Sometimes the losses make you who you are.

Tonight's 7 p.m. time slot was pretty mundane forcing me to go endlessly flipping through the hundreds of channels offered on my digital cable box. After watching the obligatory rerun of The Simpsons and Seinfeld I was in need of some fresh entertainment. I randomly flipped to the sports channels (ESPN, The MTN., and the like) to see if any game was on to watch, there wasn't but I was happy to find a suitable replacement in a show called Replay.

The show, sponsored by everyone's favorite sports beverage - Gatorade, gives athletes a second chance to relive that one moment that they regret. The ceremonious opening shows empty views of football fields, baseball fields, and hockey rinks while the deep-voiced announcer speaks of no second chances in sports, except when Gatorade steps in.

Today's lucky group were bitter high school rivals Easton and Phillipsburg High School, the epic rivalry came to a head in 1993 when the game ended in a tie. Ever since the two schools' players have wished for a second chance to right their wrong. The players now in their early thirties trained for over two months for a chance at playing their rival just once more. Although the "Replay"-ed game ended with Phillipsburg winning convincingly the players could not have been happier knowing that they still played like champions 16-years later.

The show got me thinking about my athletic misstep, 1997 Bennion Junior High vs. Eisenhower Junior High - The War for the Warrior rivalry wrestling duel. We were told the Bennion vs. Eisenhower wrestling duel was the biggest of all rivalries and as a 13 year-old eighth grader I believed it. I was the varsity 240-pound wrestler, weighing only 190 I was greatly out mismatched on the mat. I admit I was a horrible wrestler only winning one match during junior high but regardless I pushed myself hard to be part of the team.

Since both BJH and EJH fed into Taylorsville High, the match was nicknamed the War for the Warrior which had a traveling trophy and all. Although my Bennion had traditionally been the more dominate team overall in the district Eisenhower always seemed to beat us in our yearly matchup. I remember the that we were leading the points in the duel for most of the night until the upper weights started to falter, by the time my weight was up (the last match of the night) we were down by four points. By rule there are only three ways to score four or more points in a wrestling match: 1. technical fall (four points)-win the individual match by 10 points , 2. pin fall (seven points)-pinning the opponent, and 3. forfeit (seven points)-counts just like a pin fall.

I knew I couldn't tech fall Eisenhower's best and biggest wrestler, and he wasn't going to forfeit so I was left with only one option, pin him. And my teammates were no slouches to making sure I knew how much was on my shoulders.

As soon as the whistle blew I thought my only chance was to go at him quick, I was wrong. He threw me around for one round, then just a few seconds into round two he flipped me onto my back and pinned me. I remember laying there on the mat in the middle of Taylorsville High's gym staring up at the spotlight hanging above me while Eisenhower's team celebrated. I got up shook my opponent's hand gave him a bro-hug then walked over to my coach, where the tears started flowing and I couldn't stop them.

I let my whole team down and it was the one athletic moment in my life that I do regret. Second chances don't happen in sports, although I feel bad about not winning or even putting up much of a fight I've moved on to bigger and better things.

Life isn't about all the wins, sometimes the losses make you who you are.

Stay Classy Utah!

In an age where it seems that people are all about themselves it's extremely nice to know that there are some classy people out there still.

At November 7's University of Utah football game I saw several instances of class, before during and after the game. After the traditional national anthem and the band lining the sidelines awaiting the Utes' entrance hundreds of young football players from around the Salt Lake Valley gathered on the field. The problem was there were far too many kids and the line started at about midfield and wound it's way through the north end zone and nearly exiting the stadium through the northwest exit.

Eventually the Utes ran onto the field in traditional fashion, pumping up the crowd capacity crowd. The team then lined up and high-fived all of the kids in line waiting to greet them. However, with the line being so long the team greeted the kids leading up to the end zone as far as they could leaving a large line still wanting to greet them. As soon as starting safety Robert Johnson saw the other kids being left out he quickly ran the entire length greeting each and every one of them. He was followed by running back Eddie Wide, and Stephenson Sylvester. These three Utes made those kids' day by just taking the time to high-five them. While they knew they had a game to play, the players acknowledged their fans.

These are the same players that as the rush the field before every game they sprint to the north end zone and raise their U's to the crowd, a favor that we are glad to return.

