Oklahoma City Sonics

"But we didn't buy the team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come here," Aubrey McClendon, chief executive of Chesapeake Energy, told The Journal Record for a story in Monday's edition.

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I'm a Blazers fan, and I hate the Sonics ownership. Only a true bunch of morons could come into a city, and hold one of their professional sports teams hostage so they can get a $300 million gift from taxpayers. I hope you're happy with your team and the a**hole owners that come with it, OKC. Oklahoma City is a great basketball city and they deserve a team. An expansion team. It's just such a shame that it looks like Kevin Durant can't get his career going in one of the greatest cities in the world.

Of course, both the Seahawks and Mariners got their way with new stadiums, so why not the Sonics? I'll tell you why. Because the city of Seattle should support any ownership group except for these pricks. Make David Stern man up and admit it was a mistake to sell a team to an Oklahoma City owner. I'm personally looking forward to the league losing millions because of this move, followed by the glorious arrival of the Seattle Hornets!! Hooray...

It may very well be that the future pride of professional Northwest basketball is a goofy man-child who likes ice cream.

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Edit: I'm surprised I forgot to mention that the Premiership season got off to an excellent start for my Reds, with Liverpool beating Aston Villa 2-1 (and a well-deserved SportsCenter top play appearance for Steven Gerrard). Also, Manchester United played to a 0-0 draw with Reading that featured Wayne Rooney breaking his foot. More proof that Jesus hates the Yankees and Man U.

John McLaren is the New Doba

John McLaren and Bill Doba are great guys. They are the kind of people you want as next door neighbors, and, considering their age, grandfathers. But both men have one overriding strength that is also their greatest weakness - loyalty.

McLaren's loyalty to veterans like Raul Ibanez and Richie Sexson may cost the M's down the stretch. Adam Jones is too good a player to stash on the bench forever and Ben Broussard is hitting like we wish Richie would. Doba's loyalty to his coaching staff and his players has led to questionable decisions and defensive meltdowns over the past three years. It is possible that both could still turn out to be winners this year. And needless to say we're hoping they have success. But is it realistic that the Mariners can get a postseason spot? That the Cougs can make a bowl game?

Let's hope nice guys don't finish last.

Some Help From the Worldwide Leader

From the Spokesman-Review Sportslink:

According to athletic director Jim Sterk, the Cougars are still looking for an opponent in Seattle on Aug. 30, after an agreement with the University of Utah was cancelled by mutual agreement.

Sterk said ESPN is helping to arrange a new opponent and the game would be televised nationally. The other two non-conference games are road trips to Baylor and Hawaii.

Good news for the Cougs (if you like the Seattle game), as a decent opponent for the Seattle game needs to arrive soon to keep the yearly event alive. Unfortunately, part of the agreement is that ESPN will air a 5 minute segment during the game where Adam Sandler and that fat guy from the King of Queens debate "Who's more NOW?: Michael Bumpus or Brandon Gibson?". Also, Buster Olney will report from the sidelines about how the 2008 Yankees will be the best team ever in the history of sports.

But I digress. Added to the 2008 schedule is Nike Portland State. Go ahead, cower in fear of the Big Sky conference and the color black!

Here We Go Again

Only a couple days into training camp and special teams rears its ugly, ugly head for the 2007 Cougars. Two notes from the Seattle times:

The Cougars will have a new long snapper this year for extra points and field goals because junior Pete Hill didn't return because of a chronic knee problem. The candidates to replace him are Tony Thompson, the second-year punt snapper, and Zach Enyeart, redshirt freshman offensive lineman from Skyline High outside Issaquah.

Walk-on freshman kicker Wade Penner from Corvallis, Ore., was reaching the end zone with kicks. That is significant because the new yard line for kickoffs is the 30, which is 5 yards farther than last year in a move designed to have more kickoff returns rather than touchbacks. Penner is likely to redshirt because the Cougars have senior kickers in Romeen Abdollmohammadi and Loren Langley.

The first note isn't a major cause for concern, but Pete Hill was a very consistent snapper and performed well last season. His predecessor will have to do the same.

The second note makes me want to sound the alarm bells. With kickoffs being moved back this upcoming season the cougars need someone who can kick the ball deep enough to get to the endzone and high enough to avoid out-kicking the return coverage. Word is that Romeen is kicking the ball inside the 10, and if they cut the reins loose on Langley like they did a couple times last year he actually can kick it inside the 10 or to the endzone. But if Wade Penner can consistently reach the end zone, why redshirt him? The goal should be to win ball games now and not later. Granted, the experience Romeen and Langley have is important, but not so important that we should bet our special teams' lives on it.

Still, we are at a better position with kickers now than we were the last couple of years. If Romeen struggles, go to Langley, and if Langley struggles, go back to Romeen. Both are seniors and both are capable of making kicks consistently from inside the 30 (especially Romeen). The concern is that if our kickoff coverage is as poor as it was last season a lot of opponents will see their drives start from the 30, 35, or 40 yard line. Considering the recent struggles of the Cougar defense, we can't be spotting our opponents a 10-yard advantage in field position. All we can do now is hope for the best, and pray that we don't go back to squib kicks.

Optimistic, Pessimistic, Realistic: Part Two

Optimistic

The true optimist in me wants the Cougs to go 13-0. We'd win every easy game easily, and every hard game would be won in a way that gets us an ESPN Classic marathon five years from now. But let's be somewhat realistic here. This is a decent team, and with skill and a LOT of luck (read: no injuries), they can overcome depth issues and make some noise. With that in mind, here's the 2007-08 season (hone team in all caps):

9/1: WISCONSIN 27, Washington State 24: The cougs put up a good effort at Camp Randall, trailing by 3 at halftime and unable to make up the difference in the second half. Brink makes it close on a 20-yard TD pass to Brandon Gibson with 2:30 remaining, but the Badgers do run out just enough of the clock to seal it. Our offensive line is dominated but the defense makes up for it with a solid effort in the secondary.

