Today's BOLOS features David Locke writing a tombstone, Jeff Hornacek agreeing with Locke that coaches coach scared, and Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor talking about a certain skill he looks for in a collegian that translates to the NBA game.

Each night David Locke keeps a live blog of the Jazz game.  Place your comments in the comment section. 

INJURIES --  JAZZ ARE WITHOUT AK AND BREWER
                        WIZARDS ARE WITHOUT ARENAS, ANTONIO DANIELS AND CARON BUTLER

FINAL SCORE -- JAZZ 129 Wizards 87
Record breaking night for the Jazz.
Jazz set a franchise record with 15 three's.
42 point win is the largest margin of the season
The energy by the Jazz was just fantastic
Ronnie Price and CJ Miles stepped up.  Miles had 29 points.  Price had a solid 10 point, 4 rebound and 4 assist game.
Worth nothing that Price played both 1 and 2 tonight
Korver went 6 for 6.
The Jazz were in control and played focus the entire night.  40 assists on 50 field goals.


5:58 4th Quarter -- Jazz 119 Wizards 76
MORRIS ALMOND CONNECTS ON A THREE FROM THE LEFT SIDE FOR A FRANCHISE RECORD 15TH THREE POINT FIELD GOAL IN A GAME.


End of 3rd Quarter -- Jazz 105 Wizards 66
They are throttling the Wizards.  it is going to be an Almond night
Jazz have 12 three's - by the way the NBA record is 21 in a game.
Miles has 23 equally his career high from back in 06th on the final day of the season
Deron has 16 assists and Boozer is 9 of 13.  They killed the Wiz on the pick and roll.  When the Wiz finally brought a third player over the Jazz found they guy the Wiz left for a lay-up dammed if you do and dammed if you don't.
Jazz franchise record is 14 three's in a game.  Let's see if they get it.


Halftime -- Jazz 73 Wizards 41
Jazz set a franchise record for three's in a half with 9.  Three times this year they had 8 but this is high for a half in franchise record.  CJ is 3 for 3.  Memo and Deron each have two.
The Jazz won the quarter 42-19.
The Wizards are without a point guard with Arenas and Daniels out and they are really a ruderless ship.
Jazz are shooting 66%
Jazz got whatever they wanted out of the pick and roll early in the game and it opened everything up.
Deron has 13 assists his career high is 21
Ronnie Price is flipping between the 1 and the 2 tonight with Brewer out.

End of the 1st Quarter -- Jazz 31 Wizards 22
Solid quarter by the Jazz.  Good energy to bounce back
Price brought nice effort. 
The pick and roll was dominate. Boozer was getting great looks.    Boozer finished with 14 in the quarter on 7 of 8.
Jazz shot 65%.
 Mason is a gunner and Price got caught napping a few times.

Alema Harrington and Dave Fox get you ready for the Jazz vs Wizards as they talked to Dave Johnson of the Wizards Radio Network and the legendary voice of the Utah Jazz Hot Rod Hundley.  Listen to A-Game every weekday from 1-3 on.

DJ and PK talk about the Jazz loss to the Timberwolves and how the Jazz were not smart on defence. PK gives the Jazz a pass for the loss because AK and Okur did not play. They also talk about how Salt Lake will never get a NFL or an MLB franchise and how Utah will never move to the PAC-10.

      Listen here to David Locke and Coach Tom Nissalke recap the Jazz 121-101 victory over the LA Clippers on Friday night at the Energy Solutions Arena.  Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams played like veteran all-stars scoring 34 and 32 points respectively.  Although Okur and Ronnie Brewer missed the game with stomach illness the Jazz once again had players step up.  Hear all about it on this podcast with Locke and Nissalke.  Listen to 1320 KFAN Sunday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. for Locke and Nissalke with the pregame show for the Jazz and T-Wolves followed by Hot Rod with the tip at 1:30 p.m.

