My First Post

Perhaps I should tell what I hope will be numerous readers some brief little factoids about myself. I, first and foremost, am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This is not unprecedented for people who have been prominent in American society. Perhaps you may have heard of J.Willard Marriott, Glenn Beck, Steve Young, Vai Sikahema (the man who trounced Jose Canseco in a recent throwdown), Gladys Knight, Danny Ainge and Dale Murphy. All of them are LDS, as are many others who have obtained some degree of prominence in our nation. With that said, let me clarify that this church, (whose members are often referred to as "Mormons,") are not adherents to polygamy, at least not since 1890 when the manifesto ushered forth by church president Wilford Woodruff was declared. That's enough on Mormonism for now, other than the fact that I served a mission for this church in Tucson, Ariz., El Paso, Texas, Chaparral, N.M., and Safford, Ariz. Thus, I'm well-versed in the American southwest and cheer passionately for the Arizona Wildcats and Texas-El Paso Miners. I currently am a radio broadcaster and sports statistician for Mid-Utah Radio in Manti, Utah (my hometown) and you can read some of my work at www.midutahradio.com/sports. As you might have guessed, I'm primarily a sports afocionado, and my favorites are the NFL, NBA, college football, college basketball, and track. Oddly enough, I was a hurdler of some talent at Manti High, so I've always been drawn to track. It's a great way for kids to get out and try new things while also making some good friends. All of this, of course, beats being a chronic couch potato. Before I forget, you can find me on www.youtube.com, when you type in "BradJamesItaly" in the search engine. Although we Latter-Day Saints love to get married, I've not yet had this opportunity, so if you know any enchanting dark-haired Mediterranean bombshells (as one of partial Italian heritage, I'll take Italians as well as Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Turkish or even Israeli women), send them my way. Those who are LDS or live according to those standards are most acceptable. As for the NFL, I love my Denver Broncos more than any other team, while othr favorite teams include the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts. In a nutshell, I don't mind who the Super Bowl champion is from one year to another if it's not the Patriots, Cowboys, Raiders, or Chiefs. Oddly enough, the Dallas Mavericks are my favorite NBA team, while I also like my home-state Jazz, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Philadelphia 76ers. Because of my labors in Arizona, I also enjoy watching the Phoenix Suns especially with the dynamic Steve Nash. While I love college football, I hate the current format in Division I (down with the BCS!) but there will be more on that in subsequent posts. You will also grow to learn that this a sideline reporter friendly blog because I am a reporter adept with both the pen and microphone. Women like Michelle Tafoya, Bonnie Bernstein and Lisa Salters (who I have a crush on, I'll admit) should be commended for their labors roving the sidelines rather than being scorned. True fans (and incidentally, true journalists who are also fans) appreciate their labors. Well, hopefully there are people who like my labors. We'll see you all later!