Faceoff

Daily 3: 'Time to breathe again' edition

FELDY: Thanks to Phersy for holding down our little slice of the blogosphere for the past couple weeks. As he said last week, my notebooks were full with previews for high school football, volleyball, cross country, as well as keeping tabs on the local auto racing scene, which is winding down in a hurry. I'm trying to get back in the loop with Minnesota sports after a long weekend in Rapid City, where Mrs. Feldy's brother got married. I didn't get to see any of the Gophers-Air Force game (who would've guessed that there's not a big audience in western South Dakota for a game like that?), but it sounds like the maroon-and-gold will have a difficult time this weekend against Cal.

1. Thoughts on the Purple. It was certainly nice to see the Vikings put the dagger to an opponent late in the third quarter rather than in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, but still, it was against Cleveland. Browns QB Brady Quinn looked overmatched and pumped up his numbers in garbage time. As for No. 4, he did what the Vikes needed him to do -- didn't turn the ball over and made some good decisions. It's a good thing, though, that the soft spot in the Vikings schedule is Weeks 1-3 because it's clear that Brett Favre needs more time to get comfortable with his receivers. At some point this season -- sooner than later, most likely -- the Purple will need Favre to win a game for them, or do more than throw for 110 yards and handoff to A.P. He didn't have to do it against the Browns. I'll hold back my enthusiasm for my favorite club until we see if Bretty still has what it takes to win a game in crunch time. ... As for the A.P. touchdown run, I can't write much more than what's been said about it, except for: Adrian Peterson: Turning NFL defensive backs into posters since 2007. ... One more thing: Was anyone else ready to fire Brad Childress after the opening kickoff on Sunday? The only thing that made me feel at all better about that stupid decision was the Bears' decision to fake a punt deep in their own end, that didn't work and resulted in points for the Packers.

2. Hockey season is upon us. I know the Ice Hawks have been at it for almost a month, but this still doesn't feel quite right: The Wild open their preseason schedule tonight at St. Louis (and Rochester native Bryce Lampman, a d-man for the Blues). And if it's not exciting enough that the NHL season is here, the Wild may roll into this season with Petr Sykora on board. Sykora, one of the most consistent scorers in the league, is supposed to arrive in St. Paul today and have a physical tomorrow. To get a veteran like Sykora for, reportedly, $1.5 million or so, is a great addition to the roster. Even better news for the Wild: Star defenseman Brent Burns is back and appears to have fully recovered from a bad concussion he suffered in the second half of last season. Adding key free-agent signee Martin Havlat, Sykora, and the return of Burns is like adding three stars to a team that was badly lacking star-power late last season, while Burns and Marian Gaborik were both out. Oh yeah, Mikko Koivu is still here, too. Not a bad core of veterans.

3. Morneau no more. Twins fans, we want your thoughts. How concerned should the Twins be about their former MVP, Justin Morneau? He's a 30-home run, 100-RBI guy who has struggled at the end of the past two seasons. Now he's done for the season because of a back injury. Does he need more rest during the regular season? Is it a mental thing? Whatever the case, the Twins need to figure out a way to help Morneau stay healthy and hitting well during August and September, or there will be many more seasons like last year and this year -- the Twins will hang in the race in a weak division down the stretch, but won't have enough left in the tank to make the postseason. And is it time for the Joe Crede experiment to end? He's solid when healthy, but it doesn't do the team much good if Crede breaks down during the final weeks of the season.

Daily 3: A total smorgasbord

PHERSY: Where in the world is Feldy? Actually, I know the answer to that question ... he's been all over the season preview map. The good news is I believe Feldy wraps up his world-wide tour of high school sports today, with his last previews running at the end of the week. That should mean Feldy will be able to breathe again soon. I'm actually surprised he hasn't checked in just to gloat ... I mean, he did tie me last week in the high school football picks, and for him, that's a moral victory.

