Where's the passion?

“We just had a baby.”
“I have been traveling a ton for my job.”
“My computer broke.”
“The dog ate my homework.”

What do all these excuses have in common? Well, all but maybe the last one. They are all pretty valid excuses for an extended (read, 63 days) break from writing on the most exciting, power-packed, insightful sports blog on the web. Unfortunately, I cannot lay claim to a single one of them. Let me try again:

“I don’t have Sports Center.” “I still don’t have a radio in my car, 4 and ½ years after it was stolen, thus no sports talk radio.” “Ummm, I’m kinda lame.”

Wow, I am a little lame.

Since football season ended, I’ve been a bit of a hermit when it comes to sports. I’ve picked up right where we left off with 24, Idol, The Office, and a few other new shows, including Lie To Me. By the way, that Michael Scott roast on SuperBowl Sunday was one of the best moments from the show this season. Hilarious.

What I haven’t been able to figure out is why it has taken me until just recently to really start embracing the passion that is being a Jazz fan. Is it because we’ve all been on a gigantic Carlos Boozer roller coaster (is he hurt?, will he leave?, do we care?), is it because the team (until recently) has been hurt and running at half speed? Did it take LHM’s passing to shake me from this funk? I don’t really know what it is, but I’ll tell you, whatever is helping me to shake off the cobwebs, I am grateful. I don’t have cable or satellite so I only get to watch the occasional game at home or when someone is nice enough to invite us to watch at their place, but I am finding myself in front of my computer watching it via GameCast on ESPN. This team is hot and peaking at the right time. 12 in a row is amazing. Longest streak in nearly a decade. Approaching the longest streak in franchise history. Boozer is back and the team is gelling quickly. We sit atop the division and look poised to move into that third seed in the West.
If you aren’t excited yet, you are missing out. This team is exciting and fun to watch. The games for the rest of this week will show us a little bit more of the mettle of this team as the Jazz get Atlanta on the heels of a back-to-back, and then Miami and Orlando on a back-to-back all on the road. The regular season comes to a close soon and I am ready for the playoffs.