For instance, the time Kyrylo Fesenko raked his face and sent him to the floor. And the time Matt Harpring delivered a choke hold on a drive.

Plus a few other times when James ended up getting mugged by the Jazz on Saturday.

Of course, there are those who think he is not only a wonderful player, but a first-rate actor.

Not having been to drama school, or played in the NBA, Rock On wouldn't know anything about that.

Asked about the contact against the Jazz, James said, "It happens every game ... and I haven't missed a game yet. I'm all right."

That's good, 'cause Jazz fans wouldn't want him thinking they consider him a prima donna or anything.

Atmospheric conditions

Speaking of James, he went on to call Salt Lake City "a great place to play. Their fans love them, they show them great support every time they step on the floor. It's always great to play in an environment like this."

He must not have noticed the inversion over the city last week.

Extenuating circumstances

When Mark McGwire testified before Congress in 2005 about steroid use in baseball, he insisted he didn't want to talk about the past.

Seems his brother has no such qualms.

Jay McGwire is reportedly shopping a manuscript titled "The McGwire Family Secret: The Truth about Steroids, a Slugger and Ultimate Redemption."

Couldn't he have made the book title a little longer?

Why not add, "An Inside Look at What My Brother Did to Hit All Those Dingers. Was he Juiced? All I Know is What I See. And I See a Lot. Trust Me."

The younger McGwire says his brother began using 'roids in 1994. According to published reports, the manuscript reads: "Mark is a man I think most would like to forgive because his reason wasn't nefarious -- it was for survival."

Oh, we get it. It wasn't cheating. Or selfishness. Or ego.

It was for survival.

Sort of like Barry Bonds.

The party's over

The Utes' Sugar Bowl victory has finally faded into the sunset. Hopefully.

Enough already!

There was the triumphant return to the airport. Then the parade downtown. And the intro at the Ute Basketball game. And the intro at the Jazz game. And the meet and greet.

Kinda makes you wonder if they're going to keep this going until next fall.

Tell you what. Rock On won't bring up the Sugar Bowl anymore if people will stop bringing up Barack Obama's election victory.

In both cases, let's just say it was special, take a deep breath, and move ahead.

But wait. Did we mention the historical significance? E-mail: rock@desnews.com