BYU: Patiently Waiting to Be Noticed

Since last summer, when the Pac-10 invited the University of Utah to join the Pac-12,  BYU fans have been talking about the possibility of joining the Big 12. Over the weekend with Texas A&M talking with the SEC another team has been mentioned as an option to replace the Aggie's. This is the face of college football with teams angered at their current situations and conference looking to increase the amount of money they get from their TV deals and if BYU is not careful they may get left behind.

A little background … The University of Texas has angered the rest of the Big 12 because of their new and very lucrative Longhorn Network deal with ESPN that gives them a unfair advantage over the rest of the conference. The Longhorn Network is why Nebraska will be in the Big 10 playing Ohio St and Michigan this season. The Big 12 is not stable and Texas A&M is especially not happy with the current status quo in what was one of the most prestigious conferences in college football.  The A&M Aggies are well behind Texas in every way. A&M has not won a bowl game since 2001 and in that time period the Longhorns have won three Big 12 Titles, three BCS games and a BCS National Championship in 2006. The Aggie's are losing in every way to Texas and if you add a TV network then the Longhorns could lock up every high school recruit in the Lone Star State.

Last summer rumors began to surface about the Southeastern Conference opening discussions with Texas A&M about joining the SEC. This along with the Pac-10 chasing Texas who wanted out of the Big 12 made for an environment that could have led to the Big 12 dissolving with their top teams leaving for greener pastures. This was the situation until the Big 12 caved to a long list of Texas demands and the rest of the Big 12 agreed to a vote of solidarity. Some of those demands included the Longhorn having their own network outside the Big 12 Network and a bigger share of revenue than the other schools in the conference. Texas A&M reluctantly agreed to stick with the Big 12 despite the financial disparity with their heated rivals. A few months ago Texas announces that they wanted to show high school football games on the Longhorn Network focusing on players they are recruiting or players they have signed. Texas A&M and the rest of the Big 12 realized that if this is allowed to go forward Texas will have even more of an recruiting advantage by selling teenagers on Texas-wide or even nationwide TV coverage of their football games.

This seemed to be the final straw for Texas A&M who can’t stand to see their in state rival to getting everything they ask for just because they are Texas. The Aggie's contacted the SEC and said they are ready to join and over the weekend the SEC presidents votes to slow things down and make no changes at this time. This  leaves the pouting/disgruntled Texas A&M in the same conference as Texas and facing a season in a Big 12 they tried to bail out on. Within the next 3 years Texas A&M will be in the SEC. A&M commands too many TV set in Texas and is deep in the heart of some very fertile recruiting grounds that the SEC wants access too. 

In the background of this athletic and money fueled soap opera is the outside chance that if Texas A&M leaves the Big 12 that BYU could get an invite to join the BCS conference. All along whenever replacement teams are mentioned BYU is on the top of the list. BYU fans have been patiently looking forward to the first season of independence with the idea that it is a temporary situation while the Cougars wait for the rest of college football to iron out their issues and start handing out invites to BCS conferences. For the first time another team has been mentioned as being a option besides BYU for the Big 12. The University of Houston could be a better option because they are in a bigger TV market (6th in the nation) and keep the Big 12 in Texas instead of Provo, Utah (30th TV market). BYU fans may be getting nervous now that another option has emerged. There is a pile of money on the table and several moves that must happen for this to fall in BYU’s favor. It could easily fall in another direction leaving BYU on the outside looking in. BYU needs to be proactive to make themselves look like the best option instead of waiting for a phone call.

Get the Boy Out!!!!

It is week 40 of my wife’s pregnancy and the baby doesn’t seem to have any plans to make his grand entrance. Nine months of a very uncomfortable wife and absolutely no progress towards labor. It is like the kid likes it in there and would rather hang out than face the outside world. When I think about it the womb would be a nice place. It is climate controlled and the food is free. You hang out all day surrounded in water until that uncomfortable trip down the exit that just kind of shows up after a while. If you leave the womb it is cold, you have to breathe, and all these people poke and prod you making you cry. I would definitely stay in as long as I could to avoid the harsh reality of the real world.

The main issue is I want to meet my boy. I have been waiting to see what I am unleashing on the world. Will he be smart and have a dynamic personality? Will he be active and constantly be looking for something to satisfy his curiosity? Will he sleep all day and be content with the undivided attention of his loving parents?  I need him outside so I can find what kind of baby and eventually, the type of person he will become.

The questions that dominate my mind deal with how I will be as a parent. Will I be up to the challenge of dealing with a baby and guiding, teaching and nurturing a child hopefully molding him into a competent, productive adult? Will I be able to care for his needs and be up to the challenges he will present? I think I will be a good father but until the kid is born I will never find out.

I keep telling my wife that she needs to negotiate the release of my son with her uterus. She seems to think that the child is somehow controlling the natural process. I don’t really care who’s at fault here but between the two of them they need to come to an agreement to get the kid out.

Thor is going to be AWESOME!!!!

I had my doubts but the movie "Thor" looks awesome and will probably live up to my expectations of a good summer movie with great visuals and a weak storyline because the movie is about a god with a hammer who hits stuff. Thor is so awesome because of his hammer named  "Mjolnir" and it makes him almost unbeatable. I found the hammer at the store in toy form:

The wife of course said I could not purchase the implement of the gods because it is a toy and as a grown up I should not want frivolous things. I said it wasn't for me but that it was for my yet unborn son. She didn't buy it and pulled me out of the toy isle. I was able to pick up some toy figures of Thor and his dad Oden to watch over the boys room:

My boy will thank me for the awesome toys once he learns to talk. He will not be so happy with mom when he finds out that he didn't get the hammer.