9/8: WASHINGTON STATE 33, San Diego State 13: The cougs don't play around with the Seattle game this time. Dwight Tardy rushes for 142 yards and 3 touchdowns against an overpowered SD State team. The cougs outdraw the huskies in Seattle. Again.

9/15: WASHINGTON STATE 56, Idaho 14: Robb Akey's patented "give up the big play" defense falls victim to Michael Bumpus (2 TDs) and the cougar offense. Brink throws for 378 yards and Rogers throws 2 TDs with the game out of reach, because Akey's defenses are awful in the fourth quarter (IR, YK).

9/22: USC 35, Washington State 33. The cougs come back from 17 down in the fourth against a tired Trojan defense, only to fail on the two point conversion to tie with :09 seconds left. The play: bubble screen to Bumpus.

9/29: Washington State 21, ARIZONA 3. Snooze fest. Stoops can't coach, and 2 Brink pass TDs and 1 Tardy rush TD is enough to do in the Wildcats.

10/6: WASHINGTON STATE 41, Arizona State 35. NOW Coug nation can get excited. A legitimate upset (at home even!) against a legitimate team coached by a legitimate jackass. The Cougs are now 4-2 and staring a bowl game in the face for the second straight year

10/13: Washington State 35, OREGON 21: Winning in Autzen is never easy, but the revamped Doba defense shocks Dennis Dixon and the Oregon offense. Snoop rushes for 5 yards before getting both ACLs torn on a hit by Greg Trent (just kidding, injuries are NOT SOMETHING TO JOKE ABOUT!! (angry emoticon)).

10/27: WASHINGTON STATE 56, UCLA 50 (5 OT): Here's your ESPN classic game. Brink mans up and leads a TD scoring drive with under 2 minutes remaining to tie the Bruins at the end of regulation. Four overtimes occur with nothing but deadlocks, even an 8-8 tie in the 4th OT. Finally, in the fifth OT, the Coug defense recovers a fumble, and on the ensuing possession Jed Collins breaks loose for a 10 yard TD run. Field rushing occurs.

11/3: Washington State 35, CALIFORNIA 28. The Cougs shock the Bears on the road to become (officially) bowl eligible. Jeff Tedford dies a little inside.

11/10: WASHINGTON STATE 24, Stanford 14: Stanford puts up a surprisingly good fight, but is done in by a Michael Bumpus punt return TD with 5:04 remaining.

11/17: WASHINGTON STATE 36, Oregon State 33 (OT): The beavers' new uniforms look ridiculous, then the team looks ridiculous by managing only a FG in overtime before giving up a 25 yard Brink-to-Gibson TD pass on the Cougs first (and last) play of the extra period.

11/24: Washington State 21, WASHINGTON 20: The huskies shock the Cougs. Tied 13-13 with :45 seconds left, an Alex Brink pass is intercepted and returned for a touchdown. The huskies think they have a win until the kickoff is returned 94 yards for a touchdown by Brandon Gibson. The cougs then shock the crap out of husky stadium by faking the extra point: Alex Brink (the holder) rolls right and throws to Michael Bumpus for the win. Tyrone Willingham retires and joins the senior PGA tour.

The cougs await their bowl game with a 10-2 record and a #7 ranking. USC makes the national title game, meaning the cougs sneak into the Rose Bowl!!

Rose Bowl: 1/1: Washington State 35, Michigan 21: The Cougs stun the Big Ten champion and get revenge for the 1997 Rose Bowl game. Alex Brink throws for 375 yards and four touchdowns and is named MVP. He finally goes down in Cougar history as one of our greatest QBs and is vindicated after years of bashing from the Swogger/Rogers camp. He is then drafted #27 overall by the New Orleans Saints.

OK, maybe that's a little too optimistic.

Fall Camp Kicks Off

Ladies and gentlemen, 26 days until Cougar football.

Damage Control

Don't worry folks, Price isn't coming back (yet). Doba squashed the rumor, an action that should only surprise people above the age of 100 and below the age of 5. Even if Price and Doba are talking about a move, of course they aren't going to do anything publicly. And they'll deny, deny, and deny some more until Price and Doba actually decide what to do following this season. And don't be shocked if both stay put at their respective institutions in 2008. Right now they have their own teams to worry about and their own demons to wrestle, so rumors are just rumors until there's a press conference.

A common theme I see on the Cougfan forums is that a return of Price is "moving backwards". You mean, back to winning? Back to bowl games? How exactly is Price worse than Doba, especially when you consider Doba was a prominent member of his staff? I'd be happy with an up-and-comer taking over the cougs after Doba, but I'd also be just fine with Price. As long as the coach has class and wins ball games they should be welcome. And how can we fault Price for leaving? If someone gave you a million, or even a $100,000 dollar raise to leave your job for a new one, wouldn't you take it? Yes, it was disloyal. Yes, he shouldn't have coached the Rose Bowl. Now let's forgive and move on. And truly moving on means finding the best predecessor to Doba when the time comes. And that may very well be Mike Price.

Mariner news: John McLaren's lineups are a sign of absolute incompetence. I can't begin to tell you what's wrong with this:

1. Ichiro, DH
2. Vidro, 2B
3. Guillen, RF
4. Broussard, 1B
5. Beltre, 3B
6. Ibanez, LF
7. Jones, CF
8. Burke, C
9. Betancourt, SS

OK, who should be DH more often: Raul Ibanez or Ichiro? Can't we have a great defensive outfield for just one game? Jones-Ichiro-Guillen should be common sense on days like these. Then you have the disaster waiting to happen (Jose Vidro) at second base, and hitting second to help increase the team's GIDP totals. Here's how I would lineup the Mariners, based totally on performance this season:

vs. RHP (OPS in parentheses)

1 Ichiro CF (.842)
2 Broussard 1B (.805)
3 Beltre 3B (.827)
4 Ibanez LF (.753)
5 Vidro DH (.745)
6 Johjima C (.702)
7 Guillen RF (.671)
8 Lopez 2B (.679)
9 Betancourt SS (.674)

Sorry Richie, but you've been an overpriced piece of crap this season. Next:

vs. LHP

1 Ichiro CF (.818)
2 Johjima C (.962)
3 Guillen RF (1.112!)
4 Broussard 1B (.825)
5 Beltre 3B (.824)
6 Betancourt SS (.849)
7 Jones LF (2.000)
8 Vidro DH (.738)
9 Bloomquist 2B (.846)

I want to kick Vidro out of the lineup so bad, but Richie and Ibanez have such terrible stats against lefties that he earns a spot yet again. Willie Ballgame is an offensive improvement over Jose Lopez, who hits a paltry .612 OPS against lefties (still not as bad as Raul's .558). Part of me wants to believer Richie Sexson is still a major league hitter, and then part of me (my eyes) can see that he's batting .196. With 82 strikeouts. And with a potentially better player (Broussard) on the bench.

