything prior to 2002, as Sandusky was one of his closest friends and a former colleague.

Paterno hides behind his claim that he wasn’t fully informed of what exactly happened that night in the shower of his facilities, categorizing it as “fondling or some sort of sexual behavior”. As if we should give him a free pass based on the difference between what he claimed to have known and the actual act of rape. He knew enough to put the hammer on Sandusky. He knew enough to put a stop to the behavior, and salvage the lives of all the young boys who were molested after the incident.

Sandusky retired out of nowhere in 1999, when he was only 55 years old. The reasons for his “retirement” are now crystal clear, as campus police reportedly investigated Sandusky in 1998. That same year, a mother of one of the victims claims Sandusky admitted to her that he had molested her son. Safe to say Sandusky was most likely politely asked to retire, because, oh, I don’t know, people probably didn’t want a pedophile on the coaching staff.

Paterno took the matter to Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley, who then shared the information with Sr. VP of Finance and Business Gary Schultz. In the grand jury report, it claims that both Schultz and Curley also met with McQueary, who directly told them he witnessed Sandusky having sex with a young boy in the locker room showers. Both informed McQueary they would look into the situation and delve out what they deemed to be appropriate punishment.

After a week and a half of “investigating”, Curley and Schultz came to a conclusion: They would take Sandusky’s keys and ban him from bringing children onto the Penn State campus.

That’s right, the punishment for raping a 10 year-old boy in the shower at Penn State was simply removing a few keys from a key chain.

And what about the investigation by the campus police in 1998? It stopped at the top. The man in charge of overseeing the police department at Penn State never sought or reviewed the police report, nor did he involve the police in any way shape or from regarding the shower incident in 2002.

And who was that man?

Gary Schutlz.

The case in 1998 actually did reach the office of the Centre County district attorney Ray Gricar. Reports indicate the Gricar wanted to pursue the case further, but for some unexplainable reason, chose not to prosecute. And in yet another bizarre twist, Gricar mysteriously disappeared in 2005, and was legally declared dead in July of this year. His abandoned car was discovered, along with a laptop recovered months later in a river without a hard drive. His body was never found.

Last but not least, the University President himself, Graham Spanier was advised by both Schultz and Curley of Sandusky’s behavior. Instead of acting like a leader of men, an educator or even a responsible adult, he told Schultz and Curley to handle the situation, and left it at that.

Spanier, Schultz, Curley and McQuery didn’t molest children, but they protected the man who did for 17 years. They should all lose their jobs, and face criminal charges.

And so should Joe Paterno.

We are parents. An if we are not, we are brothers, we are sisters, we are grandparents, we are aunts, we are uncles. No matter who you are, chances are you know a young boy who is important to you. Imagine if that child was the boy in the shower with Sandusky in 2002. Imagine if you witnessed his sick perverse ways with your own two eyes. What would you do? Would you look the other way, as the principals in the case have done for 17 years? They hide behind the walls of “protocol”, when in reality they have all failed miserably as decent humans.

On Monday night, I sat down and read the 23-page grand jury report on Sandusky from start to finish. After I was done, I walked out into my back yard and threw up. I was angry, sad, depressed, scared, and even panicked. Typically when I need an outlet or advice, I call my parents or a friend. But on Monday night, with tears swelling in my eyes, I placed a different phone call.

I called my son.

Who is 10 years-old.

“Hi dad”, he answered.

“Hey buddy”, I replied, my voice quivering on the other end.

Fighting back tears, I had a five-minute conversation with the most important person in my life. We talked about school, we talked about basketball, we talked about soccer. Small things.

I just needed to hear his voice.

It is our duty to protect our children from sick perverts like Jerry Sandusky. It’s our duty to do our best to preserve the innocence of our children for as long as we possibly can, until the world inevitably rips it away, in the way the world tends to do in it’s own time.

But it was the duty as decent and logical people in and around Pennsylvania State University, located in one of the safest cities in America, to protect the world from Jerry Sandusky. And no matter how they try to spin it over the coming days and weeks, they failed us all.

What would you do if you were a business owner, and one of your most valuable employees was under contract for the next three years but decided he didn’t want to work for you anymore and threatened to retire unless you sent him to a competitor?

This is the awkward situation Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown recently found himself in when, during the preseason, his star QB, Carson Palmer decided retirement sounded like a better option than continuing to get his head knocked in playing for the Bengals. After initially scoffing at the idea of trading his franchise player, Brown traded Palmer to the Raiders this week in exchange for two draft picks (one first-round pick, and one conditional second-round pick).

It’s not necessarily a bad deal for the Bengals, and the panicked Raiders (who lost starting QB Jason Campbell to a season-ending shoulder injury last Sunday) may have overpaid for the possibly over-the-hill Palmer, but it does bring to the surface a problem that has been slowly rising in professional sports.

Contacts don’t seem to matter much anymore.

Now that is certainly a relative statement. In the NFL, the majority of the contracts are not guaranteed and owners can rip contracts up at the drop of a hat if they feel so inclined. But as the proprietor who takes on the financial burden and risk of signing a player to a massive deal, the right to cut an under-performing player seems to be justified.

But what doesn’t sit very well is the tendency many athletes in professional sports have developed of signing a contract, and either sitting out in hopes of renegotiating a new deal after a brief period of solid performance, or walking away from the deal all together.