During the game, Utah was thoroughly beating New Mexico with their new starting freshman at quarterback, Jordan Wynn. With a sound lead the Coach Wittingham pulled his starters and inserted the entire second string, including Terrence Cain the team's starting quarterback every other game this season. Although Cain is no longer the starter for the team he is more than willing to help out his team by rooting them on from the sidelines and signaling in plays.

As the score tallied higher for the Utes, they did the classy thing and did not pile on the points (something Bronco and the Cougars could learn). They understood the Lobos are a team that is struggling and didn't humiliate them like BYU tends to do to their opponents.

Classy and Utes, two words that belong together and rightfully so. Keep up the good work boys!

Top 10 Things About College Athletics

These are the Top 10 reasons I love college sports much more than pro sports.

10. College football overtime rules! Equal possessions, if the first team scores the other has to or the game is over...Awesome.

9. Egos. Granted a 22 year-old's ego can be pretty big, but it's no where near as big as say Chad Johnson...er...Ochocinco.

8. Final Four tournament. Bar-none the best playoff tournament in the world. Where else is there a 64 team (plus one winner from a play-in game) playoff to determine the national champion? The best team always shows up and a few Cinderella's go dancing and upsetting the big boys.

7. Passion. There is so much passion in a stadium or arena that you can literally feel it vibrating.

6. Rankings. Every week there is a list of the 25 best teams in the country, you play well you move up lose you drop. Plain and simple.

5. Rivalries. The bitter hatred between rivals, so bitter that some rivalry games have had to be moved to neutral sites to avoid serious problems.

4. Focus on teams, rather than individuals. I may know every player on my team, but a few year's down the road I won't I'll just remember the team.

3. Education. You don't learn, you don't play...well if you're GPA isn't good enough you don't.

2. Tradition. Marching Bands, rituals, and superstitions, every school has them and they make each and every game and school unique and fun.

1. They play for the love of the game, not for the money.

Dear Pac-10...

Dear Pac-10 athletic conference,

I write you today in the interest of persuading you to consider expansion once again. Now I know the name "Pac-12" is lame but if you listen to my points you will see that you have some very good options that will no doubt increase interest in your conference.

The rumor mill has been bustling with the thoughts of who the two teams to join may be. I have heard Colorado, Boise State, BYU and Utah's name's mentioned as possible teams. But let me propose this to you the University of Utah and Utah State University as your two schools.

A. Colorado is a great school one rich in football tradition, however, with the exception of a decent men's basketball team the school is lacking many necessary components that would make them a suitable option.

B. Boise State is quite the powerhouse in the WAC, but let's face it the WAC hasn't been anything special since the teams that now form the Mountain West bolted. Aside from that Boise doesn't quite fit into the "research school" category that the Pac-10 so desperately would like.

C. BYU is a tough program that will do what it takes to be the best, and I'm sure they would beg you to be a part of your conference. But BYU's sole purpose in athletics is to make themselves look better at the expense of anyone in their way. They think of themselves as an elite school when they're little more than a law and accounting factory. Add into the equation that they refuse to play on Sunday's and that makes them an ill-advised choice.

D. (your best option) Utah, a school who has done more with a small athletic budget (i.e. multiple national and conference championships) than the vast majority of the country has. Utah fits the bill as one of the finest research schools in the country, a strong football team that is only getting stronger, very competitive basketball teams that have both garnered national attention, and an exceptional gymnastics program, these are just a few of Utah's strong suits.

Now here I make my case for Utah State, USU has quite honestly one of the smallest budgets in the NCAA. But they strive for excellence and fit the bill that the Pac-10 in looking for. For instance, every school currently in the Pac-10 has a major or regional rival accompanying them (Arizona-Arizona State, Washington-Washington State, UCLA-Southern Cal, Oregon-Oregon State, and Stanford-Cal) a Utah-Utah State addition would be the perfect solution so that you once again have two neighboring schools.

USU is still in the growing stages of many of their athletic sports but they are quickly coming on. We're talking a bout a school that survived nearly five years as an independent football team and in the years to come Gary Anderson will turn heads when he takes out the likes of Boise State in the WAC.

