If you're as excited as I am...then your giggling right now...

In a world full of "experts", analysts, Colin Cowherd and Puxatony Phil, the prognosticator of prognosticators, I give my sole opinion.

It's no secret...I love sports. and even though football is amazing...basketball has my heart. The season starts tomorrow and the following is my annual list of what will happen....enjoy!

*Injuries and/or mid-season trades could drastically alter outcomes. All of which is impossible to be seen by yours truly.

Also, I would like to preface my predictions with this picture. Just a reminder that I love the Jazz more than anyone on the planet.


Division Winners:

Atlantic Division- Boston
Central Division- Cleveland
Southeast- Orlando

Southwest- New Orleans
Northwest- Utah
Pacific- L.A. Lakers


Playoff Teams:
1.Boston
2.Cleveland
3.Orlando
4.Detroit
5.Toronto
6.Philadelphia
7.Washington
8.Miami



1.L.A. Lakers
2.New Orleans
3.Utah
4.Houston
5.San Antonio
6.Phoenix
7.Dallas
8.Portland

Teams that made the biggest leap from last year-Portland, Miami
Drastically improved teams but not there yet-Minnesota, NY Knicks

Most promising teams but will under achieve- Philadelphia, L.A. Clippers
Teams that will ask themselves... “What happened?”-Phoenix, Detroit

NBA Finals- L.A. Lakers over Cleveland Cavaliers in 6

Most Valuable Player- LeBron James
Rookie of the Year- Greg Oden
Defensive Player of the Year- Kevin Garnett
Coach of the Year- Jerry Sloan (finally)
6th Man of the Year- Shane Battier
Most Improved- Danny Granger

Player most likely to be traded- Lamar Odom

Players that will make themselves household names- Mo Williams, Ronnie Brewer, David Lee

Players that will take the step from pretty good to wow!- Rudy Gay, Danny Granger, Brandon Roy, Jose Calderon

You heard it here first!

Comments!

So, this blog is meant to share thoughts and stories from our lives. We try to think out of the box and give humor to random occurrences that may happen. We love blogging and hope you enjoy reading.

Recently, we had a friend think he was commenting too much on our blog. Preposterous! We want comments! They let us know what you're thinking and even better...let us know that you are reading. Comment Comment Comment! The longer the better!

The World's Greatest Pumpkin Contest!

Autumn.

It's in the air, in our minds and in our tummy's. It's a great time of year, if not the best. I am not looking forward to snow though. Freaking snow and ice and bad driving conditions and shoveling and scraping your car and cold and snow!

anyway...sorry...autumn...

What's autumn without a good old fashioned pumpkin carving competition?!?

This past weekend we gathered at Casa De Horne (my old house) and we all put our skills to the test. Let's let the pictues do the talkin'.


Gotta love that authentic pumpkin spice!

Dave and Nicole talked a big game but could they deliver??

We all knew Ricky and Bree wouldn't compete for the title but they sure did boost the overall prettiness. (Is that a word?)

Let the designing begin! We wanted to be sure and give the voters something to talk about. I call this one..."Focus."

She's the creative one...I'm the tall one.

Let's take a look at the finished products...


Dave went classic on us with this pretty face. He wanted to be sure and avoid the typical "triangle eye" look. Not bad Dave. Not bad at all.

Jooge, our diva, turned in this excellent likeness of his fastball. It just looks like it wants to be on fire!

Richard and Bree did a great job. Bree won the award for "free spirited" while Ricky won the award for "most liberal." (Sadly this snapshot doesn't show the "Obama" carved into the side.)

Here we are! We went Old School on 'em with the original Jazz Logo! It took much time and effort. When I married her, I did not realize that Amanda was so skilled with a blade. Breathtaking.

There ya have it...The display to end displays!

And the winner is....?

Best time of the year

I want to preface this post with a warning that it will be heavy on text. If you don't enjoy reading witty commentary...sorry. :(

It is the BEST time of year for any sports fan. Football is in full force, Baseball is hitting it's homestretch and basketball is right around the corner. I want to focus this blog on a few pertinent topics in the wonderful world of sports...

Tyler Haws is a senior at Lone Peak High School and the most recruited basketball player in the state. He has led Lone Peak to back to back 5A State championships and plans to win a 3rd this season. He is a great talent and I was able to interview him working for KSL during last years tournament. He has been heavily recruited by Utah, BYU, Pepperdine, Gonzaga, Harvard, Stanford among others. Last week he made his decision and will attend BYU. BYU is a great school and he will be close to home, family and friends. But, how in the world can anybody pass up an all expenses paid education at Stanford?! It's a top 3 institution in the country and when basketball is over, he would've always had that degree to distinguish himself. Furthermore, Stanford is always contending for a National Championship where as BYU hasn't won a tournament game in many years. Well, at least staying home he'll be able find a good girl to marry. :)


It's no secret that I don't care for the sport of Hockey. I do, however, love hockey movies. Mighty Ducks, D2, Miracle...classic. Colin Cowherd of ESPN Radio had this to say about hockey..."Hockey is unwatchable. Seriously, who cares? Unless all the players suddenly burst into flames I'm not watching."


