Some Perspective: Where Was LaVell Edwards in 1978?

Utah 54 - BYU 10. Oh, the pain. It was a rout (ouch)! The last time Utah beat BYU that bad in Provo was almost 50 years ago (1956: Utah 41, BYU 6). The last time Utah beat BYU that bad, period, was in 1922 in Salt Lake City (Utah 49, BYU 0).

Now BYU fans know exactly how Utah felt a lot of the time between 1972 and 1992. A few examples:

1991: BYU 48, Utah 17

1990: BYU 45, Utah, 22

1989: BYU 70, Utah 31

1983: BYU 55, Utah 7

1980: BYU 56, Utah 6 (the largest victory of the rivalry)

From 1972 - 1992 BYU won 19, Utah 2. Ahhh, those were the days. They may be gone, but they are not forgotten (and they help ease the pain on days like today). LaVell Edwards had Utah’s number for many years (and many of those victories were routs)!

Side Note: I have often said to friends that the Utah of today would not be as good as it is now without BYU. All those years of grief Utah took from BYU in the 70's and 80's gave them something to fight for! (Now, its BYU's turn to learn from Utah.)

Today, that pain is felt by BYU and its fans everywhere. One of my personal antidotes for pain is to reflect and so today I reflected. One question I asked myself is this, where was LaVell Edwards at this point in his first years as head coach of BYU as compared to where Bronco Mendenhall is now? Here is a side-by-side comparison of LaVell versus Bronco, the first 6.25 years:

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LaVell Edwards	Age*	W/L	Ranking	Bowls	|Bronco |Mendenhall	Age*	W/L	Ranking	Bowls
1972	42	7-4			| 2005	39	6-6		L
1973	43	5-6			| 2006	40	11-2	16	W
1974	44	7-4-1		L	| 2007	41	11-2	14	W
1975	45	6-5			| 2008	42	10-3	21	L
1976	46	9-3	16	L	| 2009	43	11-2	12	W
1977	47	9-3			| 2010	44	7-6		W
1978	48	2-1			| 2011	45	1-2

*At the beginning of the season

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During those 6.25 years, LaVell beat Utah 6 times (but would lose to them for the first time as head coach later in 1978). Bronco has beat Utah 3 out of 7.

As can be seen, LaVell was consistently winning the first years of his career. One thing to keep in mind is that winning for LaVell was not expected—he took over a losing team. The Utah game provides a great example. At the time he became head coach, the Utah rivalry was all Utah—between 1896 and 1971, BYU won only 8 times with 3 ties (yes, you read that right, only 8 wins in 75 years!). During his 29 years as head coach BYU only lost to Utah 7 times. That is one reason LaVell deserves to be the legend he is. What he did revolutionized the BYU-Utah rivalry, BYU football, and college football in general. He was amazing.

Bronco has also been winning consistently. But, as just mentioned, the big difference is that he is expected to win. While it could be argued he took over a losing program, too, those bad years were much fewer (3 bad years out of 4).

So, in the first 6.25 years of their careers, LaVell was 45-26-1 (.624 in 72 games) and Bronco is 57-23 (.713 in 80 games). Where will Bronco and BYU be after he has had 29 years at the helm of BYU football? Only time will tell.

All I can say is that, despite the pain of yesterday’s loss, the overall picture is very promising for Bronco and BYU football. With huge expectations on his shoulders and at a slightly younger age, Bronco is still finding a way to win. Last year was an incredible comeback for the team and I believe this year could be even better. Bronco has had an amazing start under much more difficult expectations that LaVell faced and I think Bronco will continue to help this team succeed (one of the reasons being Bronco’s Bookshelf--he reads great books! That, however, is the subject for a completely different column).

Starting today, life goes on for all us BYU fans. We can already begin to look forward to next year's game. In the meantime, the big picture, a promising future, and a little "living in the past" sure does help ease the pain. Go Cougars!

Firework or Sunbeam?

For a lot of reasons I do not stay up-to-date on the pop music scene and only occasionally listen to pop radio stations. I prefer gospel music, talk radio (when in the mood), light jazz (when I can find it), and sometimes I’m a little bit country (I grew up in Texas, what can I say?) and sometimes a little bit rock and roll.

