posted
afr:"There's at least as much bias coming from the U against BYU's supposed holier-than-thou/hypocrite dichotomy."
Ah, but I said nothing about the holier-than-thou thing. That's a completely different issue, and is indeed simply a matter of rivalry.
afr:"the sense of rivalry is nurtured far more by U students."
This is generally true when talking about sports, but that's about it. And even this has changed in the past few years.
afr:"there was rigidity, it was mostly avoidable."
Again, I said nothing about rigidity. That is another separate issue.
I have about four separate rants about BYU, and I have only given one of them here. If I ever give one of the others, bring up your other points then. They will definitely be apropos.
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quote:afr:"the sense of rivalry is nurtured far more by U students."
This is generally true when talking about sports, but that's about it. And even this has changed in the past few years.
Not in my experience. It's across the board. I wasn't really talking about sports rivalry, though. That has definitely ramped up around BYU after some crappy football and basketball seasons. Utah has become the team to beat again.
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quote:A lot of non-LDS people in Utah feel ostracized, whether they really are or not. For example, if they are in business, they might feel like all the LDS business people are really chummy with each other, and that they are left out. If they are in high school, they might feel left out because most of the LDS kids go to seminary classes together. They might feel left out if their neighbors all go to the same LDS church on Sunday, and to the same periodic LDS parties. It's kind of like being with a bunch of people who have known each other for years and have a lot of inside jokes that you just don't get.
I think it's that kind of situation for my friend. He's really late to the party and he doesn't get any of the inside jokes.
Kat: Call it unintentional flattery. That was not anywhere in the spectrum of reactions I'd anticipated.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Yeah, I loved the drafts, and congrats to the Utes by the way.
I love Alex Smith, Bogut I'm not sold on just yet.
It's risky to evaluate collegiate big men because they traditionally play against watered down competition. But from what I read, Bogut has the tools to be very good, I'm just skeptical.
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posted
That's funny. I think that Bogut has a better chance of being a star in the NBA than Smith does of being a star in the NFL. Mainly, that's because of their bodies (strength, size, etc.).
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posted
I think two things give Smith a good chance of surviving in the NFL - his accuracy and his mobility. Those two things can make a very efficient quarterback, and if he figures out the offense before he gets gunshy from being splattered next year, he can step in and have a decent season, I think.
Bogut, I just don't know. He's thin as a rail, and I've never seen him play with any fire.
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posted
afr:"the sense of rivalry is nurtured far more by U students."
You know, you might have a point about the students. A lof of BYU students come from out of state, and they have not been exposed to the rivalry before. Once they are in school, they might get a little excited about it, but there's still not much reason for it. Utah, on the other hand, has mostly in-state students, who have grown up with a sense of the rivalry, and buy into it.
The real rivalry, I think, actually exists between people who live along the Wasatch Front but may not have gone to either school. They just attach themselves to one school or the other.
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posted
I kind of see the rivalry between the U of U and BYU like the rivalry between Canada and the states. Canada is very proud to not be the US and kind of defines itself that way. The US is like, "Oh yeah, Canada. That big country to the north of us. Hehehehe."
I'm speaking as someone with dual Canadian and US citizenship, by the way.
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posted
JT:"I think two things give Smith a good chance of surviving in the NFL - his accuracy and his mobility."
His accuracy is good, but I still want to see more before getting too excited about his mobility. A lot of his success running the ball at Utah had to do with the O-line, as well as the availability of other offensive threats that had to be covered. Although I watched a lot of his games, I could never tell whether he was really that agile and quick, or whether he was just good at taking advantage of the opporunity to run.
I think Smith's biggest advantage is his intelligence. Quarterbacks as a rule tend to be some of the most intelligent players on the field, but he is exceptional.
JT:"Bogut, I just don't know. He's thin as a rail, and I've never seen him play with any fire."
Bogut thin? I actually think he's very solidly-built. He has broad shoulders and plenty of muscle. Of course, when I think thin, I think of Shawn Bradley or Manute Bol.
As for fire, you might have a point. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to see as many of his games as I would have liked, so I can't say.
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posted
B:" I kind of see the rivalry between the U of U and BYU like the rivalry between Canada and the states. Canada is very proud to not be the US and kind of defines itself that way. The US is like, "Oh yeah, Canada. That big country to the north of us. Hehehehe."
I would expect you, as a BYU person, to see the rivalry that way. On the other hand, many Utah people (not me, btw) see it more like the country folk and the city dwellers. The country folk worry that, if their young'uns go to the big city, they'll get corrupted by all those worldly ways, or be killed within the first week. The city folk can't figure out what the country folk are talking about, but they do enjoy reading newspaper articles about all the weird things that go on in the country.
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posted
I think Smith is both quick and agile, but I actually think his intelligence can work against him on the field. Your smartest quarterbacks aren't always your best quarterbacks.
Example - Brian Griese. He had the same wonderlic score as Smith, 39, and he's hardly a solid pro, although he played as well last season as I've ever seen him play.
You don't want your field general out there overthinking things. You need to play on instinct, to react and make the throw without pausing to wonder if you're being baited. Simple is fast.
Exception - Peyton Manning. Peyton's a smart guy, but that's not the only, or even the main, reason he's a great QB. He does his homework, sure, but he's excellent at making the correct read along with delivering the ball where it needs to go.
More to say, but my fingers are tired.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
I guess you wouldn't call Bogut Shawn Bradley skinny, but he's about Tim Duncan's build, and I just got done watching Timmy get manhandled by the Pistons. I think Dwight Howard has much better physical skills than Bogut. I liked him as number one last year, but Bogut makes me nervous, even though they are similar players.
The problem with centers in the current NBA is that they have to be able to bang with guys the size of Shaq, and run with Amare Stoudamire. They're like the tight ends of the NBA. You gotta block the DE, but be able to outrun the LBs. It's a tough position to be good at. Nearly every center in the league is a placeholder.
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