Almost NBA basketball played in Utah with Jimmer and the Jazz

Doug and Marilyn Pearce, of Taylorsville, had Jazz season-tickets for 15 years before it became too expensive and too time-consuming to keep getting them. They're admittedly bothered by the lockout, feeling that the fans are the ones who've been left out in the cold while billionaire owners fight over the almighty dollar with millionaire players.

"The players and the owners don't want to have a meeting of the minds, and the fans are the ones who take the brunt of it all," Marilyn Pearce said.

"The fans support it all and they're left out of it all. They're not even in on the whole deal.

"We love basketball; we love the sport."

Their grandson, 11-year-old Tristen Madsen, had a chance to attend the Jimmer Camp and Wesley Matthews' camp, and the youngster won the 3-point shootout at the Jimmer Camp. He got a chance to meet Fredette and Matthews, and his grandparents were very impressed with the way he was treated by the hoop stars.

"Those guys had a little bit to do with why we're here," Doug Pearce said.

"We took our grandson to Jimmer's camp and he was just a great kid. And we see Ronnie Price around a little bit and we like him, too. There's some real nice kids out there."

And, unfortunately, they're all waiting for the lockout to end so they can get back to work — in NBA games that matter.

email: rhollis@desnews.com