Most of the coaches are taking a break and going on vacation till the high school camps open in late June. Chances are you will find Ty out on the golf course sharpening his game. I just finished building a couple large decks in the backyard, and we are enjoying the outdoors again which is a real treat now that Summer has begun in Chicago.
Talking about Chicago, the Mariners are at Wrigley for the first time, and I am going to hit the game on Thursday. Wrigley is a special place even though Safeco is probably close. The thing with Wrigley is the history, you get a real tingle when you walk in there similar to when the Huskies run out of the tunnel at Montlake. It almost brings tears to your eyes.
The NBA draft is coming up and it looks like it is a foregone conclusion that Spencer Hawes is going to enter the draft despite not exactly showing well at the pre draft camps. Everyone knows Spencer is a player, and everyone knows Spencer has a lot of work to do to even get off the bench next season because of the lack of upper body strength which is so crucial when playing in that league. Hopefully he comes to his senses and stays another year at UW to mature. Stay another year and chances are that he would be a top 5 pick, right now his stock is falling. One good thing about your stock falling is you don't get stuck on a crummy team.
The University of Washington athletic department will honor its proud and successful heritage this fall with a weekend full of special activities surrounding the Sept. 29 home football game against the University of Southern California. A number of events will be held in conjunction with the Huskies' critical Pacific-10 Conference game against the nationally-ranked Trojans, which will be televised live nationally by ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 beginning at 5 p.m. The department will honor the 1960 squad that convincingly defeated top-ranked Minnesota by a score of 17-7 in the Rose Bowl and was listed as the nation's top team in the final Helms Foundation poll following the conclusion of the bowl games that season.
Pac Ten Alley
Once again it is time to take a walk down the coast and see what our Pac Ten neighbors are up to.
We start off at USC. The recruiting machine at USC is amazing because the coaching staff doesn't rest on it's reputation. They are out there recruiting each year like their jobs are on the line.
Only the very top football programs in the country can do it - dominate recruiting on their home turf, and at the same time go out to the far corners of the country and recruit the very best high school football players. That delicate balance can be hard to achieve, but few would argue that USC has done it. And its track record of success on the field has garnered attention from high school and junior college athletes from all over the country again this year.
Former Golden Bear players are making a trip to Japan to play a team made up of former Hawaii players.
It turns out that bowl season isn’t quite over for the Cal football program. The Bears still have one more to go: the New Era Bowl. While the name bears the familiar corporate stamp of many college bowl games, the game shares little else in common with the NCAA’s postseason match-ups. Rather, the July 8 game will be played in Kensai, Japan and feature former Cal players along with current Bears coaches instructing a Japanese football team and then playing against another team coached by a contingent from the University of Hawaii.
The Beaver's are back to defend their national title in baseball. A few weeks ago it looked doubtful, but the Beav's are peaking at the right time.
With the Beavers headed to out of PDX tomorrow morning, and a steady stream of Beaver fans, including me, following them to Omaha, let's veer away from number crunching and game breakdowns to talk about the Beavers' wardrobe. They'll be playing in front of 20,000+ at Rosenblatt, and thousands more will be tuning in across on ESPN. We'll go through the 2007 duds one by one, and then I'll open it up for discussion at the end.
Not much coming out of Oregon since little is going on, but the Duck's picked up a national TV game.
Oregon will be on ABC nationally for it's game against Michigan on September 8th. Not exactly breaking news or new information for some I'm sure, but there it is in black and white. Michigan gets Notre Dame the week after the Ducks, on national TV as well. Is Oregon the trap game for the Woverines because they'll be looking ahead to the Domers? Probably not.
UCLA received it's 18th verbal this week. Bruins Nation isn't that excited.
So the Bruins picked up another commitment yesterday. Connor Bradford, a one star 6-5, 260lbs undersized, unknown OL (who was not being recruited by any major Pac-10 schools) committed to Dorrell yesterday. And I guess a huge congrats is in order (if you have the mindset that UCLA should be competing against schools like Utah and BYU for recruits) for the coaching staff who beat out some powerhouses from MWC or whatever conference those programs are playing in this year. Connor’s commitment was Dorrells’s 18th pickup of the season.
WSU filled the vacancy on it's coaching staff by plucking a guy from Toledo.
Washington State football has hired an assistant from the University of Toledo to replace cornerbacks coach Kenny Greene. The new WSU assistant is 38-year-old David Walkosky, who was on the Toledo staff for eight seasons. He completed his second season as secondary coach last fall and has been special-teams coordinator since 2003. Head coach Bill Doba called Walkosky "impressive.He fits our needs perfectly as we needed an emphasis on special teams and he has a passion for special teams," Doba said.
Arizona eliminated the Husky Softball team and went on to win the national title.