The irony here is the Bengals extended Carson Palmer’s contract back in 2005, when Palmer had three years left on his original deal. The massive agreement gave Palmer the ability to make $118.5 Million over the course of nine years, and included a lump sum of $15 Million as a signing bonus.

Six years later the tables were turned, as Palmer found himself with three years remaining on the reworked deal at the end of last season. Instead of honoring the remaining terms and staying loyal to the franchise that made him a multi-millionaire, Palmer turned and ran.

We’ve seen this happen in the NBA, as Carmelo Anthony held the Denver Nuggets hostage this year, informing them he would exercise his opt out clause and sign elsewhere as a free agent at the end of the season. Anthony gave the Nuggets a list that basically included one team: The New York Knicks. Left with the option of either losing their superstar all together or salvaging something through a trade, the Nuggets shipped Anthony off to New York in order to receive some value in return before Melo bolted.

Deron Williams was never as direct with his desire to play elsewhere as Anthony was, but the feeling among people inside the Utah Jazz organization was that after this last season, Williams would have wasted no time looking to sign in a bigger market with a better team. Terrified at the thought of replicating what happened in Cleveland (with Lebron James) and Toronto (Chris Bosh) the Jazz did something the Jazz do not do: They made a bold move. Deron Williams is a superstar. He is a superstar whom The Jazz drafted, and paid handsomely. But the Jazz felt they had no choice but to trade Williams (while still under contract) to The New Jersey Nets, in fear of spiraling into NBA obscurity.

Free agency is an important right for players. Everyone should have the chance to pursue better employment opportunities and be compensated appropriately for their abilities. But Palmer’s choice to walk away from the last three years of his contract, (and the situations involving Anthony in Denver and Williams here in Utah) are examples of employees under contract holding a gun to the head of their employers, while demanding that their situations change, and fast.

The problem for owners and team management is what do you do when your star player wants out, or won’t play unless you change his situation? Do you give into the demands of the player and pay them more money, as The New York Jets did for Darrelle Revis two years ago? Do you trade the player on a hunch, as the Jazz did with Williams? Or do you take the chance the player will resign, and run the risk of what happened to the Orlando Magic when Shaq bolted to the Lakers in 1996?

Owning a professional sports team is a risky proposition. Most owners don’t get into sports to make fortunes. They have already made their money through different avenues, and are looking for something fun and exciting to invest in. Any competent businessman will tell you to do something different with your money if profit is your sole purpose.

And while every league has different rules and guidelines when it comes to player contracts, no league has a monopoly on players who refuse to honor the contracts they sign.

Maybe it’s time to bring back the pinkie swear. Because really, what’s the difference?

Over the last few years, the margin of error for the University of Utah football team was rather large. When your conference schedule is littered with the likes of Wyoming, New Mexico, UNLV and (insert mediocre MTN West Football Team here) you have the ability to make some mistakes here and there, overcome them, and possibly win. The talent gap between the Utes and the majority of their MTN West counterparts was sizable and noticeable, allowing them the ability to overcome errors in mentality and execution while staying competitive.

With back-to-back eye opening losses (at home) to the Washington Huskies and the Arizona State Sun Devils in consecutive weeks, Ute fans have been given a very rude awakening to the new era of football up on the hill. This is the Pac 12, and the days of “glorified byes” are gone.

Playing USC on the road in a hard-fought close contest was enough to give Ute fans hope of not only competing in the conference, but also potentially winning the Pac 12 South title.

It’s time for that talk to subside, as the Utes have yet to prove they even belong in the conference by dropping their first three conference games. Add the season-ending injury to starting QB Jordan Wynn to the losses, and what you’re left with is a serious redefinition of initial pre-season expectations.

In many circles, “Pac 12 South Title” has been replaced with “Bowl Eligible” in the conversation. That’s what a healthy dose of humble pie will do to you.

What the Utes need now is a win, in any way shape or form, against a conference foe.

The good news is Utah appears to line up well with their Pac 12 opponents. I haven’t seen them fail to match physicality or speed from any of the three teams they have faced in conference play. But horrible mental errors, turnovers (10 in the last two games) and untimely penalties have doomed the Utes, while their seasoned and talented opponents have been more than willing to take advantage.

Quarterback is the most important position in football, if not all of team sports. And what Utah is now left with is a starting QB in Jon Hays who, as of just a few short months ago, was an ex-JUCO football player looking for a place to play after Nebraska-Omaha dropped it’s football program. In Hays’ first career start against ASU he showed some promise, but threw three interceptions that overshadowed anything positive he was able to accomplish. Hays has a strong arm and appears to possess very solid mobility, but he needs to take care of the football and make better decisions if Utah wants to compete. He is as vital as any other player on the roster for the rest of the season, as he now has the keys to the car.

Kyle Whittingham has always maintained that pre-season polls are meaningless, and often times we don’t know how good (or bad) teams are up until about the 5th or 6th week of the season, which is where the Utes now find themselves.

After five weeks, the Utes are sitting at 2-3, winless in conference play, with a tough road challenge ahead at Pitt on Saturday. They have yet to beat a good football team so far this season. Then it’s back to Pac 12 action, where the Utes need to prove that they are who most people believed they could be: A team capable of consistently competing and beating Pac 12 football teams.