Is bowling a sport? Regardless...I went bowling for the first time in many years last week. I set 2 goals for myself going into the game. A.) Get at least 1 strike. 2.) Score over 100. After embarrassing myself on numerous occasions, my last role of the ball was a strike! (My only strike) and that 1 strike made my score exactly...100. Impressed? I knew it.


Back in July I made it known to the world that I was a Phillies fan. I got a lot of negative comments for my choice and many people attempted to sway my decision. I never wavered. Now, the Phillies are the NL East champions and face the Brewers in the NLDS. No bandwagon fans here. Just true fans. Phillies=2008 World Series Champs!


College Football is getting better and better every week. I love it! As a fan living in Utah we all better be rooting for BYU and Utah to go undefeated. If this happens...we will have the greatest football game we could hope for and I'll be there! A few weeks into the season...Alabama has really impressed me. If I had to make a prediction as to who would play for the BCS title...Alabama and Oklahoma will face off in the battle for Maroon!


NFL All-Pro, Carolina Panther and University of Utah Alum, Steve Smith, was suspended the first two weeks of the season. Smith got into a fight with teammate Ken Lucas during practice and ended up punching him the face. The Panthers suspended Smith to show the team that this sort of behavior would not be tolerated. Last week, against the Falcons, Smith scored his first touchdown of the season. After celebrating with his team, Smith took the ball over to the sideline and handed it to Ken Lucas. The memento was well received and then and there, the players mended their relationship. When I heard this story...I was very impressed with both players and think people in general can learn from this situation.


Lastly, I just want everyone to know that NBA training camps are underway and the season is less than a month away! I will be posting much on this topic in another blog. Jazz!

King with a Crown

Everyone has traditions and events that they look forward to. I have several days that get me excited above the rest...The NBA Draft, 1st Golf of the Season, NBA All-Star Game, Super Bowl. But I want to focus this blog on one event in particular...CROWN BURGER DAY!

Manda and I like to eat as healthy as we can and every now and then allow ourselves to splurge! Recently, we recognized the 2nd annual Crown Burger Day! Let's have the pictures tell the story!


We were so excited to go!



There it is!


Doing the deed!

Look at it! Oh yeah! 2 hamburgers w/ ketchup, mustard and lettuce only. 1 garden burger. 1 Large Fry. 1 Onion Rings. 2 Waters. Yumsy!


Every Magic Trick has 3 parts...The Pledge

The Turn

The Prestige


This is the little guy that kept peeking at us every 31 seconds. We caught him in the act!

We were sad that we were leaving. See ya next year Crown! See ya next year!

Pirate Day

The following is a commentary I wrote about Pirate Day! I submitted it to the Utah Chronicle and hope to get it published...

Ahoy, Landlubbers and Sea Dogs! Recite thee chantey and play thine hornpipe because tomorrow is Talk Like a Pirate Day! Blimey! This is no bilge or pillage, so cook up some grub and fill the rum. No need to kiss the gunner's daughter or visit Davy Jones' Locker, but to simply raise your Jolly Roger and have fun.

Talk Like a Pirate Day came to fruition on June 6, 1995, when John Baur and Mark Summers wanted to spice up a game of racquetball. During the game, the two friends began speaking in pirate jargon. "As we flailed away, we called out friendly encouragements to each other...for reasons we still don't understand, we started giving our encouragement in pirate slang," said Baur and Summers on their website talklikeapirate.com. "By the time our hour on the court was over, we realized that lapsing into pirate lingo had made the game more fun and the time pass more quickly. We decided then and there that what the world really needed was a new national holiday, Talk Like a Pirate Day."



They decided the holiday should fall on Sept. 19 of each year because that was Summers' ex-wife's birthday. For 7 years, the event remained a private joke among a few friends until Baur sent an email to Dave Barry, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist from the Miami Herald, and filled him in on the holiday. Barry loved the idea and described Summers and Baur as "visionary" and "revolutionary." Barry decided to back the two friends and become the official national spokesman for the event. In doing so, Barry would reach out to his devout readers by writing an article and promoting the day. http://www.miamiherald.com/283/story/100129.html
"As an influential columnist, I have the power to 'make or break' a national day. You may recall that almost nobody celebrated Thanksgiving until I began writing about it in the 1970s," said Barry.



After the article, Talk Like a Pirate Day blew up and word began spreading all over the world. Internet sites, chat rooms, radio stations and newspapers have grown the infant holiday into a toddler but it needs more nourishment to be a full-fledged holiday.