However, even though pop music is not a #1 priority with me, because it often permeates society (clips of popular songs often show up in commercials and at ball games, etc.) I learn about songs I otherwise would not know about. One such song is Firework by Katy Perry. Even though it has been on the charts for almost a year, I finally paid attention to it a few weeks ago at Stadium of Fire in Provo, Utah. (That is kind of an appropriate place for a firework song to show up since Stadium of Fire is the biggest stadium fireworks show in the country, if not the world.) Appropriately, a clip of the song was played during the fireworks display.

Just this week I heard the song again, with new words, when a YouTube video was pointed out to me. The name of the video was Firebolt and was a BYU Divine Comedy sketch using new words to the Katy Perry song to send up Harry Potter and his firebolt scar. I have to admit, it was a fun video.

This particular video set my curiosity a blaze and I decided I needed to learn more about the song Firework. That led me to YouTube again for the actual Firework music video by Katy Perry. That was an interesting experience. I will admit that it is a fun, energetic song that appears to have a positive message. However, I shut the video off before it even finished because it promoted homosexual behavior, “parties,” and immodesty.

In For the Strength of Youth we read:

While much entertainment is good, some of it can lead you away from righteous living. Offensive material is often found in web sites, concerts, movies, music, videocassettes, DVDs, books, magazines, pictures, and other media. Satan uses such entertainment to deceive you by making what is wrong and evil look normal and exciting. It can mislead you into thinking that everyone is doing things that are wrong.

Do not attend, view, or participate in entertainment that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way. Do not participate in entertainment that in any way presents immorality or violent behavior as acceptable.

While the words of the song Firework are not, on their own, immoral or deceptive, the music video was full of deception. It was clearly making what is wrong and evil look normal and exciting. I, therefore, without fully knowing it at the time, took the advice of For the Strength of Youth—I stopped watching it.

But then I got to thinking about the message of the song—that we are fireworks. That each of us has a spark of light within us and that we should let that light shine “across the sky.” On the surface, that seems like a fantastic message. However, after a while the philosopher in me kicked in.

Think about a firework for just a moment. How long does that light shine? Hours? Minutes? Seconds? Yes, fireworks are exciting and powerful and colorful (and I love fireworks). But they are also short-lived. Even the most beautiful firework fizzles out in seconds. The light will not even last a full minute. And once the light from one firework fizzles out, in order to keep the excitement going another must be fired and then another and then another. Usually, the best fireworks shows go through a few hundred fireworks, last about 30 minutes, and then they are over. The light is gone.

Fireworks are exciting and colorful, yes. But they are also temporary. Is that what our Heavenly Father wants for us? Temporary light? To be a burst of excitement and then we are over?

I believe the answer to that question is resounding “No.” Heavenly Father wants much more for us—much, much more. He wants permanent light. He wants sunshine. That is when the words to a children’s primary song came to my mind:

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam,

To shine for him each day…

These words may seem trite or even childish next to an exciting song by Katy Perry, but think about sunshine. What are its characteristics? It is warm. It is life-giving and life-sustaining. It is more permanent than a firework—much more permanent. In fact, according to scientists, our sun as been in existence for about 4.57 billion years.

The sun is also more powerful than a firework. In fact, there is no question that the sun is the most powerful force in our solar system.

We also know that even the stars are actually suns from other solar systems whose light has reached our planet after many light-years of travel. Imagine the power of a sun that emits a light that lasts 24,000-26,000 years—the distance our solar system is from the center of the Milky Way galaxy. And that is just our galaxy—there are a multitude of other galaxies beyond the Milky Way!

Does all of this give a deeper, broader meaning to the phrase, “Jesus wants me for a sunbeam?” I say “Yes!” We can be suns! We can be a light in the lives of those around us. We can warm their lives. We can give them lasting life. All we have to do to be this kind of light is be obedient to God’s commandments. As the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has taught in For the Strength of Youth:

Because the Lord loves you, He has given you commandments and the words of prophets to guide you on your journey. Some of the most important guidelines for your life are found in this pamphlet. We testify that these principles are true.

We promise that as you keep these standards and live by the truths in the scriptures, you will be able to do your life’s work with greater wisdom and skill and bear trials with greater courage. You will have the help of the Holy Ghost. You will feel good about yourself and will be a positive influence in the lives of others. You will be worthy to go to the temple to receive holy ordinances. These blessings and many more can be yours.

