Blue and White Sports Debate
Blue View
By David Baker
Should Scottie Pippen come back?
Of course he should. Why not? America loves old stars that make returns. It’s why Eric Estrada pays the bills. And, Pippen is just doing what he always did – following Michael Jordan’s lead. Pippen didn’t play baseball on his break from the NBA. Maybe this will even prompt him to come out with a line of kitchen appliances, like another comeback king, George Foreman.
Is the NFL Scouting Combine over hyped?
No. There is nothing greater than watching 350-lbs. lineman run the 40-yard dash – maybe watching 105 lbs. kickers and punters try to bench press 225 lbs. Besides the entertainment factor, there is a lot at stake here. The combine is probably the most important day in the lives of many of this year’s potential draft picks. A good time in the 40, or a strong showing in a drill can boost a player’s stock. In fact, I wish every job interview was like the Combine – they’d be more fun that way.
After D-Wade’s injury, are the Miami Heat done?
No, they aren’t done, not after I picked them to make a run. You may call it stupidity, but I call it incredible loyalty, with a hint of delusion. The Heat still have Shaq. I know it’s going to take a miracle, but isn’t that what sports is all about – “The Miracle on Ice,” “The Miracle Mets,” “The Music City Miracle” and, what I’m calling, “The Boise State Experience.” So, as Bon Jovi said, “Oh, we’re halfway there. Oh, oh, livin’ on a prayer.”
Extra-Long Rant
I think some people may not understand what it really means to be in a rivalry. When you have a rival, you hate them. They are the enemy. There are distinct lines drawn, which should not be crossed. You don’t marry someone from the other side. You don’t associate with people from the other side, unless it is to get into a bar fight with one of them. You don’t wear the other team’s apparel. There is one exception, if you are really famous, and lose a bet to a famous alum from the other school. Even in that situation, you would go and scrub any part of your body that touched the other team’s stuff until you felt sufficiently cleansed. This could take hours in some cases.
By now, you all know where I’m going with this. I haven’t mentioned the name of the school that is, in fact, our rival, but I bet you get the point. We need to take our cues from other intense rivalries like Duke and North Carolina or Ohio State and Michigan. I’m not going to advocate using profanity or obscenities when talking about our rival, not because I think it would be wrong to do so, but because I have tact. I’m not asking anyone to do anything outrageous. I’m asking you not to cheer for or support our rivals.
White View
By Sam Bryner
With Dwayne Wade out are the Miami Heat officially done?
He was the heart and soul of that Heat team, with him gone they have no chance. They were already sitting in eighth place with a healthy Wade, so look for them to drop out of the standings. I know they have Shaq, but he is not the dominant force that he used to be.
Is the NFL combine over hyped?
I like the NFL so I like hearing about future NFL prospects, but I think that it is overrated. I especially dislike the Wonderlic test. Players are questioned on every subject except football. We all know about Vince Young. He failed the test but had a great first year. I also question the standing long jump. When will a player in a game ever have to come to a complete stop and then jump?
What do you think about Scottie Pippen making a comeback?
I think it is absurd. He has been out of the league for a few years and says that he feels better than he ever has. That is because he isn’t going through the rigors of an NBA schedule. Michael Jordon made Scottie and if he does indeed make a comeback it will be short lived.
Rant
I am not a ‘know-it-all journalism major’ but I will do my best to get the facts straight about some recent propaganda being spread by a BYU fan.
It was BYU’s choice to play in Logan for three years in a row; they were the ones to back out of the football contract, not Utah State. Also in the middle of those three years that BYU was not supposed to play in Logan we still went down to Provo and played. Another statement that he made was about how USU students could forget about all the times that BYU played football two years in a row in Logan to help us out financially. I checked on byucougars.com, BYU’s official sports website, and found out that the last time that BYU played two years in a row in Logan was in the 1979 and 1980 seasons. The reason we don’t remember this is because most of us weren’t born yet. If you want to talk about anyone being financially better off by this situation it would have to be BYU.
Since 1980 Utah State has played consecutive seasons in Provo four times. Two of those times were for three years in a row. Another thing that got me was his portrayal of the greatness of BYU-TV. This channel plays no BYU games live. You can watch reruns of the games but the MTN network has exclusive rights of BYU Sports and that channel is only available to cable customers in a few different markets in the Mountain West Conference.