MikeRunge's Blog

The Utes game last night  with the Beavers was an up-and-down affair. Mostly down for Utah Quarterback Brian Johnson who had thrown a pass directly to an O.S.U. defender who ran it back for a T.D. The Utes led 20 to 9, but you could not help but feel that they would suffer their first loss of the season after 5 wins. And, when the Beavers earned a 28 to 20 lead with 2 minutes to go in regulation, you couldn't find anyone that would bet on the Utes rallying for a win. Well, except for the ever-confident Utah players themselves.

Johnson's 25 yard scoring pass to Bradon Godfrey  with 1:37 to go gave hope to the fans.

Johnson's run for the 2 point conversion tied the game.

And the Utah defense held Oregon State to 3 and out with less than a minute to go from where Johnson moved the Utes down to the Beavers 27 yard line.

Louis Sakoda booted the game winner through the uprights with no time left on the clock and the fans went nuts as they dropped onto the playing surface, hooting and hollering as they put Sakoda on their shoulders for King Louie's ride into history.

But, as some Utah fans have a wont to do, they left early. Probably right after the Beavers made it 28 to 20. Gotta get out ahead of the traffic. Gotta get home to see Seinfeld. What did we miss?

Well, the finish of one of the more incredible Ute victories in the school's storied past.

July 2, 2008

Seattle Sonics owner Clay Bennett will move his N.B.A. franchise to Oklahoma City immediately. The cost; at least 75 million dollars. That helps settle a contentious lawsuit. Bennett cannot use the Sonics nor the team colors. N.B.A. Commissioner Davis Stern says that the City of Seattle can have a new franchise if the city fathers totally remodel Key Arena to N.B.A. standards. Cost; around 300 million dollars. And, the funding must be done by 2009 in order for Seattle to be accepted back in the league within 5 years.

What do you think about all of this?

If you were a public official in Seattle, would you even consider trying to put a deal together to get back into the N.B.A.?

Hmmmmmm.

Major Universities with big-time sports teams should offer classes in "How to get a raise, 101". It's pretty simple. If you leave school to chase a professional career, after taking HTGAR 101 you'll be prepared to say to anyone who'll listen that "I'm speaking with my advisors to see if I should opt out of my contract NEXT YEAR".

    A statement like that always gets sports talk radio chomping at the bit. "Oh my heck, did you hear? So-and-so WILL NOT sign again with our home team. Someone call management and demand that they put their team in hock for ever so we don't lose this guy. What's the matter with our owner. Why doesn't he loosen his purse strings. Man, if Mr. Owner doesn't give this player 15 or 20 Million a year, I'm not going to support the team anymore."

   Another tact, used  in the past, was for the team's high scorer to say, "If you don't trade for the league's best  7 foot center, I'm leaving for greener pastures".

These tactics probably won't work if you're employed by, say, the Board of Education or any manufacturing, wholesale or retail company.

  But, they sure get the media's attention when a sports star utters his discontent.

The criteria for hiring a major college coach has changed radically.

Years ago, gruff guys like Woody Hayes was the prototype of a head football man. Gruff. Unbending. Strict. Mean. My way or the highway men.

But the times have changed. If a head coach is going to succeed, he'll have to be a ready-made public relations firm.

Utah's new head basketball coach Jim Boylen comes to mind. Case in point: he appeared at home football games to fire up the crowd and to remind fans that the basketball season was right around the corner. And he did it like he really, I mean really, enjoyed being there.

Last week Coach Boylen hosted a two-night father's and son's basketball clinic. That's something I don't believe had ever been held here locally. 25 pops and and their progeny learned their x's and o's from the ebullient Boylen.

And checking out the upcoming season, the Runnin Utes will be hosting some top ranked programs at the Huntsman Center. Such familiar fives as the Oregon Ducks, California Golden Bears, L.S.U.Tigers  and John Stockton's alma mater, Gonzaga. 