On paper this team is a mess. But somehow they're winning without Sexson hitting at all, with Raul struggling on offense and defense, and without Jose Vidro sucking as bad as I thought he would. This team doesn't make sense. My lineups don't even make much sense without the stats to back them up. Do we even have a true #3 hitter? #2 hitter? Why is Broussard on the bench so much? Why is Ibanez in the field? I give up. Johnny Mac's disregard for lefty vs. righty matchups coupled with a disregard for defense could be the straw that breaks the overachiever's back. And we lost 9-2 to the Sawks today. D'oh.

The Return of Price?

A talked-about scenario by some alums has WSU coach Bill Doba resuming his duties as defensive coordinator or retiring and Price taking over a team he led from 1989 to 2002.

"I know one thing," Price said, sidestepping that loaded question, "I'm coming back to Coeur d'Alene."

Jim Moore, Seattle PI

Wow. I could have seen these rumors swirling at the end of this upcoming season, but before it? I'm not sure what to think.

We know Doba's getting close to retirement. We know this team has been mediocre at best since Bill's magical first year in Pullman. We know Mike Price is probably itching to get back to a BCS school. What we don't know is how realistic this scenario is. The only people who know for sure are Doba, Price, and AD Jim Sterk.

Would Coug nation be willing to accept Price back? I reluctantly think so. On the coach lack-of-loyalty scale what Price did leaving for Alabama is roughly a 5 out of 10, with 10 being Dennis Erickson and 1 being Tony Bennett (both from last year). Price left for a marquee college football job after years of loyal service to the Cougs. Furthermore, you have the potential Dick/Tony Bennett scenario with Eric Price (UTEP's offensive coordinator) waiting in the wings. I would be alright with Price coming back as long as an apology to WSU is a part of his press conference. Also, it's hard to argue with wins, and Price brings that, without the total classlessness of a Dennis Erickson or Rick Neuheisal.

Unfounded or not, I don't think this will be the last time we hear this rumor. However, a winning season and a bowl game could go a long way in terms of silencing it.

Somebody Likes Us

Others Recieving Votes
Boston College 150, Georgia Tech 150, Miami (FL) 91, Notre Dame 90, South Carolina 90, Wake Forest 71, Missouri 58, Oregon State 52, Brigham Young 47, Clemson 30, Oregon 30, South Florida 26, Texas Tech 20, Alabama 16, Oklahoma State 15, Southern Miss 14, Iowa 12, Kansas State 8, Memphis 5, Houston 4, Arizona 1, Duke 1, Kentucky 1, Washington State 1.

The football coaches poll is out today with USC at the top. The Washington Huskies, amazingly, didn't receive one vote.

By the way, who voted for Duke? Shouldn't that be grounds to destroy the coaches poll as we know it? Or is Dickie V a voter?

Bug Selig is Crazy; Adam Jones is a Major Leaguer

If you frequent the Worldwide Leader in Sports or one of its 17,000 sister stations, you might have caught a glimpse of Bud Selig's recent press conference in regards to Barry Bonds' chase for 755. Which, if you haven't realized, is being drawn out because Karma is not going to allow Bonds to get the record easily.

Here's Selig's quote about his grueling odyssey from ballpark to ballpark:

"Depending on the weekend, we'll be up to 11 [games], so I don't think there's anybody that can say that I haven't made a Herculean effort... In fact, I've been having a lot of people who are stunned that I'm still at this."

How out of touch with reality is Bud Selig? Isn't it every fan's dream to visit every ballpark in America at one time or another? And however tainted the home run record may be, if you had the chance, wouldn't you take the opportunity to see it broken? I hate Bonds and I'd still jump at the chance to watch 755 and 756 from a luxury box.

And who is surprised that Selig is "still at this"? Actually I tracked down one man here in Pullman who is. He's 93 years old, shakes his cane at the radio while listening to ball games (actually it's talk radio, but he thinks it's a game), and wonders why baseball is lacking good ol' gentlemen like Ty Cobb.

Bud Selig has brought us so much. The steroids era, the All-Star Game tie, the early 00s Milwaukee Brewers and "This Time it Counts!". Only Gary Bettman stands in Selig's way of being the worst commissioner in sports. Bud Selig needs to step out of the luxury box and into the real world, where fans want accurate drug testing, Mark Cuban as the owner of the Cubs, and home-field advantage to the team with the better record. Wake up, Bud.

Adam Jones heads up to the major leagues tomorrow. Jose Guillen is upset about it, while the M's blogosphere rejoices. But c'mon, how is this not a good move? Raul Ibanez and Guillen still have their jobs. The only thing the team loses is a decent 5th outfielder, Randy Winn. Whoops, I mean Jason Ellison. It's not like Adam Jones is taking anyone's job right now (except for Ellison's), and if he eventually does it will only be because Raul is falling apart at the plate. The problem the vets in the clubhouse have is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." This Mariner team is better than most expected and could hang around until the end. However, if the team's not in first place, isn't something broke? The goal is to win the division, right? Let's not lose out because of the promotion of one player who deserves to be on the roster, whether the veterans like it or not.

