Jazz win home opener

Most people who know me well know that I'm a big fan of the NBA in general and the Utah Jazz in particular. What most people don't know is that I only watch a handful of NBA games every year. We've only had cable TV once our marriage, and that was last year in Washington DC. I was able to watch a few regular season games and then the playoffs, but that was it.

This year we have Dish Network, having signed up for the "big spender" $20 a month plan so we could get BYU TV and Fox News. By flipping through the channels, I discovered that they unlock NBA League Pass the first week or so of the season to try to sucker you into buying the whole thing. As a result, I was able to watch the Jazz squeak past Denver on Wedndesday night.

It was a close game, and interesting because I found myself thinking things I never have thought before. The first one was, "Gosh, Memo Okur almost looks chiseled." I had read that he was in good shape this year, but one look at him and it's obvious.

The next unexpected thought was, "Wow, Boozer actually tried to play defense on that possession."

The last one was, "Nice haircut, Kyle Korver. You look like you just got off a mission."

There were lots of non-surprises as well, however. For example, C.J. Miles getting sent to the bench after throwing away the ball and committing a silly frustration foul. Morris Almond camping out on the pine. The Jazz trying to give away the game in the fourth quarter.

All in all it was fun to watch, and it led me down another unexpected train of thought: "I need to buy League Pass." Here's how the conversation with Rebecca went:

"Rebecca, in tough economic times like these, it's very important to stay on a budget, right?"

"I'd agree to that," she said.

"And we should try to get the best value for each dollar, right?"

"Yeah," she said, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Good. That's why we should get NBA league pass. It would actually cost less than getting a better Dish package for the next year, and you don't get many Jazz games on ESPN anyway, it's $20 off right now, and think of all the quality family time I would have watching games with the kids, and it could be my Christmas present and President Monson likes the Jazz, too."

"I'm going to bed now," she said.