With Boylen's enthusiasm boiling over, maybe most of those empty seats will be filled with exuberant fans once again.

Oh yeah, more wins will also help prime the box office pump.

Danny White just announced his resignation from the Utah Blaze. White said he needed a break after initiating Utah fans into the world of Arena Football for the last 3 years.

It had to be difficult for White, especially after his team began with an 0 and 9 record, then winning 6 of their last 7, making the playoffs and then losing for the third straight time in the first round of the post-season.

So now the search goes on for a new Head Coach.

Any suggestions who the Utah Blaze could hire?

Every four years we hear stories about sporting events that haven't meant a thing for the previous 1460 days. Prior to the China Olympics it's all about Tracer Rise and LZR Racer. I know that most of you have no idea what those two items mean.

They are swim suits. High tech swim suits. Athletes wearing these uniforms are setting new world records just about everytime they slither into them. 40 fastest times in races recently.

Some pundits claim these latter-day-Speedos are nothing more than technological doping. The problem is, they are not being made fast enough for every swimmer to obtain one.

So, I have the solution.

To level the playing field/pool, everyone swims in the nude.

8-8-08. The Olympic games begin in China. At least 3 Utah Jazzmen will be competing. Andrei Kirilenko for his homeland, Russia and Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer for the U.S.A. Each of these players has expressed happiness in being able to represent his nation, hoping to bring back a Gold Medal. It's obviously a huge deal for the athletes as is has been since 776 B.C. in Greece when they ran and wrestled in the buff (or so I'm told).

One of the most talked about numbers in the 2008 games will be Gross Receipts. In this day and age it's also all about the cost of television advertising in the millions of dollars. The scalping of tickets. The shenanigans of some the game's officials and the  veracity of judges.  

Most sports fans will be glued to the tube to watch events they would not give a hoot about except every fourth year in a different country. Nationalism, and sometimes extreme patriotism, even jingoism will raise its ugly head during the two weeks of prime time viewing.

Sure. I'll be watching. Probably cheering my country's teams.

How about you?

Quite a bit of talk lately about WNBA star, Becky Hammon who has received Russian citizenship from Putin so that she can play for that country's team in the Olympic games.

 Some are calling Miss Hammon a traitor for being willing to play for a foreign government.

Miss Hammon has no ties to Russia through her heritage. But, she said she always wanted to play in the Summer Games. And, the U.S.A. team did not chose her for their team even though she has been one of the top players on this Continent.

Meanwhile, former B.Y.U. star and Utahn, Travis Hansen is hoping to do the same thing as Becky Hammon. Travis has been playing pro ball and living in Russia. But, he would not get a sniff at wearing the U.S.A. uniform. So, Putin offered him citizenship so that Hansen could qualify to play for the Russian Olympic team.

Do you think either of these athletes should be labeled a traitor?

And, NO, I don't. Will I be cheering for either athlete if they were to play against the U.S.A.? No. But, If the U.S.A. doesn't want them, let them play where-ever.

Besides, if the Russians win, using American citizens, doesn't that add even more prestige to this country, where our surplus athletes help others succeed?

What do you think? 

Tim Donaghy, the convicted felon and former N.B.A. ref said today that a couple of  refs rigged a game in the 2002 league championships between the Lakers and Kings, causing Sacramento to lose the title.

I won't deny that, like many of you, I've often thought there was something wrong with the officiating in pro basketball. I still question the way the Knicks acquired Patrick Ewing when a former Knick pulled New York's name out of a wire cage, that enabled the Knicks to chose that dominant player from the college ranks, when New York desperately needed a quality player.

But, I dont believe league management tells their refs to try to influence the outcome of any games.

Do I question the way some players receive preferential treatment? Sure.

If you've played high school or college basketball, you've got to be shocked the way some basic rules of the game are ignored. Like travelling. Like palming the ball, etc.

What do you think about Donaghy's latest allegations?