With victories of Davidson, Texas, Memphis and Kansas tonight the Locke Numbers Breakdown of the NCAA tournament has all 8 Elite Eight teams.  In the last two years the Numbers Breakdown has correctly projected 15 of the 16 Elite Eight teams.

Using the fatal flaws method of picking games Xavier, Louisville, Kansas and Memphis were the Final Four Teams.    Using the efficiency differential all of the #1 seeds will advance. 

Each night David Locke keeps a live blog of the Jazz game.   Place your comments in the comment area.

FINAL SCORE  --  JAZZ 121 Clips 101
Deron was unreal early and that set the tempo.   He finished with 32 and 10 assists.
Carlos tied his season high with 17 rebounds.  He also added 34 points. 
AK only played 9 minutes and Okur and Brewer were out due to stomach spasms.
In the post-game Deron made it clear that he was aware of the poor starts and wanted to make that change.
Jason Hart played well in his 16 minutes
Paul Milsap got a lot of mentions by this teammates after the game for great effort.

3rd Quarter -- Jazz 90 Clippers 71
No strategy, no storylines.  It is all about talent.  The Jazz have it and the Clippers don't
Boozer has 32 and Deron has 27.
AK has muscle spasms in his calf and will not return
Booz and Deron are now a combined 26 of 34


Halftime -- Jazz 56 Clippers 43
Not a lot to say about this.  The Jazz are much better than the Clippers and lead by as many as 21
Deron and Carlos are a combined 17 of 22.
Carlos already has a double double.


5:55 2nd Quarter -- Jazz 48 Clippers 30
Can we start the post-game show
The conversation on press row is how many is Deron going to finish with - he has 22  right now
Deron had a fierce dunk in traffic that brought the crowd to their feet.
Smush Parker is awful.   Jason Hart would be playing 40 minutes for this team


1st Quarter == Jazz 31 Clippers 24
Let's be honest -- Stanford was getting blast for part of this quarter and I had to watch my Cardinal get crushed.  Also, how about Davidson.
The Clippers have no answer for Deron or Carlos
Memo and Ronnie Brewer are both out with the stomach virus.  CJ and Jaron were the starters.
Deron was killing the Clips - He had 14 on 5 of 6 shooting.
Boozer had  12
Clippers shot 64% - that isn't going to last.  When they cool off this could be a blow out

BYU's basketball team will play Arizona State as part of the first college basketball games in December at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

As part of the doubleheader, Louisville will play Minnesota. The date of the games has yet to be announced.

The stadium, home to the Arizona Cardinals, will play host to the NCAA men's West Regional next year, and local organizers hope to lure a Final Four to the site. The facility, which has a retractable dome, played host to last season's Super Bowl and college football's BCS Series championship game.

The game fits with BYU coach Dave Rose's scheduling philosophy, which includes playing at least  two nationally ranked teams before Mountain West play begins. The Sun Devils, who are expected to return all five starters, were ranked for a portion of last season.

Wake Forest, which blasted BYU last season, is scheduled to play in Provo next season.

Happy 66th Birthday Jerry Sloan.  Coach said that although Lil John won't be in town tonight, that he plans on having a huge Hodown celebration.

Much of the talk at shootaround centered on Jerry turning 66 and how he has adjusted to this younger team.  Deron Williams says that he has definately seen changes in Jerry since his rookie year.  Carlos Boozer said that "the great ones" are able to adapt and adjust to their teams over the years, and Jerry is a "great one".

Deron also talked about games like tonight having some added pressure.

Coach Sloan mentioned in the last game against the Clippers that LA came to play, while his team wasn't ready to "battle."

Jazz vs Clippers tonight, tip off at 7 pm, on 1320 KFAN and KJZZ 14.  Jazz pregame show with David Locke and Tom Nissalke begins at 6 pm.

DJ and PK talk about the first day of the Sweet 16 and DJ says that North Carolina has established themselves as the best 1 seed in the tournament and UCLA looks like the 1 seed that will be knocked out first. PK taks about his time covering the Sweet 16 and Final 4 when the Utes made their run.

