BYU finished the season 10-2 and will be headed to the Las Vegas Bowl for the 5th time in a row. Scout.com is projecting them to play against Stanford, which would be a cool game in my view.
Yesterday's game against Utah included a lot of fireworks, most of them coming after the last second TD catch by TE Andrew George. QB Max Hall went on record during the post-game press conference as saying that he hates Utah and everything about the football team and university. Well, the Utah press has been all over the story since then. Here's one story I just found, written by a local sports radio host.
<h1 id="articleTitle">Monson: There's too much hate in BYU-Utah rivalry</h1><div id="articleByline"><a href="mailto:gmonson@sltrib.com?subject=Salt%20Lake%20Tribune:%20Monson:%20Theres%20too%20much%20hate%20in%20BYU-Utah%20rivalry" target="_blank">
By Gordon Monson
The Salt Lake Tribune</a></div><div id="article">Updated:11/29/2009 05:00:24 PM MST
Max Hall's postgame I-hate-Utah comments triggered strong and immediate
and emotional pushback from both Utah and BYU fans, many of whom tossed
more fuel -- and irony -- into the burning cauldron of rivalry
loathing.
But maybe there are positives that could come out of all the back and forth.
Some hated Hall for hating them, saying there was no place for hate in football.
Some called Hall classless for calling them classless, scolding anyone who would use such a designation.
And some defended Hall, claiming he was accurate and courageous,
even, in openly stating the truth about the raucous behavior of Utah
fans put on BYU innocents.
"I don't like Utah," Hall said. "In fact, I hate them. I hate
everything about them. I hate their program, I hate their fans, I hate
everything.... I think the whole university, their fans and their
organization, is classless. They threw beer on my family and stuff last
year, and they did a whole bunch of nasty things, and I don't respect
them, and they deserve to lose."
Didn't we all see Michael Young, Chris Hill and Spence Eccles out
there manning the bucket brigade at Rice-Eccles last season, dumping
contraband Budweiser on Hall's family after the BYU quarterback threw
five interceptions in that Ute victory?
I swear I did.
No I didn't, but I was told by a credible source that Kyle
Whittingham's wife, Jamie, was hit by somebody down on the field after
Saturday's game at Edwards Stadium.
Look, Hall's comments were too all-fired comprehensive. He hates
Utah, he thinks the whole university is classless because some fans are
idiots?
There was a lot of anger and frustration built into those words,
not just because of the way his family was treated, but because
thereafter, for a full year, Hall had been the punchline to jokes about
his six turnovers and their part in a BYU loss. He had been ripped and
ridiculed, and now he was firing back.
He may yet apologize. He may not.
But Hall, a senior who has been interviewed thousands of times at
BYU, meant what he said when he said it. He said it and he fully
intended to say it.
He hates Utah.
E-mail and other feedback responding to my column on Hall's remarks in Sunday's
Tribune ,
an editorial that did not castigate him, but that said he was wrong in
his comprehensive spraying of hate, was as sweeping as Hall's original
comments.
A small sampling of an extremely large volume:
"Max Hall is a jerk. He says he hates Utah. I hate him. I hate BYU. That school is filled with hypocrites." - Steve
"No, he probably shouldn't have said those things, but I don't
blame him at all. There are very few true U fans. Most of them are
actually just BYU haters." - Amy
"Hall is a whiny b----, just like all Cougars and their fans." - no name
"We also know that your [sic] classless and your column could go
today and everyone would be happy. You are the lousiest sports writer
in Utah's history." - Rod.
"What a baby Max is. Why is it that BYU players are always the ones
saying stupid things. I hate that place. Talk about classless." - Tom.
"MORGAN SCALLEY MADE SIMILAR COMMENTS IN 2004 WITHOUT CRITICISM. YOU NEED TO CALL IT BOTH WAYS." - Mark.
"You're wrong Monson. ...Go into a BYU-Utah game at Utah wearing
blue next year and see how you enjoy it. You will agree with Hall after
they pour beer on you. Oh yea [sic], I forgot, the language you have to
tolerate all around you. Gutter talk does not quite describe what a BYU
fan has to endure. Actually, it is categorized by the law as assault."
- Don.
"Maybe someone should remind the self-righteous, egotistical
quarterback at the school down south of the alumni presentation at the
classless university a couple of weeks ago. Oh that was just for
President Thomas S. Monson. Maybe Max knows him and could get a lesson
in humility from him. Lots of luck in the NFL, Maxi." - Ron.
"Add another 'classless' butthead to Hall's list - you." - Clark.
Yeah, there's plenty of hate to go around.
Maybe, just maybe, everyone can learn from this whole thing. Maybe
everyone can learn that there really is too much animosity and
antipathy, too much bitterness and nastiness, too much malice and
rancor in this rivalry.
Too much hatred. Too much hatred mixed with religion.
There's guilt on both sides in this state, the red and the blue.
Nobody has to join hands and sing Kumbaya, but real hating, even in
limited doses, on the other guys is ridiculous. Perhaps everybody can
pull back and get this thing under control.
It's more likely, sadly, that it will go the other way, and Hall's
words about hate will generate more hate. When I sat directly in front
of him and heard them come out of his mouth, it reminded me of the
quote spoken by that great philosopher Yoda.
"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."
When it comes to this sometimes-glorious, sometimes-pathetic
rivalry, haven't both Cougars and Utes and everyone around them
suffered enough?
GORDON MONSON hosts the "Monson and Graham Show" weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on 1280 AM The Zone. He can be reached at
gmonson@sltrib.com. </div></span></span>[TUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvLdPk-H94Y[/TUBE]
[TUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pe7ZyfQ0ic[/TUBE]
Edited by: Colonel_Reb 