Mariners 8, Angels 7

Couldn't have said it better myself:

"Felix Hernandez colliding with Ben Broussard is like Jessica Alba colliding with world peace." -Lookout Landing

But hey, Yuni came through in extra innings and the M's take 2 of 3 from another quality team. Of course this makes the sweeps in Houston and Arlington look just that much more inexplicable. This is a good ball club. I just hope they're good enough.

The best movie of the year is out on DVD. Buy it.

Tom Hansen Is Still Terrible

Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen, the same guy who brought you the Pac-10's wonderful television package (WSU vs. Cal = NO, WSU vs. Idaho = YES) is now throwing a wrench in the plans to tweak the BCS. Citing that "Our presidents have no interest whatsoever in a plus-one model -- none," Hansen says the Pac-10 would actually leave the BCS if such a plan goes through. The funny thing is that I could see this actually happening, allowing the Pac-10 to fall into obscurity (except for USC) and no concern at all on the eastern seaboard because nobody can see our games anyway. After all, who needs an ESPN television deal when you can watch only 2/3 of our games on Fox Sports Northwest! Take that, everywhere else in the U.S.!

It's hard to tell who I hate more at this point, Tom Hansen or UW athletic director Todd Turner. Let's have them sort it out:



(click to view full size)

The M's won 2-0 last night (yay!), but lost 8-0 tonight. Meh. I'll be just fine with 2 out of 3 in this series, and it's a lot more realistic that Felix makes it happen than Jeff Weaver. I'm still disappointed we don't get a Jeff vs. Jered Weaver matchup in this series. I'm not disappointed in J.J.'s face-melting 0.89 ERA. That's ridiculous.

The trade deadline passed with no action for the Mariners outside of shipping Julio Mateo to the Phillies. At least Pat Gillick is making an attempt at improving a team at the deadline, even if the Phils moves aren't earth-shattering. Honestly, this was a fairly boring trade deadline, and the M's biggest possible improvement lies in AAA Tacoma waiting to knock Raul Ibanez off his walker (read: Adam Jones). Starting pitching is a major major major concern; but no one good was available without a ludicrous price tag. So onward we go.

Go M's. Please let this be the freak year where we sneak into the playoffs and win a world series on nothing but Ichiro, Felix, and luck.

I hear this whole KG to the Celtics thing is a big deal. I'm more looking forward to the prospect of seeing D-Low or Kyle Weaver in an NBA uniform after next year. In fact I'll guarantee right now that I'll buy a jersey of whichever player goes higher in the draft or goes to a team that I like (Please draft Kyle, Portland).

Team USA 77, Panama 74

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One last try for the national squad at the Pan-American games leads to a great game and a somewhat disappointing fifth place finish. The silver lining was the inspired play of Derrick Low, scoring sixteen points and hitting key buckets down the stretch as the U.S. came back from an 11 point deficit to win. Again, Kyle Weaver doesn't play, because having two teammates on the floor who know each others tendencies just makes too much sense. All in all it was a good showing for the Cougs in international play.

I have yet to mention the de-commitment of Mark McLaughlin from the basketball team, but after all the great recruiting news we've it only made sense something would bring us back down to Earth. I have a few opinions on this matter, so here they are:

If he wants to open up his recruiting, that's fine. Remember these players are just kids and they need to find a place that works for them. He's likely headed for UW as part of their new recruiting strategy, "Get players to commit to one school, and then have them back out and commit to us". Awesome. If McLaughlin still wants to be a Coug, great, and if he wants to be a husky, we'll make sure his trip to the Palouse isn't even remotely pleasant. Don't worry Mark, we treat all huskies the same.

Olek Czyz and his Scrabble high-scoring last name will likely not be a scholarship recipient for the Cougs either. He's whittled his choices down to Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Duke, Florida and Arizona State. I think it's safe to say he's no longer off the radar. I'm still at a loss to see why ASU is landing or in the running for so many good recruits, unless of course it has to do with the women down in Tempe.

And as bad as the above news is, there is a silver lining. With the McLaughlin commit, he would've been the third SG commit for the Cougs in 2008. That's a potential log jam if I've ever seen one. Harthun is just about as good as McLaughlin, and Nick Witherill is a major sleeper from a recruiting standpoint. Throw in Anthony Brown in '09, and the Cougs don't have a big man coming until Patrick Simon arrives in 2010. Again, I like McLaughlin's game and I think he'd make a great Coug, but if he opts for somewhere else at least we can use the scholarship on a forward or center. Personally I hope Tony made some friends in Australia and New Zealand that could fit the role.

M's start a HUGE series with the Angels tonight. Doba still doesn't have a football commitment for 2008.

Mariners 14, A's 10

Now that was a ball game.



This one had it all - A Beltre Funk Blast, clutch 2-out hitting, sweet uniforms, Ichiro's 1,500th hit, Chris Reitsma proving his next appearance should be as a Tacoma Ranier, Richie getting tossed, the subsequent Broussard Funk Blast, McLaren getting angry and not getting tossed, Willie Ballgame sightings galore, and a JJ Putz Funk Save (I don't care if it was a 4-run lead, I'm calling it a Funk Save). This game was magical; it almost felt like 2001. If this team can keep playing like this and winning games they have no business winning the Angels should be scared. What a day.

Introducing

Pan-Am Update

Game 1: Uruguay 81, USA 72

Low: DNP
Weaver: 27 mins, 4 points on 1/3 shooting, 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal

Game 2: Panama 75, USA 67

Low: 0 stats in 1 minute
Weaver: 27 mins, 0 points on 0/4 shooting, 7 boards(!), 1 assist

Game 3: USA 74, Argentina 71

Low: 28 mins, 13 points on 5/7 shooting, 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal
Weaver: DNP

Game 4: USA 84, U.S. Virgin Islands 58

Low: 26 mins, 14 points on 5/14 shooting, 2 assists, 1 steal
Weaver: 6 mins, 4 points on 2/2 shooting, 1 rebound, 2 assists

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What have we learned so far? Well, for starters coach Jay Wright doesn't seem to like the idea of 2 cougs on the court at the same time. Weaver played significant minutes the first two games (2 losses), and Low got significant minutes the second two games (2 wins). Low was solid, as you'd expect, although Kyle's 6 minutes against team Carl Krauser (the U.S. Virgin Islands) were some of the most efficient of the tournament.