This is my simple proposal, forget all the wannabes like BYU, Colorado, and Boise State, make the call and ask Utah and Utah State to join the new Pac-12. The two teams will no doubt fit into your conference but given the a little time they would excel.

Thank you and GO UTES! (and Go Aggies!)

-Jeren W. Canning

Lifelong Ute Fan, and longtime Aggie sympathizer.

Bang The Gong, Let's Get It On!

Who am I, Sir? A UTAH MAN AM I.

It has been well documented by now that I bleed Red and White. I am what many people would call a Utah Fanatic. I can name hundreds of players that have donned the crimson jersey, I can remember the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I've been known to shed a tear when the team loses, and I've been known to feel great pride when they win.

I've been to far too many football games to count. Since infancy I have been going with my family. When I was 5 I would lug in a backpack of Ninja Turtles to play with at the game, little did I know but my dad would hide a six-pack of beer under the Turtles and let me sneak it in.

I used to sit in the stands and practice the referee hand signals, to this day I know them all even the very obscure signals that you never see used.

As I write this we are only 22 hours away from the kick-off of the season. A season of hope, a season of rebuilding, and most importantly a season of definition.

In the last decade the Utes have rewritten the definition of who the University of Utah is. Before 2000, few people knew about the diamond in the rough that is the U of U. Sure Utah had a few brushes with greatness prior to the new millennium but nothing substantial. That has all changed. Utah is now a powerhouse known around the country as a team to not take lightly.

No matter what the next few months tell us about this year's Utes team, I will be there cheering them on. I will forever be waiting for the day when Utah is mentioned in the same breath as other National Champions.

Because after all a Utah Man Am I....GO UTES!

Woodstock: The Defining Event of an Entire Generation

When did Peace, Love, and Rock 'n' Roll get replaced by Benjamins, Bitches, and Rap?

Fourty years ago the world was forever changed by what was supposed to be a quaint little outdoor rock festival in upstate New York. That little festival grew into the defining event of the generation in attendance.

Woodstock organizers struggled to get the city of Bethel, N.Y., to approve a permit for the expected 50,000 attendees. But in an age eons before Facebook and Twitter, word spread fast and soon music lovers from all over the country made what became known as a pilgrimage to the famed event. Over 400, 000 people showed up to the event so many that by the second day the organizers gave up on the ticketing and opened the gates for all.

Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll was what it was all about. Billed as "3 Days of Peace and Music" the festival not only showcased many of the greatest bands in existence, it also opened the world's eyes to bands that have since become legends in their own right.

It was hotter than hell, muddier than a pig pen, and 400,000 dirty bodies surely smelled like a landfill, but Woodstock 1969 was perfect.

My father recently told me the story of he and his friends sitting around a restaurant table trying to figure out a way to make the roughly 2,000 mile trip. Although they didn't make the drive you could tell just the thought of Woodstock brought back some incredible memories for him in his prime.

There were attempts to duplicate the magic that was created on that farm so many years ago, but none have come close. The festival's first reincarnation took place in 1979, with an extremely weak, relatively speaking, line-up of has beens and soloists separated from their former '69 bands. 1989's festival saw the birth of commercialism at the festival intended to be about the music.

Billed as "2 More Days of Peace and Music" the 25-anniversary Woodstock in 1994 was by far the best attempt to recreate the original. While only 30,000 attended the '94 event it was successful if nothing more than getting back to the music. But the commercialism continued with the entire event being underwritten by Pepsi. The peace and music was dying in favor of money.

1999 saw the death of the great festival, thanks largely to MTV's horrible planning. The concert was cut short when unruly fans ignited a bonfire which eventually spread to a speaker tower forcing the abrupt end of the bastard stepchild of Woodstock. MTV helped organize overpriced "merchandise malls" and impenetrable fences that only angered the concert goers. After the mayhem multiple trailers and porta-potty's were burned to ashes, at least four rapes were reported, but only seven people were arrested.

Thanks to the debacle of 1999, 2009's 40-Anniversary was nothing more than memories of the good ol' days.

Somewhere along the way those bright eyed dreamers of 1969, turned into money-hungry executives looking to exploit the "Peace and Music" festival for their own gain. Today we sit 10 years away from the 50-Anniversary and there needs to be another concert on the same farm that the original once was.

To the organizers...let the money go, it's about the music.