The schedule evens out a bit with the likes of Oregon State, UCLA, Washington St and Colorado ahead. The toughest portion of the season for Utah is behind them. For this season at least, the Utes don’t belong in the same conversation as the Pac 12 elite, but wins against the lower-level teams in the conference would at least allow them to save face, show that they do belong, and prove the last two games anomalies.

It’s one thing to occasionally beat a BCS conference team here and there over the course of a few seasons; it’s a much different ball game when you face those same teams week in and week out.

This season is the first step in the process that is Pac 12 football for the Utes. It’s important to think big-picture, as the boring old days of watching Utah dominate mediocre MTN West football teams are gone.

And so is that margin for error.

In case you haven’t noticed, we’re living in the midst of severe uncertainty in The United States right now. For the first time in my generation’s existence, we have suffered a full decade of economic decline, leaving millions of American’s out of work and/or living below the poverty line.

According to www.tradingeconomics.com, the unemployment rate is currently at 9.1 percent, with 14.1 million Americans currently looking for work. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 15.1 percent of the country is living below the poverty line, representing 46.2 million citizens. And for an additional tug at the heart strings, 22 percent of children (18 yrs and below) are among the 46.2 million people living in poverty.

Not exactly the ideal time to sit back and watch a bunch of millionaires haggle and argue over how exactly to split a pile of money estimated to be worth $3.6 billion.

Welcome to the NBA lockout.

There are many complex issues on the table here. Now is not the time to delve into salary rollbacks, lowering the value/length of guaranteed contracts, amnesty clauses, the difference between a “soft” and “hard” salary cap, etc. Yawn.

Now is the time to send a message to the owners and David Stern. Now is the time to knock some sense into the players and Billy Hunter:

Go lock yourselves in a hotel (or a plush Manhattan conference room) for however long it takes, and make a deal.

Your country needs you, and needs you now. This work stoppage goes far deeper than making the rich richer and helping NBA owners dig themselves out of a mess that in large part they created themselves.

It has reached the point where tangible financial repercussions are now being suffered by people and/or businesses on the peripheral who count on the business of basketball to supplement their own income. Or, in some cases, rely on the basketball season to put food on the table.

When David Stern initially announced that his league would lockout its players, he briefly touched on the “collateral damage” a lockout would create. Starting now, the damage becomes real.

Yesterday the NBA announced the cancellation of training camps (set to start today and run through October 15th) and 43 pre-season games. By doing so, the NBA just flushed $200 million down the toilet without batting an eye.

The Utah Jazz was set to host 3 preseason games at EnergySolutions arena. Add 41 home games and (hopefully) and handful of playoff games. That totals north of 50 nights a year where restaurants, bars, clubs and retail stores in downtown Salt Lake City enjoy an influx of patrons who flock into their places of business before, or after watching the Jazz play at the ESA.

The General Manager of a prominent restaurant just a stones throw from Energy Solutions agreed to speak to this issue on the condition of anonymity, for fear of losing his job.

My question was simple: How would your business be affected should the Jazz miss the entire season?

His response (via e-mail):

“In a normal business year, we would look at Jazz game nights as gravy. Our restaurant typically sees about a 25-30% increase on game nights as opposed to a typical night of business during the Jazz’s season.”

“But this year I am afraid to say we are not equipped to operate without that extra business. We have all been hit incredibly hard in this industry. I have more than 50 employees working for me, and our servers rely on tips to make ends meet. Not to mention the valets, busers and cooks.”

He finishes his e-mail with this:

“To sum it all up, it is easily foreseeable for us to close our doors for good if the Jazz don’t play this year. That’s what’s at stake.”

So there you have it. Just one of many examples, I’m sure, of a business comprised of hard working Utah citizens who will be placed among the 14.1 million Americans already out of work should the NBA keep it’s arenas dark this year.

For a more in detailed look at how detrimental the lockout could be to Utah’s economy and exposure, check out Keith McCord’s piece here.

Among the most outspoken players during the negotiations has been Boston Celtic F Kevin Garnett. Garnett has admonished his cohorts in the players union to stay strong, and has declared his willingness to sit out the season and forfeit $18.8 million salary.

How noble. I suppose the $270 million he’s already made in his career provides a nice cushion for Garnett.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports the median household income in The United States is $49,445. Garnett makes about that much playing 2 games of basketball.

These guys don’t understand what’s at stake here, that much is clear. The average NBA player salary is north of $4 million, while the median is north of $2 million.

Waiting tables, driving cabs, ripping tickets, and busing tables don’t quite pay that much.

But while much less fruitful and glamorous, those jobs are just as important to the people who count on them to live as the jobs NBA players count on to make their millions.

I’m not taking a side between the players and the owners here. Both sides have simply showed a monumental failure to negotiate a deal up to this point.

But with everything that is at stake surrounding them, and with the economic instability surrounding our country, it’s time for them to look around and realize this is no longer about them.

It’s about all of us.

And it’s time to make a deal.

September 28th’s Barbacoa “HOT or NOT?” candidate was Heather Locklear. You voted. She’s:

Heather Deen Locklear was born September 25, 1961. She is best known for her television roles as Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty, Officer Stacy Sheridan on T.J. Hooker, Amanda Woodward on Melrose Place, and Caitlin Moore on Spin City.

