2/25/11 Daily Update

This is me as I write this. Listening to the Beatles, in a Beatles T-shirt.

Almost one month down on my "no fast food" kick. We did order a pizza tonight, so you can say I cheated all you want, but I don't count it as such. I have lost 9 lbs this month with some exercise, but it's mostly been by my food choices. At work I'm not eating more than 400 calories so no matter what we cook for dinner my caloric intake is below 2,000.

I haven't been to the gym in almost a week. I was playing basketball with a group of guys and messed up my fingers in a fluke accident. Someone fouled me and hit my arm as I was catching a pass. It ran my fingers directly into the basketball. It felt like I broke them. Instead of yelling or hitting the dumb kid who ran into me, I punted the ball into the rafters. The next day my fingers were swollen at least twice their normal size. My right pointer finger was completely purple. I still cant bend it completely and it throbs.

The Jazz got their first win under Tyrone Corbin tonight. It was also the debut of Devin Harris and Derrick Favors. Both guys came off the bench and helped the Jazz win a hard played game in Indiana. Ex-Butler player Gordan Hayward made his return to Indiana tonight too. He was also born and raised in the area. He threw down a monster dunk on an Indiana player and the crowd went nuts for him. Very cool moment. In related news, the New Jersey Nets lost in Deron Williams first game with the team. He also hurt his wrist early on. You know what they say about Karma????

I've been playing the video game Prototype for the Xbox. It's been pretty fun. The game is a "sandbox" style game (think Grand Theft Auto) and you have the whole island of Manhattan to run around. You play as Alex Mercer, a young man who is trying to figure out why a plague known as "Blacklight" has been unleashed on New York. Alex has been infected with Blacklight and has superhuman abilities like super strength, shape-shifting, and the ability to run up buildings. Anyone who likes open word games or likes the idea of being able to run all over New York, then run up the Chrysler building just to dive off onto a helicopter, will have a blast with this game.

Being a father is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Lucille is getting smarter each day and her personality continues to develop. She keeps smiling and sticking her tongue out at Jill and I. It's so adorable. Being a husband to Jill is amazing too. She is such a wonderful person, I am truly honored that she chose to live life with me. Life is pretty freaking swell indeed.

Bye Bye D-Will

If you read my blog about the sudden retirement of Jerry Sloan you'd know that like many of the media outlets, I placed most, if not all of the blame on the shoulders of Deron Williams. I was very angry with what had been reported by the media. Plus, I have made my own observations of Williams and his leadership. The way he handles himself with coaching and teammates has rubbed me the wrong way. I stated that I couldn't cheer for the Jazz as long as he was on the team. I felt very comfortable with the idea of him leaving in free agency. He's made snide comments about being here and when you add that with the way modern players ditch their teams for greener pastures (Lebron, Melo, etc...) I just felt in my heart that his time in Utah would end soon. I just didn't realize how soon.

Deron Williams played in 3 more regular season games and one more NBA All-Star game as a member of the Jazz. In a very bold move, the Jazz sent Williams to the New Jersey Nets. The Jazz received a package of Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, a 2011 draft pick, a 2012 draft pick, and $3 million. Shipping away a franchise player is always a scary idea, but the package the Jazz received is more than fair. Harris is a former NBA All-Star and is only a year older then Williams. Favors is the youngest player in the NBA at 19. He was the 3rd overall pick in the 2010 draft and has HUGE potential. The Nets stink and the 2011 draft pick will be a top ten pick, if not top five. The move also saves the Jazz money, which is very helpful when you're a small market team.

As much as I was mad at Deron and I made threats of not cheering for him again, it still kind of hurts. I liken it to a bad break up. You've all been in love with someone who broke your heart. Deron broke my heart, in sporting terms of course. I loved his play, cheered for him like crazy, and then he pissed me off and my love turned to hate. Now, he's gone. No chance of making up. From here on out he will always be an enemy. My favorite player has become my most hated. Seeing him holding up his Nets jersey felt like a punch to the gut. But something deep inside of me still wants to love him.

In the end all Deron wanted was to win basketball games. He'll have a hard time doing so surrounded by those scrubs in Dirty Jersey. But that's ok for him. He's a free agent after next season and he'll leave. Just like he was going to do in Utah. He'll end up in New York or Los Angeles. Wherever he chooses. Then we'll see what he brings to the table. In the meantime, the Jazz will be ok. They brought in some decent players and hopefully the two draft picks will yield the next Deron Williams, Lebron James, or Chris Bosh. And if it does, Utah will only be renting them for a few years before they too leave the City of Salt, for some big city lights. Makes you miss and respect Stockton and Malone, even more.

