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CS Lite, Vol. 38, Issue 25 - January 14, 2019
by HB Arnett 14 Jan '19

14 Jan '19

HB Arnett's "Lite" <mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net 801 372 0819 Vol. 38, Issue 25, - January 14, 2019 Is There a Place for Intellectual Curiosity for a BYU Sports Fan? An article in the Deseret News last week was detailing an upcoming meeting between former Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward of Watergate fame and current Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Apostle, Elder D. Todd Christofferson. <https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900049962/bob-woodward-to-tal k-about-watergate-with-mormon-chuch-apostle-elder-d-todd-christoff erson.html> Click here to read the article. Woodward and his colleague Carl Bernstein won a Pulitzer prize for their reporting on the early '70s scandal. At the same time, Elder Christofferson was then a law clerk for Judge John Sirica. The two of them, Sirica and Elder Christofferson, were the only two who had access to the secret tapes and listened to them. You probably know the rest of the story. Here is the quote in the article that got my attention. "He's obviously a very thorough and intellectually curious individual who wants to get to the bottom of things and learn all he can about things," Elder Christofferson said. "That's an admirable trait." BYU basketball is no "Watergate" but, in my opinion, it has stirred a little "intellectual curiosity" from Cougar fans the last couple of years. Maybe we should define intellectual curiosity first. According to the dictionary, Intellectual curiosity is a term used to describe one's desire to invest time and energy into learning more about a person, place, thing or concept. Some BYU sports synonyms for Intellectual Curiosity are Chat rooms, Message Boards, Sports Talk Radio, Twitter, Instagram and Church foyer conversations between two old men who remember who Ott Romney and Hal Kopp were and still care. I freely admit that I am not an intellectual about any subject, especially BYU sports, but I am curious about how to become one. I found this on the internet in referencing how to foster intellectual curiosity. It says there are 8 steps to increase your intellectual wellness. Here they are: 1 Read for fun. 2 Debate an issue with a friend but choose the viewpoint opposite the one you hold. 3 Improve your skills for studying and learning. 4 Learn a foreign language. 5 Play a game. 6 Play a musical instrument. 7 Write down your thoughts or journal frequently. 8 Do crossword or sudoku puzzles frequently. Did I mention that I found these 8 steps on an Illinois State University webpage? <https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2014/03/seven-simple-steps-increas e-intellectual-wellness/> Click here to see for yourself. Speaking of puzzles and intellectual curiosity, am I the only one who is still intellectually puzzled as to how BYU lost to Illinois State and Weber State in basketball earlier this year? The step that caught my eye was No. 2: Debate an issue with a friend but choose the viewpoint opposite the one you hold. For example. Politically, if you are a Democrat can you make a case for Republicans. And if you are a Republican, can you make a case for Democrats. Okay, that might be too hard because an intelligent and intellectual politician is the ultimate oxymoron. More pertinent might be: Is Dave Rose a good basketball coach? Is Dave Rose not a good basketball coach? Is Kalani Sitake a good football coach? Is Kalani Sitake not a good football coach? Ninety percent of BYU fans have an opinion on those two topics. You probably have one. I have one. If we are being intellectually honest, can we make a case for the opposite viewpoint from ours? Tom Holmoe has already made his viewpoint known. He extended Dave Rose's current contract for another two years. He has not yet extended Kalani Sitake's current contract. Pick a side and debate that one. Here's my intellectual input. It's one I have espoused for decades. It's the players, not the coaches. In my opinion, BYU athletics will only be as good as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints demographics will allow. The bigger and broader The Church grows, the bigger and broader the only legitimate and consistent recruiting base of BYU athletics is. Yes, BYU recruits and signs non-church members, but they are few and far between. A BYU alum and non-Church member playing in the professional ranks is rare. In the NFL there 10 former BYU football players currently on rosters. They include Ziggy Ansah, Michael Davis, John Denney, Taysom Hill, Bronson Kaufusi, Tejan Koroma, Daniel Sorensen, Kyle Van Noy, Fred Warner and Jamaal Williams. Davis and Williams are non-Church members. That makes it 80 percent for the Church and BYU football. In basketball, there is no BYU player currently in the NBA. The closest is Kyle Collinsworth and he is currently in the "G" league playing for Toronto. If you go back and look at BYU's best teams and even those that made NCAA post-season appearances, they were all Church loaded with players. Here's a thought. Maybe the Church players Dave Rose now has aren't as good as the Church players he used to have. In football, it's also all about players. If you don't believe that, you didn't watch the Alabama-Clemson national title game. Cougar football is not about coaching. It is also about Church players. The more and better members of the Church you can get and recruit, the better your team will be out of necessity because you aren't going to ever sign big time non-Church recruits. Yeah, but what about women and BYU sports. How do you explain the success women's sports like volleyball, softball, soccer has achieved? Country Clubs. Those three sports are sparse on minorities because they require money to get good. You must be able to travel, play club sports and afford the cost. BYU reaps the rewards because of that criteria in women's sports. In football, it is subsidized by school districts and tax payers. Basketball is also a club sport, but it is subsidized by shoe companies. If you are good enough, you can play. Not so, with the "country club" sports". It takes money to play. Here's my view on BYU football and basketball. If there are enough good Church member players available, even Nancy Pelosi or Donald Trump could coach them, and BYU would be good. It not coaching, it's players who are members of the Church that sponsors the university. BYU just needs to find a way "to build a wall" around those Church member players and everything else will work out. Greatest Public Relation Tool Ever for Coaches When the NCAA came up with legislation to allow players to transfer to another school without approval from their previous coach, it was a public relation boon for both player and coach. It's called the Transfer Portal, either as a transfer or a graduate transfer. Before that it was called pulling scholarships. Not renewing scholarships is part of the NCAA sports scene. In most cases it is done because of scholarship numbers and lack of talent of the player from whom the scholarship is being pulled. Now instead of pulling a scholarship in the hopes you can use it on another more talented player, both the coach and player can save face by saying that the player has put his name on the transfer portal and will play elsewhere. If you have followed the tweets of those moving to other schools, both coaches and players get a chance to have a graceful exit and express glowing words about the experience both had while at the previous school. Maybe a few of those expressions are legitimate, but most are a face-saving way to say that the coach is pulling the scholarship. For the player, he has also announced that he is available. In most cases, if he is on the portal, it means he will be transferring to a school with less talent where he can finally play. Here is a list of BYU's current Transfer Portal players. Tevita Mounga DL Jacob Jimenz, OL Christian Folau, LB Riley Burt, RB Akile Davis, WR Isaiah Armstrong, DB Wayne Kirby, DL BYU COACH ON TRANSFER PORTAL? It looks like Ryan Pugh's tenure as offensive line coach at BYU is a one-and-done deal. There are multiple reports that Pugh is leaving BYU to take over as offensive coordinator at Troy. Here are several stories on the subject. Click to view. <https://www.sltrib.com/sports/byu-cougars/2019/01/14/byu-offensiv e-line-coach/> https://www.sltrib.com/sports/byu-cougars/2019/01/14/byu-offensive -line-coach/ <https://www.heraldextra.com/sports/college/byu/football/byu-footb all-might-have-first-coaching-shake-up-pugh-rumored/article_a5c55e 31-4520-54c1-b5db-5353558a914b.html> https://www.heraldextra.com/sports/college/byu/football/byu-footba ll-might-have-first-coaching-shake-up-pugh-rumored/article_a5c55e3 1-4520-54c1-b5db-5353558a914b.html <https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900050551/report-byu-offensiv e-line-coach-ryan-pugh-moving-on-to-troy-as-offensive-coordinator. html> https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900050551/report-byu-offensive -line-coach-ryan-pugh-moving-on-to-troy-as-offensive-coordinator.h tml <https://byucougars.com/home/football> BYU and Utah Extend Football Series Television Timetable BYU vs. Pepperdine (M Basketball) Thursday, January 17 at Malibu Tipoff: 9:00 pm MST TV: ESPNU BYU vs. San Francisco (M Basketball) Saturday, January 19 at San Francisco Tipoff: 9:00 pm MST TV: TheW.tv BYU vs. Gonzaga (W Basketball) Thursday, January 17 at Provo Tipoff: 7:00 pm MST TV: BYUtv BYU vs. Portland (W Basketball) Saturday, January 19 at Provo Tipoff: 7:00 pm MST TV: BYUtv

