I woke up this morning and I knew this was a good idea. I think most of you should like this post, whether you think I am a religious zealot or not (although I consider myself one but not so extreme as to be obnoxious, but others may differ); I am definitely a sports zealot/enthusiast/fan!

Here goes, blogger nation! Give me feedback: postive, negative or strangely indifferent!

The 50 States and My Favorite Sports Events And/Or Memories

In Alphabetical Order....For lack of any other Pattern

50. Alabama-- Brigham Young's football team went to this state in 1998. That year's Cougar team was not bad, but the Tide prevailed. I invited a few freinds over to watch the game, including a young lady that I had been fancying, who happened to be from Huntsville and had attended BYU before transferring to the IU School of Music.

BYU lost by about 8, which was a respectable loss, and I found out in no uncertain terms that that young lady could not support my zealotry for the Grid Iron. Good riddance! It wasn't meant to be a 'victory' that day in September. But memorable.

49. Alaska-- The best thing going on up there for me is the Great Alaska Shootout. But imagine how little natural light there is up there in November/December! No wonder there are a few gym rats from there like Trajon Langdon and Carlos Boozer...Or was it another Dukie, like Battier?

IU lost in a last second shot to a little known Marquette youngster, D. Wade, back in the fall of 2001. I watched it in 2001 with my co-brother-in-law, who narrowly escaped death the morning of the attack a few months prior in Manhattan. Perhaps watching the game with him in particular, I had a supreme appreciation for things like NCAA sports, unifying loves like IU basketball, and Thanksgiving holidays with family that is around and at peace.

IU lost, but a schedule-amped extra tourney is always cool. It gets you more wins than losses, if your team is halfway decent, as IU was in 2001-2002. Oh yeah, they went to the Final Game upsetting J Will and Boozer along the way! Great memories, Alaska.

The Iditarod is notable, but some genius innovator/marketer other than Mark Cuban needs to promote and present it better...Then we might care. Takers, anyone? Thank me after your first 50 million...

47. Arizona-- This one is tough....I have to think. All the college football games...The Suns have been fun over the years, especially 1993...But even in the 1980s I enjoyed them. Late eighties, I might add; I started really paying attention to the NBA in 1986. Good times.

Okay, BYU blanked Oklahoma in the Copper Bowl in 1994. Weak, I know, the Sooners were down then, (sorry to bring it up GCoach, my respect for your father and all the other hard workers over there), but BYU almost never wins a bowl, let alone holding the opponent to zero! Plus, afte the game on ESPN, I saw a girl on the field who I considered cool. She was a BYU Arizona girl (Tuscon maybe, I don't recall) and me, the dumb BYU Hoosier boy. Little bowls make the holiday season complete. Smiles on our faces as No Name State beats out formerly Good History Tech.

46. Arkansas-- Okay, not hard. Did anyone actually witness the 7 Over Time spectacle between the Razorbacks and the Rebels of Ole Miss? Correct me if I got the wrong Mississippi team, but.....Holy Cow! Ultramega, you may not believe in a Higher Power, but this game gave me visions of glory, miracles and perhaps God Himself on His Almighty Throne!

H----o----l----y C-----o----w! Holy guacamole,Batman...

Was the year 2000? 2001? I think I was living in Highland, California at the time... Could it happen again? If you have faith, it shall come to pass, but "no one knows the time or the place" of its coming... College football is the best, in my humble opnion. At least until basketball season.

46. California-- I lived there 6 years, and now I go back in June...I am going from SoCal to NorCal, if you know what I mean... Sportsfan to Fella!

Okay, I don't see a ton of events in person, so here is a tradition that I enjoyed while there: the BYU football team played the Aztecs every other fall at Jack Murphy Stadium, or whatever they call it now...Cha-ching Place, Mo Money Bowl Arena, Buy Our Technology IT Center...

So in 1999, 2001 and 2003, despite the last year being a miserable 4-8 campaign, I personally witnessed my Cougars dismantle San Diego State every way possible. The first year (note: the last year of the 20th century (whiff, misty eyed nostalgically---I loved that century!))  BYU took their offense out, only allowing a touchdown. The next year, the Cougars had the number one NCAA Division 1 scoring offense, so forget about it. The final year, both teams went crazy in typical WAC-Mountain West fashion. Fireworks, literally and figuratively. Good times. Two hour drive.

45. Colorado--

44. Connecticut--

43. Delaware--

42. Florida--

41. Georgia--

40. Hawaii--

I realize that I that I am too long winded a writer/blogger/disjointed raconteur and a mighty slow typist to do this in one single post...Hence, the Part 1.

Give me your thoughts and thinkings, blogger nation!

Part 2 may come later today...Or not.

And I will finish the series! Unless my brain stops functioning...Peace.