To the concert goers...let the anger go, it's about the peace.

It's time for another Woodstock festival just like the original and in 10 years I plan on climbing in my 1969 Volkswagon Bus and make the drive to New York, with my nearly 70-year-old Dad copiloting.

Yeah, I'm An X Gamer...What About It?

I don't know if it's kosher with my age, but I love the X Games. Every August, and January for the winter version, I set my DVR to record endless hours of ESPN programing dedicated to "All That Is Extreme!"

I personally have never done a kick-flip on a skateboard, or a backflip on a motorcycle, or driven my pseudo-Subaru over 70 foot jumps. Even still I am glued to my TV judging every spin and and grind that these daredevils perform.

I enjoy watching the Games, because these athletes are doing things that I would love to do, but don't have the testicular fortitude for. I'm the guy that gets a little uneasy on roller coasters at Disneyland.

Being a longtime fan of motorcycles, off-road riding, and many things outdoors I easily gravitate to the world of extreme sports.

Three years ago I was jumping up and down with excitement in a Washington, D.C., hotel room when Travis Pastrana landed the first ever double-backflip on a motorcycle. As the announcer commented it was (emphasis on WAS) the Holy Grail of Freestyle Motocross tricks go.

This year was nothing short of awesome. Pastrana attempted to find that Grail again with a new trick only to land flat on his back, with a 300-pound motorcycle nearly landing on top of him. A couple of unknowns (at least unknown to a novice like me) made the street skateboarding event look like child's play. There was even a new event in which 'boarders climb to the top of a 50-foot tall ramp only to grind a rail that spanned a 50-foot gap.

I even watched kids (yes, kids) half my age perform amazing tricks that left me awestruck.

Much like the Olympics, the X Games celebrate the world's best but contrary to the Olympics' mystique the X Games is more about the fun of the sport.

I truly cannot wait until the next X Games are shown, I already have my DVR set to record them.

The Fountain, The Boot, and The Bell

The football season is now a mere month away, and everything is starting to charge up for the University of Utah. For months now I have been eagerly awaiting the start of the new season, pondering the questions that were left unanswered from last year's epic season.

Who will quarterback the Utes? Junior College-transfer Terrence Cain or semi-proven two-year backup Corbin Louks.

How long will the longest winning streak in the country last for Utah? Currently sitting at 14.

I'm sure the answers to these and many more will be answered in the coming weeks and months. But in my search to quench my thirst of red I turned to a Google search. I simply typed in University of Utah Drum and Feather hoping to find a little information about the famed logo of the athletic program.

After sifting through pages of useless information I learned a little about the logo as well as more interesting things about Utah Athletics through the years.

The Bell.

Apparently the winner of an annual battle between Utah and Denver University was awarded an old Rio Grande Railroad bell.

For many years the bell was lost thought to be the victim of a forgotten time. A year ago it was found at a LDS church camp near Eden, Utah. According to the article it is not known how the bell ended up in Eden.

The bell is weathered and beat up thanks to years of abuse (I'll make the guess it was Utah haters), but it rightfully belongs at the U as the winner of the final Utah-Denver game. Utah Athletic Director Chris Hill needs to claim the bell and bring it home.

Think about it how awesome would it be to hear the old bell ringing after a win, while it hung from the top of Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The Boot.

As any true college football fan knows The Beehive Boot is a traveling trophy awarded annually to the football team that holds the best record among the other in-state colleges. For years I thought this only included Utah and BYU, a while ago I learned that Utah State is included in the fray. But today I learned that Weber State and Southern Utah are also eligible to win the old Boot.

Now I like that all five schools are included in the great rivalry, even though Weber and SUU have never won the trophy due to rarely playing the other schools, but I think it takes something away from the Utah-BYU rivalry.

Major rivalries across the country have their own often strange trophies. Ranging from Paul Bunyon's Axe to The Old Iron Skillet they are all icons of their respective rivalries. I think it is time for Utah and BYU to have their own traveling trophy that only they can win.

My suggestion: The bell from the U.S.S. Utah. The ship was sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor and the bell is one of the only things recovered from the ship. It would add a necessary historical connection that is sorely needed in the rivalry.

The Fountain of Ute.

