I can't wait for the Olympics to be over so I can stop caring about team handball.

I think some Republicans are getting nervous about Mia Love’s campaign.

I’ve been told that some prominent Republicans have suggested that Orrin Hatch campaign manager Dave Hansen take over Love’s campaign in order to right the ship. Hansen tells me that he hasn’t heard that yet, and would be very loath to jump ship because he “still has a lot of work to do” on Hatch’s campaign.

Love’s problems are starting to build a bit. Two polls show Jim Matheson with double-digit leads over Love. The only saving grace for her is Matheson is just over 50%, not somewhere around 60. That suggests this race is still winnable for her, but time is running out.

A veteran Republican strategist tells me he thinks the biggest problems for the Love campaign are a lack of message and too much celebrity.

They say Love really hasn’t come up with a message yet to let voters know why she should replace Matheson and they haven’t figured out who to send that message to. Their advice? Find those voters who support both Mitt Romney and Jim Matheson - that should be enough to get her over the 50% mark.

There’s also a feeling Love is getting caught up in the celebrity surrounding her campaign. She’s on TV all the time and getting tons of attention. That Republican strategist says there’s a lot of motion around her campaign, but not a lot of progress - and it’s easy to confuse the two.

If Republicans can’t beat Matheson this year, they likely won’t ever win - and then they’ll have to deal with him if he decides to run for another office down the line...perhaps Governor?

I think it’s bizarre that the Outdoor Retailers have more political pull in this state than the Democratic party.

Last week the Outdoor Retailers Industry threatened to pull their lucrative trade show from Salt Lake City over Gov. Herbert’s plans to try and wrest control of public lands in the state from the federal government.

That ultimatum got tons of attention. Why? Because it carried weight.

I find it hard to imagine Democrats being able to make Republicans stand up and take notice with any sort of threat like that.

I think last week’s press conference about Hill Air Force Base showed just what’s wrong with Peter Cooke’s campaign.

Peter Cooke, former general, wanted to highlight his assertion that his military background would allow him to protect the future of Hill Air Force Base better than Gary Herbert. That makes sense.

So, what are the optics you’d like to present? Maybe a press conference at Hill Air Force base. Something recognizable in the background or at least a sign for the base visible.

That’s what Cooke wanted to do. Where did they end up? At an abandoned gas station down the road from the base because they were chased off of the Hill AFB property twice.

That’s embarrassing. In fact one staffer with the Cooke campaign told me it’s indicative of a sort of dysfunction within the campaign.

Did anyone from Cooke’s campaign call ahead to confirm that it was okay to hold that press conference at Hill? No.

Cooke’s media spokesperson Jan Hemming says they had a staffer who “based on past experience” thought it was okay to hold the press conference outside of the base.

Maybe picking up the phone next time might be a prudent course of action.

I think the outpouring of support for Chick-Fil-A did more for Mitt Romney’s campaign than anything he’s done so far this year.

Last week conservatives packed Chick-Fil-A restaurants across the country to show their support for the restaurant chain’s stance opposing same-sex marriage. The Republican base rallied to the cause of chicken more than any other event this year so far.

What does this mean? Quite a few conservatives still have an appetite for the culture war. Romney’s relentless focus on the economy really isn’t hitting the mark with the most fervent of Republican supporters.

Will Romney bring the culture war into the 2012 campaign? Probably not. But it’s telling that same-sex marriage and chicken was more exciting than Romney’s economic message.

I think I’m extremely proud of my daughter.

Kari Schott is one of three goalkeepers to make the Jordan High School girls soccer team.

She’ll mostly play on the JV this year, but that’s quite an accomplishment for a freshman.

Here’s a picture of her taken by the incomparable Michael Schoenfeld.

Stay tuned to this space for updates on the season.

Parting thought: “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you. ” ~ Pericles