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CS Lite, Vol. 38, Issue 24 - January 7, 2019
by HB Arnett 07 Jan '19

07 Jan '19

HB Arnett's "Lite" <mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net 801 372 0819 Vol. 38, Issue 24, - January 7, 2019 Which is Better? Eyes Closed or Eyes Open? Are musical artists better when they perform with their eyes closed or eyes open? Which got me to wondering. I am definitely more arse than artist, but could I improve the newsletter if I wrote it with my eyes closed? You be the judge. Here goes: Nyu zbayppfball kist abitger fsmr. Thyis tije t was to saubt nart[sm tge 'gaeos st86id byud a gritti ti 'bty. What I meant to say but couldn't because my eyes were closed is this: BYU lost another game. This time it was to Saint Mary's. SMC should build a grotto for BYU. The Cougars have become a patron saint and patsy for the Gaels. By now, all eyes should be wide open to the fact that this is not a good BYU basketball team. They aren't good enough to contend for an NCAA berth. They aren't good enough to beat anybody who happens to be good. They are frustrating, maybe even poorly coached, but here it is. Eyes open or closed, they are still entertaining. If not, explain to me why I keep watching them play. Even better, why do you keep watching them. They are just good enough to be annoying and anticipatory. Even when they are getting blown out, you can close your eyes and still dream of them making a dramatic comeback for the win. This team has offensive talent. This team has no defensive talent. That should be our clue as to when to keep our eyes open and then keep them shut. If you need this explained on a grander scale, remember Jimmer Fredette. Here are two eyes open/eyes closed videos that expand on the point. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWjwlSGIch0> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUkgaNzfmYU> Open or Closed? When Tom Holmoe announced a two-year contract extension for Dave Rose before this basketball season started, did he do it with eyes open or eyes closed? Regardless, open or closed, it now appears he did it wearing "Rose" Colored glasses. Based on the performances of this season, even "Rose" colored glasses are now shattered. So why do we care and why do we keep watching BYU basketball this year and BYU football two years ago? For the same reason we visit our children in jail. They are still our team and our children. No matter the situation, both are still our children and our team. Yes, in case you are wondering, visiting a child in jail is an "eye opening" experience. Heck, if all we wanted was winners, we would all be Alabama and Clemson football fans and Duke and Kansas basketball fans. Things aren't always rosey and aren't always wonderful. Hey, there might be some sort of doctrine in that declaration. Sometimes things are bright and other times they are dark. That is why they invented these for life and sports fans. You can wear them up or down, depending on your team and how they are doing in times of brightness or in times of darkness. BYU basketball might be facing a total eclipse of darkness after coming off a month long road trip. It should be glasses down this coming week as the Cougars will see a little more sunshine and less talent than they did this past week/month. Television Timetable BYU vs. Portland (M Basketball) Thursday, January 10 at Provo Tipoff: 7:00 pm MST TV: BYUtv BYU vs. Santa Clara (M Basketball) Saturday, January 12 at Provo Tipoff: 7:00 pm MST TV: BYUtv Glasses Up.Glasses Down! You Decide Here are some recently released stories about BYU sports. Click and read them and then decide if they are glasses up for you because of darkness or glasses down because of brightness. Zach Wilson and Jaren Hall <https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900049274/dick-harmon-zach-wi lson-needs-a-hungry-push-from-jaren-hall-joe-critchlow-in-offseaso n.html> ...Glasses down because of brightness. Big Time QB transfers to Ohio State <https://www.si.com/college-football/2019/01/04/justin-fields-geor gia-transfer-ohio-state-quarterback-news> ..Glasses up because of darkness. Realignment and BYU?... <https://awfulannouncing.com/ncaa/conference-realignment-longhorn- network-acc-network.html> Glasses Down. I still see BYU as a player because of their own network. BYU Circles its Stadium and Wagons <https://www.ksl.com/article/46461501/byu-releases-renderings-of-u pdated-look-to-lavell-edwards-stadium-for-2019-season> .Glasses Down. Now you can spit off the concourse anywhere in LaVell Edwards Stadium. It's a bright day for Spitters and BYU Football.

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Vol. 38, Issue 23 - December 31, 2018
by HB Arnett 31 Dec '18

31 Dec '18

HB Arnett's "Lite" <mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net 801 372 0819 Vol. 38, Issue 23, - December 31, 2018 When Life Gives You Lemons. It's Lemonade Time for BYU Basketball A few decades ago, I had season basketball tickets next to a very nice couple. They were refined, genteel, and well spoken. The were the epitome of a Provo patron at BYU basketball games. The husband never said anything. His wife was also quite docile and demure in her comments. At the time, BYU actually had a very, very good basketball team. It included the likes of Danny Ainge, Fred Roberts and Greg Kite. In the wife's mind she always thought Kite, despite having a nice BYU and NBA career, just wasn't active enough or involved enough in the games. However, her harshest criticism of Kite was, and I quote: "Ooh! I'd like to give him a couple of before he plays." In the spirit of post-Christmas giving, I don't have any , to pep up BYU's current basketball status, but I do offer some of the greatest "Keep your Chin Up" quotes that might work for the team and fan base. We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope. Martin Luther King The darkest hour is just before the dawn. Thomas Fuller Most great people have attained their greatest success one step beyond their greatest failure. Napoleon Hill You can always get better. Nobody can stop you from getting better, and nobody can stop you from trying to make something right. Roseanne Barr The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. Socrates In the middle of a difficulty lies opportunity. Albert Einstein As long as there is Dr Pepper in the world, how bad could it be? HB Arnett Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. John Wooden <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX5jNnDMfxA> There is still a chance BYU can win the WCC and make the NCAA Dance? Jim Carrey - Dumb and Dumber I'd like to focus on two of the optimistic quotes from above as they pertain to BYU Basketball. John Wooden is a name we should probably listen to. "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do", is what he said. That seems especially appropriate with pre-conference scheduling. Keep the fan base optimistic by continuing past patterns of scheduling patsies like Northwestern State and Alabama A&M at home and not Nevada and Mississippi State on the road. It prolongs the illusion that BYU is a good basketball team early in the year, until league play starts in January. Roseanne Barr saying, "You can always get better. Nobody can stop you from getting better, and nobody can stop you from trying to make something right." Those are encouraging words for the BYU basketball program. Here's another Barr quote that is more applicable to Tom Holmoe and the current BYU basketball situation. Barr said, "As a housewife, I feel if the kids are still alive when my husband gets home from work, then hey, I've done my job." Will the program still be alive in 2021 when the newly renewed Dave Rose contract is now set to expire? Normally a nondescript WCC schedule is the perfect answer to any preseason ailments BYU basketball has. Not this year. The league is loaded with improved teams. I don't include the Cougars in that assessment. Just a thought. I don't know if Holmoe can keep the program alive until 2021, but he could at least load up on and start passing it out to pep up the patrons that will still be attending and watching games. Three 12-packs should be all he needs. It's either that or bring Greg Kite back to rebound and block out. Now 57 years old, I'm of the opinion that he would have been a much better rebounder of the ball than was shown by the current front court of BYU against Mississippi State. This week's BYU Basketball Television Timetable is sponsored by Alexander Pope. You might remember his famous quote. "Hope springs eternal." Television Timetable BYU vs. Pacific (M Basketball) Thursday, January 3 at Stockton Tipoff: 9:00 pm MST TV: ESPNU BYU vs. Saint Mary's (M Basketball) Saturday, January 5 at Moraga Tipoff: 9:00 pm MST TV: ESPN2 Hopefully Good Story Will Equal Good Player We won't really know who the best players will be from BYU's recent recruiting class they signed this month. I think we might know who has one of the best, if not best recruiting stories, however. That would be Eric Ellison. Click here <https://www.recordgazette.net/sports/honor-code-out-of-the-way-el lison-ready-for-byu/article_97f7f306-0a22-11e9-bf23-db84b434730f.h tml> to read his story. Just a hint. It runs through the University of Utah. It Was a Cougar Triple Combination Touchdown Sunday for Former BYU Players in the NFL Click here to watch. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIoamksBbPY> The Deseret News made a nice compilation of NFL Playoff teams with players with the state of Utah ties. BYU let the list with 8. Click here <https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900048515/meet-the-26-players -with-utah-ties-on-this-years-nfl-playoff-rosters.html> to read the entire article.