Do you watch a game on TV, get all fired up, and then go outside and try to re-create the magic?

Patrick Kinahan was able to go one on one with several Cougars about the progress of BYU during Spring Ball.  Click on the following names to hear the interviews:

Bronco Mendenhall

Max Hall

Vic So'oto

 

Locke lights up Billy Packer, the scput gives his surprise best 5 players in the NBA in 5 years, and Larry H. Miller talks NBA MVP. It is all on the BOLOS.

The Jazz have 10 games left in the regular season and are in the middle of stretch run to fight for home court in at least the first round of the NBA Playoffs.  Here is a break down of the games left for the teams fighting for home court.

Notes to Understand break down. 
- By each team I have listed the number of games left, then in parenthesis the number of home then road games.  I'm also counting Denver as a playoff team.
- The asterisk at the end of games nots that the game is a part of a back to back.
- Highlighted games represent predicted losses.

Utah Jazz - 10 Games (6/4), 6 playoff teams, 7 winning records, 1 back 2 back

LA Clippers

@ Minnesota T-Wolves*

Washington Wizards*

Minnesota T-Wolves

San Antonio Spurs

@ New Orleans Hornets

@ Dallas Mavericks

Denver Nuggets

Houston Rockets (2nd game of Rockets back 2 back)

@ San Antonio Spurs

(Prediciton 8 - 2) - I'm not sure where the second loss comes, but there are a couple of different possibilities (@ Dallas, @ New Orleans, or playing down to 1 of the "easy wins".)

 

Phoenix Suns - 11 Games (5/6), 7 playoff teams, 8 winning records, 3 b2b's

@ Philadelphia 76ers*

@ New Jersey Nets*

Denver Nuggets**

@ Denver Nuggets**

Minnesota T-Wolves

Dallas Mavericks

@ Memphis Grizzlies***

@ San Antonio Spurs***

@ Houston Rockets

Golden State Warriors

Portland Trailblazers

(Prediciton - 8 - 3)

 

San Antonio Spurs - 10 Games (6/4), 6 playoff teams, 7 winning records, 1 b2b

Minnesota T-Wolves

Houston Rockets

Golden State Warriors

@ Utah Jazz

@ Portland Trailblazers

Phoenix Suns

Seattle Sonics

@ LA Lakers*

@ Sacramento Kings*

Utah Jazz

(Prediciton 8 - 2)

 

Houston Rockets - 10 Games (3/7), 4 playoff teams, 5 winning records, 2 b2b's

@ San Antonio Spurs

@ Sacramento Kings

@ Portland Trailblazers*

@ Seattle Sonics*

@ LA Clippers

Seattle Sonics

Phoenix Suns

@ Denver Nuggets**

@ Utah Jazz**

LA Clippers

(Prediciton 6 - 4)

 

LA Lakers - 10 Games (7/3), 4 playoff teams, 5 winning records, 1 b2b

Memphis Grizzlies

Washington Wizards

Portland Trailblazers

Dallas Mavericks

@ Sacramento Kings

@ Portland Trailblazers

@ LA Clippers*

New Orleans Hornets*

San Antonio Spurs

Sacramento Kings

(Prediciton 9 - 1) - I'm not sure I see a loss here.  I guess it could be me hoping, but I don't see them going 10 -0.

 

New Orleans Hornets - 12 Games (4/8), 7 playoff teams, 7 winning records, 4 b2b's

@ Boston Celtics

@ Toronto Raptors

@ Orlando Magic*

@ Miami Heat*

New York Knicks

Golden State Warriors

Utah Jazz**

@ Minnesota T-Wolves**

@ LA Lakers ***

@ Sacramento Kings***

LA Clippers ****

@ Dallas Mavericks****

(Prediciton 8 - 4)

 

If (and it won't, but if) all goes as I have mapped out the final standing would be as follows;

LA Lakers                       - 58 - 24 (A nice cake walk for the Lakers in the final 10.)
NO Hornets                     - 57 - 25  (The toughest schedule in my opinion.)
San Antonio Spurs        - 57 - 25
UTAH JAZZ                      - 55 - 27
Houston Rockets           - 55 - 27
Phoenix Suns                 - 55 - 27

This would give the Jazz home court due to tie breakers over both Houston (given Utah beats them on the 14th), and the Suns.  But this is if it goes as mapped out.  If the Jazz don't go  8 - 2, or the Rockets/Suns win 1 more game than predicted, it's to the road for the Jazz.