Weaver's play on the stat sheet leaves something to be desired. He didn't shoot much, and barely made any of those attempts, and failed to rack up any other numbers with the exception of his seven rebound game against Panama. Weaver's defense was solid as always, but when the U.S. is losing to the likes of Panama and Uruguay it's easy to look past the little things Kyle always does so well. Should we be concerned? Nope. This experience alone is invaluable for two of our favorite cougs, and we already know how great they'll be next year.

Which brings me to my next point. Is there anything more frustrating than Team USA's performance in international play this decade? I feel like the FIBA people had a secret meeting many years ago where they decided, "Hey, if we tweak this game just enough we can eventually make the U.S. lose by making the style of play nothing like the NBA or college." Talent wise (and I'm talking about all levels from the pros on down), the U.S. should be ahead of every other nation on Earth. Not miles ahead (like in football where a 1-A, 1-AA, and NAIA some-star team just won the world cup); but far enough ahead to be the favorites for the gold in almost any competition. After the 2004 Olympics you have to wonder if:

a) the style of the NBA and college is killing us internationally
b) the U.S. is getting beat by teams that play year-round together and are hell-bent on beating us
c) international teams are just that good

Realistically, it's a combination of all three. We still shouldn't be losing to Panama. This just reminds me of how embarrassing the 2004 Olympics were. First of all, you had the Kobe Bryants of the world woosing out and citing terrorism concerns as a reason to stay home. Having been to Europe two times since 9/11, I know for a fact this is b.s., and there was enough security at the Athens games that the Vegas All-Star game was at least ten times more dangerous. Then, the Americans get slaughtered by Carlos Arroyo and Puerto Rico, and later get trashed talked by team Lithuania. Adding insult to injury was that the flop capital of the world, Manu Ginobili's Argentina was the winner. That alone may have set basketball back ten years.

It's time for one of two things to happen. Either change international basketball to conform to American rules or change the American rules to conform internationally. I'm sick and tired of watching two different games.

Actually, I think I have a better idea: change both NBA and FIBA to the NCAA rules. I hate the "me-first", drive the lane and draw a foul style of the NBA, and I hate the jack up threes/win without big men style of international ball. The NCAA is the best - with it's 20 minute halves, inside-out game, and players not phoning games in for half of the season. The only thing missing from the NCAA is competent officiating, and even that may improve with the Donaghy scandal looming.

In the end, as a coug fan, the result (5th or 6th place for team USA) doesn't matter nearly as much as the experience and the practice for Derrick and Kyle. They now get to come home and rest up for a season that I'm getting increasingly more excited about. Only the return of Kyle's fro could get me more amped. Between this, the Oceania trip, and the prospect of getting Nikola Koprivica back at 100%, next season can't come soon enough. After all, international players are just fine as long as they're cougs.

Have a great weekend, folks. I'll be chilling out at home waiting for that elusive first football commit for 2008.

Rangers 2, Mariners 1 -- Rangers 4, Mariners 3

Wheels. Falling. Off.

I like Eric Gagne. I don't like the fact that he plays for the Rangers, or the fact that the Mariners were just bad enough to lose a doubleheader by a combined score of two runs, giving the Goggled One two saves in one day. The losing streak is now five. The best thing you can say is we're only 3 back of the Angels. If only there was a rising young talent crushing the heck out of the ball in AAA who could give the team a boost just as much as any minor trade could. The M's just need a spark. Or luck. Or Jesus coming back to live, and signing a 6 year, $225 million contract to play left field and hit in the 3-hole. Don't worry, all that contract money goes to the poor.

The blog will be on a short hiatus later this week to travel cross-state, so if you don't see posts for a couple of days, that's why. I'll be testifying in front of a federal grand jury that Tim Donaghy was in fact one of the refs in the 2002 Apple Cup. The truth is out there.

Rangers 8, Mariners 7

Richie Sexson's 3-run shot in the ninth was brilliant, but starting pitching ruined the day as Horacio Ramirez gave up 8 runs in 4 and 2/3 innings. Ouch. One day it's offense, the next it's starting pitching, and the pieces need to come together soon to stop the losing streak.

Feierabend vs. Rheinecker tomorrow to settle once and for all which hard-to-spell pitcher reigns supreme.

Name Change; M's Lose

From the very beginning of this blog, I felt the name "Washington State Cougars" was a little generic. It was taken from my handle over on Cougfan (washingtonstatecougars), which came about because just about every other name I wanted to use was taken. So I started toying with ideas for a new name. It wanted it to be something every true Coug fan knows, and something inside enough that outsiders might not understand it. In other words, I wanted it to be original and recognizable to every member of the Coug Nation; something that instantly gets you thinking about Pullman. I ran through a bunch of ideas (most of which are too lame to mention) before arriving at my favorite: Stadium Way. I hope you like it.

Blue Jays 8, Mariners 0

Let's recap. In the three game series, the Mariners (54-41) scored 4 runs, all in the first game (a win). In games 2 and 3 a bundle of pitchers and Roy Halladay respectively held the Mariners to zero runs and six unproductive hits. The dam has burst, folks. It is time for the organization to realize a bundle of things that USS Mariner and others have been pointing out for weeks. First, Raul Ibanez is not a productive #3 hitter. Second, Adam Jones is ready for the major leagues and is an offensive upgrade over Jason Ellison and a defensive upgrade over Ben Broussard and Raul Ibanez. Third, Jose Vidro's .299 average is as productive as he'll get as a DH (only 3 home runs) and a platoon at DH or Ibanez at DH seems like a much better option. If I was in charge we'd see a Jones/Ichiro/Guillen outfield with Raul at DH and Broussard off the bench to play DH and 1st base when Sexson and Ibanez are struggling. I'd ship Jose Vidro to a contender for a prospect (he's not hitting for power or driving in runs, and we know Sexson and Ibanez can when they're hot). In fact, I wouldn't have touched the original Snelling/Fruto for Vidro trade with a 10 foot pole, but then again I'm not Bill Bavasi.