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CS Lite, Vol. 38, Issue 22 - December 24, 2018
by HB Arnett 24 Dec '18

24 Dec '18

HB Arnetts Lite <mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net 801 372 0819 Vol. 38, Issue 22, - December 24, 2018 BYU 49 WMU 18 The Potato Bowl in Pictures This bowl game win epitomizes the evolution of Jeff Grimes as BYUs offensive coordinator. Because of many reasons: injuries, ineptitude, lack of depth and lack of wins, Grimes has evolved from a rookie OC, to prove himself capable of changing what didnt work at the first of the season and adapting and installing a new offense on the job and in the middle of the season. It paid off handsomely in Boise and should even become more attractive next season. In case you missed what he did, here it is in pictures. Grimes swatted away the early offense of fluttering and sputtering fly sweeps and went with a higher caliber offense to suit his offensive personnel and talent. That new offense was designed to put Zach Wilson in the shot gun and let him throw bulls eye bombs down the field. Did it work? You and the Western Michigan defense can be the judge by clicking to watch this: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I0hwVjdZ74> Defensive Duct Tape and the Guy that Made it Work Take a look at the starting defense against Arizona and then compare it to the starting defense against Western Michigan. The only thing that stayed constant in BYUs defense this season was the defensive front. The back end of this defense, including linebackers and defensive backs, was injury riddled from early on. The duct tape job Ilaisa Tuiaki did with his mix and match back end defense late in the year was remarkable. He has taken heat for his lack of aggression, but he needs some love for what he and his defensive staff put together as the season ended without the players they started with. PROOF IS IN PUDDING AND PRODUCTION >From the day they arrived, Jeff Grimes and his offensive line coach, Ryan Pugh, said that the best players would play. They also said that the best player would be the guy that showed he was the best during the week of practice. The most obvious example of that mantra was when Zach Wilson replaced Tanner Mangum. That same scenario took place at left guard on the offensive line. Thomas Shoaf started the season at that spot. After three games he was replaced by Keanu Saleapaga, the freshman redshirt, that switched from defense to offense at the start of the season. The last three games of the season it was Keiffer Longson who started. All three will be back next year. Shoaf will be a senior. Longson will be a junior and Saleapaga will be a sophomore. Depending on how the play and show in the spring, one of these three may also be playing right tackle and replacing graduating senior Austin Hoyt. Regardless, with the return of four starters on the o-line, coupled with the return of Zach Wilson, the prospects for productive pudding offensively looks good. Last Man Standing and Sole Survivor Thats how I describe BYUs running back merry-go-round this season. They started with Squally Canada, tried Lapini Katoa, and went all in on Matt Hadley late in the season. All three couldnt survive the injury bug. That left the enigmatic Riley Burt. He looks like a running back and passes the eyeball test. He just never passed the production testuntil last Friday against Western Michigan. All Burk did was score a 37-yard touchdown while rushing for 110 yards on just 13 carries. That works out to an 8.5 yard per carry average. He actually looked like a running back that knew what he was doing and then did it. BYU is still looking for a running back recruit and the chances of landing one is remote. Maybe Burk, if given the chance to be the change of pace with Wilson throwing the ball, could be an answer. We will see. Recruiting Is a Pigskin Piñata You never really know what you are going to get until you get it open and the goods on the field. This year was no different. They hype is always heavy, but it will take a few seasons to really evaluate what Kalani Sitake and company hauled in. 81-90 BYU Loses AgainThis Time to SDSU Its safe to say that BYU basketball is not very good defensively. They have little problem scoring themselves, but a big problem defending their opponents. Since we havent seen much defense this season from Dave Roses team, we might have forgot what good defense looks like. Bruce Bowen was a spectacular defender during his college and NBA career. To refresh our memories of what defense looks like and likely wont look like this Saturday again at Mississippi State when the Cougars go up against the Bulldogs. Click below to see the fundamentals of defense. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGUfNUv6llI> Culling the Herd In the dairy business, they call it culling the herd. If a cow isnt producing enough gallons of milk daily and if that milk is low in butter fat, she is sent to the auction and replaced with a better producing cow. The same thing happens in college football, even at BYU. They used to call it non-renewal of scholarship. Now, the polite and face-saving nomenclature is Transfer Portal. This way both the player and coach get a politically correct way out of embarrassing situations for both. Here are 3 examples from the last few days. Do We Actually Own It? When it comes to critiquing and criticizing players, coaches and administrators of sports teams, that is what I have made a living doing for the last 35 plus years. Based on letters to the editor and reading sport chat room writings. I have plenty of company. You would think that we own our favorite team and take full ownership of them, their play and their seasons. I used to think that way and then I read an article written by Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports. Here is the except that caught my eye. Are Yankees fans spoiled? Sure, on some level they are. But I dont think this is about Yankees fan entitlement as such. Indeed, I think it speaks to a phenomenon in sports that applies to fans of any team: an overemphasis on championships. Indeed, I think championships are highly overrated and that caring only about championships is a great way to make yourself miserable as a sports fan. Winning championships is, obviously, the goal of every sports team, but you are not a sports team. You are a fan. Sports are entertainment to you, not a means of personal validation. Because, again, you havent done anything to earn the validation of a championship like a player or a coach or an executive has. You watched it happen, but its their entire professional existence. They spend all of their waking hours to achieve that goal. You invested a little time, some of your disposable income and, depending on your temperament, greater or lesser degrees of emotional investment in order to watch baseball games. You cant say that the stakes for you are anything like the stakes for someone who owns, operates or plays for a professional sports franchise and thus you cant say that anything less than a championship is failure and expect me to take you seriously. Especially considering that, when theyre being honest, and when theyre not giving postgame interviews, even the people in professional sports will tell you that they dont actually think in those terms themselves. There are executives for 86-win clubs who are happy with how their team did given the talent they have. There are players who are quite proud of their years even when they get knocked out of the playoffs in the first round. Im not sure where the anything less than a championship is failure idea came from, but its relatively new. I found this article in its entirety very interesting and informing. I think you might also. You can read it by clicking here: https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2018/12/12/championships-are-overrated/

