[disclaimer: Originally, my font will not go bigger as I like to make it! No editing tools!]

Part of the reason that I like to write and blog is to get to know my own thoughts and feelings better, to clarify the way I think and believe, to get to know myself better.

Sound selfish? Maybe. Maybe not. Whatever.

It is good for me overall, of this I am sure.

Sometimes I can spend too much time on here, that is true. But as far as I am able to write out my angsts and issues, this is a healthy thing. And it all isn't sports, for sure.

I, of all bloggers, love to delve into non-sports topics (even though I think that everything eventually relates back to sports anyway. Eg. Mormonism? Steve Young is LDS. Great athlete. Went to BYU--the Mormon school. Didn't serve a mission. Why? Why not? Discuss...) and write about whatever tickles my fancy.

So here is a foray into my current state....Status...Condition. I truly care about social and world events. Wars. Murders. Economics. Elections. Migration. Employment. Population growth. Scientific innovations. Cultural events. International relations. Etc...I get interested in a lot of things. Religion, too, as I am an active member of my faith and I am constantly learning about others...

And I am conerned and alarmed by violence. I am asurvivor, at heart. Ironic that I am in the military now. An assassination and random killings across the globe (Palestine) raise my eyebrow and set me thinking, pondering...And sports is a nicer, perhaps healthier subject to brood on...

Endlessly fascinating. The "real' world. As is my interest in sports.

Now here is the rub: As far as my own constant care about the sports that I follow, I think it has a lot to do with how I formulate my wolrd view. I realized that perhaps this is whay, as a child, I was so taken by the knowledge of American Indians. I wanted a topic, a broad and deep topic, that I could learn well, and perhpas gain a sense of power or control of part of my brain, or my universe, or the greater known world that we all share.

Does that make sense? I think that we all either consciously or sub-consciously crave this. If this reminds anyone of a real theory or hypothosis, let me know. You know where.

1. The BYU football team ended their season on a lucky FG block against UCLA, and now with Hawaii have the longest winning streaks in the nation. Next fall, they have to beat a resurging Washington team plus take the Bruins back in Provo. And schedule another opponent after Nevada backed out, plus Utah State. And the Mountain West thing.

If they can find a good replacement or two for Sete Aulai, their stud center, their offense will be better than 2007. Their defense has more spots to reload, but they should be solid and perhaps even better.

So what am I saying? BYU might push the BCS envelope! And they were the reason for the collusion of the BCS powers due to their 1984 championship. Brigham Young likes to stir things up. Both the man and his namesake school.

2. The ball team of my alma mater on the Wasatch range lost to a feisty Boise State club on the road. Tough environment. With three losses, BYU will drop out of the top 25. No biggie. The Cougars will get 20 wins, enter the Big Dance and there prove if they are worth their salt. The question will be: how many MWC teams make it? Two? Three? Four? New Mexico looks good, as does a couple of others...Maybe San Diego State or Utah, or UNLV...

Oh, yes, two of those three Cougar losses were to UNC and Michigan State, and BYU played tough in both. Unlike Pitt to Dayton yesterday. And the Cougars still have Wake Forest to impress the nation on the schedule amoung the Mountain West...

[There. That is a little longer than my original postings. I forgot to mention more on the BYU football experience on offense, but that is good enough. They may be BCS worthy, that was my point...]

3. The IU football team plays Monday. Trying to get their fourth bowl win out of nine, all time. Hoosiers! Emotional story with Hoeppner having passed away last June. Indiana has talent, but has proven that they can get handled. We'll see.

4. The basketball team is deep and talented, and unproven. The Big 10 might be better than people had thought. Wisconsin and Michigan State are definite powers. We'll see how good IU and the conference are soon enough. Eric Gordon has made IU a real threat. But don't forget about newcomers Ellis and Crawford. Whew! My Hoosiers!

5. I love the NBA. I like looking at the box scores. I like watching the highlights. I love all the stories. Giricek for Korver? Wow. I will watch how they both do...I am an NBA geek. I need to see someone eliminate the Spurs. Nash? KG?

5a. Kind of college b-ball and football nerd, too... I look up where Florida Atlantic is located. Like, how close to the beach! Or if the majority of their players are from Florida or not...Or their bowl history...(Check that case!)

6. NFL. I'm on top of it. Anybody but the Pats. The Pack, the Bolts, or the Colts again. Anybody else would be fine, too. Not Brady.

7. What else? Oh yeah, baseball. Love it. The seeds are germinating, who cares who did chemicals...Should my all time favorite player Tim Raines have a higher batting average becasue he batted against steroid monters like Clemens?

Or did he juice? Who do I mean? Exactly. Love the game.

8. Golf. Not really. Occasionally a story grabs me.

9. Car racing? Nope. Well, ditto as above.

10. Tennis. I like the big tours, starting in Australia soon enough. I like certain players a lot. Great game. Lots of subplots... Go Rodd|ck! The consummate antihero underdog.

11. NHL? Not so much.

12. The Olympics. Yes! Nothing better to bring the wife to the TV for...All sports, even wrestling.

13. UFC. A little bit.

14. Boxing. I used to get pumped for at least one fight per year. Perhaps Pay per view has killed us off?

15. The endless blah blah of convictions and cheating....? Ehhh...It can be way out of context, too often. While OJ probably killed two people, dozens more were dying...By the hands of other non-athletes or former high school athletes, whatever...I like the bigger picture of crime, not crime through the "sports lense". If it brings about knowledge and human advancement, then I suppose it is all right...

And that is all for now. [There. Next day addition]

Clinch rogers out...

PS: Vote Tim Raines for Hall of Fame, and Pete Gammons was convinced that he is worthy...He got on base more than Tony Gwynn...