The Mariners' season so far has been magical. A welcome comeback from possibly the northwest's favorite franchise. That's why I'd hate to see it go down the drain with a lack of creativity and playing favorites with slumping veterans. As much as I'd love to see Vidro, Sexson, and Ibanez play like all-stars, this series against Toronto makes me wonder if their best days aren't behind them.

News And Notes For the Weekend

Well, it happened: a whirlwind trip home and a bunch of work finally sidetracked the blog for a couple days. But never fear; you'll see the blog really hit it's stride this fall when school arrives and procrastination moves up on my priority list. So, without further ado, let's look back over the last few days in northwest sports.

M's:

Friday: Mariners 4, Blue Jays 2. Miguel Batista and JJ take control. I still agree with those pegging Adrian Beltre as a second half fantasy sleeper. I think he's starting to put it together.

Today: Blue Jays 1, Mariners 0. This sentence contains more action than this game did. A great start (CG 1-run performance) from Jeff Weaver is ruined.

NBA:

The ref scandal is heating up and David Stern now has bigger concerns than TV ratings. For those of you unaware, the FBI is investigating a veteran NBA official for betting on games he reffed as well as making calls to help determine the outcomes of those games. This is a black eye for the league, as it should be, but I'm actually somewhat excited about the future of NBA officiating. This is going to help put the clamps down on poor officiating as well as ensure such an event doesn't easily happen again. It's fun to imagine an NBA free of dramatics from Bennett Salvatore and Joey Crawford and (hopefully) more free of poor calls in general. Accountability is key in officiating; the NBA now has more leverage to take action when a ref makes a mistake. Or at least that's the hope.

Edit: Good read here on how referees can (unintentionally) affect the point spread.

Cougs:

I'm saving the most important subject for last. Aron Baynes and Thomas Abercrombie will represent their countries in the World University Games in August. It really is a great opportunity for both players, especially for Abercrombie who will benefit from the experience prior to the start of his first season taking the court for the Cougs. Baynes has been doing yoga this summer (yes, you read that correctly), and is making strides to become more flexible and become the big man we all want him to be (remember the USC game?).

I'd like to have some good coverage of the upcoming Pan Am games featuring D-Low and Kyle Weaver, but ESPN is stashing it over on ESPN Deportes. The Cougfan forums are trashing the lack of Deportes on most common TV packages for good reason. I hope we'll see more of Team USA than just box scores and game recaps in the near future.

The big news on the football front is a neutral site matchup scheduled for 2009 with the NBC...er, I mean Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The location is the Alamodome in sunny San Antonio, where folks know what salsa should taste like. All in all it's a great opportunity for the Cougs to get national exposure, recruiting buzz, and a chance to upset what should be a very good team under Charlie Weis. The only scenario better than this, in my opinion, would be a road trip to South Bend with a return game in Seattle. The Cougs need a marquee opponent in Seahawks Stadium (let's avoid calling it Qwest Field) one of these days, or the game on the west side may stop being a yearly event. That's another topic for another day.

More Optimistic, Pessimistic, Realistic is on the way this week, along with a new picture of the week on Monday. Don't act like you're not excited.

I've also decided on what to call my writing style: The poor man's Bill Simmons. Or maybe the homeless man's Bill Simmons. One of those two will have it covered. I am a huge Sports Guy fan, so my goal is to make my writing similar to his, only with a lot more Cougs and a lot less Red Sox. We'll see if it works out. There'll be less pop culture, too, especially in a culture where "Hey There Delilah" can be the #1 song on iTunes for 30 consecutive days. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Coug nation.

Mariners 6, Orioles 5

Adrian Beltre wins the game with an almost walk-off-walk, the result of a great AB against Chad Bradford. The M's win in spite of a poor bullpen showing and leaving Washburn in 1/3 of an inning too long.

You have to love the post-win respect knuckles from John McLaren.

Low and Weaver are Team USA/Andy Katz Material

Low and Weaver made the Pan-Am Games team today!

Also, Andy Katz continues to defy the East Coast bias of his employer by running a story featuring your 2007-08 Cougs.

In case you're wondering - because I had trouble finding this - Bryce Taylor (Oregon) and Josh Carter (Texas A&M) were the two cuts. If somebody pointed a gun to your head and asked you who was better, Bryce Taylor or Maarty Leunen, you'd have to say Taylor, right? Maybe it's the hype Taylor had before college, or the huge game he had in Pullman a couple years ago, but I'm still surprised Leunen is on this roster. I hope he proves me wrong. Good luck to the U.S. team.

Also, congratulations to Michael Vick, who keeps driving nails into the coffin of his professional football career. Yes, he may play again, and he might play a few more years, but we know the upside we saw in Vick five years ago is now long gone.

Also, Tyreese Breshers did a total 360, recommitting from Miami to UW. Big deal? Probably not.

Orioles 8, Mariners 3

Instead of the close game and subsequent Orioles bullpen implosion that we've come to expect, we had a close game and Mariners bullpen implosion tonight. The good news is that Brandon Morrow actually struck out more batters than he walked in the ninth inning. The bad news is Erik Bedard starts tomorrow against Washburn. Let's hope the real Orioles bullpen shows up.

Edit: turns out D-Cab is the starter for the O's. Scratch that second to last sentence.

Mariners 4, Orioles 2

HoRam makes his comeback in style, giving up only 2 runs and 5 hits in 7 innings. It was his first start since may 24th. Ichiro was the DH following Justin Verlander's accidental attempt to put him on the DL Sunday night. He was 2 for 3 with a run and a stolen base. Randy Winn look-a-like contest winner Jason Ellison was in center, and Adam Jones was in Tacoma for some reason. The M's are 2 1/2 back in the West, 1 back in the wild card.