What do you think?  Post Comments in the comment section below.   

Here is the first part of Locke's conversation with Jazz owner Larry H. Miller. You can hear the whole interview every Thursday at 5pm.

Alema Harrington and Dave Fox went NBA all day long today as they broke down who has the best looking future with only 10 games left and take a listen to our very first NBA crossover segment where we go from city to city getting you ready for the upcoming games that night.  It's all right here on another Best of A-Game.

The Utah Jazz enjoyed their second day off before they face the Clippers on Friday night at the Energy Solutions Arena.  Hear what the coaches and players think an attainable goal is for the last 10 games of the year, the biggest detriment that will keep this team from winning a title in 2008 and how this team has changed since the last time they faced LAC and Minnesota. 

Carlos Boozer

Mehmet Okur

Ronnie Brewer

Jerry Sloan

North Carolina averages 89 points a game and Washington State averages 67 points a game.   Therefore, it is obvious to conclude that North Carolina is a better offensive team.  At the same time, Washington State allows just 57 points a game and North Carolina allows 73 points a game.   Therefore, it is again obvious to conclude that Washington State is the superior defensive team.  

 Neither of those statements is true.

 What is true is that tonight’s game of North Carolina and Washington State has the largest contrast in styles of any two teams in the tournament.   North Carolina plays the fastest pace game at 92 possessions a game and Washington State plays the slowest at 67 possessions a game.

 To really evaluate an offense and a defense you need to break the numbers down to a single possession or an equal amount of possessions. 

 If both North Carolina and Washington State were on offense for 100 possessions who would score more points and if they were both on defense for 100 possessions who would allow more points?  

 Per 100 possessions with the basketball Washington State scores 99.4 points (only Kansas is better) and North Carolina scores 96.7.  Therefore, the team that scores 22 points less a game is a better offensive team.

 On the other hand, North Carolina allows only 78.9 points per 100 possessions whereas Washington State allows 84.6 pts per 100 possessions (the worst of any remaining teams).   Therefore, the team that 16 more points a game is a better defensive team. 

 Listen and watch the game tonight and see how many times an unsophisticated broadcaster refers to North Carolina as the superior offensive team and Washington State as a great defensive team.  You now know better.

Boozer joined the show and PK immediately rubbed it in that Duke is out of the NCAA’s. Boozer said that he will call Coach K in a few weeks because it takes sometime for coach to settle down. Boozer gives his NCAA pick and makes sure to say he is not a UNC fan. Boozer said that defense will win the title and the Jazz need to step up to have success.  Carlos Boozer said the playoffs will be wide open because 1 thru 8 will be huge match-ups that the lower seeds could cause some problems.

DJ and PK discussed who should be the NBA MVP. Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul were the two most talked about. PK thinks right now that there is no question that Chris Paul is playing better that Deron Williams and  that he is doing more for his team that Bryant is for the Lakers. PK asked if it is fair to level the blame for the Jazz lack of road wins on Deron Williams. DJ said because he is a team leader and the point guard he must take some of the blame.

What do Elton John, the five best players in the NBA in five years and Gordon Chiesa all have in common? They are all part of today's BOLOS.

Alema Harrington and Dave Fox discussed the problem of Tiger Woods being upset about the camera man taking a picture at an inappropriate time, more bracket talk and Dave Fox tells you why Jazz fans and media need to get off the back of the Utah Jazz for starting slow because they have won 7 out of 10 and continue to inch toward another division title.  Listen to today's best of A-Game right here!!!

