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Show 6 Tuesday February 26, 2013 SPORTS 8° / 9 a.m. 15° / 3 p.m- Conditions and weather from utahskiweathercom Powder and soft bumps TODAY'S SKI REPORT Alta www.dailyutahchronicle.corn Brighton UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS WEDNESDAY: Swimming & Diving Utah @Women's Championships All Day Federal Way, Wash. 8° / 9 a.m. 15° / 3 p.m. Canyons 13° / 9 a.m. 21° / 3 p.m. Deer Valley 1231: / 93 ap:m m : Snowbird 8° / 9 a.m. 15° / 3 p.m. Utes stand strong against Aggies Team battles UC Davis' tough offensive, comes out on top Chad Mobley STAFF WRITER Utah @ California 7 p.m. Berkeley, Calif Swimming & Diving Utah @Women's Championships All Day Federal Way, Wash. AP TOP 25 MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM Indiana Gonzaga Duke Michigan Miami Kansas Georgetown Florida Michigan St. Louisville Arizona Syracuse Kansas St. New Mexico Oklahoma St. Ohio St. Wisconsin Saint Louis Memphis Butler Notre Dame Marquette Pittsburgh Oregon Louisiana Tech RECORD 24-3 27-2 24-3 23-4 22-4 23-4 21-4 22-4 22-6 22-5 23-4 22-5 22-5 23-4 20-6 20-7 19-8 21-5 24-3 22-6 22-6 19-7 21-7 22-6 24-3 9" a.m. 16° I 3 p .m. BASEBALL THURSDAY: Men's Basketball RANK 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Solitude CHAD ZAVALA/The Daily Utah Chronicle File Photo Utah outfielder, Tyler Relf, during a game on April 6, 2012, in Salt Lake City. Relf hit a two-RBI single in the ninth inning to give the Utes the lead over UC Davis last Friday. MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAD ZAVALA/The Daily Utah Chronicle Freshman guard Dakarai Tucker on defense against the Arizona Wildcats on Feb. 17. Tucker has recently earned more minutes because of his strong defense. ASST. SPORTS EDITOR The way he saw it at the beginning of the season, Runnin' Utes wing Dakarai Tucker was brought to Utah to be a scorer. A solid outside shooter, Tucker struggled to find playing time early on, as fellow freshman guard Justin Seymour became a primary backup. Long and athletic, Tucker began to commit himself to playing harder on the defensive end. Increased playing time and his offensive See BASEBALL page 7 Lotulelei should put his own life before his football career Tucker's increased defensive play helps improve his game I Ryan McDonald Resiliency was the name of the game for Utah in a 3-1 series win over UC Davis in California that ended Monday afternoon. After Utah achieved a 6-1 lead early in Friday's series opener, the Aggies rallied to gain an 8-6 edge heading into the eighth inning. But the Utes didn't give up, as back-toback hits from Dallas Carroll and Konnor Armijo cut the Aggie lead to one. Utah then owned the final frame, as Tyler Relf smoked a two-RBI single up the middle to put the Utes in the lead. Carroll reached on an error and scored two additional runs in the inning to give Utah a three-run edge. Reliever Josh Chapman shut the door in the bottom half of the frame, sealing the Utes' victory and his first win of the season. "UC Davis is very good offensively," said Utah head coach Bill Kinneberg. "We took a 6-1 lead, and they battled back, but we kept grinding. The big inning in the ninth showed a lot of character on our part. We had big hits and big at-bats the whole inning." The Utes' offensive tear continued as they put up seven runs on Saturday and Sunday to claim two more victories. Up 4-3 on Saturday, Utah added three more runs in the final inning on back-to-back home runs from AJ Young and Cory Hunt, which were enough to nail the Aggies' coffin shut. Chase Rezac got two groundouts and a strikeout in the bottom of the ninth inning to notch the save. "Those were huge insurance runs in the ninth inning," Kinneberg said. "It takes away [UC Davis'] bunt game, and they have to swing when they come to bat. AJ's home run and Cory's home run were big opportunities for us." The Utes then staved off the Aggies on Sunday after gaining a four-run lead in the fifth, making it game have followed. Against Arizona on Feb. 17, Tucker made two key threes down the stretch to help Utah get back in the game, and against Colorado last Thursday, Tucker scored eight points in 22 minutes off the bench. "That's been my problem ... defense," Tucker said. "In high school that was a problem. Coaches always said I needed to play more defense, so I just had to put more work into that. See RUNNIN' UTES page 8 don't know the severity of Star Lotulelei's heart condition. The specialists he visited this week could find nothing wrong with his left ventricle, which an echocardiogram found to be running at just 44percent efficiency, much lower than the normal 55 to 70 percent, at the NFL Combine. Everything could be fine, and Lotulelei could go on to a lucrative NFL career. But there could be something wrong with Lotulelei's heart, and if there is even a minor problem, he should quit football. During my lifetime, I've watched some great football players demonstrate their skill, but what stands out more than the men football has made famous are the men football has debilitated. Earl Campbell can hardly walk because of his football career. Junior Seau took his own life quite possibly because of his football career. Gaines Adams died of a cardiac arrest in 2010 at just 26 years old. It would be a shame to see Lotulelei fall into this category of ravaged athletes, especially since his ailment resides in one of the body's most crucial organs. Football players see themselves as invincible until they are quickly and severely reminded they aren't. Lotulelei needs to realize he is a person of flesh and blood, and a career based on hitting and being hit by the strongest men on the planet is not a profession someone with a malfunctioning heart should enter. Lotulelei wouldn't be the first player to sacrifice his physical well-being to continue playing football. Players commonly play through injuries, and it's been well-publicized that players were often encouraged to return to the field following a concussion. At the time, these actions make players feel tough and appreciated by their teammates. Years later, these actions could cost those players their lives. If Lotulelei does indeed have a heart condition, joining the military would likely be safer than continuing to play football. Utah Athletics claims to hold academics to a high standard. If that's the case, Lotulelei shouldn't have to play football. He JAKE BULLINGER Sports Editor should be able to use his college degree to find a job that doesn't require him to put his life on the line. Thus, if those in Utah's Athletics Program are confident in the education they received, they should have a clear plan of action. Kyle Whittingham should explain to Loutlelei the stresses of pro football and encourage him to forego it. Chris Hill should thank him for all he's done for Utah Athletics, and then try to find a job for Lotulelei within the administration so he doesn't have to risk life and limb in the pros. Teammates shouldn't be praying for him to be able to continue playing — they should be praying for his ability to make a wise decision that will ensure his health in the future. None of these things will happen, though. Football coaches, players and administrators think about football first. If Lotulelei receives even a faint yellow light from the doctor, those who have surrounded him for the past four seasons will eagerly encourage him to enter the NFL. Unless the echocardiogram was a complete fluke, those close to Lotulelei should caution him not to enter the NFL. The nature of pro football means the odds are already against Lotulelei's long-term health. Throw in a heart defect, even a minor one, and Lotulelei is essentially ensuring medical issues in his future. I hope Lotulelei realizes he could end up like Campbell, Seau or Adams, and I hope he has enough strength and support to walk away from football if his heart is not ready for it. j.bullinger@chronicle.utah.edu Twitter: @jakebullinger |
