A bad SoCal Ute Fan Day

Posted By: LA Ute
Date: 2013-01-13 08:26:09

Well...after watching the Utes get blown out at home by USC, of all teams, I drove over to Pauley Pavilion to watch three Red Rocks fall three times during their uneven bars routine. They went in to the meet ranked 5th nationally and had never had so many falls, apparently. And they were soundly defeated in a big meet as a result. So...two unexpected debacles in a single day.

Along the way, I was able to remember a few things:

1. The sun would come up today. Sure enough, I see its rays peeking over the Eastern horizon already. As my wife reminds me, "These are basically kids playing games."

2. This PAC-12 membership thing is going to take more effort and patience than most of us probably realize. Last night I was in the refurbished Pauley Pavilion for the first time. It's simply beautiful, and also for the first time I began to realize how much work the Huntsman Center is going to need someday soon, if we are going to be in the same league with such programs. USC's Galen Center is a gem too. We'll probably never match USC or UCLA in resources (unless we come up with our own Phil Knight or the Utah oil boom creates a few of our own T. Boone Pickens who love the U.), but we have to be competitive. The renovation of Pauley cost $136 million.

3. So...PAC-12 membership is still the most important achievement in the history of University of Utah athletics. If we're really Utah fans and want to be proud of successful Utah programs we need to get on board and give long-term support in whatever way we can, whether that's financially, by attending games, or otherwise. For example, we really, really need that new football center and the new basketball practice facility. It's a good thing that they are happening.

4. Maybe I was a bit premature in saying Utah basketball is back. I am still convinced it is on the way back, but I am back in my "just try to enjoy the ride" mode. It is a great ride, in my opinion. It's just going to take longer than most of us hoped it would.

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