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CS Lite, Vol. 38, Issue 21 - December 21, 2018
by HB Arnett 17 Dec '18

17 Dec '18

HB Arnett's "Lite" <mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net 801 372 0819 Vol. 38, Issue 21, - December 17, 2018 A Song Dave Rose Can't Stand! <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUXcSlxsjGs> Click on Willie to hear. Zip, Nada, Zilch, Nil, Nothing and Zero. As in 0-for-4 on the road. It was closer than Willie Nelson's pigtails are to his waist, but BYU lost their fourth consecutive road game last Saturday night in Las Vegas. This time it was 92-90 to UNLV at the buzzer in overtime. BYU is now 8-5 overall. Did I mention that BYU's next game is on the road this coming Saturday against San Diego State? Just checked and Willie Nelson won't be there. He will be appearing the same day in Austin, Texas on Austin City Limits Live. Also checked and Kawhi Leonard won't be there either. He will be playing with the Toronto Raptors in Philadelphia for a game against the 76ers. Both are important absentees because without Leonard, the Aztecs aren't very good this year. Of course, neither was UNLV. SDSU is currently 6-4 on the season. The losses have been to Duke, Iowa State, Cal and USD, of WCC fame and family. They also have a road win against Illinois State, the team BYU couldn't beat. Grating, But Still Selling Tickets Nelson is like BYU basketball currently. Both are grating on the ears and eyes, but somehow continue to sell tickets. Give BYU some well deserved credit for crawling back into this game in the second half. The Cougars trailed at the intermission by 17. They had a chance to win in regulation at the buzzer, but it didn't happen. This game wasn't decided by buzzer beaters, however, in my opinion. The Cougars were crushed by UNLV on the offensive glass. That basically was their offense. Go and get misses and put them back. For BYU, Dave Rose got good performances from both Yoeli Childs, TJ Haws and Jashire Hardnett, but it wasn't enough. Childs finished with 25 points and both Haws and Hardnett added 19 apiece. Barring a big time win at Mississippi State later this month, BYU has already taken the gong and is gone from the NCAA post-season tournament. They will miss it again. Of course, they could win the regular season WCC title or the WCC post season tournament. Oh yeah. I will also open for Willie this week in Austin. Then again, if Willie Nelson is still touring and selling tickets and I'm his opening act, then anything is possible. You haven't heard me sing, but there is a reason that nobody, but my wife will sit by me at Church. We have all seen this BYU basketball team, however. What's your prospect for possible? Didn't think so. Chicken Fried Steak and Famous Idaho Mashed Potato Bowl The best chicken fried steak I have ever had was ingested by me a few months ago in Roundup, Montana at the Busy Bee Cafe. This past Saturday, I had another that was also great. It was at Dalton's Steak House. They have been in Payson for years, but just opened another location in North Orem. My brother had the prime rib and it was fabulous also. I know. Why would I order Chicken Fried Steak when I could have had prime rib? It's the Gravy. BYU football isn't prime rib material now. Neither is the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Like chicken fried steak, it is cube steak breaded and smothered in gravy that makes it so tasty. BYU's appearance in the bowl game in Boise, isn't Rose, Cotton, Holiday or even Belk bowl beef, but it is gravy to the program at the current time. BYU got to practice 15 more times. They can brag about a bowl game and recruit to it. That's the ultimate gravy! This Wednesday is BYU Football's gravy. They can actually sign recruits to letters of intent. A win and good showing in Boise will be nice, but recruiting graving going down the gullet of BYU coaches and fans, could almost make the bowl game anti climatic. A year ago, BYU football was stew meat with a 4-7 record. This year they progressed to being cube steak at 6-6. Trust me, they are closer than most think to becoming at least a good porterhouse next season. Alabama and crew will always be prime rib, but a good porterhouse next season, would put BYU football back on the college football menu and maybe even fans back in their seats at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Here's a Quick Gawk at BYU's Gravy for Wednesday These players have verbally committed to sign with BYU according to the Deseret News and all look on track to do just that. Jacob Conover QB 6-1 205 Chandler, Arizona (Chandler HS): The Elite 11 quarterback threw for more than 10,000 yards in high school. Chase Roberts WR 6-4 185 American Fork, Utah (American Fork HS): Recorded 1,771 receiving yards, 22 touchdowns this season. Chuck Alatini DL 6-2 250 Provo, Utah (Timpview HS): A solid pass-rusher with quickness. Tausili Fiatoa QB 6-2 195 Kahuku, Hawaii (Kahuku HS): Selected as a Polynesian Bowl All-Star. Brock Gunderson OT 6-4 295 Cypress, Texas (Cy Woods HS): Strong run-blocker who could play tackle or guard at BYU. Blake Freeland ATH 6-8 260 Herriman, Utah (Herriman HS): Projected to play tight end or offensive tackle. Elijah Unutoa OG 6-5 300 Kapaa, Hawaii (Kapaa HS): Considered an underrated prospect who will provide depth to BYU's O-line. Brooks Maile DE 6-3 240 St. George, Utah (Pine View HS): Known as a physical pass rusher. Michael Daley LB 6-3 225 American Fork, Utah (Lone Peak HS): Named Deseret News 6A MVP. Ethan Erickson TE 6-5 225 Kahuku, Hawaii (Kahuku HS): The 247 Sports three-star prospect also punted in high school. Carter Wheat TE 6-4, 225 Mesa, Arizona (Red Mountain HS): Regarded as a run-blocker more than a pass-catcher. Keanu Hill WR 6-3, 190 Euless, Texas (Trinity HS): Son of Lloyd Hill, former Texas Tech All-American. Bruce Mitchell OT 6-4 265 Kamas, Utah (South Summit HS): Had 76 tackles and 13 sacks last season. Caleb Christensen CB 5-9 180 Smithfield, Utah (Sky View HS): The speedy corner ran the 100 meters on his high school track team. George Udo DB/OLB, 6-1 205 Walnut Creek, California (Berean Christian HS): Athletic defender is fairly new to football. I will give a recap of early recruiting this coming Wednesday, so check your emails. One player that BYU may not list as a signee is Nephi Sewell. He is a two-year starting safety at Nevada Reno and publicly said that he is transferring to BYU and will enroll in January. His younger brother will be a national caliber recruit next season. He will be a senior at Orem HS. Here Are Some Great Christmas Gift Ideas! Check out my Christmas gift or stocking stuffer ideas by clicking here: theputtpartner.com <http://theputtpartner.com/> Thanks, HB

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CS Lite, Issue 38, Vol. 20 - December 10, 2018
by HB Arnett 09 Dec '18

