A Nasty Piece of Work

Posted by D. Chris Estey on September 26, 2009

Has anyone ever seen that guy on the UTA bus or Trax line, fashionably draped in suit and tie, with his fancy notebook PC in his lap? He’s tapping away at the keyboard, focused on his work, oblivious to everyone and everything around him and I’m just theorizing, but I assume he is getting some last minute work done for what I imagine to be some sort of important corporate business project. Call me whatever you want, but I’ve always wanted to be that guy. In my short 28 years on this technological rock we call Earth, I have never owned a laptop and I’ve rarely used one. So it’s 10:30 AM. Here I am, on the new UTA Maxx line headed to work with my brand new notebook in lap. I am excited and quite honestly I am just dying, looking, digging for a reason to use the stupid thing. Well … now, I’m that guy; minus the suit and tie. I’m pretending not to notice everyone looking to see what I am doing, but I do. And it’s cool. And there is absolutely no point to this segment of dialogue. I just wanted everyone to know that I’m on the wagon and I feel like I’m finally caught up with the rest of the world.

So, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way. Let’s talk about some basketball. I remember a comment that Coach Sloan made during the playoffs last season and honestly it answered a whole lot of questions for me.

“We’re not a nasty team.” – Jerry Sloan

I think for the first time ever, the Jazz need to get nasty this season. But what exactly does that mean? To get nasty? It’s obviously a quality that Jerry is starting to realize is becoming more and more prevalent in what is an ever increasingly competitive sport. So what is Coach Sloan’s idea of what it is to be “nasty?”

This is what I hypothesize he is talking about: It is the arrogant, trash-talking, technical foul-getting, chest-pounding behavior that makes every team and fan out there absolutely despise you except for the ones that are on your side. This is the attitude that causes other teams to HATE playing AGAINST you but on the flip side, causes your teammates to LOVE playing WITH you. It’s playing with a chip on your shoulder and having no problem with making the other team look and feel ridiculous, talentless, and defeated. It is the predatory instinct possessed as much by playground bullies as by wild carnivorous animals. It is the attitude that puts teams away. It is the attitude that rips the heart out of opposing team’s players and fans. It is the attitude of winning.

It is also an attitude that has been forbidden by Jazz brass and coaching for years and years and years. The teams with that attitude, whether I like to admit it or not, are not unlike that guy on the bus I always wanted to be. There they are, pounding on their chest, much like the guy that is tapping away at the keyboard on the laptop I’ve never had. I am not sure if our guys have it in them to take on this forbidden persona. Here’s hoping that they do. In fact, here’s hoping not only that they do but that they are dying, looking and digging for a reason to use it this year.

Here’s hoping.

Here’s hoping that Coach Sloan is continuing to develop and understand the difference between today’s era of basketball versus the one that he played and coached in so many years ago.

Here’s hoping.

Here’s hoping Coach Sloan will take on some of that persona himself and will get a little nasty this season.

Here’s hoping.

Here’s hoping Coach Sloan will buy this team it’s very first “laptop.” Alright. Here’s my stop, it’s time for me to go. I’ll catch you guys later and GO JAZZ!

5 Comments

J R Stewart on September 26, 2009 said:

Hey! I’m just waiting for KK to get “nasty.”

Trash talkin’, scowlin’, in your face nasty!

Well…maybe a “your mother wears Army boots”, with a smile nasty.

Jazzaholic

Linda Kay on September 27, 2009 said:

I’m not sure that I hope they get nasty. I hope they get aggressive but leave nasty to Artest, Anderson. and Odem (and a few I can’t think of right now).

Boondock Saint (Zak) on September 28, 2009 said:

I just want them to always feel like they aren’t there yet until they are holding the trophy and kissing it. Up by 50 points with 2 mins left…we’re not there yet. Only 5 more games to go in the season but we are already in the playoffs with home court advantage….we’re not there yet. Nasty to me is that never say die, never give up, we’re not there yet so put your gloves on and go to work attitude that I miss watching Stockton and Malone do every night. That’s what we seem to be missing to me….a carnal desire to win, to be the alpha dog, to push the other kids off the top of the hill so that you reign supreme as king of the mountain.

Ben H on September 28, 2009 said:

I would love for the Jazz to be a bit meaner. I’d love for us to be that team that goes into the opponents arena, embarrases them in front of their home fans, and then walks out of there like it’s all in a days work.
I think a lot of it has to do with confidence in your ability to win. You can’t be mean like that if you’re a doormat. Can you imagine the Bobcats trying to play nasty? No. But the Pistons during their reign a few years back? Yes.
We need to improve on the road, start blowing teams out at home, and then just be plain nasty.

P.S. Chris: I wear shirt and tie, and carry laptop with me every day for work. Don’t confuse me for the important guys doing that, though. I’m just a tech dork. How do you decipher? Bluetooth. Guys with bluetooth are usually the corporate guys. Guys without: just nerds like me who make fun of the bluetooth guys. They wear it all day, but probably only talk on it for about 5 mins…

Linda Kay on September 28, 2009 said:

Ben……..wish you were here to work on this slow crazy computer of mine!!!!!! I think you guys are the smartest ever!!

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