I Miss Jimmer (Part II)

[Part I can be found here.]

Indeed, the only highlight from the BYU-Utah football game this weekend was when Jimmer's smiling face on the sidelines graced ESPN for about 6 seconds.  For an instant of wild imaginative bliss, I truly thought Bronco Mendenhall was going to toss him a helmet and sub him into the game.  If only...

I'd probably watch a lot more BYU football if this was the case.

There was, however, another redeeming factor from Saturday night's embarrassing showcase of hog slop.  This was the fact that possibly the biggest fan in Cougar Land was my dear friend, Emily Craner.  Emily was on holiday from the the Greater Northwest Region, experiencing Utah and Mormonism in its extreme for the very first time.  Not being a member of the LDS faith, Emily was entitled to yell whatever tactless, profane comment she could aim at any crimson-clad Ute fan she saw walking around Provo town.  This isn't to say that I, as a Mormon, don't think these things (what?!  There's a fine line between animosity and school spirit!), but Emily was at liberty to blurt out loud whatever she pleased without feeling ashamed.  She may have created some hostile enemies while driving down University Ave.  Luckily for her, 1.) this isn't East L.A., and 2.) she'll never see them again.

During the game, shouts of  "Take that, you Ute!  It's God's wrath!" and "Come on Cougars, do it for the pioneers who crossed the plains!" could be heard in loud, sporadic bursts coming from Emily's seat.  I was happy to see that she had remembered some Mormon history from the tour of Temple Square we went on a few days earlier.

Her best cheers were Jimmer-themed.  She taught me that every Jimmer Mania catch phrase and proverb that was used during basketball season could easily be applied to a football game.  If you played for one BYU team, you might as well play for all of them, in Emily's mind.  I admit, I like her logic.

Mostly, I just miss Jimmer.