i had 2 jazz friends growing up (1 from utah, 1 not)...i hated watching NBA games with both of them. i lived in utah and some of my best friends at BYU were from utah and jazz fans...and again i found it so unbearable to watch games with them that i refused to do so. i have interacted with fans and attended games at several stadiums, as well as have several friends that are fans of many different teams. the common thread...utah fans are plain annoying. i don't know if it's a utah thing, a mormon thing, or a jazz thing but it has to stop.

so now that i've insulted you...please read and apply these 3 simple rules. it makes life and bball season so much more enjoyable.

1. realize that there is not some secret plot and conspiracy to screw over your team, franchise and city.

2. remember that it's just a game.

3. remember these 3 things about officials and the calls they are making...there are 3 types and over the course of a game and season they all balance out...

(a) good calls - these are calls that are either really close and the official gets right (this actually happens a lot and i'm amazed how often they are right) or they are just easy calls that are the right call. generally speaking these calls are obvious and they are very infrequently missed.

(b) close calls - these calls are of the "bam-bam" variety. it could be the difference between a block and a charge. it could be foul on the shot. it could be a simple "who was the ball out on" call. these are calls that really could go either way, and no matter how the official calls it, it could be conceived as "unfair" to that team's fans, especially if they are obnoxiously whiny. over the course of a game and season these calls balance out. you get some you lose some. DEAL WITH IT. what helps is to try and be rational about it and objective observe how many close calls go your way. i know this may be impossible, but try to view it from the other teams/fans point of view. you'll be surprised when you take a step back how many calls actually go "your way". (and know you don't "deserve" those calls because you are at home, or more righteous than the other teams' fans or because you want it more).

(c) bad calls - a real bad call is one of the easy ones that the official should have gotten right but didn't. remember though that they are human and will make mistakes. do you do 100% perfect work in your job? didn't think so. again, these actually are pretty rare, and if you could remove yourself from the situation for a second and take a step back you'd realize that these balance out over time as well for both teams.

please note: THE CLOSE CALLS THAT GO AGAINST YOUR TEAM ARE NOT BAD CALLS. quit acting like a questionable traveling call in the first quarter of the third game of the season is the same thing as fourth quarter of game 7 of the NBA finals. when you whine about everything you lose creditability when you are legitimately whining.