Heather attended the University of California, Los Angeles, and pledged Chi Omega and Delta Delta Delta, but was never initiated into either sorority. While at UCLA, Locklear began modeling and working in commercials for the school store. She made her earliest screen appearances in the early 1980s with small roles in episodes of CHiPs, 240-Robert, and Eight Is Enough, before beginning a long-term collaboration with Aaron Spelling. Spelling cast her in the role of Sammy Jo Dean during the second season of his TV series Dynasty, and the following year he cast her in the cop show T.J. Hooker with William Shatner. Until the mid 1980s, Locklear appeared as a series regular on T.J. Hooker, while making semi-regular appearances on Dynasty. She was a full-time cast member on Dynasty from 1985 until its cancellation in 1989. In 1991, the cast of Dynasty (including Locklear) reconvened for the four-hour mini-series Dynasty: The Reunion.

Following Dynasty, Locklear had a starring role in the movie The Return of Swamp Thing (for which she won the satirical Razzie Award for Worst Actress) and also starred in the short-lived sitcom Going Places.

In 1993, she played her best known role, that of scheming vixen Amanda Woodward on Aaron Spelling’s drama series Melrose Place, which was a spin-off of Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling originally signed Locklear for a limited four-episode run, the first of which aired on January 27, 1993. Locklear became a full-time cast member (though she continued to be billed as “Special Guest Star” in the opening credits) until its cancellation in 1999.

Throughout her career, Locklear has appeared in eight television productions made by Aaron Spelling, these being Dynasty, T.J. Hooker, Matt Houston, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Hotel, Melrose Place, and the made-for-TV movie Rich Men, Single Women.

Locklear was the guest host on Saturday Night Live on May 14, 1994. Two of her best-known skits included her as an elderly Jewish woman on Coffee Talk with Mike Myers, and her acting as Amanda Woodward in a Wayne’s World skit with Myers, Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, and Phil Hartman, where Wayne has a dream that he is a character on Melrose Place. Locklear also made a cameo in Wayne’s World 2 in 1993. In 1996, she appeared as the main guest on Muppets Tonight, performing in a muppet-style spoof of Melrose entitled “Muppet Heights”.

Locklear was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine on May 19, 1994 as Melrose Place reached the height of its popularity. She was named one of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People twice, first in 1994, and again in 2001. She was also the subject of a Lifetime Intimate Portrait special, and of an E! True Hollywood Story special.

After Melrose Place ended in 1999, Locklear was cast in the TV sitcom Spin City (initially opposite Michael J. Fox and later opposite Charlie Sheen). The series ended in 2002, but Locklear earned two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy.

In 2002, Locklear had a brief recurring role on the sitcom Scrubs. In 2003, she starred in a pilot for her own comedy series, Once Around the Park, but this was unsuccessful. The same year, Locklear appeared in the theatrical film Uptown Girls.

In 2004, Locklear made a guest appearance on the sitcom Two and a Half Men, which starred her former Spin City co-star Charlie Sheen. She then starred in the short-lived television drama series LAX set in the airport of the same name. She was also executive producer on the series, but it was cancelled after 11 episodes.

In 2005, Locklear appeared in the theatrical film The Perfect Man with Hilary Duff. The same year, she had a brief recurring role on the series Boston Legal, which starred her former T.J. Hooker co-star William Shatner. She was also featured in a Biography Channel special.

In 2006, Locklear starred in another television pilot, Women of a Certain Age, but this was unsuccessful.

In 2007, Locklear made another pilot for ABC, See Jayne Run, about a business woman who juggles a career with single motherhood, but this was also unsuccessful. She guest-starred on the series Hannah Montana and in the sitcom Rules of Engagement, and was placed 25 on TV Guide & Entertainment Weekly’s “100 Greatest TV Icons” list.^[8]

In 2009, Locklear joined the cast of The CW’s updated version of Melrose Place. Beginning on November 17, 2009, she appeared in almost every episode, reprising her role as Amanda Woodward. Ten years after the end of the original Melrose Place, Amanda Woodward is now a partner in a PR firm, and is both mentor and tormentor to a young underling, Ella, played by Katie Cassidy. However, despite Locklear’s appearances (along with various other original series regulars), the new show was not a ratings success and was cancelled after one season.

In 2011, Locklear starred in the TV movie He Loves Me on the Lifetime Channel.

It’s not debatable that the Rivalry Game featuring Utah and BYU football going head to head is the single biggest and most important annual sporting event in the state.

Sure, there are the rare exceptions. The Winter Olympic Games in 2002 and The Utah Jazz NBA Finals years in ’97 and ’98 are somewhat recent examples. But year in and year out, nothing touches Utah/BYU football.

But is that changing?

Where were you two Saturdays ago when the biggest annual sporting event in the state of Utah was taking place?

Maybe you were one of the 65,000 fans down at Lavell Edwards Stadium, witnessing the most lopsided rivalry game victory for the Utes since 1922.

Maybe you were parked in front of your couch, remote in hand, watching the rivalry game and flipping back and forth between some great college football games. Does anything else in sports even matter on a beautiful fall Saturday?

Or maybe, just maybe, you were in Sandy at Rio Tinto Stadium watching soccer.

Think that’s funny?

20,000 people in attendance to watch Real Salt Lake defeat Sporting KC would disagree with you.

Am I implying that soccer has overtaken football (or even basketball) as the state’s sport of choice? Absolutely not.