Arizona softball coach Mike Candrea is always looking for omens. This is a guy who, after eating at a Whataburger in Oklahoma City in 1991, kept the receipt in his wallet because it was order No. 1. UA went on to win national title No. 1. He went on eating at Whataburger in future years.
This is an excellent read. You are going to find the sportswriters getting creative just like we are in finding something to post about till camps open in August.
I’m not sure what prompted me to think about this, but I figured it would be perfect for a slow week in June. And it’s a great launching point for similar blog items, like: The best Pac-10 quarterbacks of the past 20 years, the best coaches, the best players, etc... . I hope to make this a semi-regular Hotline series through the slow summer months.
ASU should be the odds on favorite to win the national title in baseball as they move on to Omaha this week.
A few quick thoughts on the 2007 College World Series that begins on Saturday for ASU.* The Sun Devils are the third highest national seed remaining in the field, following #2 Rice and #3 North Carolina.* Here's a good snapshot of each of the participants.* The brackets are up, but difficult to follow due to the double-elimination thing. Perennial bracket dream killer Cal State Fullerton looms large for ASU in the second round, assuming they can get past defending national champs Oregon State.* ASU (48-13) opens up on Saturday against the UC-Irvine Anteaters (45-15-1) at 11 am AZ time. Freshman RHP Mike Leake will make the start on the mound for the Devils.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
Fantastic Article
Ron Judd of the Seattle Times is one of the best sportswriters in the world. He is the Times free agent who focuses on the outdoors, and all things a little left field in the sports world. Today he wrote an excellent article on what is going on track wise in Eugene.
I remember going to the Olympic trials a couple of times in the early 70's in Eugene, it was just amazing, and I am glad the city of Eugene is stepping up to the plate to bring the big track events home to the Northwest again.
Hayward Field is a special place, it was originally the football stadium for the University till Autzen was built in the mid 60's. If you haven't been there think of a bigger West Seattle Stadium as a model. We are talking an old, historic wooden grandstand.
All of us sports fan's want to go to a Masters, Super Bowl, Rose Bowl, Final for etc....but you are not completed till you witness a track meet at Hayward Field, it should be on every one's list.
It's hallowed ground. The late Steve Prefontaine, rock-star distance runner, consecrated it back in the early 1970s, burning up the track at Hayward Field on the way to owning the American record at every distance from 2 kilometers to 10. In the decade that followed, Hayward Field, oft described as the Carnegie Hall of track and field, regularly welcomed the world's greatest athletes, hosting the sport's marquee event, the U.S. Olympic Trials, from 1972 through 1980.
Hallowed, pure and simple.
I remember going to the Olympic trials a couple of times in the early 70's in Eugene, it was just amazing, and I am glad the city of Eugene is stepping up to the plate to bring the big track events home to the Northwest again.
Hayward Field is a special place, it was originally the football stadium for the University till Autzen was built in the mid 60's. If you haven't been there think of a bigger West Seattle Stadium as a model. We are talking an old, historic wooden grandstand.
All of us sports fan's want to go to a Masters, Super Bowl, Rose Bowl, Final for etc....but you are not completed till you witness a track meet at Hayward Field, it should be on every one's list.
It's hallowed ground. The late Steve Prefontaine, rock-star distance runner, consecrated it back in the early 1970s, burning up the track at Hayward Field on the way to owning the American record at every distance from 2 kilometers to 10. In the decade that followed, Hayward Field, oft described as the Carnegie Hall of track and field, regularly welcomed the world's greatest athletes, hosting the sport's marquee event, the U.S. Olympic Trials, from 1972 through 1980.
Hallowed, pure and simple.
The Monday Morning Wash
Let me start Monday a little off topic.
Steve Kelley returns to the Seattle Times after a two month vacation....let me ask did anybody miss him? I certainly didn't, Kelley is the biggest pompous ass currently writing in the Seattle area. The Philadelphia native has never become a true Seattle type of guy....hard to imagine he was the replacement for the legendary George N. Meyers. The Times did get it right when they made the recent hire of Jerry Brewer. Jerry does his homework, and even though he isn't a Seattle native he has made double the effort that Steve has done in his twenty plus years at the Times in understanding the local sporting intelligencia. Kelley has only one area of expertise, and that is the NBA, hopefully if the Sonic's move on to Oklahoma City they will take him with him.
Ah, back at last! So ... what did I miss? (Steve you missed that nobody missed you, and the circulation of your paper probably increased in your absence.)
Washington senior Ryan Brown capped his illustrious UW career with a third-place national finish in the 800-meters Saturday, leading Washington's men to its highest team finish in 22 years at the 2007 NCAA Track and Field Championships. Brown was one of six Washington athletes to earn All-America honors at the four-day meet at Sacramento State's Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex, which concluded Saturday.
