Before I moved to the sports department and became a sportswriter, and now an editor and columnist, I experienced a myriad of emotions on the cops beat.
I was on the scene of major drug busts, and I knocked on the door of an alleged child molester. However, after the Fiesta Bowl, I got to see a truly "shocking" event: rabid Utah fans trying to charge onto the field at Sun Devil Stadium and said fans being lit up by ASU Department of Public Safety officers and their Tasers.
I suppose that after the swarm of about 200 fans -- possibly drunk and definitely blinded by the 28-point win -- attempted to tear down a fence and charge the field, officers had no choice, as they reportedly zapped two-dozen Ute supporters.
"It [expletive] hurt for no [expletive] reason," said James Taylor, a handcuffed Utah fan. "I just hopped a fence."
I am a huge fan of fans charging the field/court/pitch for a major victory -- yes, even the watered-down Fiesta Bowl counts as a major win -- but I don't feel sorry for the shocked. The cops were just doing their job.
Welcome to the big leagues, Utah. Not many fan bases can claim that ASU DPS officers allegedly assaulted them. I just hope this is a club I never get a chance to join.
Other bowl notes
I spoke briefly with ASU athletic director Gene Smith at halftime of the Fiesta Bowl. He was still pretty excited about ASU's 27-23 win over Purdue in the Sun Bowl. Despite the victory, Smith and most of the ASU community would have preferred a trip to the Holiday Bowl.
If the Sun Devils had gone to the Holiday Bowl and if California had gone to the Rose Bowl instead of Texas, ASU would have pulled in an extra half-million dollars, Smith said.
"It was a big loss for us," said Smith, who added that ASU should be able to balance its budget by the end of the fiscal year.
Reliable sources have told me that Andrew Walter, the catalyst of ASU's success this season, held up a flight returning home from El Paso to sign autographs and take pictures with admirers. Walter did not play in the game because of a separated shoulder that he suffered in the regular-season finale against UA.
I'm not sure what the fans were thinking. They should have been holding up the plane for sophomore sensation Sam Keller, who led ASU to the comeback victory.
The Tao of Zow is the weekly column of assistant sports editor Jeff Hoodzow. If you have any questions, comments or rumors to report, please feel free to e-mail him atTaoofZow@gmail.com.