But what I am saying is that in seven years on the local sports landscape, Real Salt Lake has carved out an undeniable niche of loyal, dedicated and passionate fans. And on a day where, historically, most of us put everything else in our lives on hold to make way for one of the longest tenured college football rivalries in the sport, RSL sold out it’s game.

A soccer game.

A soccer game that started at the very same time as the annual football clash, being played only 30 miles south of Rio Tinto Stadium. This means something.

For a national perspective on this happening, check out what ESPN.com’s Mark Young had to say here.

This is not some cry to arms to encourage soccer haters to give the world’s most popular game a second chance. Or even a single chance, for that matter. A few short years ago, I couldn’t stand soccer either. It takes time to understand what the game is all about. I don’t expect American soccer fans to allocate the proper amount of personal investment needed in order to make soccer a part of their sporting DNA. We are an impatient people.

I’ve heard it all concerning the shortcomings of soccer as it pertains to appeasing the appetite of the average American sports fan. It’s boring, the players dive and cheat, there’s not enough action, no real sport allows for so many draws, the best soccer is played overseas, etc etc etc. Got it.

But what the current trends indicate, both locally and nationally, is that if you continue to ignore this growing niche, you do so at your own risk of sounding out of touch and ignorant. No, soccer probably is not close to overtaking any of the “Big 3” of Football, Basketball and Baseball in this country, but it’s closer than you think. Tickets sales are trending up across the board and sponsorship sales are very strong. A recent TV deal with the newly branded (as of January 2nd) “NBC Sports Network” ensures that a total of 49 regular season and playoff games will be seen in north of 76 million homes. The quality of the soccer is drastically improving. Like it or not, this sport and this league are creeping their way into the American sports landscape.

RSL head coach Jason Kreis and general manager Garth Lagerwey have given Utah sports fans something to be proud of. Real Salt Lake recently clinched the team’s fourth straight playoff birth. In 2009, RSL made an unlikely, but an incredibly exiting run that culminated in hoisting the MLS Cup by defeating David Beckham, Landon Donovan and the LA Galaxy in the league finals. After finishing second in the Supporters Shield Race a season ago (the award for the best record in MLS), a late season surge has RSL back in the same discussion once again. Earlier this season, Real Salt Lake came a whisper away from defeating Monterrey in the CONCACAF final and becoming the first team from MLS to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament won by the likes of Inter Milan, Barcelona and Manchester United.

Real Salt Lake, after some initial bumps and bruises, is now among the class of MLS. Soccer fan or not, that’s something to be celebrated as a fan of sports in Utah.

So if you were watching BYU battle Utah in Provo two weeks ago, or you were in the comfort of your own home catching the action on TV, you may have heard a small roar from 90th South and State Street.

Get used to it.

The potential ramifications of the one-sided 54-10 stomping the Utes laid on BYU last Saturday in Provo may not reveal themselves for some time.

Patience and time will be required to see if Bronco Mendenhall is able to rally his young Cougars and put the embarrassment of being manhandled by your rivals at home behind them (the largest margin of victory for Utah over BYU since 1922). Good news is that BYU has a short week, with Central Florida coming to town on Friday. I imagine the most immediate and effective remedy for shame and humiliation would be getting back on the field quickly.

For Kyle Whittingham, the challenge will be tempering expectations now. I’m sure Kyle and his staff were all driving back to Salt Lake City on Saturday wearing proud smiles, and the satisfaction of such a dominant rivalry game victory (away from home) will most likely never dissipate on a personal level, but there are bigger fish to fry. The Pac-12 south title is a real possibility, but the Utes can’t expect to just show up and win. They need to keep working; they need to keep evolving.

Truth is, we still don’t know if Utah is a great football team.

Truth is, we still don’t know if BYU is a bad football team.

But we do know Utah is better than BYU. Are they 44 points better, game in and game out? No. But forcing five takeaways and gladly accepting two giveaways, while wearing down BYU and outgaining them in most every statistical category speaks for itself. A blowout win like that isn’t a fluke, it isn’t a mistake, and BYU didn’t “give them the game” like many have said. Utah went down and took it, with plenty of help from the mentally unstable and ill-prepared Cougars.

But the bigger storyline to me at this point of the season is the stunningly average start of BYU quarterback Jake Heaps, both on and off the field. Have you been paying attention to the sideshow this kid has become when he isn’t playing football? And more importantly, what in the name of Jim McMahon has Heaps ever done in a BYU uniform to deserve the praise which has been showered down upon him, ever since he boldly announced his own arrival at a shockingly pretentious press conference at Iggys in Salt Lake City?

Everyone wants to blame Brandon Doman, BYU’s young offensive coordinator, who has only called thee football games.

Many are wondering where the offensive line is at, and why BYU is completely unable to establish even the slightest semblance of a running game. As of this writing, BYU is the 3rd worst team in the country at running the football, and 9th worst in overall offense output.

Some have questioned the routes and consistency of the wide receivers.

I blame Jake Heaps.

Mostly because nobody else wants to say it out loud. For some unexplainable reason, Jake Heaps seems alarmingly beyond reproach by BYU fans.

I’m sure BYU’s putrid offensive start to the season can be tied to several things, and blame is most likely across the board. But Heaps has been inaccurate and careless with the football on the field, while deflecting blame and calling out teammates and coaches off the field. There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance. One trait you want in a leader, the other is almost impossible to deal with. Heaps’ comments after the Utah game, and his emerging habit of placing blame on his coaches and fellow Cougars, shows a shocking level of ignorant arrogance. My guess is he isn’t endearing himself to any of his teammates, either.

