I had the wonderful opportunity to see the Jazz play both at the Bradley Center against the Bucks and at Conseco Fieldhouse against the Pacers. Both games I was in the lower bowl. Both games, they lost. Every other game that I havent gone to, the Jazz have won by 20+ points. Or at least it feels like it.

I briefly let myself wonder if I was bad luck for the Jazz, but then I remembered that I don't believe in luck or jinxes. It is a possibility that God is trying to teach me not to let sports be the main focus of my life. I'm hoping that after two games, He knows that I've gotten the point. 

Brief recap of the Bucks game. I was behind one of the baskets, about 10 rows back. They were good seats and I got a good deal for them, so I was determined to enjoy the game. I did, but that was mostly due to having a wonderful date along side me, keeping me somewhat calm while the Jazz blew it. 

In regards to the Bogut crew, or whatever you call them. Wow. Purely awesome. The were chanting, waving flags, and going nuts the entire game. The entire atmosphere there was very cool. It felt a lot like a college basketball game. 

I don't remember too much from the game (as I didn't take notes), so I can't comment on much. However, I will contribute a short list of things that most of you already know about the Bucks.

1. Brandon Jennings is going to be one of the elite point guards in this league. He's very mature for his age and knows when to take over games. If he develops a consistent pull up jumper, he could be scary. 

2. Andrew Bogut is an animal. I don't remember seeing much range from him during the game, but he does have a very smooth hook shot in the lane with either hand. And he's a step faster than Memo, so he had that open all game.

3. The Bucks have more ugly, foreign white guys than we do. Crazy eh?

The game in Indianapolis was a last minute decision. I bought a ticket on Ebay for $5, sat in front of about 50 Indians (from India) for the first quarter, and then snuck down to the lower level for the rest of the game. 

Observations:

1. Earl Watson is a punk. He should play for the Denver Nuggets. Or the Cincinnati Bengals. 

2. I was hoping that the crappy, no-defense Jazz team would not still exist....but they were there that night. When Josh McRoberts tries to throw a hammer down on you, you know you're in trouble.

3. I won't take any credit away from Danny Granger though. He's a beast. I think he has a chance of being elite in a few years if he works hard. He reminded me a bit of Kevin Durant.

4. Sometimes, even if the defense is good...a team just can't miss from 3-point land. We've been on the good side of that, and unfortunately, that game we were on the bad side. I think that Jerry could have done a better job with his time out usage in the third quarter to get the team gathered early in the run that the Pacers made. But, he didn't...and it blew out of proportion.

Overall, it was a fun night, despite the Jazz losing again. I got to sit 10 rows off the court for five dollars, so I'm not complaining. 

I don't know how to add pictures into here, so here is a direct link to some of the pictures that I took at the Pacers-Jazz game.

Jazz-Pacers pics

Oh gosh, I forgot the most exciting part. In the pre-game warmups at Conseco, Sundiata was dunking left and right. Including a vicious back-to-papa two hand slamma' that cause the crowd to whisper and go "oooooooh". Ronnie Price, not to be outdone, proceeded to throw one down with his right hand after passing the ball smoothly between his legs while in midair. It was ridiculous.

Hey fellow Norsemen! I have a huge favor to ask you all. I was in Row 1 at the game on Sunday and I had my picture taken multiple times and was videod a couple times as well (my face and upper body was painted, and my hair was purple).

What I'm trying to do is locate those photos/videos...and I've checked most/all of the major photo companies. Do any of you have any ideas of where else to look? Maybe local press coverage? (I've looked at Reuters, AP, Star Tribune, NFL, and Getty).

Thanks so much!

My brothers! I hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday watching our beloved purple get another win. I most certainly did.

I began the day at 5:30, showered up, made sure I had all the necessary items for the game, and began the long trek up to Detroit by 6 a.m.  Four hours later I was in Detroit, wandering the somewhat desolate streets and examining Comerica Park and Ford Field. The doors opened at 11, and I stepped inside.  One of the first to enter...a Vikings fan.

A few of the players were on the field stretching and warming up, so I headed down and watched them from the seats behind the Minnesota bench. It was unreal to see all the players so close. Longwell, Harvin, Henderson, Greenway, and others were within 15 feet of me. No real conversations took place between us, but some fan/player interaction took place. It was very exciting.

A couple things that surprised me. Favre is smaller than he appears on screen. Tahi is a BEAST! And Calvin Johnson is just plain huge. Seeing all of them close up was an incredible experience. Berrian is ridiculously thin...and very fast. I could go on and on talking about each of the players...but I'll move on.

Game time approached, so I headed to my seat. Section 115 (in the endzone on the left side of the goal post), Row 11, seat 9.  Fantastic seats for the price I paid. Unfortunately, despite seeing hordes of Vikings fans prior to the game, I was stuck in the middle of one of the more raucous Detroit sections.

You all know what happened during the game, so I won't recount that for you. Except Peterson's TD run. Before the play began I called his touchdown run...and he came through...running into the endzone directly in front of me.  I went crazy cheering for him and then turned to some of the Lions fans that were heckling me about Peterson all game and just winked and pointed to my jersey. They were silent on that topic the rest of the game.

Well, I could really talk about this all day and tell you all countless trivial little details that made my day so special...but it might get a little boring for you...so I'll conclude.

The game ended and I exited the stadium, high-fiving all the other Vikings fans, happy as ever, and tired. My first official Vikings game was a blast and it made me very excited for the day that I get to see them at home, as well as the rest of the season.

SKOL VIKES!!

I just got a text update from the Jazz.

The Jazz have signed draftee Eric Maynor. The PG will play for the Jazz during the 2009 Orlando Pro-Summer League July 6-10.

Best of luck to him!

Some stuff to think about. Would you rather have Maynor backing up D-Will this season, or Ronnie Price? I've been a huge fan of Price since he joined us, but Sloan doesn't seem to realize his potential very often. He plays with everything he's got, he can pass, shoot, create openings for other players, and jump out of the building. Any thoughts on why Price doesn't get a lot of playing time?

Hey Jazz fans!

I've been a longtime observer of this site, and today I decided to sign up and join in the fray.

A little bit about myself. I live in Indiana, but I'm completely in love with Salt Lake City (and the rest of the West). I've been a fan of the Utah Jazz since the Stockton and Malone days in the '90s. I've been to Salt Lake more times than I can remember. Last December I flew out to go snowboarding and to watch my beloved Jazz at the legendary ESA. It was so exciting being a part of the crowd that has been called the most intimidating place to play. The Jazz blew the Sixers away that game. =] Later in the spring I was able to go to the game they played in Indianapolis. Another trouncing by the Jazz. 

Anyway, I just wanted to say hello to the rest of you. I look forward to our many future conversations.

Go Jazz!