I went skiing for the first time about 10 years ago.

That was also the last time I went skiing. Halfway down a hill that was far too steep for me, I took a mighty tumble, wrenched my ankle and ended up on crutches for a week.

So, no, I’m not a skier. But I’m still excited about Brian Head’s decision on Tuesday to unanimously approve a $900,000 skier bridge that will connect Brian Head Resort’s two mountains.

Why? That’s simple. What’s good for Brian Head Resort is good for Southern Utah.

The skier bridge, which will span state Route 143, will be the first upgrade at the resort since the 1980s and will undoubtedly boost winter traffic at the resort for the first time in some 15 years.

More winter enthusiasts in Brian Head equals more money in our economy. Those good people will eat at our restaurants, spend money at our stores, stay at our hotels and motels and, of course, pay for lift tickets at our region’s only ski resort.

I credit the folks in Brian Head -- especially Henry Hornberger, the general manager of the resort, and members of the town government -- for their perseverance and dedication to a project that was 10 years in the making.

The interconnect is a wonderful idea that will pay big dividends for years to come in Southern Utah.

Posted by Steve Kiggins at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

I don't know a lot about these fantasy football leagues my friends and colleagues seem to be so seriously involved with.

However, after watching my Oakland Raiders do another pratfall Sunday night and officially becoming The Worst Team in Football, I drifted off into a fantasy state, remembering back to the days when the Raiders won the fights if not the game.

They were a tough bunch.

From The Tooz to Lyle Alzado to Otis Sistrunk, these were guys who did more heavy lifting in barrooms than on the practice field, yet showed up, week after week, ready to play or, at the very least, wreak havoc on some over-matched opponent.

It wasn't always pretty, thus the Raider motto: "Just win, baby." But, it was hard-nosed football at its competitive best.

Hung over or not, Kenny Stabler could still run an offense. So could Jim Plunkett. And, you simply did not tempt the defensive backs who liked nothing more than to take your head off. Just ask Lynn Swann.

Those were great days when the Oakland-Denver rivalry was a nasty affair.

Not last night, however. Now when the Raiders get a penalty it's not for knocking the quarterback into yesterday, it's for jumping offsides. Instead of pass interference, that resulted in a receiver coming up from the ground, spitting out turf, it's for delay of game.

It's going to be a long, long season for this bunch of football misfits.

But, hey, there's always hope.

If they keep up at this pace, they'll get a shot at some good new talent in next year's draft.

Maybe they ought to see if Mike Tyson can play football.

How's that for fantasy football?

Posted by Ed Kociela at 09:27 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

Musing away with just five races left until we crown the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup champion...
I may bother some people with this pick, and I've had to revise it a few times since the Chase started, but I believe in my heart of hearts that Jeff Burton will finally win that elusive post-Dale Earnhardt title for Richard Childress Racing.
After that win at Dover, his first in almost five years, Burton has been 100 percent consistent. He challenges for wins and leads laps, but doesn't take foolish or unnecessary risks at the expense of wrecking and taking a major points hit. His finishes are helping the cause.
That's why he's got a 45-point lead on Matt Kenseth heading to Martinsville next weekend and the start of the second half of the Chase.