I suppose when you’re told you’re going to be the next great thing starting at the age of 14, self-awareness may go flying out the window. But with a 7-6 career record as a starter, while posting 18 TD’s to 13 INT’s, Heaps has been decidedly average during his short tenure at BYU.

With Heaps’ mediocre output and BYU’s inability to beat a decent team with him at the helm, it appears we all simply bought into the promotion and fanfare far too early, and labeled him as the next great BYU quarterback only because he told us he was going to be.

As of now, Jake Heaps is a product of hype, nothing more.

I know, I know, he is only a sophomore. And yes, I think he has a chance to be very good. Let’s remember, recent BYU quarterbacks Max Hall and John Beck suffered their fair share of growing pains as young quarterbacks before evolving into fierce and capable competitors.

I’m not saying he won’t end up having a good, maybe even a great career at BYU. I’m saying that up to this point, he hasn’t. Plain and simple.

What really leaves me scratching my head is why Heaps is currently sliding under the radar screen while BYU fans call for wholesale changes with the coaching staff. Remind me, what is Heaps’ signature win at BYU? The bowl game vs. UTEP? Seriously?

So Rivalry week is behind us until next year. Ute fans won’t soon forget the satisfaction of the 44-point victory in the house Lavell built, while BYU fans are left with another year of embarrassment. I’m not sure Utah is as good as they played on Saturday, nor am I sure that BYU is that bad. The fallout will be fascinating to watch.

But what I am sure about is Jake Heaps was anointed far, far too early.

Utah and BYU play this Saturday.

That’s right, for the first time since 1958, it’s Rivalry Week in September.

Instead of beanies and parkas, grab your shorts and flip-flops. It was 85 degrees yesterday.

The local college football landscape has changed quite a bit over the last year or so with Utah’s invitation to join the Pac-12 and BYU’s reactionary move to boldly claim their independence, and the Rivalry Game has been one of the main casualties of the changing football climate.

Saturday’s game marks the first time in 113 years Utah and BYU will play as non-conference opponents, and for only the 5th time in the last 33 years, the Rivalry Game will not serve as the season finale for both teams.

Instead of getting amped for the game on Saturday, instead of the typical buzz that surrounds the annual clash between the two teams, this week feels shockingly … normal. This means something.

Many people want the rivalry to end, citing venom between the two fan bases and the overall hate the game itself breeds among folks from both sides of the equation here in the state.

Many people believe we are full steam ahead into the era of modern college football “super conferences”. If this is the case, there will be no looking back, and the rivalry will most likely go away due to scheduling conflicts. Imagine that: Two teams who have played football against each other for over a century, a game that is imbedded in the DNA of Utah sports, simply fading away in the background, with little to no fanfare whatsoever.

So I ask you this:

Do you care?

I have been shocked at the answer we have received on The Bill and Spence Show to this simple question as we have discussed the monumental college football shift we’re witnessing with both Utah and BYU this season.

On one side you have Ute fans, parading around town, basking in the glow of their recent admission into the elite “BCS Inclusion” club. Boasting their new Pac-12 gear, rubbing it into the face of their cohorts 45 minutes south, boldly proclaiming that as a result of their new conference, Utah no longer “needs” BYU. For the foreseeable future, Utah’s schedule will automatically include built-in quality opponents and high-caliber games due to their Pac-12 affiliation. Including BYU on the schedule is akin to throwing the ostracized independent Cougars a bone, as Ute fans mockingly laugh from high up in their Ivory Tower, suddenly finding themselves in the proverbial catbird seat.

On the other side you have BYU fans, shunned from a BCS conference invite thus far, also claiming they no longer need their century old rival any longer. Owners of their own TV network seen in 60 million homes across the Unites States (and close to 200 million world wide) and benefactors of a brand new 8-year partnership with the self-proclaimed “World Wide Leader in Sports” (ESPN) BYU has the platform, and the cache to go at this alone. “The World is Our Campus”, the age-old mantra echoed around BYU now also includes the football team.  If BYU can broadcast their own games in sparkling HD with state of the art production facilities, and if their game can be seen by millions around the world, with or without Utah, why give the boys up north a piece of the pie? And if the partnership with ESPN can help facilitate a schedule that features the likes of Notre Dame, Texas, Ole Miss, Boise State and Georgia Tech (among others) what’s the need for the suddenly high and mighty Utes anyway?

Personally, I disagree with both trains of thought.

I was raised in this rivalry. I have ties to both institutions. I attended the University of Utah, while all five of my younger siblings either graduated from, or are currently attending BYU. I can’t remember a year in my entire life that hasn’t included the rivalry game in one form or another. And while I could do without some of the ugliness on the peripheral, I recognize it’s an inevitable part of a good old classic college football rivalry game. You think Oklahoma fan would make room for Texas fan at the dinner table? Ohio State fan wouldn’t give Michigan fan vinegar if he were dying of thirst. An Alabama fan is about to go to jail for (literally) applying herbicide to the famed oak trees at Auburn’s Toomer’s Corner.  Some of these people are lunatics. But they shouldn’t ruin the fun for the rest of us who realize it’s just a football game. Let them be the idiots.

