A Tribute to One of the Great Owners

Larry H. Miller, one of the great NBA franchise owners and stand up guy in the community, died Friday from complications with type two diabetes. Larry will be remember in the NBA world for years to come and will be a role model for what integrity and honor stands for.
Larry Miller, in my eyes, will be known for him establishing the Utah Jazz as a premier powerhouse in the NBA and producing two championship runs, both ending in defeat to the great Mr. Air himself. He brought big name superstars like Karl Malone, John Stockton, Jeff Hornacek, and current superstar Deron Williams. He was also known to me by hiring one of the greatest coaches of all time in Jerry Sloan. Jerry has took the Jazz to two championships and to the playoffs all but two years he has been coaching.
Larry was also an amazing business man too. He purchased a Toyota dealership in the Salt Lake City suburb of Murray, Utah. It opened on May 1, 1979 as Larry H. Miller Toyota. In October 1981, Miller bought out his uncle's share in the business. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, he acquired a number of automobile dealerships in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, creating the Larry H. Miller Automotive Group. In 2007, Selling Power listed him as the tenth largest U.S. automotive dealer, with forty-two dealerships and sales of $2,327,000,000. After a failed attempt to start a television outlet on the last remaining VHF frequency in the Utah market, Miller purchased Salt Lake City independent station KXIV in February 1993. He later changed the call letters to KJZZ-TV as a reference to the Jazz. Miller also owned the Larry H. Miller Megaplex, Prestige Financial, Miller Motor-sports Park (opened in 2006), Fanzz (a chain of sports clothing & memorabilia outlets), and the successful Jordan Commons cinema/restaurant complexes along the Wasatch Front. There are 5 Megaplex Theaters located in shopping centers along the Wasatch Front; the Gateway Mall in downtown Salt Lake City, at the aforementioned Jordan Commons in Sandy, at The District in South Jordan, at The Junction in Ogden, and at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi. Together the theaters total 70 screens.
So let us raise up our glasses to a NBA owner, business man, and most importantly, a stand up guy. I think I speak for a multitude of people when I say, thank you Larry Miller, rest in piece.

Scandal, Cheats, and Mischeif: Where Are Our Role Models?

Over the past few weeks we have seen a couple of the biggest "idols" in sports get bucked off their high horse and thrown into reality. Michael Phelps and Alex Rodriguez are two of the biggest faces in sports and these past few weeks have sent Phelps into a smoke filled spiral and Rodriguez has found out that integrity is a little more important then getting ahead of the pack with a little help. With that said, who are kids today supposed to look up to? Where are those athletes that you can say, wow that person has such a good work ethic and they are a good competitor and have even better sportsmanship. Where are the athletes that not only can keep their name good and clean on the court or field but also off? Alex Rodriguez has tarnished his name forever with the steroids scandal. He has lied to many and told the truth to few. Why should anyone ever believe him if he has not told the truth till "now"? Michael Phelps has been an outstanding competitor his whole life. He is arguably the greatest Olympian of all time, but these recent pictures and confessions have really turned him to the negative side for me. Kobe Bryant is also one of those people who is amazing at what he does. He is one of the top ten players of all time. He has won three championships and has a shot as smooth as the other side of the pillow, but three or four years ago, his rape case gave him bad publicity. Even though he was wrongly accused of rape he still cheated on his wife with another women. Another person to look at is Ray Lewis, who won the super bowl about nine years ago. Right before that super bowl though he was accused and involved in a shooting. He is an amazing linebacker and a perennial pro bowler but he tarnished his name being involved in the shootings. So i come back to the question, who are the role models for kids now and in the future? Where are the Ken Griffey Jr's or the Michael Jordan's, the stand-up good guys. What is in store for the future of sports and youth?