If you've ever driven past Rice-Eccles Stadium I'm sure you've noticed the old brick building sitting just off of 500 South in the stadium parking lot, this is the Fountain of Ute.

Originally it was a water well used to wet the whistles of those on campus, but over the course of 40 years it has taken on a great mystique. The story goes that in the '50s and '60s the small building was used as a laboratory for the U's biology department. The lucky students that used the lab were also some of Utah's best student athletes.

The decade of the '60s was possible the best ever for athletics at the U (not counting the current decade). Men's Basketball took two trips to the NCAA Final Four, Baseball advanced to the national tournament, and Football enjoyed a Liberty Bowl win and a #14 ranking.

Rumor has it that coaches from the various sports would use the Fountain to fill up the team water coolers for game days. When the students, known as the "Rad Red Scientists," graduated it was said the students locked the building and hid the key somewhere on campus in hopes that someday the athletic department would find it and become great again. Former basketball coach Jack Gardner sent everyone he could out looking for the key only to come up empty.

Now here is the really good part of the story.

When Urban Meyer was hired on as head coach of the football team he was told the legend of the Fountain of Ute. Meyer himself with the help of his staff and team supposedly spent the Summer of 2004 searching the campus for the key, the story never said if Meyer found it. However, the story said that an invoice for a locksmith was found in his desk when he left Utah in 2005. If the legend of the Fountain is true then Meyer either found the key or picked the lock and got to the water. As we all know, 2004 was the year Utah first went undefeated and broke into the BCS.

The story also said Meyer took the key with him to Florida but made a copy for his successor, Kyle Whittingham. My thought is there is every possibility in the world that the story is true, but then again it could be just one incredible legend.

Walter Cronkite R.I.P.

It's widely known by now that former-TV journalist Walter Cronkite died last week. W.C. was the epitome of journalism, classy, smart, and hard working.

Today's "professional" writers are sickening, they will do whatever it takes to break that story that will make them famous. Recently I've seen TV journalists quote MySpace and Facebook, report on speculation, and my personal favorite reporting unconfirmed rumors. Come On!

W.C. will be sorely missed, his delivery of the nightly news will never be matched. Katie Couric take note, sorry but Katie will never be able to live up to her predecessor.

It's been said that journalism is dying, if we writers could learn to be even a little more like W.C. our industry would not be facing the hangman's noose.

Top 10 Moments in University of Utah Sports History

10. I apologize for not remembering this player's name but a Utah runningback high stepping across the 50-yard line avoiding Wyoming DB's enroute to a 70-something yard touchdown in the late 1980's.

9. Mike McCoy's last second touchdown to then-Freshman Kevin Dyson to win the Freedom Bowl.

8. The Duck. It hasn't been used in about 10 years, but it is the most epic play ever used on a football field. Consisting of a Center and a Quarterback on one end of the field with eight linemen offset on the opposite hashmark and one reciever/runningback behind them. Back in the day in "Rice" Stadium you would hear fans squealing duck calls to urge on the play.

7. 34 - 31, Does more need to be said?

6. Perennial Mountain West doormat, the Utes' 2009 baseball team drops the opening game of the conference tournament to powerhouse TCU then subsequently beats all three of the conference's top teams, (BYU, San Diego State, and TCU twice) to capture the school's first conference baseball crown and first trip to the NCAA baseball tournament in 40 years.

5. BYU's Max Hall completely falls apart and turns the ball over six times in the second half the 2008 Holy War game.

4. The Hook and Ladder. The originally BCS Busters, the 2004 Utes, put the exclamation point on a perfect season in the Fiesta Bowl.

3. 2008 Utes drop 21 unanswered points on the highly ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl.

2. With star Michael Doleac fouled out, Junior Andre Miller steps up and beats a North Carolina squad with several future NBA All-Stars in overtime to send the Utes to the NCAA Championship Game.

1. Trailing nearly the entire game Utah scores 11 point in just over two minutes to beat Oregon State in 2008. A drive that included a Freddie Brown touchdown, a Brian Johnson bootleg for the two-point conversion, the biggest defensive four-and-out ever, and the most epic of all a 35-yard Louie Sakoda game winning field goal with two seconds left all the while 46,000 rabid fans chant "LOUIE, LOUIE."

