Forget the bad and the ugly, here's the good

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat Chris Jackson

It's a lot harder to say good things about this and that, but, in a move that will stun most of the people who know me personally, here's a little list of what I think is positive about sports.

On with the show...

The UA fans. Yeah, I know, I ripped on them and called them pathetic after the UCLA game. The Oregon game saw a lousy turn-out, but I'll give the families the excuse of having to take the kids trick-or-treating. As for the students who didn't show, well, I hope that hangover was worth it.

But for those who did, I must give you props, for you stayed throughout the whole 35-point demolition. Sure, if we'd been losing you would have cleared out faster than I could blink, but you stayed and cheered right up until the end.

So to everyone who sat through all three-plus hours of Saturday's game, you are the true fans this team needs. Now if only your influence would rub off on all the fairweathers who show up this Saturday...

The volleyball team. A team as young as this should have had a lot more Oregon-type games so far. In case you missed it, the No. 16-ranked Wildcats lost to an Oregon team that was winless in the Pac-10 on Friday night. But it was only their fourth conference loss, the other three coming to the two teams ranked ahead of them, Stanford and Southern Cal. Any UA team will tell you that there's almost always one game that jumps up and bites you from a lesser opponent.

But for a team with so many underclassmen starting in key roles, I have to give Dave Rubio and his staff some respect. If nothing else, the volleyball team has given me more confidence in our equally young men's and women's basketball teams.

Amy Skieresz. She's officially the best athlete in Arizona. Hands down. I know she's the most humble person on earth, but if she wins her second NCAA title this year, she deserves to wear the biggest, proudest grin on campus.

Abdi Abdirahman. He came out of nowhere last year and became the best runner for the men's cross country team. This year he has a shot at joining Amy on the victory stand when the NCAA's are over in Lawrence, Kan. He's come a long way since leaving his homeland of Somalia a few years ago.

The soccer team. I know, I ripped on them too, but I have to say I respect how nice they are. I've never met a group of kinder, more intelligent and genuinely pleasant athletes in all my time here. If every team was as nice as they were, the sports world would be a lot better place.

Yusuf Scott (Big-U). The funniest man on the football team. Don't believe me? Go back and read his quote in the Washington game preview.

The women's lacrosse team. Four straight final four appearances. Let's see anyone else top that on a club team's budget.

And last, but certainly not least...

Lute Olson. Need I say more?

Thanks for everything, all of you, that you have done to make the world of sports a better place. Just don't try to bear-hug me at the press conference for including you on this list, Big-U.

Chris Jackson is a junior majoring in journalism. He can be reached via e-mail at Chris.Jackson@wildcat.arizona.edu.