Sports Zone Blog : Kent Rupe

A Great Time of Year

krupe — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 05:47:00 GMT

by Kent Rupe

The memory of the football season is still reasonably fresh but beginning to fade, the NBA All-Star weekend is upon us, and "March Madness" is still at least a couple of weeks away...

But it's one of my favorite weeks of the year because of these four beautiful words: Pitchers and Catchers Report.

Spring training kicks off in earnest next week in Arizona and Florida...but major and minor leaguers from almost every team have already started to get ready for the 2007 season.

I've loved the game ever since I can remember, having attended games at Kansas City's old Municipal stadium and Minnesota's old ballpark (Metropolitan Stadium) at a very young age in the mid-60's.

My Grandpa lived in St. Louis and took me to enough Cardinals games that I'll be a fan for life (last year's World Series championship almost brought me to tears).

It may not be America's favorite sport anymore...but it is still our National Pastime!

Gay, Straight or I Don't Care?

krupe — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 20:10:00 GMT

by Kent Rupe

There has been no shortage this week of newspaper articles and sportsradio talk show time devoted to John Amaechi, the former college and professional basketball player who's "coming out" this week...with a book, to be released on Valentine's Day, detailing his life as a gay man in the NBA.

And as the headlines continue to come and go...and the radio discussion rambles on...I've wondered what all the fuss is about. I covered the Jazz when Amaechi played for them, I may have even suspected he was gay, but I do not remember caring about his lifestyle choices or sexual preferences then...and I couldn't care less about those things now.

Amaechi was by no means a key player for the Jazz, but I don't suspect his lifestyle affected his play on the court. And whether his teammates knew about his homosexuality or not, I have no reason to think it affected the way they played the game either.

If an NBA player chooses to marry or stay single, we don't care.

If he's smart with his money or more carefree, it doesn't matter.

If he dresses up on game day or prefers jeans and t-shirts, what's the difference?

Gay or straight, I don't care...just work hard on the court and do everything you can to help your team achieve its goals...and we're all cool, right?

Can I Get a Witness?

krupe — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:35:00 GMT

BY KENT RUPE

There's a big college basketball game coming up Saturday in Salt Lake City...one that not very many fans are even aware of...and that even fewer will attend.

It's the battle for first-place in the Mountain West Conference between Utah and BYU...women.

Both the Utes and Cougars have well-established women's programs...both have made a habit of post-season appearances...and both are undefeated in league play so far this season.

But both also suffer from a severe lack of visibility...resulting in poor fan support. My perception of the problem is that too many basketball fans want to compare the women's game to the men's game--then tell you how the ladies just don't stack up.

In terms of playing above the rim, it's true. But played at a reasonably high level, which Utah and BYU do, the women's game offers some things the men do not. Like team play, sharp passing and good free throw shooting.

The coaching is pretty good too. Jeff Judkins has turned the Cougar program into a perennial MWC power...while Elaine Elliott's record speaks for itself (500+ career wins, 14 NCAA tournament appearances, including last year's run all the way to the "Elite Eight")!

Do yourself -- and the Utes and Cougars -- a favor. Check out the action this Saturday (January 27th) at one o'clock. The coaches and players would love to see you there...and you just might be surprised at how good those ladies really are.

Is Tonight the Night?

krupe — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 00:21:00 GMT

by Kent Rupe

Call me crazy -- call me a homer (I've been called much worse), but I'm calling my shot on the Utah - Air Force game tonight: Utes 66, Falcons 61.

There are few, if any, reasons to believe Utah will be able to hang with what is clearly the Mountain West Conference's best team, but I just have a feeling.

Maybe it's based on the way the Utes played earlier in the season against two of the other top teams on their schedule, Washington State and Virginia. Utah blew both of those teams out of the water with solid performances on both ends of the floor, so at least we know it's possible.

For Utah to win, Coach Giacoletti has to get above-average games from his big guns, Luke Nevill and Johnnie Bryant. Shaun Green probably needs to come up with a double-double...and somebody else has to be a pleasant surprise. Maybe Curtis Eatmon or Luka Drca...or Stevie Weigh or Daniel Deane.

But if the stars align--and I have a hunch they will--the Utes will snap that ugly 6-game losing streak.

For the record, I don't think a win tonight will be the start of anything revolutionary, but a glimpse of the potential this team, and these players, have of becoming decent at some point.