09 Dec '18

HB Arnett's "Lite" <mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net 801 372 0819 Vol. 38, Issue 19, - December 10, 2018 Forget LP 3. It's Bingham 1 BYU beat Utah 74-59 in Salt Lake Saturday night. That's a sidebar. The main story is Yoeli Childs. For the last seven years, all BYU basketball fans have heard and hoped for was the coming of the Lone Peak 3. Some have come and gone and come back again. But at no time did the three, T.J. Haws, Nick Emery and Eric Mika, ever play together in a BYU basketball uniform. I think we can now officially retire the Lone Peak 3 axiom (a statement that everybody believes is true). In case you missed it, the Lone Peak 3 were supposed to take BYU to higher and heavenly ground in basketball. With Mika married and mired in Italian leagues, the threesome never played college ball together and never will. Before the Lone Peak 3 hysteria and hype, there was Jimmer mania. He absolutely was the real deal and took BYU to higher ground. In defense of the Lone Peak 3, now minus 1, both T.J. Haws and Nick Emery are legitimate Division I players and performers. We can still expect them to be major contributors to BYU basketball, including this season. But.It's time to anoint a new axiom and answer to the recent BYU basketball doldrums of the past few years. That would be: The Bingham 1. Yoeli Childs, the 6-7 (listed at 6-8 by BYU press representatives.) was just two inches short on his elevated hair-do from being taken by the NBA a few months back when he opted to check out his professional stock and story. His play this season is making up for the 2-inch deficit in size. Funny how back-to-back-to-back 31-point outings make you taller in the eyes of NBA scouts. Just ask Charles Barkley. This will be Childs last season wearing a BYU uniform, unless he has a setback with an injury. Otherwise he will follow the early exit route of Eric Mika and Elijah Bryant. All three, Mika, Bryant and Childs have one thing in common. They are all married and were married the years they left BYU for a paycheck. Click here <https://gouvu.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6391&path=wvball> to see why Childs will either be playing in the NBA or in Europe next year. Now watch this to see why Childs will be playing professionally regardless of his marital status or height of hair. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRGLWJx82OE> Speaking of matrimony. BYU is still married to the three ball. They shot 24 of them and hit on only 7. That's a 29 percent conversion rate. The rate rotates at BYU. Against Utah, T.J. Haws hit 3 of 4 from distance. Zac Seljaas made just 2 of his 8 attempts. Nick Emery was 0-3. One of these games BYU is going to get in sync with their three-point shooting. When they do and can couple it with Childs performances, this team should be electric. Next up is Portland State at home on Wednesday and then it is on the road for two consecutive Saturdays at UNLV and San Diego State. BYU is currently sitting at 7-4 on the season. A look at the box score and it is obvious that Rose has settled on Childs, Haws and Seljaas as his three main stays on the court. All three logged 37 minutes each. Seljaas finished with 14 points. The other two spots look to be shared with Nick Emery, Conner Harding, Jashire Hartnett, McKay Cannon and Dalton Nixon. There will be a few other cameos, but nothing Rose can count on when the game is on the line. That basically is your 8-man rotation for the rest of the year. Want a PAC 12 second opinion on how good Childs played? Try this clip. Notice the "Willing Passer" praise. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-GyzaxSAd4> FINAL FOUR FOR WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL A picture is worth a thousand words, but a video is worth a million. Here are 2 million words about BYU Women's Volleyball. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV6CMl8FFds> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAToJi1dXx8> Next up is the Final Four at Minneapolis. The Cougars will face Stanford, the No. 1 seeded team. For a great wrap up of women's college volleyball, including BYU, Click here <http://www.espn.com/espnw/sport/ncaa-volleyball/> and enjoy A Picture is Worth 1000 Words, But What About 1000 Yards Rushing? Deshawn Collins is a redshirt sophomore running back from City College of San Francisco that BYU has offered. Reportedly, his two other current offers are from UNLV and Hawaii <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A11LL-2CR8> Click here <http://www.sfexaminer.com/back-injury-city-college-san-francisco-rb-deshawn -collins-already-turning-heads/> to read his story. Click Here <https://tucson.com/sports/greghansen/hansen-s-sunday-notebook-pima-can-cite -successes-even-as/collection_8e26aa80-fb6c-11e8-bbd4-e7cb06e5addd.html#1> to read about the demise of JC football in the intermountain West. Television Timetable BYU vs. Portland State (M Basketball) Wednesday, December 12 at Provo Tipoff: 7:00 pm MST TV: BYUtv BYU vs. Stanford (W Volleyball) Thursday, December 13 at Minneapolis First Serve: 5:00 pm MST TV: ESPN BYU vs UNLV (M Basketball) Saturday, December 15 at Las Vegas Tipoff: 6:30 pm MST TV: ESPN News or ESPN3 Here Are Some Great Christmas Gift Ideas! Check out my Christmas gift or stocking stuffer ideas by clicking here: theputtpartner.com <http://theputtpartner.com/> Thanks, HB

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CS Lite, Vol. 38, Issue 20 - December 10, 2018
by HB Arnett 09 Dec '18

09 Dec '18

HB Arnett's "Lite" <mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net 801 372 0819 Vol. 38, Issue 19, - December 10, 2018 Forget LP 3. It's Bingham 1 BYU beat Utah 74-59 in Salt Lake Saturday night. That's a sidebar. The main story is Yoeli Childs. For the last seven years, all BYU basketball fans have heard and hoped for was the coming of the Lone Peak 3. Some have come and gone and come back again. But at no time did the three, T.J. Haws, Nick Emery and Eric Mika, ever play together in a BYU basketball uniform. I think we can now officially retire the Lone Peak 3 axiom (a statement that everybody believes is true). In case you missed it, the Lone Peak 3 were supposed to take BYU to higher and heavenly ground in basketball. With Mika married and mired in Italian leagues, the threesome never played college ball together and never will. Before the Lone Peak 3 hysteria and hype, there was Jimmer mania. He absolutely was the real deal and took BYU to higher ground. In defense of the Lone Peak 3, now minus 1, both T.J. Haws and Nick Emery are legitimate Division I players and performers. We can still expect them to be major contributors to BYU basketball, including this season. But.It's time to anoint a new axiom and answer to the recent BYU basketball doldrums of the past few years. That would be: The Bingham 1. Yoeli Childs, the 6-7 (listed at 6-8 by BYU press representatives.) was just two inches short on his elevated hair-do from being taken by the NBA a few months back when he opted to check out his professional stock and story. His play this season is making up for the 2-inch deficit in size. Funny how back-to-back-to-back 31-point outings make you taller in the eyes of NBA scouts. Just ask Charles Barkley. This will be Childs last season wearing a BYU uniform, unless he has a setback with an injury. Otherwise he will follow the early exit route of Eric Mika and Elijah Bryant. All three, Mika, Bryant and Childs have one thing in common. They are all married and were married the years they left BYU for a paycheck. Click here <https://gouvu.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6391&path=wvball> to see why Childs will either be playing in the NBA or in Europe next year. Now watch this to see why Childs will be playing professionally regardless of his marital status or height of hair. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRGLWJx82OE> Speaking of matrimony. BYU is still married to the three ball. They shot 24 of them and hit on only 7. That's a 29 percent conversion rate. The rate rotates at BYU. Against Utah, T.J. Haws hit 3 of 4 from distance. Zac Seljaas made just 2 of his 8 attempts. Nick Emery was 0-3. One of these games BYU is going to get in sync with their three-point shooting. When they do and can couple it with Childs performances, this team should be electric. Next up is Portland State at home on Wednesday and then it is on the road for two consecutive Saturdays at UNLV and San Diego State. BYU is currently sitting at 7-4 on the season. A look at the box score and it is obvious that Rose has settled on Childs, Haws and Seljaas as his three main stays on the court. All three logged 37 minutes each. Seljaas finished with 14 points. The other two spots look to be shared with Nick Emery, Conner Harding, Jashire Hartnett, McKay Cannon and Dalton Nixon. There will be a few other cameos, but nothing Rose can count on when the game is on the line. That basically is your 8-man rotation for the rest of the year. Want a PAC 12 second opinion on how good Childs played? Try this clip. Notice the "Willing Passer" praise. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-GyzaxSAd4> FINAL FOUR FOR WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL A picture is worth a thousand words, but a video is worth a million. Here are 2 million words about BYU Women's Volleyball. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV6CMl8FFds> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAToJi1dXx8> Next up is the Final Four at Minneapolis. The Cougars will face Stanford, the No. 1 seeded team. For a great wrap up of women's college volleyball, including BYU, Click here <http://www.espn.com/espnw/sport/ncaa-volleyball/> and enjoy A Picture is Worth 1000 Words, But What About 1000 Yards Rushing? Deshawn Collins is a redshirt sophomore running back from City College of San Francisco that BYU has offered. Reportedly, his two other current offers are from UNLV and Hawaii <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A11LL-2CR8> Click here <http://www.sfexaminer.com/back-injury-city-college-san-francisco-rb-deshawn -collins-already-turning-heads/> to read his story. Click Here <https://tucson.com/sports/greghansen/hansen-s-sunday-notebook-pima-can-cite -successes-even-as/collection_8e26aa80-fb6c-11e8-bbd4-e7cb06e5addd.html#1> to read about the demise of JC football in the intermountain West. Television Timetable BYU vs. Portland State (M Basketball) Wednesday, December 12 at Provo Tipoff: 7:00 pm MST TV: BYUtv BYU vs. Stanford (W Volleyball) Thursday, December 13 at Minneapolis First Serve: 5:00 pm MST TV: ESPN BYU vs UNLV (M Basketball) Saturday, December 15 at Las Vegas Tipoff: 6:30 pm MST TV: ESPN News or ESPN3 Here Are Some Great Christmas Gift Ideas! Check out my Christmas gift or stocking stuffer ideas by clicking here: theputtpartner.com <http://theputtpartner.com/> Thanks, HB

