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Articles
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Running with the Dawg Pac
-- On what may be a strained relationship On signing day back in February, UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel proved to be one of the best closers in college football by signing linebacker Josh Shirley of Fontana Kaiser, among others. Shirley told the Riverside Press Enterprise, that "UCLA was always in my head, but Washington is a great program...it came down to the final seconds." He said location (California) and Neuheisel were the deciding factors, but the relationship with Neuheisel was key. "We've had some real in-depth conversations, some real heart-to-heart conversations," Shirley told the Enterprise. "I feel we have a real good relationship." I do feel that that relationship might be a bit strained now. -- On the eastern mafia In his book, "Tarnished Heisman, did Reggie Bush Turn His Final College Season into a Six-Figure Job?," author Don Yeager credits approximately 50 different journalists belonging to approximately 25 news outlets, ranging from the New York Times to the Daily Oklahoman, in helping him pull his story together. What's missing from this massive journalistic effort that helped fuse the public outrage that led to the draconian sanctions piled on the Trojans' football program is Reggie Bush's side of the story. There is a whole other side to this story that begins with this link. Click on this link for my take on the NCAA's findings, per se. -- On the tarnished Heisman If they strip Bush of his Heisman Trophy, whose Heisman will topple next? The problem with stripping the Heisman is that it centers the onus for culpability on Bush and mitigates USC's culpability as far as the public's perception of the affair is concerned. So, it won't happen. -- On Don Yeager's book How many journalists does it take to screw-in a light bulb? Fifty. The same number it took to do-in Bush. -- On where Pete Carroll went wrong He used John Wooden's formula for recruiting: recruit the best athletes from California and then cherry-pick the rest of the nation. This a violation of the NCAA's version of an anti-trust law. -- On Idioms Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times comments on former players Andru Pulu, Kevario Middleton, and the incoming Shirley: "So far, (Steve) Sarkisian has shown very little tolerance for knuckleheads...Sarkisian isn't looking for mercenaries, and he won't suffer fools." Kelley must love idioms, but I like the idiom "he won't suffer fools gladly" better. See Kelley's article. -- On higher mathematics. At least the Pac-10 can count. When Utah and Colorado join the conference, the new name will be the "Pac-12." Meanwhile, both of the mathematically-challenged conferences -- the Big Ten and Big 12 -- need to swap names, at the very least. -- On Haden and Kiffin. I guess Kenndy Pola's hiring is Pat Haden's idea of bringing back the running game and maybe having a coaching replacement on hand if Lane Kiffin continues to implode. Meanwhile, Lane needs to take some classes in protocol: (1) in contracts (the breaching, thereof) and (2) in haberdashery (when and when not to wear a tie). See Bill Plaschke's article in the Los Angeles Times. -- On the Pac-10's new website: I can't find the statistics page anymore. -- On Pac-10 statistics According to Pac-10 stats, taken from its old site, QB Jake Locker's passing-efficiency rating for 2009 was 130.1; the NCAA stats say his rating was 129.75, which is the correct number according to my record keeping. I think this error might have been propagated from gohuskies.com. -- On the Pac-10's new logo:
How do I get rid of commissioner Larry Scott's handsome mug? -- On former Washington quarterback Hugh Millen. Millen recently said, "I believe that Jake Locker is the greatest athlete to ever come out of the state of Washington." Maybe it's not fair, but I'm taking Millen literally here. ;-) In my opinion, the greatest athlete ever to come out of the state of Washington is John Elway, who was born in Port Angeles. As for Locker, who was born in Bellingham, let me say that he is the most athletic quarterback to come out of the Pac-10 since Elway graduated from Stanford in 1982. As for Millen. What does he know about kids from the state of Washington? He was born in Des Moines, Iowa. I was born and raised in Seattle. See my article, "Hugh Millen critique." -- On the smartest team in the league Did you know that Washington and UCLA are the only teams in the Pac-10 whose nicknames can be spelled out from the chemical symbols found in the periodic table? That the chemical symbols for Hydrogen (H), Uranium (U), Sulfur (S), Potassium (K), Iodine (I), and Einsteinium (ES) spell Huskies? And that the chemical symbols for Boron (B), Ruthenium (Ru), Iodine (I), Nitrogen (N), and Sulfur (S) spell Bruins? The battle of the periodic table takes place in Seattle on November 18, when the Bruins meet the Huskies. The Huskies should win; they have the most potentially explosive element in their nickname: Uranium. To counter the Huskies, Bruin fans can always spell Bruins by using the "Bromine" spelling: Bromine (Br), Uranium (U), Iodine (I), Nitrogen (N), and Sulfur (S). But with Einsteinium (Es) in their nickname's spelling, the Huskies will be sure to outsmart the Bruins on November 18, the "Bromine" spelling notwithstanding. -- On the much trumpeted triplet, a 2009 offensive enigma: Although their trumpeted triplet excelled -- Locker leading the Pac-10 in total offense, RB Chis Polk rushing for over 1,000 yards, and WR Jermaine Kearse leading the conference in yards per catch -- the Huskies finished seventh in the league in total offense. -- CO Lee Groinman on the Chuck Nelson debacle. "Just one more thought, at least Chuck Nelson won’t have to study up on some of these young fella’s names, but didn’t Chuck get a raw deal. Come on Riley, why can’t we put three guys in the booth? That oughta’ ‘freshen’ it up a bit, ya’ think?" See Groinman's latest article. Did Groinman really buy his Smith Corona typewriter from a Coug alum's "high-tech" store? -- On the Pac-10 media brigade. Laboring in the hot sun at the Rose Bowl last Thursday, media members voted on the conference race and picked the Huskies to finish sixth. Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times had the Dawgs pegged fourth. Obviously, Condotta has been around former Washington coach Dick Baird too long. Think "defense," Bob, and stop listening to the Husky Honks and your bloggers. Here's how the sweltering scribes saw the race for the Roses: 1. Oregon (15), 314 I picked the Huskies sixth, too. To those journalists looking for Kiffin to put his foot in his mouth at the event, Kiffin said, "Whatever ... it is what it is." Coach Kiffin is turning into a quick study. Richard Linde can be reached at malamute@4malamute.com |
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I
have some commentary on University of Washington football and the Pac-10
conference, with an emphasis on our Dawgs. This article is about a
strained relationship, the tarnished Heisman, the smartest team in the
league, a cluttered logo, a quick study, name swapping, the trumpeted
triplet, and higher math. 