The Year In Photos

2009 has come and gone. It's been a very eventful year and we squeezed in quite a bit. From Snowshoeing and Graduation to chicken fights and marriages to New York and Hawaii...'09 will be remembered!

Have a look at the best photos of the year!

Avatar

I am a movie buff. Plain and simple.

However, that doesn't mean that I love every movie that passes by on a wagon. On the contrary, my love has given me a critics eye that allows me to distinguish the muck from the marvelous.

Movies are meant to entertain, inspire and show us a world that is different from our own. Allow us to forget our worries and get lost in the story.

Avatar does just that.

Before I saw this movie, I didn't know too much about it. I knew the very basic plot behind it but that's all. It's the first film James Cameron has done since Titanic so, I figured it was worth it.

It was amazing! It's over 2 1/2 hours long but unlike other long movies, it didn't feel like it. I was so caught up in the amazing world that Cameron had created that I didn't want it to end!

It takes place in 2154 when Earth is drying up and needs a precious resource that is light years away in space. A coalition of scientists and mercenaries are hired to obtain the substance. The humans attempt to infiltrate the indigenous people on the planet by using Avatars, a genetically-grown body made up of human and the native DNA...

Here, have a look at the trailer...



Sure, the movie is make-believe and sci-fi and all that. But, if you can accept that you are at the movies and not watching CNN then you will love this show! It has a very gripping story and the special effects are unlike anything you have ever seen before. In a time when Hollywood is popping out horrible movies like Zombieland and New Moon, Avatar is a breath of fresh air.

It's the best movie I have seen in a long time and give you the Sanchez Guarantee that you will like it, and we all know that the S.G. is as good as gold!

...The Latest...

So, I have been busy at work for the Jazz as of late.

I'm interning for the Jazz in the game operations dept. In a nutshell, I coordinate everything that happens at a game. Contests, promotions, dancers, give-aways, performers, videos, all of it. It's a great job and I can't believe how lucky I am when I work. I never want it to end!

This is me at a game wearing the famed headset.

I also have another job with the Jazz. I write blogs for the Jazz's website, jazzbots.com. It's great and I have a platform to express my opinions/views and it's sweet. Most people think writing for the blog is in conjunction with my internship but the jobs are completely unrelated and I landed them in different ways.


This is the jazzbots team. I'm the tall one in the middle.

In fact, what's to follow will be submitted as a blog for jazzbots.

I have been writing a string of blogs that have to do with my experiences as an intern. This is some of my experiences and observations that I've had thus far...

*First and foremost I want the world to know that I love my job and can't believe that I get the honor of working so closely with the world's greatest athletes.

*The majority of the team is so nice and will always stop what they're doing for a quick chat.

*C.J. Miles works extremely hard and I see him run line-drills by himself before every game.

*Baron Davis' beard is real. I overheard a conversation in which Marcus Camby accused him of using rogaine on his face. Baron playfully declined.

*Shane Battier is a really good guy. He took a break from shooting around before a game and sat next to me. We talked for a good 5 minutes about Utah, Duke, and how much he loves soccer.

*Ronnie Brewer is humble. I asked him what his favorite part about playing in the NBA is and he said how nice everyone is. Something like, "I'm just a kid from Arkansas..."

*My job is to coordinate all the promos, contests, performers, etc during timeouts. As a fan, it looks like everything goes off perfectly and it's so well-done. That may be the case but you'll never believe how often things come together at the last second. For example...during the Indiana Pacers game on 12/4, I was running a contest on the court during a timeout and once it was over, I had to sprint to the ticket lobby to meet the people from tucano's who would be giving food away to a lucky section during the very next timeout. We barely got them to the portal with about 3 seconds to spare.

*Dwight Howard really does have the broadest shoulders this world has ever seen.

*My favorite part is always standing on the court during the national anthem and introductions. Goosebumps.

*Memo Okur is the best dressed player on the team. He always color coordinates his sweaters with his sneakers.

*Carlos Boozer is easily the funniest player on the team and is always cracking jokes.

*I know the true identity of the Jazz Bear. I will say this...he's a good guy and a little crazy.

*Patrick Ewing is a class-act. I was standing about 5 feet away the other night and he walked up to me stuck out his hand and said, "I'm Patrick, it's a pleasure to meet you." I was speechless and all I could do is smile and I think I got "likewise" out. Wow.

*Craig Bolerjack is just what you think he would be like. Funny, nice and just all around cool. I take every chance I get to talk to him about anything/everything.

*I work directly with the Jazz Dancers and they practice A LOT and are great dancers. They don't get the credit they deserve.

*I'm the guy that picks the contestants for the contests during timeouts and the whole experience is a good time. (I plan to post an entire blog about this soon.)

*I overheard Tony Parker and a Jazz fan have a conversation in French. I took two years of high school French, so I couldn't make out too much but it was more or less trash talking. and it was hilarious!

*Matt Bonner of the Spurs spends more time shooting before games than anyone I've ever seen.

*When the Kings were in town, I was standing near a group of Kings discussing the altitude in Utah. They wanted to know how high up the were and I leaned in and said "ya know how they say Denver is a mile high? Well, Utah is 3 miles." Each one of them believed me and Tyreke Evans gave me a look that can only be classified as horror.

*Wesley Matthews is the best thing to hit the Jazz in a long time. Not only is he a quality player but he's a quality human too. Always so polite and willing to help me or the marketing dept with anything.

I could go on forever and perhaps I'll do another observations post in the future.

It's in the Stars

The following is an article that I submitted to theonion.com

The Onion is a make-believe news organization that produces humorous news stories.

Thoughts???

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The state of Utah hadn't claimed a championship since Real Salt Lake won the Major League Soccer title on November 22, 2009.

Well, the wait is over.

On November 24, 2009 Donny Osmond became the 9th champion of the popular television show 'Dancing With the Stars.'

"We had all been craving a title since Real beat Beckham and his boys over 48 hours ago," said Utah Governor Gary Herbert. "The euphoria wore off and we needed something to get us back on that cloud, and thanks to Donny we're back."

Utah had witnessed hundreds of champions crowned in other states over the last 38 years since the Utah Stars won the ABA title, but Real stopped that drought by beating the L.A. Galaxy 5-4.

Utah was in a two-day party-state that had some saying it was the "Mardi Gras of the West." Fans celebrated by showering the team in hugs, confetti and photos, but it was short lived.

"I hadn't been asked for a photo in a couple months and all of the sudden everybody knows who I am," said Real midfielder Kyle Beckerman. "We were getting a lot of love for a couple days there, parades, free dinners but now, it's back to how it used to be. It's sad and it's all thanks to that Osmond."

Osmond, a Utah native, helped put family bands on the map back in the 1960's when his pearly whites lit up the Salt Lake skies. Osmond is a trained performer but nobody ever thought he could maneuver his way to the mirror ball.

"Ya know, this win can be blamed on three things: luck, hairspray and ultra-ruva bulbs," said Kelly Osborne, a runner-up to Osmond. "Donny is just so damned cute that the judges couldn't tell him no."

Whether it's luck or just pure skill Osmond has made Utah champions three times over and he thinks he has the secret as to why.

"This may sound funny but for Utah to win, it has to be in the stars and I'm thrilled to be a part of it," exclaimed Osmond. "First the Utah Stars, then Real beats the Galaxy and I win Dancing with the Stars. I'm just saying."

As far as Utah is concerned let's hope it doesn't take two days for their next champion to be crowned.