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CS Lite, Vol. 38, Issue 19 - December 2, 2018
by HB Arnett 03 Dec '18

03 Dec '18

HB Arnetts Lite <mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net 801 372 0819 Vol. 38, Issue 19, - December 3, 2018 Heart Stopping Moment! It will be 17 years ago this coming February that I had a heart stopping moment. It was an even bigger heart stopping moment for one of my close friends. He had an official title for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. It was: Look of the Games Coordinator. One of his duties was to make sure that the Olympic torch lighting looked good to the world. Along with the 1980 USA Olypmic Hockey team, he was also standing next to the torch, but behind the view of patrons and television viewers world wide. He was next to the engineer from Los Angeles who designed and built the torch and assured everyone that it would work without a hitch. I tried to find video of the actual torch lighting, but it is owned by the Olympics and cant be downloaded. Instead Click Here <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT28SNK1YEk> to see the actual torch ceremony. It is 7:48 minutes long. Start watching at the 6:25 mark. The previous footage is fluff and stuff, but good fluff and stuff if you are an Olympic fan. Stop at the 6:52 mark. The torch fire goes out. It is a 1 ½ second heart stopping moment for me, but ultra heart stopping for my friend. Fortunately, the engineer and designer earned his money because he was able to manually restart the fire and the rest is history. I knew what happened, but probably only 5 other people also knew the fire quit burning. My friend still tells me it was the longest 2 seconds of his life. It was a disheartening and heart stopping moment. If you are a BYU football and basketball fan, you probably have figured out that we are in the midst of our heart and fire stopping moment for those two sports. I bring this up because I believe we are witnessing the restart of the BYU athletic fire. The lighting of the fire above is represented by the USA Hockey team. They symbolize the pride and production of BYU years gone by. The last two seasons in football and basketball symbolize the fire going out of BYU sports. The first 30 minutes of the Utah football game was the relighting of the fire for me. We are a running back and deep threat receiver away from a reignition of football fire at BYU. Look, it is obvious that BYU doesnt have any xs and os coaches in football and basketball. Kalani Sitake has his game planning limits and Dave Rose is a chip off the block of his college coach Guy Lewis at Houston. He was a roll it out coach, but with Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon. This will certainly date me, but I remember in the early 70s attending a BYU vs. New Mexico basketball game in the Marriott Center. The game was close, and New Mexico called a timeout. I was returning from the rest room and somehow, KSL radio had a microphone in the New Mexico huddle and anybody on the concourse could hear what was being said. I remember well the strategy of Norm Ellenberger, then the head coach at UNM and also a great roll it out coach. What the microphone caught in the Lobo huddle was Ellenberger screaming, Somebody get me a hoop. Somebody get me a hoop Somebody did and if I remember correctly, New Mexico beat BYU. No question coaches like Mark Few, Mike Krzyzewski, Bill Self and Jay Wright are great coaches and teach fundamentals and game strategy. But even after their teams have run the plays they called, reversed the ball three times, gone inside and out, and set great screens, they still can find themselves with 8 seconds on the shot clock and all their coaching not working. What they need and what they have are players, with the set offense faltering, that can individually break down a defense and get a good shot up. They dont have to yell, Somebody get me a hoop, but that is what happens 50 percent of the time. Even with those big-name teams. You must have players that can, when all else fails, get their coach a hoop. Bronco Mendenhall had a lot of idiosyncrasies while coaching football at BYU, but he was often quoted in his post-game comments as saying, we made one more play than they did. Or it was they made one more play than we did. As I have repeatedly said the last few weeks, BYU football has a game changing quarterback and an offensive line. They are just a running back and deep threat receiver from their Cougar cauldron burning again. For those who say that BYU doesnt have good enough coaches, they dont need any. They need recruiters. Look, the NCAA only allows 10 assistant coaches. Then why was Gary Anderson on the sideline of Utahs championship game against Washington wearing a head set and talking to players? He cant recruit because he is not an assistant coach, but he can consult during practice, film sessions and at games. He is a paid consultant for the Utes. Alabama always has 6-7 consultants on their staff over and above assistant coaches. Heck, a year ago, Kalani had Aaron Roderick as a consultant when Ty Detmer was struggling. So, stop with the coaching complaints. Get some players and get some consultants. Yes, they are paid just like other staff members. They just arent official assistant coaches. They dont have to be big name consultants, just somebody that understands football and can implement it on the field. Sitake already has close to 5000 consultants who offer their services for free. He just doesnt have time to read my letter or the other fan websites. Dave Rose gets it. He is never going to get the blue chip non-LDS athlete with great athletic African American skill sets. The schools admittance policy and honor code policy just is not conducive to attaining that goal. He cant get the administration to budge on the English proficiency qualifications to get good foreign players on his roster. He may have found the fortuitous answer to the future