Last night was the last game of the season for my Utah Jazz. What a end to a wild and crazy season. Unlike most Jazz fanz who fear what might be coming up for this team, I feel that after this year, the team will finally be ready to start making their Championship run. In the next couple of years, I would expect either their current players to begin to evolve their game in such a way that allows the team to be better or other players will be added. By finishing 8th, the Jazz not only got the Lakers in the first round (which sucks if you were looking for them to make a deep playoff run this year) but they also get to use their draft pick that they traded to Philly (who then traded it to Minnesota) instead of forfeiting it if they finished 7th or higher. While the salary situation could prevent them from really keeping this player and NOT going over the salary cap (which they would be very close to doing with just about six of their players) what it does allow them to do is make trades. With so many teams looking for expiring contracts next year (so they can play the free agency in 2010 for players like Lebron and Wade), this player could be used to make trade numbers (salary) work. If the Jazz are going to make any sort of trades, this is what I would expect them to do. Bundle this player with guys like Harpring, Memo (if he does not opt out), Boozer, Kyrylo Fesenko (if Jazz take his team option), and any players they sign to one year deals like Knight, maybe Price, Almond, or Collins. So keep your head up Jazz fanz! Stock and Malone were not Championship contenders early in their careers, in fact they had a few years where they got swept in the first round!

Now on to BMX! A week or so ago, during the track work day, I was working on getting the first pro jump on the OPTs track ready so I could hit them up this year. Mont has been working very hard on getting that track rideable for this year. The biggest issue is getting all of the thorns out so we don’t get a flat every time we ride the track. He has been dragging it over and over. I think it is working, the first straight is nearly thorn free! I can’t wait to get out and ride! I’ve lost quite a bit over this past semester and am completely out of (BMX Pro) shape right now. But hopefully as we get out there, I can start working to get back to where I need to be. I can’t believe that the season is just a week away! Should be a really good year for all of the racers in Utah and the tracks that they ride.

Here is a photo of the picture I got in the latest edition of BMX PLUS.

Click Here for full-size

Thanks to Heather and Ian for hooking me up with a copy when I couldn’t find one at the store.

I forgot to mention in my post today that at the beginning of this month, I found out that I made it into the May edition of BMX-PLUS! The photo is of me from Reno (Silver Dollar Nationals). When I get it scanned, I’ll post it up on here so you all can see. Or you could just go get your own copy.

When will this crazy weather end? It seems like every other day we are getting snow, rain, whatever and it will not stop!

My biggest excitement is that it is almost time to ride at Rad again. I’ve been so busy with school, that I have not even had a chance to ride since the last indoor weekend. I saw my bike parked in the garage the other day and thought, “Wow, I need to ride!” Luckily, I saw on the utahbmx.com forums, that the first track work day is in a couple weeks which means that it is nearly time to ride again.

From what I’ve heard, it sounds like they are not going to a complete redo of the track again this year. Which sucks, but I think what they’ve got right now is working pretty well. The only thing I would like to see is a new first jump. The step-up to whatever is pretty old now and I think it would be cool if they switched it up this year and made it into a double of some sort. The other thing I would like to see changed is the double into the second corner, any from a long step-up (with a smallish step) to a step double, whatever, just something different.

I just got a few weeks until the end of the semester, it has been a long one! I think I’m sitting pretty well in my classes. I just have to make sure I finish out strong. Two or three weeks after finals, the summer semester starts, but I’ll only be taking a few classes, so it shouldn’t be too bad.