Prayer Pays Off For Jazz Faithful Tavern Patrons Find Bliss At Last

Chopper is eating his knees.

At least, that’s what it looks like, as he grabs his head and leans over his bony legs, praying his team to a victory over the evil Chicago Bulls. His voice is a scratched record, raw and repetitive.

“Go Johnny!” he yells. “Go Jazz!”

Or maybe, “Defense, defense, defense, defense!”

He is trying to preserve something here, a large yet vulnerable lead in Game 3 of the NBA Finals that could vanish in a fast-break blitz at the hands of Jordan and Co.

Clark Chapman, 47, is president of the local Utah Jazz Fan Club. But at Jack and Dan’s Tavern he is Chopper, a man who roots for John Stockton but who has his own cheering section in the corner.

And this bar, partly owned by Stockton’s father, hopped like brewing beer on Friday night. High-fives hit a million as Stockton nails free throw after free throw, sealing the first win over the Bulls.

With 36.8 seconds left and an eight-point lead, Chopper finally takes off his sunglasses and hangs them on his Jazz T-shirt. He folds his arms over his chest, his jaw pounding his gum like a jackhammer.

Only then does he start shaking hands, pointing fingers, slapping knees, victory assured. He doesn’t really want to do interviews unless Johnny’s involved.

“We’re not talking about Chopper,” Chopper says.

“We’re talking about the Jazz. We’re talking about one game at a time. Brother Johnny says we’re taking it one game at a time, and that’s what we’re gonna do.”

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