Do the Jazz have a chance?

krupe — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 02:33:00 GMT

So, Utah's Northwest Division rival Denver traded for "The Answer" today. While it remains to be seen if Allen Iverson really will be the answer for the Nuggets, the trade certainly makes things more interesting.

At the time of the trade, the Jazz' (18-7) lead over Denver (14-9) was 3 games. Iverson, the NBA's second-leading scorer, comes in right as Carmelo Anthony, the league's leading scorer, begins serving his 15-game suspension for that sucker punch in New York on Saturday.

I suspect a lot of "experts" and non-"experts" alike will start trumpeting the Nuggets as the team to beat in the Northwest Division -- probably even as a semi-finalist or finalist in the Western Conference playoffs.

I say 'not so fast.' First of all, 15 games is a lot for any team to miss their best player. And with Iverson now entering the twilight of his career, I still think Carmelo is Denver's top gun. With all due respect to Andre Miller, Iverson clearly provides an upgrade in the backcourt, but it's gonna take George Karl some time to put all these new pieces together without Carmelo ... then do it again in a month.

Then there's the "chemistry" question. I heard Steve Kerr say on the radio the other day that no matter where A.I. winds up, they're gonna need both the old ball and the new ball just to try and keep everybody happy. We'll have to see if Iverson and Carmelo can co-exist.

Bottom line, I like the Jazz to win the division ... unless they have more games like that stinker in New York Monday night (Dec. 18th). Utah's .720 winning percentage looks pretty good and will be tough for Denver to catch. I still have the Jazz winning somewhere in the range of 53-55 games, and I don't think the Nuggets will get there.

Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before

krupe — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 01:06:00 GMT

The BCS has to go -- permanently!

I continue to be amazed how this "travesty" and "sham" is allowed to remain in effect ... when an overwhelming majority of coaches, players and fans can't stand it.

It has never "worked," despite getting Texas and USC together for last year's title game. That was nothing more than a stroke of luck ... having two unbeaten teams that were pretty obviously the "cream of the crop."

Fortunately for BCS haters, that was the exception. What happened this year -- and in 2004 and 2003 and just about every other year since this whole Bowl Alliance or Bowl Coalition or whatever ... has become the rule -- and the only way to fix it is with a playoff.

I know people have stated that case for awhile now ... but what's really driving me crazy is all the discussion of whether Michigan or Florida deserved the spot opposite Ohio State in the championship game. That's really not the point! The point is that voters or computers shouldn't be put in the position to have to decide it!!

Can you imagine a poll after the various conference basketball tournaments to crown an NCAA basketball champion?

Or how about in baseball ... forget the World Series (college or pro)... just let a panel of managers, executives and writers decide who should be the champ.

It's not only ludicrous, but also quite sad that the teams don't get to decide the national champion ON THE FIELD.

What's more, I still haven't heard a good reason why not to have an 8- or 16-team playoff. Don't tell me the student-athletes can't afford to miss a few classes either. Have you ever stopped to think about how much class time a basketball or baseball student-athlete misses? It's a lot more than the football team I assure you.

I think a playoff system is coming ... it has to happen sometime. I just hope it's in my lifetime.

I was wrong

krupe — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 22:58:00 GMT

by Kent Rupe

It's happened before -- and I suspect it'll happen again. But it doesn't make it any easier to admit that I missed the mark on the 5-A high school football playoffs.

Before the first round of games last week, I was telling anyone who would listen how the defending 5-A champs would do it again in 2006. But the Skyline Eagles will NOT be at Rice-Eccles Stadium in a couple of weeks, falling to Davis in the first round, 16-6 in Kaysville.

Last season the Eagles struggled mightily during the regular season...then got hot in the playoffs...whipping rival Brighton in the title game. I thought I could see a similar scenario playing itself out this season. Skyline's regular-season difficulties weren't even close to what they went through last year, and it seemed pretty clear to me that head coach Roger Dupaix would rally the troops and put together another run to the championship.

It's like this--or so I thought--rank the teams however you want throughout September and October, but when you turn the calendar to November...that's Skyline's time. Unfortunately for the Eagles and their supporters, they never got to November in 2006...the Darts seeing to that last week.

So my pick in 5-A is gone...I was wrong about Skyline...but I still have East in 4-A and 3-A's Logan alive and kicking. Probably the "kiss of death" for the Leopards and Grizzlies.