Anyway, here's a little daily three action to get you talking on a hump day (is it still a hump day if you didn't have to work on Monday???):

1. Adam Weber is the devil.  OK, so I haven't had a chance to vent about Mr. Weber here on Faceoff yet. Of course, I already vented Saturday to anyone who was unfortunate enough to have their phone number in my cell phone. I texted everyone on the planet to let them know how frustrated I was with Mr. Weber. I said before the season I felt that Weber should be on the bench and MarQueis Gray should be starting for the Gophers. I think many people thought I was a fool when I wrote that, basically asking for a two-year starter to be benched. But I'd say many people started agreeing with me Saturday, when Weber was awful (I know a certain P-B sports writer is finally on board with the "bench Weber" business). Now Tim-Tim is trying to feed us the positive, that Weber made the throws he needed to on that final drive. Well, where was he the rest of the game? The fact is, the kid still can't go through progressions. He locks on to one receiver all the time, and it drives me insane. His inaccuracy last week was the icing on the crud cake. If last week had been a home game, is there any doubt that Weber would have been benched at halftime because he would have been booed off the field? Anyway, I'm done venting. Bench Weber!!!

2. Twins are dead, again.  If you didn't figure it out for yourself, last week's Faceoff column was written before the Twins (Joe Nathan) blew that 2-0 lead in the ninth inning against the White Sox. Heading into that game, I was Mr. Positive. I felt like the Twins were on their way. They were winning close games and getting it done with their entire lineup, not just the superstars. The pitching staff was coming around, and the bullpen wasn't blowing close leads. Then Nathan blew the game against the White Sox, and the season took a turn back to negative town. I'd say last night's loss made it official. The Tigers are playing too well right now, and the Twins aren't playing well enough to win the division. So, now what? The front office better get ready to spend some money this offseason. Yeah, the new ballpark will be filled next season regardless, but if they don't start showing their commitment to the fan base, that new stadium honeymoon won't last long.

3. Purple pride???  The Vikings open this weekend on the road at the lowly Cleveland Browns. So is everyone jacked up? I'm anxious for the NFL to start, but I'm much more excited about the Gophers home opener on Saturday. OK, so I'm not saying I won't watch every second of the Vikings game. But I'm just more into the Gophers and college football right now than the NFL. Yeah, that Ego Boy who's calling the shots for the Vikings (not Chili) has something to do with it. Other than the fact that it's the season opener, what will you all be watching for this weekend? Will the o-line play better? Will AP run for 200 yards? How many sacks will Jared Allen have? Will someone snap off Ego Boy's legs?

Daily 3: A mixed bag

PHERSY:I'm up early, heading out to watch the Ice Hawks scrimmage against the Mass. Maple Leafs, so I figured I'd check in with a quick Daily 3 to get you all talking this morning. Hopefully Feldy gets out of bed at some point this morning and checks in.

No. 1 -- I'm on the Brett Favre bandwagon.  HAHAHAHAHA! I'm totally kidding. I don't care if he starts the season off with 30 consecutive touchdowns; I'll never be on the Brett Favre bandwagon. For people who can stomach Favre, he provided an improved performance last night against Houston. Favre was bad again in the first quarter and for much of the second quarter. But he kicked it in gear at the end of the first half. My two major concerns from last night ... penalties and the offensive line. That unit still isn't coming together, even though the left side of the line looks great. From center over to right tackle, it's been a struggle. And are we becoming the Raiders with all of these penalties? Time to lock it up Chili!

No. 2 -- Don't look now, but the Twins are coming!!!  The Twins won again last night, and it officially signaled the end of the White Sox season. Not only did Chicago lose, but it traded away Jim Thome to the Dodgers. They've put up the white flag, and it's perfect timing for the Twins. Twins win, Detroit loses. It was a nice night for Twins fans. And that pitching staff is finally coming around.

No. 3 -- Ricky Rubio says he's playing in Spain this year, not with the Wolves.  Hmm, I'm assuming this can't be good news. I think we all knew this was a good possibility. I guess I just hoped it wouldn't happen, and somehow Rubio would be wearing a Wolves uniform this year, giving the few remaining Wolves fans something about which to get excited. But I guess not ... looks like another fun season at Target Center. So what do the Wolves do? Trade Rubio's rights? Keep working to bring him here? Or do nothing and just hope he's here in a year or two?

Today's 3: The 'It feels so(rta) good to be back' edition

FELDY: First off, happy belated b-day to Phersy! He turned 57 on Wednesday, yet he somehow still has about 35 years until he can retire. Go figure.

Also, Brad Childress just announced on KFAN that Sage Rosenfels will start for our Purple tonight in an August preview of February's Super Bowl. OK, OK, that's stretching it a bit. We all know that next Friday's game at the Metrodome is probably the real Super Bowl Preview, when Kansas City Comes to town.