I hope the rivalry game remains, even if it means we are forced to feign intensity when the swimming pool is still open. But there is a real chance in the coming years the rivalry game will quietly slip away, like a burglar in the night. So again, I pose the question to you:

Do you care?

In Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 cult-classic film Pulp Fiction, Harvey Keitel plays Winston Wolf, better knows as “The Wolf”.  In a classic exchange with Tarantino’s character, “Jimmie”, The Wolf outlines what he does for a living:

The Wolf: You’re… Jimmie, right? This is your house? 
Jimmie: Sure is. 
The Wolf: I’m Winston Wolfe. I solve problems. 
Jimmie: Good, we got one. 
The Wolf: So I heard. May I come in? 
Jimmie: Uh, yeah, please do.

Simply put, The Wolf solves problems. And if week one of the 2011 college football season taught us anything, it’s that Kyle Whittingham and Bronco Mendenhall might need to contact Winston Wolfe before this coming Saturday. The may have a problem.

Sure, Utah beat Montana State (they of the FCS Big Sky conference) by a comfortable 27-10 margin.

Sure, BYU beat Ole Miss 14-13 by way of a last minute defensive miracle from sophomore linebacker Kyle Van Noy.

But things are about to get real, and fast.

Starting off the season with a win is obviously positive, but Montana State isn’t even a division one football team. This was supposed to be a glorified “preseason” game for the Utes before they venture into The LA Coliseum this Saturday to battle the Trojans of USC and embark on their inaugural Pac-12 journey.  And while the Utes jumped out to a 24-0 lead, they were outscored 10-3 the rest of the way by their Big Sky opponent. Quarterback Jordan Wynn, looking to silence skeptical Ute fans, went 15-23 with 101 yards passing and 2 TDs, with no interceptions. The only game in Wynn’s career where he posted fewer passing yards (82) was back when he was a baby faced freshman and came on as a sub in the 2nd half vs. Wyoming. Utah’s lack of effective offensive drives caused head coach Kyle Whittingham to refer to the passing games as “abysmal” and question the play calling of his new offensive coordinator, Norm Chow. Until #3 proves that he can regain the form that once established him as the unequivocal face and future of Utah football, the success of the season is in serious jeopardy. Ute fans were expecting more from Wynn last Thursday, and instead of emphatically answering questions against inferior competition, Wynn’s lackluster performance only garnered more doubt.

Yes, Ole Miss plays in the SEC West, the most dominant division in FBS. Yes, they have athletes on defense and size on the offensive line. And yes, beating an SEC team on the road is never a bad thing. But despite what many tried to have you believe last week, Ole Miss is a bad football team. BYU moved the ball well here and there, but mental errors, turnovers, and lack of execution stalled most of those drives before points were put up on the board. Sophomore QB Jake Heaps, who carries the weight of an entire institution expecting big things this year, was decidedly average vs. The Rebels. He missed short throws, looked hesitant to go downfield and was uncharacteristically rattled at times. He needs to be better this Saturday in Austin, where north of 100,000 crazed Longhorn fans will pack Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium. Heaps threw the ball 38 times vs. Ole Miss, proving that offensive coordinator Brandon Doman trusts his young quarterback to carry the offense. But 24 completions for 225 yards represent a paltry 5.9 average. That won’t get it done against Texas.

On the bright side of things, Utah and BYU received exceptional performances on the defensive side of the football. Brian Blechen had two interceptions, while Chaz Walker did what Chaz Walker does, making 10 total tackles. The young secondary was solid, led by true freshman Eric Rowe, who was all over the field making plays, while posting nine tackles. And per usual, the big boys up front on the D-Line dominated their O-Line counterparts. The defensive bailed the offense out and dominated the opposition.

But it was vs. Montana State.

The aforementioned Kyle Van Noy led the defensive charge for BYU. He posted four tackles and forced a fumble, which he recovered for a TD that ultimately gave BYU the win. Jordan Pendleton and Uona Kaveinga round out the linebacker corps, which may be as good as we’ve seen at BYU in a very long time. Eathyn Manumaluena was a beast up-front, while safety Daniel Sorensen seemed to be everywhere. BYU’s offense was sluggish, while the D came ready to play.

But it was vs. Ole Miss.

USC and Texas, respectively, pose much greater challenges than either Montana State or Ole Miss. The Utes and the Cougars will have to replicate their defensive performances against heighted offensive competition this week, while hoping the offense steps up in a major way.

This Saturday is one of the biggest days in the history of college football in this state. What happens if Wynn looks tentative at USC, checking down to his tight ends over and over, while failing to move the ball up the field with consistency? What if Heaps once again refuses to utilize his freakishly athletic wide receivers vs. Texas, and the offense stalls in the red zone over and over again?

It may be time to call Winston Wolfe. The man knows how to solve problems.

When I was 11 years old, I was informed that I was a racist.

Safe to say, it caught me off guard. I wasn’t even old enough to grasp the concept of judging another based off the color of their skin or the way they choose to live their life. Quite frankly, I’m not sure I had ever even heard the term before; certainly not in such an invasive and personal manner.

Nonetheless, that is what I was told by a student at my new school on the east coast after my family had relocated there in 1990 from Salt Lake City. His reasoning?

I came from a Mormon family.

Period, end of story, bottom line. That was enough for him to brand me as a racist. No further explanation was needed.