To Firefox or not to Firefox ...

Last week I ran into a problem at work. I have a copy of the Firefox web browser on a flash drive and it began crashing the computer I use at work every time I try to play a video off of YouTube. Working as a morning radio show producer when I use YouTube it is usually because I am trying to play some music as part of my show. I have crash my computer several time right as my show is coming back from break and because my computer is restarting I have dead air instead of the music that I intended. To solve this problem I have began a test.

First I checked to make sure that my copy of Firefox on the flash drive was still viable by accessing the program on other computers. The browser works fine and plays YouTube on all computers except the one that I need to produce my show. I decide that I need to use a different browser for my show to get around the malfunction. I refuse to use Internet Explorer because of the multitude of issues and generally slow functionality that I experience when I use the Microsoft product. I do a web search and find a site that has a portable version of Google Chrome for download. I have used Chrome off and on for a few years and like the stream lined look and feel. I start to use Chrome during my show and enjoy the ease of use and the change of pace from Firefox. I remember that Chrome like Firefox offers add-on programs that allow for different functionality. As I add programs I decide that I may need to make the change permanent across all the computers I use at home and at work.

Firefox has a Twitter add-on called Echofon that I really enjoy. It allows for easy access to tweets and notifies me of unread tweets. With Chrome I found a program named Chromebird that opens a rather large window to reveal the twitter feed. The downside is that window covers almost half the screen and the window close when you click anywhere outside of the Twitter feed. The Firefox program opens a small but rather readable window in the lower right hand corner that can stay open while I continue to browse. Other programs that create short URL’s and gives me access to Gmail, calendar, and other Google services.

The biggest difference between Firefox and Chrome that I can detect is that Firefox takes longer to load. I select the Firefox link and it will take almost 90 seconds for the program to open and allow for use. Chrome on the other hand opens fast and is functional in a matter of seconds. As for now I will use Chrome during my show and use Firefox on the other computers I use. I would make the switch completely to Chrome if the Mozilla Company doesn’t fix the Firefox start up issue in future updates.

Why Church is Tough for Me

I go to church every week because I know it is good for Me. I listen to the speakers and try to understand their point of view or find their purpose speaking. Sometimes it is very difficult because the person speaking is so focused on filling the time that they never work to communicate with the congregation. They are talking around a subject without getting to any real point and worry more about taking or leaving too much time. This may be why so many people are nervous about public speaking besides that awkward feeling of a congregation starring at you. Without a plan when speaking the whole exercise is a waste of time.

People are assigned a topic and go to the same source material (church website, magazines, or the same 5 scriptures that are alway read when the topic comes up) instead of using those sources to compliment personal experiences and opinion. Sometimes people stand up and read entire articles instead or summarizing the piece and explain why it is important to them.

On the other hand people also stand there and recite exactly what a good Mormon would say instead of speaking from the heart. It is easy to tell those who believe what they are saying verses those who are spouting the company line. Public speaking is tough and can be terrifying but I choose to believe that the individual is selected because of what they bring rather than trying to fill time during sacrament meeting.

I need to work harder to find something to take away from every meeting I am in. I stand to benefit from the time spend in religious pursuits. I need to stop judging others by their weaknesses and begin recognizing their strengths. I can learn from everyone around me if I listen to what they are saying and not how they are saying it.

It is a work in progress.

What a insane week ...

It Started Monday with the Super Bowl. It was a solid game that came down to the final few plays. The Steelers failed to convert a 4th down play and the Packers win the title, Aaron Rodgers is a star, and the football season comes to an end with a record breaking 111 million people watching the Super Bowl. A number that is not even close to the actual number since the ratings count the number of TV's and not the pairs of eyeballs watching.

Tuesday female student decided it would be a good idea to post to the Daily. Universe editorial page the she fells that her fellow students are worshiping Jimmer Fredette like he was an idol. Her Facebook page was blasted with posts mocking her and we spent the show reading what was said.

On Wednesday Carlos Boozer returned to town to face the Utah Jazz and I was again stunned as to how many people don't like that guy. The Bulls beat the Jazz and Jerry Sloan and Deron Williams hot into a argument at halftime and after the game that was big enough to delay Coach Sloan's post game comments by 30 minutes.

Thursday we found out about the dust up and the significants of the argument between the Hall of Fame coach and the All Star point guard. During the show we speculated about what may have happened in the locker room but later at a press conference sports in the SLC was changed forever. After 23 seasons Jerry Sloan stepped down as the Jazz head coach. When Sloan took the job I was in the 5th or 6th grade. He is really the only guy I can remember coach the team. Sloan stepped down because it was time. He is 69 years old. The fight with D-Will was just the writing on the wall that he was done.

Friday's show was about processing the events if Thursday and trying to make sense of the D-Will/Sloan fight. The final opinion is that D-Will didn't make Sloan quit but he was the final straw that made the 69 year old coach decide to hang it up. Former player and Sloan assistant Tyron Corbin was named the next head coach and the Jazz went out and lost that night to the Phoenix Suns.