Back to Rosenfels in a bit, but first I'll say it's so(rta) good to be back after Mrs. Feldy and I took a nice long vacation, sipping umbrella drinks on the beach and watching the ocean while Toddler Feldy played in the sand. ... OK, now that is stretching the truth. We were actually at Mrs. Feldy's parents cattle ranch in middle-of-nowhere western South Dakota. For some reason, our silver van didn't fit in with all the hogs at the Sturgis bike rally.

Lots of stuff to catch up on:

3. Ice Hawks open camp today! Phersy posted this yesterday, but hockey season is upon us! The Rochester Ice Hawks open their training camp today, with what amounts to a three-day invitation-only tryout camp. Get out to the scrimmages this weekend if you need your hockey fix (6:30 tonight and Saturday; 10:30 a.m. Sunday).

2. Vikes QB competition still clear as mud. As mentioned earlier, coach Brad Childress said this morning that Sage Rosenfels will start tonight's preseason opener against Indianapolis. It sounds like Rosenfels has ever-so-slightly outplayed T-Jack so far in training camp. From the three camp practices I watched in Mankato, I can't say I was really impressed with either QB. T-Jack clearly has the stronger arm, Rosenfels looks a little more polished and poised. Still, both threw plenty of quacking ducks and rarely hit on any deep balls over the past two weeks. Watching some 7-on-7 drills earlier this week, both T-Jack and Sage were quickly checking down to RBs coming out of the backfield ... in a 7-on-7 drill where THERE IS NO PASS RUSH! I supposed judgement should be held until we see at least a couple of preseason games, but with a true competition going for the starting job, you'd think one of these guys would step up and seize the opportunity.

1. Mike Vick's an Eagle. Thankfully he didn't end up in purple. I've made my disdain for Vick quite clear before. I'm not buying a word of his apologies. "I was naive," he says. "If I can help more animals than I hurt, I'm doing my part," he says. Please. It's easy to sit at a press conference and sound apologetic. The guy's a thug. He's not sorry for the torture and cruel deaths he made so many dogs suffer through. He's sorry he got caught. Now he's making millions again with the Eagles. Disgusting. If Vick really wants to SHOW that he's changing (and not just talk about it), maybe he should take most (or all) of his $1.6 million salary this season and give it to humane socities. How much good do you think that money would do for humane socities?

Bonus T3. The Twins ... what the heck? Hopefully Minnesota's front office geniuses are sitting up and taking notice of what a waste of a season this is becoming for our favorite ball club. Three summers ago when it was announced that the Twins would get a new stadium, we heard Jerry Bell and others come and say they would be putting much more money into their payroll. In fact, that payroll has DECREASED by about $20 million. Sticking that $20 million back into the payroll this offseason would be a good start, and should be the bare minimum that Twins fans will accept heading into 2010 and that beautiful new park in downtown Minneapolis.$20 million can improve your starting rotation and your bullpen dramatically. When the state's taxpayers are sitting in the new park that they paid for, they shouldn't have to watch Class AA ballplayers trot out in a big league uniform. No more call-ups from New Britain to solve big problems. Fix the roster, Bill Smith, or you're gonna get the same heat (and more) that your manager is getting now.

The Daily 3: It's Tuesday!

PHERSY:Feldy's back in town, but I know he was out at Vikings training camp yesterday, and I spent most of the day at Hazeltine, watching the first practice round for the PGA Championship, which begins Thursday. So here's a few talkers to get you guys going on this fine Tuesday morning:

No. 1 -- Vikings QB situation cooling down.I received only one text message from Feldy yesterday while he was at Vikings training camp, and it read "the quarterbacks look like garbage." That's not good news for a team many believe is a quarterback away from making the Super Bowl. Feldy wants them to get on the phone and bug Mr. Favre again, but I think they should still stay far, far away from that guy. What about Mike Vick? Calling him would have to involve the worst-case scenario, and I think they're still too early into camp to make that call. Hopefully, the QBs were just having a bad day or were just nervous because Feldy was watching them.

