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Show .f Jt-«h Stateei GDCO. A 15-fnlnute call The Blue and the White s SPORTS DEBATE could save you 15% •- ' • { -ji on car Insurance. David Baker BLUE VIEW 1513 N. Hillfield Rd., Suite 3 <8O1) 752-O485 lift Someone/ Beo The Cache County School District's REACH Mentoring Program is looking for individuals to volunteer as mentors for students in grades 4-8. Benefits • Satisfaction in helping someone mature and progress • Reimbursement for mileage and training provided • Mentee/mentor group activities, service recognition events • Up to two USU credits(paid by program)upon completion of course requirements Requirements • Make a commitment for one school year. • Spend a minimum one hour a week one-to-one with a mentee • Be at least 18 years old • Be dependable and consistent in meeting time commitments For more information contact Melia Balls at 757-0139 or email melia.balls@cache.k12.ut.us UNIVERSITY From Wellness Ed Know Sam Bryner dabake&cc usu.edu WHITE VIEW 1. Is it a good thing for Jaycee Carroll to declare for the NBA Draftearly? Of course it was. He'll be back. He's made it pretty clear that, barring a minor miracle, he will be back in Aggie blue next year. Declaring gives Carroll an opportunity to see what he's really made of. It will keep him very focused over the summer and improve his overall game. 1 don't see anything bad about this for Carroll or USU basketball. If Stew is behind him, why shouldn't all of Aggie Nation be? ' I first want to assure everyone that Carroll will be back next year in an Aggie uniform. I can't speak for Carroll, but I believe he has some very good motives for declaring. First and foremost, by declaring he gets name recognition for next year when he hires an agent. Secondly, he gets to travel to camps and play against top players going this year, and he will be able to see how he stacks up against the competition. By going to these camps, he will also learn valuable skills that will help him out his senior year. Carroll is smart, and he will not go unless he has some promises and sure guarantees. 2. Super-long year-end rant. Really, it's long. I would like to take this opportunity to make fun of some of the really asinine things that happened in sports this year. The first thing on the agenda is Peyton Manning finally winning a Super Bowl. I know it's so heartwarming to see Manning finally get a ring. If by heartwarming you mean vomit-inducing, I'd say you're exactly right. I've said it many times: I hate Peyton Manning - he's the bane of my existence. I'm just glad he could take time off from his budding career as a commercial star to actually play some football. I'm also glad he stopped hopping around on the field for long enough to take advantage of the fact that he was playing against possibly the worst quarterback ever to play in a Super Bowl in Rex Grossman. The second thing is Ohio State's inability to beat a team from the University of Florida. I'm sure this is the first time a school has dominated another school in both the basketball and football national title games. If it's not the first, I bet it's been a long time since it happened last. It may have happened back when men were men and they played football in leather helmets and wore basketball shorts that were short enough that there was a serious risk of being overexposed - if ya know what I mean. But, I'm scared of gators, so I can't blame Ohio State for tanking. They need the Crocodile Hunter, but he's dead, and I don't know how he'd handle gators anyways. Maybe they could get Bear Grylls? Lastly, I want to talk about the most ridiculous thing to happen in sports this year - people wanting to take fighting out of hockey. !fs sacrilege. I'd like to bring fighting to the forefront I'm all for taking a serious look at combining a sport like the Ultimate Fighting Championship with hockey. To do this, we could take hockey, lose the puck, ice, pads, helmets, goalies and ... well it might be simpler to say it like this: I want to see UFC fighters be able to use hockey sticks and skates for their intended purpose - to be used as weapons. That's what I call ultimate fighting. And maybe it could even be held in a bar. Oh, the ultimate bar fight - awesome. Would that even be a sport? . ,:; .^ .. You bet it would be. •' ; - i i \ ; . ; Well alas, the school year is coming to a close and with that comes a time of reflection and pondering over the highs and lows as a sports fan this past year. Starting with the Utah Jazz - they have been a roller coaster this year. Starting the season out 12-1 was definitely a time of the year that I cherish. Ending the season losing six of eight was a time that I would like to forget. And the effort and showing so far in the Playoffs is something that I would rather not talk about. But for the record, I stand behind my Jazz and believe that they can win this series against Houston. I don't know for sure how honest that statement is, but I am a loyal fan so I have to give them my support. Aggie football was a low point but luckily I have become so accustomed to their losing ways that I no longer experience the highs and lows of being an Aggie football fan. Coach Guy is a great person with a lot of character, so I look for the team to improve. NCAA basketball was the highlight of the year. The Aggies won 23 games again, got their token postseason loss and provided fans with a lot of entertaining games. I can't say I agree with fans rushing the court on three separate occasions, but what I can say for sure is thank you, Chaz Spicer, a.k.a. Mr. Clutch. Also, in college ball I picked the Final Four right and won in my league for the first, and probably last, time ever. Well my time as the 'White View' is now coming to a close, and I feel it appropriate to give a shout out to all those who have helped make this year great. Go Aggies. The Blue and Wliite Sports Debate reflects the views ofDavid Baker and Sam Bryner. Both writers give their mew on issues surrounding Aggie athletics and other sporting events. Aggie tennis downs Weber State in final match of regular season BY SAMMY HISLOP Assistant Sports Editor Remember this... "An apple a day keeps the doctor away*? It's more like 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day but the saying is still true. Visit the Student Wellness Center. We are here to help-just ask. www.usu.edu/swc 797.1660 The USU men's tennis team came through with a victory at just the right time. In their final match of the regular season, the Aggies (9-8 in spring play) defeated Weber State Monday, 4-3, at the Sports Academy and Racquet Club. The win gives the Aggies some much-needed momentum (especially following a 2-5 loss in Provo to BYU last Wednesday) for the Western Athletic Conference championships, which will take place Thursday in Boise, Idaho. The win hinged on a match at the No. 3 singles spot between Jonas Tyden and the Wildcats' Travis Covington. Covington dug his way out of a one-set deficit to even things up, but Tyden prevailed in the third set, winning 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. It was the second victory of the season for the Aggies over their rivals from the south. On April 11, USU won in Ogden, 5-2. All four of the Aggies' points came from singles action. Hannes Schenk fell behind a set at the No. 2 spot but came in dominant fashion in the following two sets to triumph over Mario Schnable, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Mike Banks held strong at the No. 5 spot for USU, defeating the Wildcats' Chris Williams, 6-3, 6-3. Aggie Head Coach Chris Wright inserted Logan native and freshman Nate Ballam into the No. 6 spot. Ballam shined, taking down Cole Paterson, 6-4, 6-2. At No. 1, Oscar Ericsson lost to in straight sets to Fabino Mancarella, 6-2, 62. At No. 4. Fernando i Gallegos stumbled in his ] match against after win- \ ning the first set. The final • tally was 2-6, 7-5, 3-6, for ; the Wildcats' Dave Hintze, I The Wildcats opened by 1 winning two of the three ! doubles matches to capture ] the doubles point. , Banks and Ballam com- i bined at No. 3 doubles I and made quick work of | Patterson and his teammate. I Tyden and Ericsson fell j 6-8 at No. 1 doubles, and j Schenk and Gallegos lost, i 3-8, at the No. 2 spot. '] The WAC Championships will last three days (Thursday, Friday and : Saturday). • The Aggies are winners | of six of their last 10 match-; es. I The men's tennis team • will begin the three-day# j WAC tournament play Thursday. , -sbhislop@cc.usu.edu j |