Ric Bucher Gets No Big Love From Angry Jazz Fans

ESPN's NBA sideline yapper Ric Bucher will most likely not be invited to any Church of Latter Day Saints picnics anytime soon. During an ESPN radio interview with Colin Cowherd, Bucher suggested that the reason Utah was one of the the toughest places to play was because their fans are so pent-up and frustrated because, you know, they're Mormons:

"They are Mormons, and they are in Salt Lake, and there is nothing else there. You know, you gotta smile and be happy all the time. This is the one opportunity for people to get vicious."

Pretty harmless, really, but when the radio show is broadcast in the Salt Lake area, you're going to get some static. Jazz fans and clean-living polygamists alike were so pissed they forced both Bucher and ESPN to apologize.

Bucher contritely said afterwards, "I regret making that connection and apologize to anyone of the Mormon faith for having done so. And that all citizens of Salt Lake City will find it in their hearts to welcome me as hospitably as they have in the past."

Apparently, Bucher's not doing any of the NBA playoff games this weekend and is being replaced by Holly Rowe, who according to Sports Media Watch, hasn't done any NBA games at all this year. Perhaps this is the WWL's quiet disciplinary tactics, or they're just fearful of wild-eyed Mormons charging out of the stands like starved zombies to attack Bucher. Better to be safe, than having his brain eaten on air.

Bucher Plays The Mormon Card [Sports Media Watch]