No. 2 -- Minnesotans love their golf.Hazeltine was packed yesterday, even more than it was on the first day back in 2002. I didn't get up there early enough to see Tiger Woods, who teed off at 6:45 a.m. Rumor is that by the time Tiger made the turn more than 15,000 people were following his group. That's just insane for a practice round. The Tiger hype is well deserved. It's going to be an interesting week. Hazeltine is set up super tough, but everything is still very wet up there from the weekend rain, so the greens were very receptive. If it doesn't rain again before Thursday, that will keep scores up. But if it's too soft, I can see these guys going low (it might take -10 to win if it stays wet). Mrs. Phersy and I just kind of roamed the grounds yesterday, checking out the practice green and driving range and then heading out on the course and watching some of the groups. Who was playing well? No. 1 for me was Jerry Kelly. He was playing by himself, but he was sticking everything tight, flying it right at the pins. He might be my darkhorse pick. Other than that, we watched Anthony Kim, Jim Furyk, Adam Scott, Luke Donald and many others who took over the course on Monday. It was a lot of fun ... we even saw Feldy's favorite golfer Brandt Snedeker. I didn't get the chance to ask him if he had a message for Feldy or not.

No. 3 -- Are the Twins dead? I think it's a fair question at this point. The Twins went into that Detroit series knowing they really needed to take two out of three from the division leaders. But they couldn't do it. They're slipping further and further back in the standings. And I just don't know if they have the firepower or the pitching to get it done. The Twins get the Royals starting today at the Dome. Hopefully they can turn it around.

The today 3: Where's Feldy?

PHERSY: Well, in case you haven't figured it out yet ... Feldy's out of town, on vacation all week. He's hiding in a secret location, though maybe many of you didn't notice since we're not exactly as regular as we should be here on Faceoff. But we're ready to get back into the swing of high school sports here at the PB, so that means will have plenty to write about. Here's a quick "daily" 3 for you, a few tidbits to get you talking around the water cooler (does anyone really have a water cooler in their office?) on a lovely Wednesday.

No. 1 -- Judge rules the Williams wall can play. A Minnesota judge ruled today that Kevin and Pat Williams can play in the NFL this season. Sort of. The ruling basically is pending review by a panel of judges, to determine whether federal laws or state laws should be the final determining factor in this case. And really, I don't get any of this legal lingo ... I'm definitely not that smart! Read the story for yourself, and see what you think. Seems like great news to me. With the Williams wall ready to rock, that Vikings defense should be solid once again in 2009.

No. 2 -- Twins deliver another consistent performance. Our good old Minnesota Twins continue to be super consistent, drubbing the Cleveland Indians last night 10-1. Remember, this comes after being absolutely drubbed by the Angels over the weekend ... I guess they're back!! Well, at least for one night. Franc Liriano is on the hill tonight, so the Twins' one-game winning streak could be in trouble. Liriano is 4-10 this season with a 5.56 ERA. Those numbers aren't pretty, but the Twins have no choice at this point but to keep trotting out Liriano, no matter how bad it gets.

No. 3 -- UFC 101 is this Saturday. As usual, the Phersy household will be hosting a little UFC get-together with our friends, so it's time to start making some predictions for Saturday's UFC 101. B.J. Penn will defend his lightweight title against "The Running Man" Kenny Florian. I don't see any way for Florian to beat Penn, though I'm sure KenFlo will have a great game plan for running around the cage, avoiding damage. So I'll definitely take Penn in the main event. The other huge fight on this card puts Anderson Silva in the cage in a light heavyweight fight against Forrest Griffin. Silva is the UFC's middlweight champ, and Griffin is the former light heavyweight champion. It's an interesting matchup. I love Forrest, but he's a little too wild for Anderson. The Spider will win by second-round KO.

The Daily 3: The 'We're not all this exciting' edition

FELDY: I usually hate it when sports reporters, and newspaper/TV/radio reporters in general, become the story rather than the ones telling it. But two of the three D3 items today are about sports reporters becoming the story. The No. 3 item doesn't really fit, but we can't expect three sports reporters to make news in one day can we?

3. Kenechi Udeze to hang up the cleats. That Kenechi Udeze even was able to come close to returning to the NFL is an amazing story. That he apparently has ended his comeback and decided to retire shouldn't be a sad day; his battle with lukemia and his recovery from it, should be celebrated.

