B... Y... U....GOOOOOO COUGARS!

It would be an understatement to say that the anticipation of tonight's game between BYU and Florida has me a littl distracted. I have been spending too much (just enough?) time responding to Facebook posts and the latest articles about my beloved Cougars.

This game is a beautiful thing. I live in Gainesville, and have since I was ten years old, with the exception of 2 years as a missionary in Southern California and 4 glorious years in Provo at BYU. I love living here, but when I moved to Gainesville I HATED the Gators. At the time I didn't really care about BYU, loving the Miami Hurricanes more than any other. Having gone to the Y, they now own my ultimate sports loyalty.

I don't hate the Gators (much) anymore, as numerous posts here can attest, but my choice here was never in doubt.

I think BYU is a unique place. There are plenty of haters (Ute fans especially) but their vitriol has no impact on my love for BYU's special nature. Some of them just grew up that way, some couldn't get in, others are just run-of-the-mill godless reprobates. Too harsh?

I loved this article from Ann Killion at SI.com. I love the Cougs, win or lose. They have given us a great season, a successful and thrilling season. I like Billy Donovan and this Gator team is a pretty good, pretty likable team. I can think of worse things than losing to them. I just hope it doesn't happen.

I won't predict a score. That really is a somewhat ridiculous idea. I just want a win.

Go Cougars!

Awesome Video Saturday CLXII

Human Excellence!

End of Discovery

This is a pretty neat look at the likely fate of the Space Shuttle Discovery, the most illustrious of NASA's orbiters.

Japan Roundup

Some quick hits about Japan-

• This article is about the efforts of a small group of people working to prevent nuclear disaster. Their actions are heroic and hopefully will be successful.
• What is the radiation risk for us here in the United States? One doctor weighs in.
• What does it mean for an orderly nation like Japan to lose its ability to remain ordered? It means a severe test of trust and confidence.
• This is a nice story of how the Apple Store has provided a sanctuary for some of the affected population.

Moral Failure

This post was inspired by this tweet from baseball writer Rob Neyer:

My brilliantly nuanced memo addressed to every head of state who can't
figure out how to help the Libyan rebels: You suck. #libya

I couldn't agree more. We need look no farther than 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington D.C. to see a horrendous and cowardly absence of leadership with regard to Libya.

What do I expect him to do? Or any other leader? Don't talk about a no-fly zone. Make it happen. Put Gaddafi INTO THE GROUND. This is a certifiably evil man, a dictator, murderder, and sponsor of terrorism.

Courageous people are staring death in the face, even as I write this, and they are doing it while we do nothing. We don't need to send troops. We don't need to put any of our people in direct danger. They don't need us to provide human rights investigations. They need us to even up the odds, even just a little bit. We will look back at this moment as we do the Bay of Pigs in 1961, or our abandonment of the Iraqi opposition after the 1991 Gulf War, as a moment of moral weakness, and it is a tragedy.

Fab Follow-up

As a follow-up to yesterday's post on the Michigan Fab Five documentary, this is a link to an excellent response written by Grant Hill.

In the documentary, disparaging things are said about the Duke players of that era, which is why Hill wrote what he did.

Tourney Time!

I've set up my customary NCAA Tournament Bracket on ESPN.com. There is just over one day to make and finalize your picks, so get on it!

Follow this link to the SPOTD Champions League and then enter the password "spotd" where indicated. An ESPN or Facebook account is required.

Also, enjoy this article about Jimmer Fredette's days playing ball in the Big House.

Fab Fiction?

I've enjoyed ESPN's 30 for 30 programs, but I missed the one that recently showed about Michigan's early '90's "Fab Five" basketball team. Most of the people that I know who watched it thought it was a great documentary.

Jason Whitlock disagrees. I don't know if he is correct, but he makes some interesting points. Whitlock is reliably blunt. It's a good read.

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Gross Injustice

I haven't blogged about Cuba in a while, and this editorial from the WSJ is a good place to start. It discusses the situation of Alan Gross, who has been held in Cuba since 2009. He has been tried for espionage, and may spend up to 20 years in a Cuban prison, though few expect him to serve the full sentence.

Cuba has long been prone to Libyan-style domestic oppression, but we have looked the other way for a very long time. Now we have a United States citizen, being tried for his role in a USAid program, and we are impotent to change the situation. Obama has attempted to make some gestures toward greater openness, but they have not been reciprocated. This would be an appropriate time to put away the carrot.

Terrorist Hunter

If you only read one thing this week, or this month, that I have linked to on my blog, I hope it is this. This is the story, published in Esquire, of a man who continues to put his life on the line for his country, to protect his family, and to win freedom for his people. He is Iraqi and his job is to hunt terrorists.

As someone who has supported the war in Iraq, I have felt that it was important to put a human face on what is happening there, and elsewhere. "Omar" is one of those faces, although security concerns mean that it can't be shown.

I think this article really is worth your time. So you are aware, it is lengthy, and there is a bit of profanity. I hope this helps the man earn some kind of security for his family.

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Honoring the Code

The dismissal of Brandon Davies from the BYU Basketball team has created a huge amount of attention for the school and its honor code. Despite my disappointment at what has happened and its impact on the season, the scrutiny is a wonderful thing.

Pat Forde of ESPN praised BYU for sticking to its principles. Fans like me are disappointed, but also proud that the school puts that code above athletic achievments. And most of us aren't really mad at Davies. I certainly feel bad for the scrutiny he will deal with as the nation's most famous amorous teenager. We feel sympathy for him because, even where no honor code violations occur, BYU students are human, and you know everything that goes along with that.

I listened to a great call on Jim Rome today. A BYU alum called in and explained just what we Cougars do for fun when alcohol, drugs, and sex are off the menu. We used to play sports, watch sports, play games, ski, and enjoy hanging out with friends. Basically the same things that we did before we got to Provo. Nobody who goes to BYU does so without understanding the honor code. It provides a tremendous feeling of security and unity of purpose.

I am grateful for the time I spent there and often feel nostalgic for those times. I hope my children will be able to attend there. I'm proud that the school upheld the honor code, even as I lament the loss of a great player. I hope that he feels the support of the BYU community. None of us is perfect.

Coded

This is a good discussion of the BYU Honor Code as it relates to Brandon Davies suspension from the basketball team.

Cash and the Corp

I thought this article does a great job of explaining corporate behavior toward cash, and how companies came to hold so much.

The whole thing is worth a read.

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