Brigham Young football fans are finding themselves with something of a dilemma on their hands concerning the new book "Under the Tarnished Dome: How Notre Dame Betrayed Its Ideals for Football Glory." On the one hand, it would seem to be perfect timing - a negative book with which to whip up motivation for Notre Dame's first-ever visit to Provo to play BYU this Oct. 16.
On other hand, legitimizing the book also means legitimizing one of its authors, Douglas S. Looney - the same Douglas S. Looney who last year in a Sports Illustrated article crowned BYU as the Most Hated Team in America.If Looney's logic could twist and turn the facts to do what they did to the Cougars, why couldn't his logic paint the Irish into a corner they might not belong?
Dick Harmon, the sports editor for the Provo Daily Herald, is one who wouldn't put a lot of stock in Looney's observations. Looney interviewed Harmon extensively for his "Most Hated" article last summer and wound up quoting him only briefly in the article, with Harmon saying that BYU fans "gloat a lot."
"We had lunch for over an hour," says Harmon. "I talked at length about the BYU program and its fans. I went into philosophical detail about how Mormons see their athletic teams as a way of validating themselves and that's why they take so much pride in rankings and statistics. I said their video machines are always recording (BYU) games and replaying them. I said people just revel in sports here. I said when they win, they take a lot of pride in it, they gloat, and when they lose, they take it real personal. I must have talked for 20 or 30 minutes on that point alone. I was surprised when he used what he used. I was not misquoted, but it was like taking the middle out of the ocean. It did not represent what I said."
"Knowing his modus operandi," says Harmon, "I would be very skeptical about his new book."
ADD LOONEY: BYU football coach LaVell Edwards seconds Harmon's comments about Looney and his book, one that is critical of Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz for alleged abuses of players and rules, and for Holtz not controlling the use of steroids among his teams.
"I haven't read the book. I don't read those kinds of books," says Edwards. "But when I saw who wrote it, I thought, `Well, it will be something to try to sell books.' "
"Some guys seem to have an ax to grind," Edwards continues. "I just don't think there's any way Lou Holtz is going to know about steroids and not do anything about it."
CALIFORNIA HERE WE ARE: For former Utah Jazz publicist Bill Kreifeldt, deciphering sports statistics continues to be a hobby. His latest statistical revelation is the breakdown of Utahns and Californians on the football teams at the state's public universities.
According to Kreifeldt's research - and few have ever argued with it - Southern Utah University leads the state in Utahns with 48 on its roster and, despite the fact Cedar City is closer to California than any of the other schools, is in last place in Californians with 12.
Weber State has 26 Utahns and 26 Californians, while the University of Utah has 14 Utahns and 41 Californians and Utah State University has 14 Utahns and 50 Californians.
"For football purposes, they should change a couple of names," says Kreifeldt. "In Salt Lake it should be the University of Eastern California and in Logan it should be the University of California at Logan."
ADD UTAHNS: Kreifeldt did not include BYU's roster statistics in his research, "because BYU isn't a state-funded school." Additional research, however, reveals that BYU has more Utahns than any school except Southern Utah. The Cougars number 30 Utahns on their roster, compared to 18 Californians, the state's second lowest total, again to Southern Utah. The Cougars also have six Hawaiians, although that isn't the state high. The University of Utah leads in that category, with 10 from the Rainbow State.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Boston Red Sox reliever Jeff Russell on the reaction he got upon returning to Arlington Stadium to play against his old team, the Texas Rangers: "Some of the fans still remembered me. They gave me a standing boo."