2. Mets reporter called out by GM. New York Daily News sports reporter Adam Rubin showed up at the Mets brand new CitiField on MOnday expecting to report on a press conference where GM Omar Minaya was going to fire Mets vice president of baseball operations Tony Bernezard. Instead, Rubin ended up being the subject most talked about after the press conference. Rubin wrote more than one story leading up to Bernazard's dismissal, detailing how overbearing and rude Bernazard was to Mets employees, players and minor-leaguers. Minaya claimed that Rubin was trying to bad-mouth Bernazard in order to get his foot in the door for a front-office job with the Mets. ... It didn't take long for other New York reporters and columnists to take the gloves off and commence bashing of Minaya. Such as this one. This one is quite entertaining. Tuesday, Rubin explained his side and made Minaya look even dumber or dumberer.

1. New Hampshire sports writer ran prostitution ring. I can guarantee you most sports reporters aren't smart enough to even think of something like this. But, the good news is, it looks like a job covering an American Hockey League team will be opening up at the New Hampshire Union Leader! Just kidding, boss. I like it here. And I know nothing about running a prostitution ring.

The Daily 3: The 'non-sports sports sports' edition

FELDY: Since it's a relatively slow sports time for the next few days, I thought I'd search the news wires a bit, and there are a few things that I just can't believe didn't happen in Sconnie.

3. I know a lot of guys think it's funny to refer to a snake in their pants, but this dude in Connecticut was actually driving with TWO SNAKES in his pants pockets.

2. I've always thought it would be cool to drive a monster truck, but I've never really had the desire to get struck by one, nor to have it bury me in mud.

1. I guess if you're going to get car-jacked, this is the way to have it happen. At least for the guys out there.

The Daily 3: The 'Time to go camping' edition

FELDY: It's 9:10 a.m., is it nap time yet? For all my fellow "Office Space" fans, I think I have a case of the Mondays. ... The good news is that football season is finally here! Some teams have opened training camp already, while all four NFC North teams open late this week. The Vikings, Bears and Lions are set to hold their first practices on Friday, while the Packers will open on Saturday. So how about an all-NFC North D3 today?

3. Should the Lions throw Matthew Stafford into the fire? Considering that their next best option is Daunte Culpepper, the answer might be a resounding "yes." But, I didn't think Daunte was as bad the past two seasons (first in Oakland, then in Detroit) as everyone else seemed to think. Sure, he looks like he's on the Pat Williams diet plan, but Culpepper still moved fairly well for weighing 280 (or maybe 290 ...or maybe 300?). And he still throws a decent ball. I know the Lions have a new head coach who probably wants to make a splash, but he should let Stafford sit for a season, learn about life in the NFL, then step in as the starter in Year 2, or maybe late this season. Yes, the Falcons turned things around last year with Matt Ryan (ditto for the Ravens and Joe Flacco), but this is the Lions we're talking about. Stafford --nor any QB for that matter -- is not going to take this team from 0-16 to the playoffs in one season.

2. While we're on the subject of that disastrous Lions team, its head coach, Rod Marinelli, is now the defensive line/assistant head coach with the Chicago Bears. That should make Bears fans feel better. The addition of QB Jay Cutler is a nice one, but I still wonder who is he going to throw it to? RB Matt Forte is a very good pass-catcher, but how long can you rely on your top RB to be your top receiver? Young TE Greg Olsen might also fill this role, but let's be honest, did the Bears make a whopper of a trade for Cutler so he could throw to his tight end all day? That's what they had Kyle Orton for. The Bears have just two receivers -- Devin Hester and Rashied Davis -- who have more than 7 career NFL receptions. Of course, if the defense struggles, it may not matter who Cutler is throwing to.

1. Is moving Kampman good for Green Bay. I had forgotten about this (I try to forget everything Packers related during the offseason), but Green Bay is making a rather dramatic shift on defense this year. With the addition of new defensive coordinator Dom Capers, the Packers are going to a 3-4 defense. That means star defensive end Aaron Kampman will become an outside linebacker. I know there a handful of Packers rubes who read Faceoff, and I'd like to know what green and gold-bleeding rubes think about the 3-4 and Kampman switching spots. I mean, why move a guy who has become one of the premier hand-on-the-ground players in the NFL? Seems like a bit of a gamble, considering Kampman is just 29 and he's in the last year of his contract.