of BYU basketball and it started with his signing of Brazilian, Bernardo Da Silva, by way of Wasatch Academy in Utah. Call it the aligning of stars and luck, but in this age of cut and paste, I am pasting an outstanding article written by Steve Pierce of Vanquish the Foe from a few weeks ago. BYU may be only a few years away from Get me a Hoop and having somebody that can do it. Click here to read the article. <https://www.vanquishthefoe.com/2018/11/17/18098492/byu-basketball-offers-ma dy-sissoko-richie-saunders-leonardo-colimerio-wasatch-academy> Sitake knows the value of playmakers as well as anybody who has watched BYU football recently. Heres another cut and paste article that shows that Sitake is trying to do something about it. Click here <https://www.vanquishthefoe.com/2018/11/29/18118490/byu-football-recruiting- running-backs-south-aidan-robbins-jamontez-woods> to read another Vanquish the Foe article written by Robby McCombs. As for consultants, they tell me that Darrell Bevell is now living in Utah Valley in order to be able to watch his daughter play softball for BYU this spring. His wife is also originally from the Provo area. Heather Olmstead is currently busy getting her BYU womens volleyball team ready for the final 16 appearance for the 7th straight year. Since being named head coach in 2015, she is now 4-1 against Utah. Sounds like she should be considered as a football consultant. Tony Robbins is unavailable because of his current consulting schedule and appearances and Michel Cohen, currently has other issues other than consulting that he is addressing at the moment. Perceptions Change Decades ago, I was the starting shortstop for Pauls Bootery (not booty), a shoe store that sponsored a Little League team in Blythe, California. Times change. If I was to mention that I was affiliated with Pauls Bootery now, some might think I was a famous rapper or porn star, not an innocent and not very good shortstop. Currently, my bootery is bigger and I blame it on the 3-4 times a month I go to Mi Rancherito, a drive thru Mexican food place on the corner of Center Street and Freedom Boulevard in Orem. I always get the same thing, day or night: A Bacon Breakfast Burrito with extra green sauce. It has bacon, cheese, scrambled eggs and fried potatoes wrapped in a great tortilla served hot. It weighs about a pound, but somehow after eating it, I gain two. I bring this up because, the main ingredient of this burrito is fried potatoes. I recommend it to anybody. But now I will be recommending it with more reverence and reverie. Thats because its not just made with any potato, but Im now sure it is made with at least one fried Famous Idaho Potato. Who would have thought that a burrito and bowl game will now be stuck in my mind forever? Thats because BYU will be playing Western Michigan in a bowl game in Boise December 21 called The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Yes, forget the game is in Boise where the average temperature for December 21, according to Weatherspark.com typically ranges from 26°F to 35°F and is rarely below 13°F or above 46°F. Instead, focus on the fact that BYU is in a bowl game. That means 15 additional days of practice, a bag of booty (not bootery) for players and coaches and inclusion in the exclusive club of 78 other teams that were invited to a bowl game. There were 82 teams eligible for bowl bids, but 4 didnt get the call. That would be hard to stomach (see below), which makes a cold game in Boise, not seem so bad. Speaking of stomach, those four teams excluded include Wyoming, Southern Miss, Miami (Ohio) and Louisiana Monroe. They arent happy having to forgo their breakfast burrito and settling for menudo, a Mexican soup made from tripe (cows stomach). Last I checked, BYU has a coveted bowl bid, Boise has blankets and heaters in motel rooms and is a two Temple town. The only thing that could make this a perfect bowl game for BYU fans is snow. Anything to cover up that hideous blue turf. Rubbing Shoulders Helps? Some say research has shown that we eventually dress, think, talk and act like the people we surround ourselves with. Seems to have worked for BYU football this past season. Of the 12 teams on the Cougars schedule this year, 8 teams are bowl bound. They include: Cal: Chez-It Bowl vs. TCU Wisconsin: Pinstripe Bowl vs. Miami Washington: Rose Bowl vs. Ohio State Utah State: New Mexico Bowl vs. North Texas Hawaii: Hawaii Bowl vs. La. Tech Northern Illinois: Boca Raton Bowl vs. UAB Boise State: First Responder Bowl vs. Boston College Utah: Holiday Bowl vs. Northwestern What a Difference a Day Makes Saturday night I watched Weber State dismantle BYU in basketball. I came away depressed and despondent. That also describes BYUs current 3-game losing streak. The final was 113-103. Sunday night I watched The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints First Presidency Christmas Devotional. I came away inspired, uplifted and edified. Consequently, because I was encouraged to be more charitable during the devotional, I have nothing to say about BYU basketball this week. Okay, since it concerns charity, I will say one thing about the 3-game losing streak.. If you can shoot the ball successfully from the charity line, you wont win many more games this season. Merry Christmas to all, especially BYU basketball. Television Timetable BYU vs. Utah State (M Basketball) Wednesday, December 5 at Provo Tipoff: 7:00 pm MST TV: BYUtv BYU vs. Florida (W Volleyball) Friday, December 7 at Provo First Serve: 4:30 pm MST TV: ESPN3 BYU vs. Utah (M Basketball) Saturday, December 8 at Salt Lake (Vivint Arena) Tipoff: 12:00 pm MST TV: ESPNU BYU vs. Texas or Michigan (W Volleyball, if BYU wins Friday) Saturday, December 8 at Provo First Serve: 6:00 pm MST TV: ESPNU Ask your Wife if it is Too Early for a Christmas Stocking Stuffer Idea! Check out my Christmas gift or stocking stuffer ideas by clicking here: theputtpartner.com <http://theputtpartner.com/> Thanks, HB