So, spread the word yo-ho-ho! Make Talk Like a Pirate Day, a day that we can all be proud of and have fun with. Lads and Lassies can be involved. You don't' have to spend a doubloon or a piece of eight to be a part of it, all you need is a voice! For a reference guide to my pirate talk please visit http://www.tide-mark.com/pirate_dict.html.

Fair winds mateys and Godspeed!

Cheers

It's 8:14 a.m. on a Saturday morning. I'm up at this unbelievable hour b/c I must feed my hunger of exercise before I travel down to Provo to see the Cougars beat UCLA 31-24 ( I like predictions). Also...I had what I considered a very funny dream last night and I wanted to share before I forgot the best details.

From what I can remember...this dream was short and sweet, yet memorable.

I was sitting in some sort of lobby with some teenage kids, none of whom did I know. I got a pat on the back. I turned to see who it was...it was Sam Malone from Cheers! We engaged in some witty banter..."Hey aren't you guys seniors this year?", said Sam. We all laughed and nodded. "He's a Senior too!" I shouted as I pointed at Woody from Cheers who was apparently sitting with us. We all had a very big laugh and I specifically remember Woody looking at me and saying..."touche!" It was at this point that I realized that we were with these guys and we were all friends.



"The movie's about to start," said Sam. It was now clear why were there. (You know how sometimes you're struggling to figure out what you are doing in a dream?) We got up and it was then clear to me that we were at Jordon Commons and were there to watch the series finale of Cheers on the big screen. At this point in my dream, I started getting emotional. I didn't want Cheers to go off-air. There was an enormous amount of people there to see the finale and as we were standing in line, I started singing the Cheers theme song to myself. "You wanna be where your troubles are all the same...you wanna be where everybody knows your name!" I started singing louder and louder and added in some clapping and before I knew it...the entire crowd was singing and swaying. It was a very emotional moment and I can actually remember almost laughing.

We walked into the theatre and I woke up. I tried for about 2-3 minutes to "get back" into the dream...as I often find myself doing but to no avail. The dream was gone and I here I sit. :)

Yesterday, I went to Best Buy to look around while on my lunch break and I specifically remember picking up a season of Cheers and thinking..."I want to watch some cheers!" It's funny how things like that can stick in your subconscious and you dream about them!

I hope you enjoyed my little fantasy world and it's my promise to you that this story was no fabrication whatsoever and was actually dreamt in the mind of yours truly.

All ya need is love

My mama gave me this great video recorder for Christmas...it's called a flip! I've documented several pieces of time and would like to share a few. I vow to record more and try to capture the best of the best!


Us expressing our love of cereal


Here, Manda Bear and I show off our creativity, rhythm, timing and flow. We were inspired to create a brand new secret handshake by our Olympian brethren...


We were celebrating my Dad's birthday back in March and I snapped up this great video of my buddy Mr. goo! Just like any Sanchez...pizza makes him dance!


This is a free demonstration on how to swing a golf club effectively and correctly. Dancing before any shot is highly recommended!

NFL Picks

Ok, so I know you've dying to know my picks. Here they are...



AFC EAST- New England
AFC NORTH- Pittsburgh
AFC SOUTH- Jacksonville
AFC West- San Diego

Wild Card- Indianapolis, New York Jets



NFC EAST- Dallas
NFC NORTH- Green Bay
NFC SOUTH- New Orleans
NFC WEST- Seattle

Wild Card- New York Giants, Minnesota

Super Bowl?

New England over New Orleans

I think Tom Brady and the Pats will get their act together and get the job done this year. I know it's not going out on a limb too much but hey...I pick with my brain. As far as the NFC goes...it's a tossup and the Saints have added some key pieces on defense and Reggie Bush is bound to bust out and have a great season. You may also notice I have the Jets making the playoffs...that's no typo. Brett Favre will change that offense and they have a reasonably weak schedule. My sleeper? The Jacksonville Jaguars...they're a great team.

There it is and remember you heard it here first...

So Long Sweet Summer

We stumbled upon you and gratefully basked in your rays
So long sweet summer
We fell into you now you're gracefully falling away
hey thanks, thanks for that summer
it's cold where you're going
I hope that your hearts always warm

To honor summer and give it a proper send off...Amanda and I spent an evening in the park. Equipped with a blanket, a wonderful dinner, music and entertainment...we had all we needed for a great time.




The dinner of choice for any Sanchez!


Gotta love Sugar House Park! We like to call it "Sugar Pie"


Chess in the park...it comes highly recommended.


Manda beat me at chess! The game had been going on for about 5 minutes. Out of nowhere she puts me in check. The funny part is she didn't even realize it. :) As I glanced over the board and tried to get my king safe...I came to the realization that my reign was over and I had been beaten. Well done sweets. well done!



We gave our best Olympic poses...it was unanimous that Manda would have won the gold.


We closed the night off the correct way...with a toast from a Shivers Shake.

Here's to you Summer. Thanks for everything. Be Good. and we'll see you next year. Hello textbooks! :(