The two days in a row 3: Phersy says

PHERSY: Nah-nah-nah-boo-boo, I beat Feldy to the "Daily" 3 again today. He's going to stomp into the office any minute now and yell at me. Anyway, here goes nothing ...

No. 1 -- Yet another UND player arrested: Sorry Feldy, I had to put this one on the list (and I like it at No. 1). Ex-UND "star" (and by star, I mean the really tall kid who skated slow and played defense) Joe Finley was arrested at 3 a.m. Tuesday for "throwing so many objects from a residential garage that traffic had to be halted." Read the rest of the story here ... it's a good one! Just typical activity from that UND program. They're starting to become college hockey's version of the Iowa Hawkeyes. I'm sure Feldy will come back with the "but there's nothing else to do in North Dakota" excuse. It's valid, of course. I guess the real question is ... who's next???

No. 2 -- Mike Vick is out of federal custody: Michael Vick is officially out of federal custody now. Vick is meeting with commish Roger Goodell in an attempt to be reinstated by the NFL. He'd like to play football again, hopefully this year. Now Feldy, I know you've been completely against Vick ever playing in the league again. But I'm wondering if you still take that stance? Feldy's a huge dog guy, and so am I. Still, I think Vick has served his time, and really, we can't ask for too much more. We can still choose to dislike him and detest what he did, but I think he should be allowed to play football again. Of course, that's going to be left up to Goodell. At least Vick's not Donte Stallworth, who drove drunk and killed a man (by the way, he served a fraction of the time Vick did, which is equally disgusting).

No. 3 -- Tom Watson would need an exemption to play in the PGA Championship at Hazeltine: Golf's feel-good story of the summer, Tom Watson, is not among the automatic qualifiers for next month's PGA Championship at Hazeltine. Watson would need an exemption from the PGA to get into the event. My question is ... should he receive one? I think most people would immediately snap back "Heck yes!! He was one shot away from winning the British Open." But personally, I don't think Watson should receive an exemption. Why? Because there is absolutely no chance he can contend at Hazeltine. The course is way, way too long for him, and the setup is brutal and favors the longer hitters. Yes, a short hitter like Rich Beem won the thing last time, but the course is even longer now. I think it would take a miracle for Watson to even make the cut, and as much as I love seeing him do well, I'd rather not watch him struggle on a course like Hazeltine. All that said, he'll probably get the invite. I'll be turning the other way. 

 

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FELDY: Geez, Phersy, quit stepping on my bit! Plus, you're supposed to count 'em down 3-2-1, so the top story's at the end. Build our reader's (yes, just one) excitement up as he prepares to see what's No. 1. Plus, two days in a row on Faceoff, Phersy! I'm impressed. I think this is the most consecutive days you've been on here since March!

 

1. Have you ever been to North Dakota, Phersy? There really is nothing else to do in non-puck season other than sit around with a cooler full of beer and talk about the price of sugar beets. Plus, don't link to the weak Star Tribune story, link to the story in the Grand Forks paper (it's right here), which actually makes this all even funnier. Finley might be the most recognizable person in the city, yet he told cops that he was someone else! That'd be like Randy Moss telling the traffic cop he ran over that he was really Ed McDaniel. Plus, we Sioux fans don't claim Finley as ours anyway. He was terrible most of the time at UND and he's a cake-eater from Edina. We know those kids do whatever they want anyway.

 

2. As for Vick, the fact that I'm a dog guy is only part of the reason I think Goodell should slap him with a steep penalty, maybe a one- or two-year ban from the league. I'll back off my ban-him-for-life stance because, yes, he has served his prison time. Still, Vick sat in a meeting with Goodell, face-to-face, before any of the charges against Vick became public, and lied to the NFL Commissioner. Goodell let Pacman Jones get away that crap too often. He can't let Vick get away with it. ... Also, when/if Vick does return to the NFL, who's going to want him? Who wants to deal with that PR nightmare? And if he ever ends up in purple, that's it for me. I'll find a new color jersey to wear. Or maybe I'll follow Denny Green and become a big UFL fan.

 

3. Agreed 100 percent with you, Phersy. If that had been any other golfer who lost in the playoff to Stewart Cink, there would be little to no clamoring for a PGA Championship exemption. Watson was a great story, but he can't hit the ball long enough to come close to winning at Hazeltine. And the way Rich Beem plays, I'll be shocked if he makes the cut.