Since the Chase began, Burton has finishes of seventh (New Hampshire), first (Dover), fifth (Kansas), 27th (Talladega, where he blew a tire with 10 laps to go), and third on Saturday night at Lowe's. Everyone's entitled to one blip in a title run, especially when the good finishes are as good as Burton's are.
By contrast, the rest of the Chasers haven't been so lucky, each suffering early exits at one point or another.
- Kenseth ran out of gas at Dover trying to hold off Burton and finished 10th. The driver of the No. 17 has only one top-5 at Talladega (fourth) to his credit so far in the Chase.
- Kevin Harvick may have the Busch championship already, but the Cup title is going to be another story despite his win at New Hampshire. He was 18th at Lowe's and also has a 32nd at Dover and 15th at Kansas since then.
- Mark Martin may have found some degree of pressure relief after getting clipped by J.J. Yeley at Lowe's and finishing 30th. He's fourth heading into Martinsville and still can wear the crown if he wants it badly enough. In his other Chase races, Martin has been 11th, 14th, third, and eighth.
- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was fourth at Lowe's and is fifth in the Chase. He saw past Jeff Gordon's whining about his bump-drafting episodes at Talladega, but the finish on Saturday was needed. The driver of the No. 8 was 13th, 21st, 10th and 23rd in the first four Chase races.
- Denny Hamlin is proving to be merely mortal after the super-rookie impressed everyone by winning twice at Pocono to help him reach the Chase. He started well with a fourth-place run at New Hampshire and ninth at Dover, but has finished 18th, 21st, and 28th since.
- Jimmie Johnson will win a Nextel Cup title before he's through. Sadly, it won't be in 2006. He was runner-up to Kahne on Saturday (as he was in the May race at Lowe's) and that was a needed boost, albeit a small one.
Johnson's previous Chase runs have been 39th, 13th, 14th and 24th. In the races at New Hampshire, Kansas and Talladega, he started inside the first four rows (seventh and two thirds). We know what happened with his ex-teammate at Talladega, too.
- Kasey Kahne. God bless him, but his six wins will not add up to a Nextel Cup title. Even with five wins before the Chase began, his desperate run down the stretch - a win at California and third at Richmond just to get in as the 10th and final qualifier - makes me believe he won't have enough gas left in the emotional tank.
He's had a second at Talladega to go with the Lowe's win on Saturday, but he started the Chase with runs of 16th, 38th, and 33rd.
Miracle rallies are possible, but extremely difficult.
- Kyle Busch had similar bad luck befall him in the Chase. The driver of the No. 5 Kellogg's Chevrolet was sixth at Lowe's, his best run in the Chase so far. The previous ones weren't pretty - 38th, 40th, 7th and 11th.
- Only three words need to be said about Jeff Gordon's Chase chances - Did not finish. Three straight races. (whoops! Two sets of three words each!)
Because we can say this, Gordon's Chase runs have been flat-out ugly. After a pair of third-place runs pushed him to second in poiints, the driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet has been 39th, 36th and 24th.
Hey, Jeff...stop whining about what everyone else is doing.

Posted by Tom Zulewski at 11:24 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )

One thing is certain about this year's SUU men's basketball team — the T-Birds are quicker and more athletic.

I was at the first official practice on Friday, and the T-Birds have some good athletes.

One player who has particularly impressed me is honorable mention All-Mid-Con point guard Steve Barnes.

The SUU senior obviously put in an impressive offseason workout regimen. He looks like he's added a lot of upper body strength while retaining his quickness and spot-on shot ability.

Justin Allen remains as athletic as ever, and even the T-Bird big men look faster. That should help SUU if it wants to return to exclusively running the matchup zone defense. The T-Birds had lessened the zone last year, running man-to-man almost half the time.

SUU also has several players who can really get up and throw down a dunk. Last year, it seemed like only Henry Uhegwu, Nate Janes and Allen were capable of that. I saw at least four players dunking at practice.

Brad Kanis, the 7-foot-2 center the T-Birds landed last spring from Lane (Ore.) Community College, looks like he can really plug up the middle. But he also appears to be quicker than last year's centers, Lubor Olsovsky and Fernando Bonfim. His injury history, however, is a red flag. He missed almost the entire 2005-06 season with a broken finger.

Injuries are already slowing down the T-Birds. Marcus Carson, who a couple of departed players told me was the most athletic — and arguably one of the best — player on the team last year despite red-shirting, did not dress for practice. Reserve power forward Junior Abrahao (back) didn't practice, and Kael Pope appeared to suffer an injury in practice.

Check back later this week for more T-Bird men's basketball news.

Posted by Rich Johnson at 01:14 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 )