DJ and PK talk about the Jazz win over the Bobcats and Carlos Boozer saying that if they play like that they will bring the title home. DJ says that without better defence the playoffs will be a short run for the Jazz. Then the guys talk about Jose Canseco accusing A-Rod of steroid or HGH use.DJ thinks he is jealous.

     Listen here to David Locke and Coach Tom Nissalke recap Tuesday night's 128-106 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.  Althought the Jazz led most of the way, the Bobcats cut the lead to 3 points in the 4th quarter, that is when Utah exploded.  Led by 3 3-pointers from Korver and a great performance from Harpring, Memo and Ak, the Jazz easily defeated the Bobcats.  The win put the Jazz at 47-25.  Utah will look to gain even more ground in the West on Friday night when they play the LA Clippers in the Energy Solutions Arena.  Listen to 1320 KFAN at 6 p.m. to hear Locke and the coach preview the game, followed by Hot Rod with the tip at 7 p.m.  

Each night David Locke keeps a live blog of the Jazz game.  Place your comments in the comment section.

FINAL SCORE -- JAZZ 128 BOBCATS 106
The Jazz just put down the hammer.  It was 101-98.   Jazz went on a 27-8 run to close
Kyle Korver hit three three's and the crowd started a Kyle Korver chant
When the Jazz needed to they executed and got whatever they needed./
Charlotte seemed to be clueless to any idea how they wanted to defend.
Harp had a career high 18 points
Jazz 7 guys in double figures
Deron had 15 assists and could have had 30 if he wanted them.
Jazz 20 offensive rebounds tonight.  Their were 41 rebounds on the Charlotte defensive glass that is nearly 50%.  Jazz outrebounded the Cats 49-28


6:15 4th Quarter -- Jazz 101 Bobcats 96
Jazz have lost focus and let the Cat back into the game.
Boykins is leading the run for the Cats.
The Jazz have foul trouble issues with Deron and memo with 5.

3rd Quarter -- Jazz 92 Bobcats 72
Charlotte knocked for a moment but the Jazz rejected the offer and ran away
Jazz went to the line another 14 times in the quarter
Boozer and Okur have 20-10 nights
Harpring has a season high points
Gerald Wallace has really developed.  He used to never be able to shot and now he hits the three, it makes me wonder if Ronnie Brewer could do this.

Halftime -- Jazz 58 Bobcats 44
Jazz blow out the Cats while shooting just 6 of 27 but they live at the line going 17 of 18.
Memo was fantastic.  He has 17 and hit back to back three's that busted the game open.
Memo also has 7 rebounds, Boozer has 9 and the Jazz are crushing the Cats on the boards.
The Jazz have 16 offensive rebounds and the Cats have just 10 defensive rebounds.
Deron WIlliams and Raymond Felton are in totally different league as players.
Jazz held the Cats to 20 points int he Q


End of 1st Quarter -- Jazz 27 Bobcats 24
This was a pretty lethargic quarter.
The spark was AK .   He had great energy.  He looked healthy.  He brought great intensity.   He had an amazing block.
The disturbing trend is the Jazz are shooting 59% and the Bobcats are shooting just 43%
Jason Richardson is causing the Jazz problems he has 14.
Jazz have good balance every starter has 2 field goals.

Alema Harrington and Dave Fox get you ready for the Jazz and the Bobcats as they spoke with Steve Martin from the Charlotte television broadcast as well as Hot Rod Hundley who will have the call tonight on 1320 KFAN.  Dave and Alema also tell you who the 3rd guy for the Jazz will need to be if they want to make a deep run into the NBA playoffs which are just 25 days away.  Listen to the Best of A-Game right here!!!

Locke and Ben argue over the third scorer and Dave Rose defining a successful season for BYU are on today's BOLOS.

Does BYU's head coach think this year was a success? That question and others answered right here.

Honesty was the key today at Jazz shoot around.  Usually when you go to a practice or shoot around you expect to get the same run of the mill answers that you always get.  Today though honesty was the word of the day.  At least for Jerry Sloan and Deron Williams.