It's Felix vs. Jeremy Guthrie at 7:05 tonight.

Welcome & FAQ

First and foremost, I want to thank you for stopping by the blog. The purpose of this site is to pull together all sorts of WSU, northwest, and other sports news and opinion stories into one location. There are a lot of sources for information about the Cougs: Cougfan.com, Cougzone.com, the Spokesman-Review, WSUCougars.com, the Daily Evergreen, etc., etc., etc. My goal is to condense all that information and put it into an easy to read format. I'll be adding in my own opinion pieces and analysis along the way, plus stories outside the world of Coug sports.

Q: What do you mean by "every other team worth talking about"
A: Outside the cougs, the two other teams you'll see a lot of stories about are the Seattle Mariners and Seattle Seahawks. The cougs, hawks, and M's are the only teams you'll see regularly in terms of scores and game information. I will also be mixing in some Trailblazers, Sonics, and other NW college news as I see fit. No topic is completely off limits though, as you'll see if you flip through the early posts. The main goal is to put up news and information that you the reader are interested in.

Q; Who are you anyway?
A: I post anonymously for a couple reasons. First, it's easier to speak my mind without fear of getting 10,000 hate mails over e-mail and Facebook. And while I'm proud of my writing, I'm not quite sure it's reached a level where I'd like to have my name attached to it. If the blog gains more popularity, I might give in. I'll suffice to say I'm a 22-year old student at WSU currently residing in Pullman. I'm a fan of all things coug - basketball, football, baseball, etc. I support the teams but I'm not afraid to criticize where I feel it's necessary. I'll also poke fun at the teams from time to time, but it's nothing to be taken personally (or seriously, for that matter).

Q: Your blog sucks. How can I tell you this?
A: Below every post is a comments section. I welcome all comments, from constructive criticism to story ideas to compliments and even the occasional "YOU'RE BLOG SUX AND SO DO THE COUGS OMG LOLZ!!!1!!". I'll be striving to make this better as it goes along, so if there's something you like or don't like about the blog don't hesitate to leave a comment. Oh, but no infighting in the comments (e.g. calling other people who comment idiots, fatties, etc.). And swearing won't be tolerated. Basically, you know your comment isn't good if it's deleted.

Q: Why does it seem like there's more opinion pieces than actual news?
A: Good question. It's summer, and no major Coug sports are in season right now, so to fill the boredom you'll see more speculation pieces like the "Optimistic, Pessimistic, Realistic" series. Once fall arrives you'll see a lot more game news and analysis, and less of my opinion (which may be a good thing in some cases).

Welcome to the site! I appreciate all my readers, whether there's 2 of you or 200,000. Go Cougs!

Optimistic, Pessimistic, Realistic: Part One

Time for the first of a three part series examining the upcoming Cougar football season. I'll be taking three angles in looking at the schedule. The first is every husky football fan's favorite attitude: pessimistic. There are a lot of challenges for the Cougs in the year ahead, and defense (or lack thereof) will likely make the difference. Here's my worst-case scenario look at '07 (home team in caps):

9/1: WISCONSIN 44, Washington State 0: again the Cougs play a top-10 opponent on the road to start the season, and the pessimistic view sees a shut-out looming for one of the conference's most potent offenses.

9/8: WASHINGTON STATE 14, San Diego State 13: Even the pessimist likes the Cougs against a team that was 3-9 last season from the Mountain West. But the Cougs better not overlook this one.

9/15: Idaho 28, WASHINGTON STATE 23: The true pessimist sees this game as the ultimate trap. No one knows the Cougs better than Robb Akey, and with just enough talent left over from Dennis Erickson's one-year reign, the Vandals come out with a win. Also, I simulated this matchup once in NCAA 07 and the Cougs lost. I laughed at it.

9/22: USC 77, Washington State 5: The pessimist hates this matchup and is truly afraid. But a Romeeeeeeeeeeeen field goal and a safety keep some hope alive.

9/29: ARIZONA 24, Washington State 14: Arizona gets the Cougs again following that embarrassing loss in Pullman last year. Also, Michael Bumpus and Brandon Gibson collide on crossing routes. Both are out for the season.

10/6: Arizona State 44, Washington State 17: The snowballing begins.

10/13: OREGON 55, Washington State 16: Where have I seen that score before?

10/20: BYE WEEK 3, Washington State 0: The true pessimist never lets up on the gloom. At least they beat SDSU.

10/27: UCLA 41, WASHINGTON STATE 35 (3 OT): Because no pessimistic season is complete without the fourth quarter meltdown and subsequent failure in overtime.

11/3: CALIFORNIA 24, Washington State 21: Bill Doba takes the tying field goal off the board following a Cal penalty. The ensuing bubble screen on 4th and 3 from the 3 is a failure.

11/10: WASHINGTON STATE 30, Stanford 27: Because Stanford just isn't very good.

11/17: Oregon State 33, WASHINGTON STATE 30: Cougs give a good effort but come up short. If you haven't seen them yet, the Beavers' new uniforms ensure they will at least look like losers in '07.

11/24: WASHINGTON 21, Washington State 20: The huskies still aren't that good. And we should beat the huskies when we're better. But the pessimist still doesn't like the Cougs in this one. The pessimist then goes home, puts on a "Fire Doba" T-shirt and burns an effigy of Alex Brink. The pessimist is not fun to be around, and you should not invite him out to the Coug for a cold one afterwards.

Record: 2-10 (1-8). The good news is it shouldn't possibly be this bad. The bad news is a 6-6 season might still feel this bad. Better outlooks are on the way.

Detroit 11, Seattle 7

Bad Jeff Weaver makes a comeback, giving up 7 earned runs in 5 innings. The M's end up with a 2-2 split of the four game series, and sit 2 games back in the wild card, 3 in the division.