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Sorry for the redundancy of this week's letter
by HB Arnett 26 Nov '18

26 Nov '18

For the last few weeks some subscribers have been having issues reading the letter because of word wrap issues. I think I have solved that issue. I also started sending the letter out in Word and PDF files. Apparently, some are unable to open those files. So here is the original method of sending the letter. Hope this solves everybody's issues. From now on, all letters will be sent once in regular format and again with attached word and pdf files. HB HB Arnett's "Lite" <mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net 801 372 0819 Vol. 38, Issue 18, - November 26, 2018 (Alexander)Pope Pipes in on BYU Losing Streak to Utah Alexander Pope (1688 - 1744) was an 18th-century English poet. He is best known for his satirical verse. He is the second-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations after Shakespeare. Inspector Lewis comes in third. He never covered BYU football or basketball for the Salt Lake Tribune, Daily Herald or Deseret News, but if Pope did, what he wrote centuries ago would be very appropriate when he penned the following without even knowing he was panning the Cougars. "Vice (aka losing to Utah in football) is a monster of so frightful mien As to be hated needs but to be seen; Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity then embrace." Three in a row was hard to endure. Five in a row was pitiful. Eight in a row and counting is now expected and embraced. Did you really think BYU could beat Utah last week? Me neither. Did you really think Auburn could beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa last week? Me neither. Did you really think Michigan would beat Ohio State in Columbus last week? Me neither. Did you really think Washington State would beat Washington? Me neither. Did you really think Bronco and UVA would beat VA Tech in Blacksburg? Me neither. Did you really think Utah State would be Boise State in Boise? Me neither. Did you really think BYU's coaching staff would out game plan and out coach Utah's staff? Me neither. But they did just that for the first half of the eventual 35-27 loss. Did you think BYU coaches made some questionable decisions in the second half? Me too. Did you think those questionable decisions cost the Cougars the game? I didn't. Most football decisions are decided by personnel. BYU ran out of personnel. Next Man Up! Utah's head coach is famous for saying "Next Man Up" when an injury occurs on his team. He is made out to be a great and gutty coach for that saying. He can say it and mean it because he actually has a depth chart. He has players that are not that far in distance and depth in quality and talent from the players who start. BYU can say the same thing, but it doesn't mean the same thing. That's because BYU doesn't currently have a depth chart. They have a player chart. Suiting up doesn't mean you can play and contribute. There is a big, big difference, in my opinion, and it showed in the second half of last Saturday night. I'm not letting coaches off the hook, but they know what they have on their rosters, and sometimes coach to protect those rosters from being exposed and exploited by coaches on the other side of the field. Here are the players that saw the field for the Cougars against Utah as starters. Here are the rest of the roster that saw the field Dunce or Depth? I understand the current debate about BYU's football coaching staff. Are they just inexperienced? Are they just not the the sharpest Converse in the closet, the brightest Adidas in the attic or does Nike Apparel stop at the neck at BYU? I get it. Some coaches seem to be brighter than others. If coaching requires geniuses, then Tom Holmoe is looking in the wrong places for candidates. Start checking out think tanks, not talent ranks. There have been a few coaches who left the profession and were elected to Congress. See, that proves my point. It's not rocket science. It's players. The more you have that have talent and skill, the better your chances at winning. I know my intellectual limits because I also know my IQ and belt size. Both are two digits and can comfortably cover my current waist line, but it is close. Speaking of close, BYU coaches are very close to having the parts they need to participate competitively at the highest levels of college football. They have a quarterback in Zach Wilson. If free agency existed in NCAA football, BYU would have to put the Franchise tag on him to avoid him making Bryce Harper or Manny Machado money this coming offseason. He has also single handedly put the Franchise tag on Kalani Sitake and staff for one more season. His potential and talent are good enough for one more year for this staff. After that, they are on their own. BYU has a very young and talented offensive line that put up very good numbers on the ground against a Utah defense that leads the Pac 12 in rushing yards allowed. They have tight ends. They have serviceable receivers. What they don't have is a deep threat that has to be respected. But their biggest need is a legitimate Division I tailback. Get one of those and put him in the same backfield as Wilson and the football IQ of BYU's offensive staff will balloon quickly. Heck, they might even run for Congress if they can come up with a 1000 plus yard rusher. It's not rocket science. It's the science of creating a crease and having the talent to see the crease, get through it and then have enough speed to make those rocket scientists on the other sideline wish they were smart enough to recruit you. When BYU admission administrators can figure that out, then BYU coaches can work their rocket science magic. They are currently trying to work that recruiting magic with Las Vegas running backs. That is where BYU's No. 1 juco recruit is from. Rhamondre Stevensen <https://www.cerritosfalcons.com/sports/fball/2018-19/bios/stevenson_rhamond re_jhzn?view=bio> is his name and BYU wants him. The Cougars are also recruiting Ikaika Ragsdale <https://247sports.com/Player/Ikaika-Ragsdale-46046830/> , a 6-0, 195 pound running back out of Bishop Gorman. He is a junior and can't sign until 2020. His parents are LDS. Not sure about his religious affiliation. Here's Some Suggestions for Solutions When Nebraska football was good, it was because they had boatloads and hay balers full of walk-ons. BYU needs more walk-ons. The more you have the more chances you have to discover a real talent that wasn't recruited. There are exceptions, but in most cases, a BYU football walk-on has to compete with the rest of the world for admittance to the Provo school. Hey, I'm all for academic integrity, but with an enrollment of 33,000 plus, can't BYU find room for 25 LDS football walk-ons per year. That works out to be .00075 of the student body. The sponsoring institution and Church of BYU is known for providing educational opportunities to its members. What about the Perpetual Education Fund? One of the more poignant, if not the most poignant experience of our missionary experience in Michigan was serving as Pathway Missionaries. We saw it change lives, including ours. The Church realizes the value of making education available to all. Why not for a few more football players? It would help BYU football and basketball, which would in turn helps BYUtv have a major source of free programing. Speaking of that, how about creating a major in TV programming. If North Carolina and other academic big shots can get away with fabricating special majors for athletes which allowed them to never go to class, the least BYU could do is offer TV Programming where only a "Studio C" grade point average is expected. I am fully 100 percent in support of the Honor Code at BYU. It is the same Honor Code I have and have had in all The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints wards and branches in which I have resided during my lifetime. If I'm not mistaken, my personal Honor Code administrator is my Bishop, who has been called, sustained and set apart for his voluntary service. There might be exceptions, but it is my understanding that most Honor Code administrators at BYU receive an annual W-2 form. My Bishop doesn't. The irony of the administration of the Honor Code is that BYU students already have a personal Honor Code advisor in the hundreds of Bishops already called, sustained and set apart for the calling that BYU apparently feels is redundant. Just my opinion, but it should be the Bishops, not the Honor Code Office, who decides who stays and goes. Volleyball is a Game of Bump and Serve. The following is a game of Cut and Paste directly from BYU PROVO, Utah - The BYU women's volleyball program received the No. 4 overall seed in the 2018 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championships and will host the first and second rounds of the tournament Friday and Saturday. <https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/volleyball-women/d1/2018> Click here to view the 2018 NCAA Tournament bracket The West Coast Conference champion Cougars (27-1) will face America East champions Stony Brook (21-8) at 7 p.m. MT in the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday while Pac-12 at-large Utah (18-13) and Summit League regular season champion Denver (27-2) will compete in the first match of the day at 4 p.m. The winner of each match will advance to the second round slated for 7 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets for the matches go on sale starting Monday, Nov. 26, at 9 a.m. For complete ticket information, please <https://byutickets.com/> click here. BYU has been ranked No. 1 in 11 of this season's 14 AVCA coaches' polls thanks to a 27-match win streak that included victories over 10 of the 64 teams in this year's tournament, including No. 1 seed Stanford, No. 14 seed Marquette, Duke, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Saint Mary's, San Diego, Syracuse, Utah and USC. "We're excited to head into the tournament as the No. 4 seed," BYU head coach <https://byucougars.com/staff/w-volleyball/82963/Heather-Olmstead> Heather Olmstead said. "We're looking forward to another opportunity to play in the Smith Fieldhouse in front of our awesome fans." This year marks seventh-straight NCAA tournament appearance for BYU and the 31st overall, seventh-most in Division I volleyball history. Teams winning both matches this weekend will move on to regional play December 7-8. The regional winners will advance to the national semifinals and championship final hosted by Minnesota on December 13 and 15 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The national semifinal matches will broadcast on ESPN and the championship match will broadcast on ESPN2. If You Get Caught with Your Hand in the Cookie Jar, Hopefully You Come Away with a Big Cookie Let's hope the Cookie Jar wait for Nick Emery is worth it. It is now painfully obvious that BYU basketball isn't good enough or improved enough to make any serious waves in WCC play or NCAA post season appearances. After the most recent 76-62 loss to Houston on the Marriott Center floor last Saturday, this team still lacks enough talent and athleticism to be a player on the national stage. Unless, Nick Emery is the answer. The question is: Is he NBA caliber. The answer is no, and neither is anybody else on this BYU basketball team. That doesn't mean they won't be entertaining to watch and cheer for. It just means what it means for Kalani Sitake. Dave Rose doesn't have enough truly talented players. At 5-2, they are certainly entertaining. Two more games against Illinois State and Weber State and we will find out if Emery will just be more entertainment or actual engagement and encouragement. Television Timetable BYU vs. Illinois State (M Basketball) Wednesday, November 28 at Normal, IL Tipoff: 6:00 pm MST TV: The Valley on ESPN BYU vs. Weber State (M Basketball) Saturday, December 1 at Ogden Tipoff: 7:00 pm MST TV: Kjzz and WatchBigSky.com Ask your Wife if it is Too Early for a Christmas Stocking Stuffer Idea! Check out my Christmas gift or stocking stuffer ideas by clicking here: theputtpartner.com <http://theputtpartner.com/> Thanks, HB

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CS Lite, Vol. 38, Issue 18 - November 26, 2018
by HB Arnett 26 Nov '18

26 Nov '18

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