Jerry talked about his team having problems with the Bobcats.  He said the only time the Jazz have been able to stop Gerald Wallace was the one time last year when he got hurt.  Sloan attributed Wallace's success against the Jazz to his athleticism, and his ability to get to the rim, and to the free throw line.  Sloan when asked about the slow starts that have hampered his team in the last three games, down played it by saying that it isn't about starting fast or slow, it's about playing a full 48 minutes.

Deron talked about the team needing to get out to a fast start tonight to "make a point early."  Deron also talked about the importance of getting homecourt for the first two round of the playoffs.  Then he said that this team has a problem playing down to there opponents, something that they need to get over if the want to get homecourt.

Memo blamed the slow starts on the lack of defense.  Something he thinks has been remedied in yesterday's practice where defense was the focus.

Jazz and Bobcats tip off tonight at 7:00.  Jazz pre-game with David Locke and Tom Nissalke begins at 6:00.  All on 1320 KFAN.

Monday was a camp day for the Angels’ minor leaguers.  That is where the players stay at their Tempe facility and work on fundamentals before those in AAA camp play against those at the double-A camp.  With that in mind, I spent the day over at major league camp and stayed to watch the Halos take on the San Diego Padres.

One of the things I was most looking forward to during this trip to Tempe was the opportunity to catch up with All-Star outfielder Torii Hunter.  Hunter, who spent parts of the 1998 and 2000 seasons with the Buzz, signed a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal to leave Minnesota and solidify the Angels’ outfield.  I talked to him prior to batting practice today and he was telling me how, after just a few weeks of spring training, the Angels feel like the right fit for him.  Many of those in the organization told me they feel the same way about him, both on the field and in the clubhouse.

We talked about those days on the road during the 2000 season when we would, every once in a while, go to lunch and he would tell me that he DIDN’T want to be called up to the Twins because he couldn’t deal with then-manager Tom Kelly.  T.K. was extremely tough on young players and, at the time, Torii didn’t want to deal with him after having a rough time in 1999.  Eventually, he did get promoted and dealt with it, but he said he really flourished once Kelly retired and Ron Gardenhire took over in the Twin Cities.  Ironically, his first regular season game in an Angels’ uniform will be at the Metrodome next Monday when they open against the Twins.

Hunter lives in the Dallas area and told me he used to go to a lot of high school basketball games.  There was one kid, in particular, that everybody in the neighborhood said was going to be a great NBA player, but Torii said there was another kid that after watching him play a couple of games, he felt was a better player.  I don’t remember the name of kid that didn’t make it, but the player that Hunter thought would be a great player was none other than the Jazz’ Deron Williams!

In the game, the Angels scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the Padres 4-4.  Kendry Morales, who is trying to make the Halos’ roster and avoid another trip to triple-A, drove in the tying run with a two out triple.  Brandon Wood, who will likely open the season with the Bees, tripled with two out in the tenth, but was left stranded and the game ended in a tie. Wood has struggled this spring with just six hits in forty-one at-bats (with 19 strikeouts), although five of those hits went for extra bases. 

Injuries to the pitching staff have hit the Angels hard this spring.  John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, Chris Bootcheck and Scot Shields will open the season on the disabled list and all of them, at some point, are expected to spend time with the Bees on a major league rehab assignment.  Today, the injury bug hit two position players, although neither appears to be serious.  Outfielder Gary Matthews, Jr. sprained an ankle on the base paths, while infielder Chone Figgins left the game with tightness in his left hand.

DJ and PK talk about missing the opening game of the baseball season because of Direct TV having problems with ESPN 2. The guys discuss starting the season in Japan and how "Opening Day" has been ruined because MLB is going for the money instead of perserving the game. DJ says the Lakers and Spurs are the teams to beat...everyone else is chasing them. PK repeatedly makes fun of DJ.