So why am I telling you this?

I’ll get there.

I have always been of the opinion that this world would be a much better place if we could all make a few subtle changes about they way we operate on a day to day basis.

First off, we as a society have reached an incredible level of political correctness and ridiculous sensitivity concerning just about everything.

Confucius is credited with coining the phrase: “He who takes offense when none is intended is a fool. He who takes offense when offense is intended is a bigger fool.” Most people are so easily offended, often times you lose track of what’s acceptable and what must be avoided at all costs when opening your mouth.

Solution: Lighten up and don’t take things so personally.

Secondly, if something is unfamiliar or different to us, we are afraid of it. Even worse, we back away from people who are not like we are, who don’t hold the same belief system as we do, and often times we won’t take the time to try and learn where the other person may be coming from. This leads to gross miscommunication and instant judging of others, even subconsciously. It breeds hate and misunderstanding.

Solution: Accept others for who they are and what they believe. Don’t be afraid to open your mind to other possible ways of life. Give others the benefit of the doubt and allow them their personal avenues to happiness.

Lastly, I am often baffled at how little self-awareness many people I come in contact with contain. Sometimes I am convinced most people don’t even realize what they say, what they do, and the effect it has on others. We are all guilty of this on some level.

Solution: Think before you speak, think before you act, and do your best to acknowledge when you’re wrong – or at least make allowance for why others may perceive that you could be wrong.

So, am I writing a dissertation based off of teachings by Don Miguel Ruiz, or is this a sports column?

It’s the latter. Here’s why.

Earlier this week, BYU Safety Daniel Sorensen had this to say to the Provo Daily Herald:

“The purpose of BYU, why we’re here and why we’re playing – and where we’re trying to go with this program. It kind of fires you up. It kind of gets you excited.

“To go out there and play for a specific purpose of showing people that we’re playing for more than football. This is a faith-based university and we’re trying to represent that. The players, and the flag bearers.”

“What if we go out there and dominate (at Ole Miss, Sept. 3) and people start seeing us? And they put us on the map, and we’re on ESPN. And they start wondering who these kids are – what are they doing with their lives, and why are they so good?”

“And maybe a bunch of white boys out there go down and beat up on an SEC team, a big, physical team like (Ole Miss). If we go in there and dominate, what does that say? It starts raising questions and curiosity.”

I intentionally put two separate pieces of Daniel’s quote in bold; they were the two snippets of the quote that garnered the most reaction.

100 of you could read that, and most likely have 100 different reactions. We discussed it on The Bill and Spence Show this week, and yes, reactions were all across the board.

Some were offended by Daniel boldly wearing his religious beliefs on his sleeve, and insinuating that playing for BYU is part of a bigger plan. That playing football at BYU means you are carrying the mantle of a much larger message. Some interpret this as BYU folk believing they are better than others, because of their belief system.

Some latched on to the term “White Boys” and painted Daniel a racist.

If you fall in one of these two groups, you are, A. Far too easily offended, and/or B. Lack understanding of what Daniel and the rest of the BYU football team is taught (or for that matter, what the rest of the LDS religion is taught). As I said earlier, I’m not saying you must agree with Daniel or his teammates, but I am saying you should try to understand where they are coming from.

According to the folks at BYU, everything they do is indeed about spreading a message to people around the world, football included. And thank the good Lord we live in a country that allows them both to believe that, and provide the freedom of speech for them to express it. When you understand, right wrong or indifferent, that they truly believe they are carrying the mantle for a message, a message that they are encouraged to share with others every chance they get, then what is there to be angry about? Taking away one’s right to express themselves is contrary to what this country was founded upon. Let’s not forget that.

And calling those comments racist is a blatant insult to those who have suffered real, tangible, terrifying racial injustices in their lives. Let’s have some perspective here.

And finally, to bring it back around, I learned at an early age that there are people out there who believe (again, right or wrong, perception is reality) that the LDS church is a racist institution. BYU and the state of Utah are comprised of predominantly white students and citizens. There’s no arguing that. Additionally, there is a perception that exists that BYU believes God is on their side when it comes to everything, football included (see Austin Collie’s comments after BYU beat Utah in 2007) which can paint BYU in a less than flattering light to those who are leading happy and healthy lives, adhering to their own separate code of conduct.

Because of this, like it or not, Daniel Sorensen and the rest of the BYU student body would be well served to exercise a little more self-awareness when it comes to making these comments. When the stigma is already attached to your institution, why fuel the flames? Let others live their lives in the manner in which they choose, and continue to proclaim what you believe to be the truth. I can respect that.

For me, I had no problem with what Daniel said, because I know what he is taught to believe, and I know the LDS church does not teach to judge other based on race. And who are we in the media to get frustrated with the same old boring sound bites, then crucify a kid when he speaks from the heart? It’s hypocritical.

I have no problem with people who choose to be offended (and it is a choice), because they probably don’t agree with or understand the dynamic of “every member a missionary”, and may have already painted BYU in a certain light, which can never be changed.

My hope is at the end of the day, situations like this teach us all to co-exist on a more healthy and happy level, because of, not despite, our differences. It’s what makes the world a beautiful place.

So let’s not allow ourselves to be so easily offended, lets try to understand where others are coming from (even if we don’t agree) and let’s practice a little more self-awareness when choosing to speak.

And finally, let’s play some damn football.