We've never been a baseball school, but our guys have given us plenty to cheer about over the years. Who could forget about the 2009 season when we won the MWC Tournament and represented very well in the NCAA regionals? That was the A.J. Cron team that won 28 games.
But my favorite Utah baseball team, hands down, was the 2004 squad. No contest. And it's not because they kicked butt on the diamond -- it's because of what they did in the hills above Provo. Late one night during a series against BYU, eight of the players took 15 gallons of red paint and hiked to the concrete "Y" on the side of the mountain. They painted a large "U" and some other marks on the "Y." Then they took a few snapshots of the deed:
Unfortunately, the prank didn't last for long. The "Y" was quickly re-painted white the next day and that was that -- until two weeks later when Ryan Breska went to pick up his pictures from the photo store that developed the film. Police were there waiting. Breska was arrested and, along with the other seven players, was charged with a second-degree felony. The charges were later reduced to misdemeanors and the eight players each pleaded guilty. The pleas were held in abeyance until the players paid a fine in the amount of $6,267.20, plus interest, to Brigham Young University.
For this reason, Eric Schaler, Ryan Florence, Tyler Kmetko, Jay Brossman, Tyson Olson, Jason Price, Jacob Waldram and Ryan Breska will forever be remembered fondly by Ute faithful as "The Utah 8." Well done, boys.
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