Locke and Ben argue Trent Plaisted's future, Locke speaks with Jeff Hornacek about Kyle Korver and Locke and Assistant Coach Phil Johnson also discuss the role of Kyle Korver. It is all right here on BOLOS. 

Here is Locke's complete conversation with Jazz Assistant Coach Phil Johnson.

Alema Harrington and Dave Fox recap the weekend with Easter changes that have occured from youth to parenthood, whether or not Lee Cummard or Trent Plaisted should enter for the NBA draft and they recap the home stand so far for the Utah Jazz with Hots doing the call of the beer that flew from portal D and landed on the Energy Solutions Arena court.  You can hear it all right here!!!!

The Utah Jazz practiced today at the Zions Bank Basketball Center as they got ready for the Charlotte Bobcats coming up tomorrow.  Hear what coaches and players had to say about the upcoming game, the slow starts that have existed for the last few games and their feelings on the 11 games remaining on the season.

Jerry Sloan

Andrei Kirilenko

CJ Miles

I always look forward to my annual visit to spring training.  It’s an opportunity to get acquainted with the new players and visit with guys who have played for the Bees in the past.  It is also a chance to enjoy some great weather!  There hasn’t been a cloud in the sky and the temperature has been in the mid to upper 80s.

When I arrived on Saturday, my first thoughts had nothing to do with who was in Tempe, but, rather, who wasn’t.  Sure, there were a lot of familiar faces at the Angels’ minor league complex, but there is a large group of players who had been a part of Salt Lake baseball for several years together, who are now with other organizations.  Many of them had become what they call “Six year free agents”, which allowed them to move on and look for opportunities with another club.

Relief pitcher Greg Jones, who appeared in more games than any other hurler in franchise history, has moved on to the Angels’ crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Jones, who spent all or parts of six seasons with Salt Lake, has pitched well for the Dodgers this spring and could make their Opening Day roster.  I talked with him during the off-season and he was both looking forward to only having to drive three hours from his Florida home to camp in Vero Beach than the thirty hours it took to get to Arizona.

Infielder Casey Smith, who spent four years with the Bees and the Stingers, has also had a great spring in major league camp with the Philadelphia Phillies.  In one game, Smith, who is not known for his power, hit two home runs in one game for the Phils.

Outfielder Nick Gorneault, the franchise’s all-time leader in home runs and runs batted in, was claimed off waivers during the off-season by the Texas Rangers when the Angels took him off the forty man roster.  He became a free agent when the Rangers did not tender a contract to him, Gorneault signed with the Houston Astros.  He has played extremely well for the Astros.  One of the highlights this spring came when facing the Dodgers, Gorneault homered off Jones.

Others who have moved on by way of free agency or trade are outfielder Tommy Murphy and pitcher Steven Shell to the Washington Nationals, pitcher Marcus Gwyn and infielder Dallas McPherson to the Florida Marlins, pitchers Jonathon Rouwenhorst and Chris Resop with the Atlanta Braves and outfielder Greg Porter went to the New York Yankees.  Infielder Mike Eylward signed with a team in the Mexican League.

DJ and PK talk about their brackets, the future of BYU basketball and PK reveales what Lee Cummard was chewing during the post game interviews.

If you followed the Locke numbers filling out your NCAA brackets you have had a bit of a mixed bag thus far.  

            Certain systems have worked whereas some of the early round indicators failed for the first time in 4 years.

            All of our elite eight and final four teams are still alive.

 Here is the breakdown of how the numbers have done.

 
1-      If you followed the efficiency differential then you got 24 of 32 right in the first round.  The best news is you also would have had 12 of the 16 Sweet Sixteen teams including Davidson over Georgetown.   The only misses would have been Duke, Drake, Marquette and Clemson.

 
Here are the results for picking the tournament by efficiency differential the last 4  years

 

Year	Round of 32	Sweet 16	Elite 8	Final 4
2008	24	12
2007	26	9	6	2
2006	21	10	5	2
2005	25	9	4	4
Avg	75%	63%