Honorable Mention: More funny than great. Large defensive end Paul Kruger picks up a fumble and sees nothing but end zone in front of him, but stumbles over his own feet enroute.

Honorable Mention #2: Moments before the 2008 Holy War, BYU attempts to start the "Haka." Brian Johnson and the rest of the team gets in the kitty's faces and stops them cold, while the stadium chants "NOT IN OUR HOUSE!"

An Angry Sports Fan Plight (Originally Posted February 10, 2009)

As you all know I am a huge baseball fan. I spent much of my childhood playing the sport I love, all the while looking up to those superstars playing in Major League Baseball. I have spent countless days at Franklin-Covey Field in Salt Lake watching tomorrow’s stars compete. I love the game plain and simple.

A few days ago Sports Illustrated announced that Alex Rodriguez, the world’s best baseball player, had tested positive for steroids in 2003. Rodriguez just yesterday admitted to using performance enhancing drugs so that he could live up to the expectations that had been placed upon him.

Rodriguez was one of my favorite players, a man that I thought deserved a spot next to Gehrig, Ruth, and DiMaggio in the Hall of Fame. He is no longer.

A-Rod is an idol to millions of children around the world. He has also let down every one of those children.

The man cheated the rules, screwed the system, and disrespected the thousands of players that had come before him.

It is time for a major change in the American sports world.

MLB commissioner Bud Selig needs to be removed from his post. He has turned a blind eye to the so-called “Steroid Era” all so that his fellow franchise owners can make a few bucks. Selig has ruined the game of baseball.

Across the board we see athletes acting as if they can do no wrong and receive little more than a slap on the wrist. Every athlete needs to realize that with being a superstar athlete comes the responsibility to act in a manor fitting their status.

No more bong hits (Michael Phelps), no more dog fighting (Michael Vick), no more spousal abuse (Allen Iverson), and no more steroid use (far too many to list).

It is high time for harsh penalties for this behavior.

In my opinion starting immediately there needs to be mandatory drug testing for every professional athlete, at every level of competition. If an athlete tests positive for performance enhancing or recreational drugs there needs to be swift and harsh penalties up to and including banishment from the sport.

If I, or anyone else for that matter, were caught using illegal drugs at my job I would be fired immediately. Why then should a professional athlete be given four and five chances?

To every athlete:

Take responsibility for your actions.

Play by the rules.

Don’t cheat.

Respect the game you play…and most importantly

Always remember to that you’re an idol to somebody and act accordingly.

Enough is enough, the game of baseball deserves better than the shame of steroids.

University of Utah National Champions (Originally Posted on January 3, 2009)

As you obviously know by now, the University of Utah football team completed their season on Friday evening by soundly beating a highly touted Alabama team. Currently ranked No. 6 in the country, Utah rightly deserves at shot at the National Title.

With the winner of the "BCS Championship Game" guaranteed the top spot in the Coach's Poll that leaves one open spot atop the Associated Press' completely independent poll.

This season Utah has:
1 - Most notably went 13-0.
2 - Became the first and only team in the BCS era (1998-present) to complete two undefeated season, 2004 and 2008.
3 - Beat five nationally ranked teams (Alabama, BYU, TCU, Oregon State, and Michigan, albeit before we knew how bad the Wolverines were).
4 - Beat two Top 10 teams (Alabama and TCU).
5 - Beat the only team able to defeat Southern California (Oregon State).
6 - Won outright the third best football conference in the country.
7 - Held and ran the table on the eighth most difficult schedule in the country.
8 - Beat an Alabama team that held the No. 1 ranking for five consecutive weeks.
AND
9 - IS THE ONLY UNDEFEATED TEAM OF THE 2008 SEASON

College football has been thirsty for an outsider to win the national title and all Utah fans realize it will take a perfect storm for our team to garner the top spot. Utah deserves the No. 1 ranking and show the country that you don't have to play in the SEC or Pac-10 to be a champion.

To all Associated Press voters, do this country and the world of college football a favor and watch all 13 of Utah's games this year. They will show you that this team plays with more heart and more desire than any other college team. Watch all 13 games and cast your ballot for Utah as your No. 1.

As President-elect Barak Obama has stated, it is a time for change.
THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH UTES, 2008 NCAA FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS.

-Jeren W. Canning
a life long Ute fan.