“PS, the lookalike was wearing six inch lifts. Luke Nevill would have been just as believable.”

This is complete bush league, pro wrestling stuff. Way to go.

As a holder of 8 Utah Flash season tickets since their inaugural season, I smiled when I first heard of Brandt’s challenge. I didn’t think Jordan would take the challenge, but if he did, at least we were assured seats to the spectacle.

Today’s spectacle started well outside the gym. Traffic to and around Utah Valley University’s McKay Event Center was a nightmare. Adding to the mayhem was a larger than predicted snow storm.

My kids watched the traffic in wonder and asked me again if MJ would be there. “I really don’t think so, kids,” I frankly replied.

Twenty minutes later we are still trying to get into the parking lot when one of the kids spotted two stretch Hummer limousines. “Dad! Jordan HAS to be here! Look at the limos.” I chuckled and parked right next to them.

The crowd inside the McKay Events Center was nuts. There were thousands more people than normally attend. Staff kept laying down new sections of bleachers that normally aren’t down, and people would fill them up as soon as they were ready to be occupied. It looked as if by halftime, the center was at 80 to 85 percent capacity, and it was very warm in the building. Too warm.

With a home crowd like that, you would have thought the Flash would be energized, but oddly though, the crowd was barely aware that there was a basketball game going on. People were visiting like they were at a, well, baseball game. The Flash were diving for loose balls, dunking, etc. and while some of us regulars were applauding the hustle, the crowd overall was oblivious.

With about 8 minutes left in the second quarter, Bryon Russell got up out of his courtside seat, waved at the crowd and headed down the passage to the locker rooms. My kids asked me, “Could he be going to change for the 1 on 1 matchup?”

Then with about 3 minutes left to go in the 2nd quarter, and the Flash up by 2 points (37-35), the p.a. announcer electrified the crowd when he announced that we should all stay put because at halftime “His Airness” would be playing Bryon Russell one on one.

Suddenly total strangers were best of friends as they all buzzed about seeing Jordan, about what a decent and great guy he must be to do this, etc.

A section of the crowd started chanting, “Jordan! Jordan! Jordan!”

I smiled and yelled back at them, “Russell! Russell! Russell!” They laughed and stopped their chant and joined me in mine.

The home crowd weren’t the only ones distracted by the announcement however. The news seemed to distract the Flash players as well. They went from being up 2 points when the announcement was made, to being down three minutes later when the halftime buzzer sounded: 43 to 51.

Soon the lights were lowered and on the big screens they were showing television interviews with sports analysts saying Jordan would never show up. The crowd jeered at the statement.

Music and spotlights and wild cheering greeted Bryon Russell as he took center court with a wireless microphone and got the crowd charged up.

Everyone’s cell phone cameras lit the dark room as they video recorded the p.a. announcer yell, “And now, a man who needs no introduction…”

I turned to my kids and said, “Wow! He really is here! There certainly aren’t a lot of kids your age that can say they saw Michael Jordan play live!”

Then loud went to deafening as “Michael Jordan” was escorted out on to the court by 4 body guards.

The instant I saw him, and I saw him soon and well from row 2, I turned to my wife and shouted, “That’s not him! That’s not Michael!” I then turned to my kids and the crowd around us and yelled, “That’s not Michael Jordan! Look at him, that’s not Michael.”

Those that could hear me went quiet, then someone yelled, “That’s Gary Payton!”

I whirled around to take a closer look at the man wearing shades amidst the body guards then yelled back, “That’s not Payton either!”

With the music and mayhem from the crowd, I couldn’t make out what the p.a. announcer was going on about, but I didn’t care anyway.

The Utah Flash organization had just made suckers out of their customers, and inconvenienced their faithful ticket holders, and for some reason they thought we all would laugh and be okay with that.

As the crowd started to realize Jordan wasn’t in the building, the p.a. announcer confessed it to be so. Then, in another astonishing act of bad judgment, the p.a. announcer had the gall to lay this fiasco at Michael Jordan’s feet… like Michael was the villain here for not showing up because, after all, their offer was legit.

I turned to my kids and apologized to them for their senselessly being purposely excited so that they could be disappointed.

What happened next though, was a sight to behold. The crowd turned ugly. In addition to people booing and turning their thumbs down, the crowd was throwing back on to the floor the free t-shirts they’d been thrown throughout the first half of the game!

Then what was a near capacity crowd vanished to about a quarter of the size it was. It looked as if 75 percent of the crowd left right then and there in disgust.

And what is worse, those of us who stayed were in no mood to cheer the home team. Not for awhile anyway.

The Utah Flash staff clearly knew they blew it and started shouting through the p.a. to stick around and get more free stuff, but the crowd’s trust was already violated, and wasn’t about to be bought or bribed back.

The Utah Flash actually played an excellent and gutsy game, and waged an admirable come back to win the game… but I guarantee you, almost no one will remember that.

What everyone will remember is not the team the Utah Flash wanted to promote, but the extremely ill advised hoax the Flash played on their customers… all in the name of shaming Jordan, and gaining publicity.

That said, I’m pretty sure the organization knows it screwed up. They have been thoroughly embarrassed and there is no need for anyone else to pile on to it.

Apologetically, late in the 4th quarter the announcer told those of the crowd that had remained that if they will bring this night’s ticket to another home game later this season, they’ll be admitted for free.

Well, that’s no consolation to those of us who have already paid for every home game this season, but we do appreciate their efforts to make amends with their customers.

Sorry for that long ramble. I should have made it much shorter — especially since wrote it up better on my blog anyway.

I feel bad for the Flash. They are good people who meant to do the right thing: fill seats.

As for the team itself…

I think these guys are not only going to win it all this year, but perhaps set records in the process. They look really good.

In addition to the plays they ran last year, they showed a little of what definitely looked to be the triangle offense… perhaps the influence of former Laker now Flash assistant coach Mark Madsen?

Rumble, I will be at that game and that will be a good test of both teams.

BTW, the Flash have a 7’2" center they haven’t played yet because of work visa problems (he’s from Australia), so although it will be a good test, a better test may come when they meet again later in the season.

I’ll be sure and tell my kids Larry Bird will be there, but I think this Friday’s game features Wilt Chamberlain… ;-)

Here is a petition for Brandt Andersen to donate the $100,000 that was supposed to go to the winner’s charity. The best thing Brandt could do is donate that money to a worthy cause.

http://www.petitiononline.com/pq87ed62/petition.html