Feeling the blues, thanks to the Jazz

I got a text this morning from a friend. It said that Jerry Sloan had quit the Jazz. I didn't believe it, but I still ran to a computer. I fired up yahoo and typed "jerry sloan quit". Multiple articles popped up. They all spoke of a press conference that was going to happen at 3pm where Jerry would address the media. It didn't seem real.

Jerry Sloan started with the Jazz back in 1984 as a scout. He was later promoted to an assistant coach by Frank Layden thanks to some encouragement from Phil Johnson. I very much remember going to Jazz games with my father in the 80's and seeing Frank Layden on the sideline running the show. He was a very round man with huge black rimmed glasses. He was a larger than life character and he brought some national attention to the Jazz. He even won the NBA coach of the year honor, something that Sloan never achieved. But during the 1988-89 season Layden decided to step away from the court and took team president. His first job was promoting Jerry Sloan.

Now I could type endlessly about everything Jerry has done for the Jazz, but if you are a product of the state, or an NBA fan in general, you already know. But I'll hit on a few notes. Jerry was the longest tenured coach in any of the four major sports in America. He won 1,221 games making him the 3rd in all time wins. He lead the Jazz to two NBA Finals. He is the only coach to win 1,000 games with one team.

But those are just numbers. If you know Jerry, he's not a numbers guy. He is an oldschool hard nosed coach. He demanded a lot from his players, and usually he got it. He took a couple of kids NBA scouts thought very little of and turned them into Hall of Famers. You might be familiar with John Stockton and Karl Malone, right? After those two left he took a team led by NBA castoffs like Carlos Arroyo, Tom Gugliotta, and Michael Ruffin, and finished with a winning record. He made players stars and when they left him they were exposed as nothings (see Shandon Anderson). He was loved and admired by his peers and was respected around the world.

But the game has changed. Today's players call the shots, not the coaches. Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Chris Paul, and more, have gotten their coaches fired with their "my way or the highway" stance. They are the stars, the ones who sell tickets and jerseys. If they don't like the coach, they can complain to upper management and *poof* bye bye coach. This has happened everywhere in all the major sports. Everywhere but Salt Lake. Until today.

Yahoo sports, ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, and many more are attributing to Jerry stepping down directly to the Utah Jazz primadonna himself, Deron Williams. Sloan and Williams have butted heads ever since the Jazz drafted Williams. But unlike other players Sloan has had beef with (Ostertag, Giricek, etc...), Williams has called the shots. He's made jabs in the papers that if things aren't changed that he'll leave. He likes to run the offense himself, but Sloan has always called the plays. Even when John Stockton was here. Turns out the straw that broke the camels back was Deron blowing off a play Sloan called last night against the Bulls. Jerry got after him at halftime and the two had it out. Jerry decided after that, it was time to go home.

It breaks my heart. He was the last piece of my childhood that I could hold onto. All my favorite althetes are gone. MC Hammer isn't cool anymore. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles don't do it for this 30 year old. But Jerry, he was still there. Like a family member. I feel sad. I believe the franchise did him wrong by letting things get to this point. He is a Hall of Fame coach and he deserves better.

As for the new look Jazz, I just cant support them now. Not as long as Williams is there. I'll always love my Jazz. The teams lead by Malone, Stockton, Eaton, Bailey, an so on. But as long as Williams suits up for this team, I will not cheer for them. Jerry Sloan is Utah, not D-Will. This is just a stop for him. He'll leave in free agency, just like all stars do now. He's not Utah.

Thank you very much coach for all you did for this state. You made a positive impact on many people, including us fans. You will be missed by all, including the new Shandon Anderson, Mr. Deron Williams...

References:http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-sloanretiring021011

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=6109031

Utah Jazz and my Vacation

As I've stated on here before, I am a Utah Jazz season ticket holder. Right now the Jazz are the hottest team in the NBA, reeling off wins against NBA heavyweights like the Lakers, Celtics, Rockets, and Hornets. The Jazz have won nine straight games and are finally healthy after having to use makeshift lineups after superstars like Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, and Andrei Kirilenko have all missed major time due to injuries. Now how does this tie in with my vacation, you ask? Well I scheduled my Boston/New York vacation during the month of June. The week we'll be on vacation in June, just happens to be the week the NBA Finals will happen. Now I know it is a small chance the Jazz will make the finals, it is still a possibility. I will feel like the biggest ass if my Jazz, the team I pay X amount of dollars a year to watch, make the NBA Finals, and I am not here to watch it. Ouch...