I truly believe our Father in Heaven wants us to be more than fireworks, which are exciting for a few seconds, but then disappear. Our Father in Heaven wants us to be sunbeams—real, powerful, lasting, life-giving sunbeams. And to have this permanent light in our life, all we need to do is follow Him.

Acknowledgement: A special thanks goes to my friend Valerie Dimick who’s lecture on the subject of “sun” versus “light bulbs” helped to inspire this message.

How Would You Rank Your Favorite Pixar Films?

Recently, MSN.com published an article that ranked all Pixar films from “best” to “good” (there are no bad Pixar films, or as the author said, all of them are very good but most of them are fantastic). What surprised me about the column was that the film the author ranked as #1 was WALL-E (link here; downloaded on July 5, 2011). What?!? Only an environmentalist would think that WALL-E was even close to number 1! Frankly, that film is on the bottom of my Pixar list. (Not that I don’t care about the environment, because I do. Other values just come first for me.)

I am unabashedly a fan of Pixar. And it is not the animation that impresses me so much—it is the quality of their stories. For the most part they are unique, creative, family-friendly, and family values-oriented narratives. Pretty close to 100% in accordance with what Latter-day Saints 'seek after' (AofF 13).

In all Pixar has now released 12 films, including the brand new Cars 2 (June 24, 2011). As far as “ranking” them goes, what we learn from MSN.com is that personal values obviously play a role in a decision like, “Which one do you like best?” A tree-hugger might vote for WALL-E, a person who values personal growth (or even NASCAR) might choose Cars, and someone who loves children might go for Monsters, Inc. or the Toy Story trilogy.

While I have my own personal rankings (I have seen every Pixar film and do think some of their stories are better than others), I thought it would be fun to see what the American people thought. After all, as the saying goes, people vote with their feet, or in this case, their money. So, I researched the inflation adjusted US box office numbers and was able to find a list on a website called The Movie Times (link here; downloaded on July 5, 2011). There were 169 films on their list (Box Office Mojo only had 100). While adjusting for inflation is not an exact science, it appears to my uneducated eyes that they have done a decent job. (FYI, both lists have Gone With the Wind as number 1 and Star Wars as number 2.)

As might be expected, not all of the Pixar films were on The Movie Times list—but, surprisingly, more than half were (i.e. 7). (I think that says something right there.)

So, drum roll please, here is how the American people ranked Pixar movies with their feet (at least at the box office). According to The Movie Times adjusted for inflation US box office list, the top 7 Pixar films are, in reverse order:

7 – Cars (#167; so much for the critics, like at MSN.com, who put it on the bottom of their lists)

6 – Up (#159; sweet, sweet story and my #5)

5 – Toy Story (#122; the one that started it all)

4 – Monsters, Inc. (#108; adorable; my personal #3)

3 – Toy Story 2 (#94; shows that even a masterpiece can be improved)

2 – Toy Story 3 (#69; …and improved again!)

And…what do you think American’s chose as #1? The Incredibles? Ratatouille? Finding Nemo? A Bugs Life? Or, as MSN.com predicted, WALL-E? (The not-so-biggest hint I can give you is that 4 of the above are not on the list.)

The envelope please…According to US movie-goers, i.e. the adjusted for inflation box office, the number 1 Pixar movie is:

1 – Finding Nemo (#63; my personal #2 and a gorgeous, fabulously animated film about a father moving heaven and earth to find his son)

WALL-E was not in the top 7. In fact, in raw numbers (not adjusting for inflation) WALL-E ($223.8m in 2008) comes in behind The Incredibles ($261.4m in 2004--source: Box Office Mojo; downloaded July 5, 2011). Using the Box Office Mojo "adjuster" formula (The Movie Times did not provide a formula), WALL-E comes in dead last behind A Bug's Life and Ratatouille. (It seems I am in sync with the American movie-goer and the MSN.com author is not.)

The bottom line question is this…Do our favorite movies often reflect our personal values? What does this say about Americans choosing Finding Nemo as their #1? What are your Pixar favorites? What are your overall favorites?

Epilogue: In case you are wondering (I did only disclose 3 of my top 5), my #4 is The Incredibles. I think it is a great film about how family can be our “greatest adventure” (to quote Mr. Incredible). And, my #1 personal favorite is…Cars. I love it because the racing is fun and the story is about how a self-centered young man grows up and learns that there are more important things in life than money and fame. He learns the value of friendship, respect, and how to care for others. To me, that is a priceless lesson.