[Charlie]

I grew up listening to sports on the radio because TV games were few, attending a game was a real treat. Today, or better yet before the Big 12, all the games were on TV and access to attending games are way up for kids. Additionally, there are so many more entertainment options. Easy to pass and maybe catch the next game. I spent several years in the Army then out-of-state college that made my heart grow fonder, my kids not so much. Maybe it is taken for granted. I am lucky, kids and grandkids like our Utes.

[Charlie]

I have spent several years coaching youth football and basketball. I have also spent years watching my kids in sports. I expect my experiences have a lot to do about my opinion about this subject. Of course, I could not at all imagine booing my kids or their teams even due to any imaginable errors or mistakes. I can be disappointed but can’t boo. It is not at all a big leap for me to consider my Utes as family so I also can’t boo them as well. I have not yet moved on to viewing them as simple paid entertainment performers. Still, I can be greatly disappointed but I don’t boo.

As it relates to the refs, I am not so consistent. If you watch youth sports, try being a coach, or try coordinating youth refs – the biggest obstacle to a smooth successful operation is parents and fans bitching, moaning, booing and riding the refs. The reason we can’t fix the problem is because those people simply do what they see fans do at the college and pro level. At the higher levels refs are paid better and have better training, at the lower levels not so much. At the lowest levels you get down to teenagers paid just 2 cents more than volunteers. Booing in youth sports is insane but we just can’t see and agree the line for it to stop. I still boo collage refs, but I catch myself and remember that it can be easier than you think to become that ‘tool’ that might not know the right time and place.

Save the stress and stay mellow and maybe not scare the kids around you.

[Charlie]

I am a football fan beyond simply my own school. I won’t watch end to end like a Utah game, but I am happy to check in as much as I can to see if there is some drama that will be interesting.

[Charlie]

Bernard entered the portal, came back, and was all in. I would say it depends on the individual but success may be less than the first time through guys.

[Charlie]

Keep in mind Kenan Johnson started over Calhoun when healthy and he is coming back. Rabbit Evans is another awesome replacement. Tanavasa and Pepa were good for the DT group, however, Utah always seems to have an embarrassment of riches at this position.

[Charlie]

CU has clearly realized a big gain recently in the football landscape, however, there is no reason to believe this gain will persist longer than Sanders and there is no reason to believe he will remain in Colorado much beyond his sons eligibility. ASU has achieved AAU status but in the academic world there is a pecking order even at this level and ASU is some distance behind schools like UofA and UofU. I think everyone knows the Big-12 last year was a random shootout of many and leaves next year with almost everyone having a chance to win. The last two years have stopped Utah’s progress but we still have not fallen. Contend for the championship next year and our spot can remain. Our best future hope is not so much the B1G but the return to regional football conferences with élite programs in every region.

[Charlie]

I don’t know how this works. Can another school contact athletes that are not in the portal and make offers? Can an athlete contact other schools to gain an offer without entering the portal? Oddly, this only gets under control when the schools with the most money become convinced it needs control.

[Charlie]

The degree from Cal or top schools was very respected 40 years ago. Not so much the case anymore since it has been revealed that there are so many entry options beyond simple merit. But as Miami pointed out, the degree matters. A tech or engineering degree has a higher degree of difficulty then maybe liberal arts. Sadly, I am not sure all medical degrees can be trusted like they once were.

[Charlie]

Men are bigger and stronger on the BB court than the women, however, the lady utes shoot FT better than the men. How could there be a reason? Our ladies were 78% at the FT last year. To solve this problem have a mid week free throw contest between the men and women, the winner each week gets preference over the basketball resources for the following week. Do this and problem solved. Make it about something the players and coaches care about.

[Charlie]

It may be hard to gain that insight directly, however, if coaches let a key guy go without effort to retain them I begin to believe the coaches also see value in the change. The future QB leaving should leave signs that the coaches tried to retain the player. Because coaches don’t want to be know as someone to make negative aspects of a player known, the indication may be noted by the trailing off of phrase or positive comments. Reading tea leaves is more likely than direct confirmation. The best QB situations is competition to be QB1, demanding or expecting it leads to continued diminishing results. I expect Beck will tell Rising, Wilson, Dampier, the new recruits and anyone else, the job is a competition.

[Author]

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