Low, Weaver Make First Cut

Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver are one step closer to the Pan-American Games. Both made the cut from 30 to 14, with one remaining cut from 14 to 12 still to go. Needless to say, I will be throwing a fit if both Low and Weaver are the two cuts, but it seems unlikely. The final 14:

"Kyle Weaver (Washington State), Derrick Low (Washington State), Bryce Taylor (Oregon), Maarty Leunen (Oregon), Roy Hibbert (Georgetown), Wayne Ellington (North Carolina), Shan Foster (Vanderbilt), Eric Maynor (VCU), Josh Carter (Texas A&M), D.J. White (Indiana), Drew Neitzel (Michigan State), Scottie Reynolds (Villanova), James Gist (Maryland) and Joey Dorsey (Memphis)." (from Cougfan article)

The selection committee is Jim Boeheim (who wants you to know Gerry McNamara is not overrated), Ernie Kent (who is likely responsible for the odd selection of Maarty Leunen, more on that later), Tom Izzo, Bill Self, and two other guys you probably haven't heard of. Jay Wright, the coach, apparently isn't involved in the selection.

The notable cuts include Jon Brockman, Brian Butch, and two Dukies: Jon Scheyer and DeMarcus Nelson (wrist injury). The latter two officially raised Dickie V's blood pressure to 155 over 100.

But I digress. Maarty Leunen over Brockman? Brockman averages 14.2 points and 9.6 boards per game, and shoots 55% from the floor. Leunen averages 10.8 points, 8.2 boards, shoots 47%, and enjoys a smoke and a pancake. But in Leunen's defense he leads Brockman in bogus last minute foul calls by a margin of 1-0. Andy Katz says he "proved to be the best face-up forward of those trying out", which is a scary thought for the future of USA basketball. My personal hope is that Leunen and 38%-shooting marksman Scottie Reynolds of Villanova are the final two cuts. Of our two, I'm more concerned about Low getting cut as I think Kyle's defense alone is enough to grab a roster spot. I love the comment about Low being a good "floor leader". We'll need him next year, and it's my opinion Team USA needs him now.

Ichiro!

5 years, no numbers released yet. I can now thank God, because the possibility of seeing Ichiro in pinstripes before age 39 makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit.

Happy time!

B-Day

That's right folks! It's the day everyone a few people have been waiting for - Beckham to America. And while I can guarantee you no one in Europe is crying over it like the ESPN commercial suggests, there is some real interest to this game, assuming you're actually interested in soccer. See, the LA Galaxy are playing Chelsea on July 21st, and it's an actual litmus test to see if American soccer can stand up to one of the annual powers in England's Premier League. As a Liverpool fan, it also gives me a chance to possibly watch Chelsea get embarrassed on a national stage.

In all honesty, however, I'd rather see how LA Galaxy match up with a mediocre Premier League team, say Aston Villa or Blackburn Rovers. Because in all likelihood we'll see Chelsea ease past the Galaxy 3-0 unless they play it like an exhibition or phone it in as an attempt to raise the popularity of soccer in the U.S. It's unlikely any MLS team can match with the heavyweights of the premiership, so I'd rather see them play a middle-of-the road team to gauge just how good the MLS is. And it's safe to say the MLS would be better if they had spent that $250 million dollars on quality young international players instead of David Beckham. I've been trying to think of a fair comparison for Beckham coming to the U.S., and here's what I have: Brett Favre playing in NFL Europe. We know Favre doesn't have much in the tank, he's not one of the top players in the league, but he's a legend who could likely still have success in a country that doesn't place much value on football. Unfortunately, Brett Favre isn't married to a spice girl, and NFL Europe has closed up shop for good, so we'd never know if the comparison is valid. But it's the best one I have at the moment.

SI Doesn't Like Bill Doba

Stewart Mandel lists Doba as one of the five worst coaches in the nation. I could see the case for it; Doba's teams since the magical 2003 season have been marred by inconsistency, injuries, and last minute folding. The most notable failure has been a horrendous 2-11 Pac-10 home record in the past three seasons.

But how much of the blame falls on Doba? We aren't far removed from Mike Price's 10-24 record from 1998 to 2000. Three ten-wins seasons followed that, and the rest is history. Expectations are higher, as they should be. And Doba certainly isn't riding the goodwill train into the sunset - many people believe if Doba doesn't lead this team to a bowl this year he will either resign or be forced to resign. Doba is not one of the worst coaches in the nation, but he is not one of the best. Let's see how this year turns out before cougar nation throws in the towel.

06-07 Highlight Videos

WSUCougars.com put out their men's basketball highlight reel on June 20th, but I have to say it's not nearly as good as kapoleicoug's video on YouTube, complete with the cheesy (but always perfect for college basketball) "One Shining Moment". Major bonus points for highlighting my two favorite moments from the season - Clark posterizing Brockman and the court rush following the Gonzaga game. If I had to pick one video to show recruits, it would be that one.

A-Rod Doesn't Have Enough Money

ESPN is reporting that Scott Boras thinks Alex Rodriguez is worth $30 million a year. And that is probably what A-Rod will command in the open market, but it's not what a past-his-prime third basemen with no wold series rings and a terrible postseason record should earn. ESPN baseball analyst Buster Olney says that A-Rod is worth at least $30 million - but it's worth noting this is the same guy who said the Yankees' Randy Johnson signing would make them a 110-win team.

The A-Rod deal that will happen this winter (or sooner) will be more proof that sports salaries are out of control. After the Rashard Lewis deal I wouldn't have a hard time believing a $35 million/year contract. Who would be interested? Maybe the Angels, the Sawks, the Yanks, or Scrooge McDuck. Either way someone is going to get an MVP caliber player who always comes through in the clutch*.

* - in April or May

Meanwhile, Marlins president David Samson thinks the Ichiro contract will destroy baseball. He says "...there's no chance anybody's worth that. And Ichiro, who's led his team to zero? Nothing?". Yeah, I guess 116 wins is nothing, especially when you run the luckiest franchise on Earth that has 2 championships and no fans to show for it. In unrelated news, the Marlins are paying Armando Benitez $9.87 million this season.

Ichiro Extension Near

Reports range from $75-$100 million over five years. Would be a huge victory for the M's, if it becomes official.