I've always enjoyed a day or night at the movies. When I was in radio, working the 6 to 10 a.m. drive-time shift, that left the rest of the day to spend with Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, Robert Redford, Julia Roberts, Merle Streep, et.al. There were times when I'd watch a double or even triple feature.

But, then cel phones came into being and, quite frankly, other movie-goes began thinking that when the lights dimmed, it was time to raise the volume of their personal conversations (ever notice how much louder people talk when they're on the cel phone?). Then, out came the celophane wrap on the popcorn and a well-placed boot on the back of the person's seat in fromt of them.

So, I decided to eliminate move theatres from my entertainment list. The last movie I saw in a theatre (The Trolley Theatre) was Jurassic Park.

Have the  manners of theatre-goers changed since then? 

I'd like to know.

I had the privilege of playing in the Kidney Foundation's fund raiser this morning on the recently remodeled Salt Lake Country Club fairways and greens. After a year of changing just about everything, I have to say whomever is responsible did a magnificent job. If you get the opportunity to tee it up at the S.L.C.C. don't pass it up. The place is amazing.

What the heck happened at Belmont? Big Brown's Bust has been documented. After just about everybody who knows anything about horse racing said there was no way B.B. could lose this race. One Wag stated that B.B. could fall down half way through the Belmont. Rest awhile. Get back up and finish way ahead. The horses owners were supremely confidant.

But, when you watch replays of the race, it appears that some other nag was wearing Big Brown's horse suit.

So, you horse people out there....what the heck happened?

The 2008 N.B.A. finals pits the Lakers against the Celtics. It's the best  marriage that the league's Public Relation's Office could have hoped for. Lots of history between the teams and, because it's Los Angeles against Boston, there will surely be more television sets turned on for the best of 7 series than if it were say,  the Jazz against Bobcats.

N.B.A. Commissioner David Stern will certainly say that he doesn't care which teams vie for the title. That's his job. To sound unbiased. But, let's face it. Big television ratings can be turned into more profits for the league.

For the Intermountain West in general and Utah in particular, there is not much of a local connection regarding the players. The Celtics do have former B.Y.U. star Danny Ainge in the front office, though, so maybe that's something for locals to hang their hats on while the Lakers seem to have more fans, in more cities, than any other teams in the league.

So, who do you want to win. And, whyi?

Once again, television ratings for the National Hockey League's Stanley  Cup Finals are not very impressive. Why do you think that is? If you're a hockey fan, I'll bet you are frustrated. Arenas in N.H.L. cities seem to fill up.

Remember FOX television's attempt to hype the game by following the puck with a blue arrow? Quite frankly, I thought it was a good idea. It sure made it easier to follow the biscuit as it travelled at speeds approaching 90 m.p.h.

Last night's game 5 of the finals provided plenty of excitement with the Penguins scoring in the third overtime to edge the Red Wings and send the series back to Pittsburgh for game 6 with Detroit leading 3 games to 2.

So, if you were King of the World, what would you suggest to the N.H.L. and television networks owning the rights for the Stanley Cup Finals to improve viewership?

Did you see the last play of game 4 between the Lakers and Spurs?

With L. A. leading by 2, the Lakers' Derek Fisher crashed into the Spurs Brent Barry outside the 3 point arc. It was an obvious foul but, no official blew his whistle.  Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said that if he were officiating the game, he WOULD NOT have called it a foul which seems to have taken all the heat off the officials.

My first questionis, would you have blown the whistle?

But maybe even more importantly, why did the N.B.A. schedule Joey Crawford to officiate this game? Crawford, you may recall, was suspended last season after a run in with the Spurs' Tim Duncan that made Crawford look like a fool. Most N.B.A. pundits would agree that Crawford is one of the league's best officials. But, to have him work THIS game in THIS arena was just asking for problems.

By the way, do I think the Spurs deserved to win the game? No. They let the Lakers get off to a quick start and could not make a basket when it counted.