Stuff Like This...No Good Can Come From It

 A few days ago, I blogged about the Utah Jazz and how I no longer watch them play. It was after a playoff loss. Good news--they evened their series today, so there's that. I'm happy for them and their fans.

One sport I do continue to follow is college football. It was always high on my list, but since following a sports league nowadays involves more than simply watching and rooting for a team, college football has been elevated to number one. This makes the spring and summer almost unbearable at times...waiting for August and September to get here. Today, the University of Utah held their Spring Game...I have it recorded on the DVR--I'll get to it. I'm not the Ute's biggest fan, but that doesn't matter. I am a fan.

During the spring and summer, those who also enjoy the college game write and post things about the upcoming season, and the junkies eat it up. In a quest for clicks and reposts, people will put stuff out there, stuff that entertains and engages the public...

Even though sometimes they hurt.

Case in point, a ridiculous "Way-Too-Early Top 25" preseason poll.

And my team comes in at Number 4.

Oh, nothing good can come from this.

So, if I believe the preseason hype, then only disappointment can follow. I'm a believer of my team, but are they really the #4 team in the country? Hardly. College football is a big business, a billion-dollar concern. To place the team I follow so high...I wonder if whoever assembled this poll believes it, or if they just want to "push people's buttons."

I also saw another post on social media today. It was from an athlete deciding where to play college football. I don't know where he'll ultimately end-up, but Utah is listed as an option. What caught my attention is the other school choices...some of the best of the best programs in the country, and Utah is among them. Now this is one player's situation. The fact, however, that this player is considering Utah and Alabama, it shows the oldest university west of the Mississippi River is being considered one of the nation's best.

I have a choice...I can believe the hype of these preseason polls which will make any losses that much worse. Or, I can not believe it, wait until the games are actually played. The problem is, Option 2 is a tough thing to do. 

Well Done, Mr. Weddle...Well Done

 Not being a world-class athlete, I have no way to relate to what world-class athletes go through as they train, prepare, and participate in the big game. It's hard to imagine working most of your life towards a singular goal--to win a championship...to walk off the field knowing that for a brief moment in time, no other team is better than you at your sport.

The feeling must be amazing.

The Super Bowl was played last night. For the second year, I did not watch. This doesn't mean I wasn't interested in the outcome. Since I like underdogs, I would not have minded if the Cincinnati Bengals had won. I love it when team that have never won before finally get their ring. But, I wanted the Los Angeles Rams to win, and not because they have three former University of Utah football players on the their roster,

It's because they had one former Ute on their team...

Eric Weddle.

If you know his story, you're as amazed at how his a career ended (for the second time...) as me. If you're not familiar with him, do an internet search and you'll be impressed, too. But what makes the man one of my favorite players in a game I no longer follow is the fact that he is universally loved. Those who know him personally cannot say enough about his character, the type of man he is, the example he is for boys and fathers everywhere.

Add to the fact that his football playing career had a fairytale ending only makes his story more incredible.

I have a friend who had the opportunity to meet him on several occasions. My friend lives near San Diego and when Weddle played for the Chargers, he would speak to youth members of his church. My friend--an avid BYU fan--told me Eric Weddle is the only good thing to come out of the University of Utah. It was a tongue-in-cheek comment, but his opinion of Mr. Weddle eclipsed those negative feelings he had for his rival school.

So many players retire without ever winning a championship...many players never come close. It's good to see a great athlete and from what many say, a better man, walk away from the game a champion. The post-game ice cream is well-deserved.