Brown was one of six Huskies to earn All-America honors at the four-day meet, including five UW men. Those outstanding performances - including a third-place long jump finish for junior Norris Frederick, a sixth-place hammer finish for senior Martin Bingisser, an eighth-place pole vault finish for freshman Scott Roth and a 10th-place finish for quarter hurdler James Fredrickson - lifted the 11th-ranked UW men into a tie for 15th in the final team standings with 16 points, equal to No. 14 Baylor and No. 15 Oklahoma.
Six more Washington baseball players were drafted on the second and final day of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft Friday. Third baseman Matt Hague, right-handed pitcher Brandon McKerney, right-handed pitcher Harrison Bishop, right-handed pitcher Johnny Durocher, first baseman Curt Rindal and shortstop Danny Cox were all drafted.
Boise State Preview
Think Dan Hawkins wouldn't mind having his old job back?
The 2006 Bronco's hit that elusive goal of going to a BCS game, and they actually beat Oklahoma in one of the most exciting bowl games in years. The Bronco's aren't Cinderella anymore. Did you ever think Boise State would be the dominant football program in the Northwest? They are right now, and they visit Husky Stadium for the first time looking to cement that fact in a game which will have as much meaning for that program as the Fiesta Bowl. Make no mistake, this is a Bowl Game for Boise State and they will treat it as such.
Boise State completed spring practice with their annual spring game, a competitive contest won by the offense, 27-26. The score doesn’t matter at all. Coaching staff 's are looking for individual efforts much more than which team won.
Offense
Bush Hamdan will be Boise State's starting quarterback when the Broncos open their season against Weber State under the lights at Bronco Stadium on Aug. 30. Hamdan, a redshirt junior, took the lead in the Broncos' four-way quarterback derby during spring practice — even if Boise State football coaches aren't conceding that anyone is a favorite to succeed Jared Zabransky.
Now Hamdan must hold his slim lead over Taylor Tharp through summer workouts and fall camp to make the prediction stand up. Hamdan has the best mix. Impressive arm strength. An ability to make plays when they aren't there or buy time with his feet.
Who will be the go-to wideout? That will be determined in the fall, when the Broncos identify their top five or six receivers and let them jell with the eventual starting quarterback.
Sophomore Jeremy Childs and junior Vinny Perretta are the top candidates, but junior Toshi Franklin had a breakout spring, sophomore Aiona Key improved and converted tight end Julian Hawkins developed into a nice target over the middle.
The offensive line was shuffled by an injury to center Paul Lucariello, who will miss the entire season, and the absence of All-WAC left tackle Ryan Clady for much of the spring due to a minor injury. Junior tailback Ian Johnson rested his banged-up body for the entire spring. Will senior Pete Cavender, who missed all of last season and the contact drills this spring, return to the starting lineup at right guard? The line at the end of spring featured Andrew Woodruff, the starter at right tackle last season, at right guard and Dan Gore, a defensive lineman until last August, at right tackle. If Cavender starts, Woodruff likely will move back to tackle.
What will the tailback rotation look like? It starts with Johnson and freshman Jeremy Avery, but freshman Jarvis Hodge and incoming recruits Doug Martin and D.J. Harper will compete for the leftover carries. Avery, who ran a 4.44 40, capped an impressive spring with 107 total yards in the Spring Game. The 5-foot-9, 161-pounder showed he could take a pounding on a team that played just two tailbacks after spring break.
Defense
The future at safety for the Bronco's looks good as Freshmen Jason Robinson and Jeron Johnson, junior-college transfer Garcia Day and senior Austin Smith delivered some big hits and broke up five passes in the Spring Game. Robinson, in particular, proved he can provide a physical presence. The second safety job - alongside senior starter Marty Tadman - remains an open race going into the fall. Robinson, Johnson and Day are learning quickly on the job.
Boise State lost two of the top defensive playmakers of the school's WAC era in linebackers Korey Hall and Colt Brooks, yet the position remains one of the team's greatest strengths.
Juniors Kyle Gingg and David Shields, who shared the weak-side job last year, move into starting roles. Junior walk-on Tim Brady, promising freshman Derrell Acrey and potential role players Josh Bean, Ellis Powers, Dallas Dobbs and Garrett Tuggle give defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox flexibility.
Gingg didn't hit much this spring as he continued to recover from a broken ankle suffered in the first quarter of the Fiesta Bowl. He was a force in the Spring Game, though, including a nasty hit that caused a fumble. The third starter could be Brady, who would force Gingg or Shields to move to middle linebacker, or Acrey, who is a natural middle linebacker.
On the Defensive front the Broncos will enter the fall with a four-man tackle committee led by senior Ian Smart and junior Joe Bozikovich. Senior Sione Tavake and junior Phillip Edwards also are in the mix. The group improved in the spring, but none showed he was ready to replace Browning - a three-year starter, All-WAC first-teamer and the unsung hero of the Broncos' run defense.
Consensus Opinion
The general consensus on Boise State is that they are young, they have holes to fill, and while they are capable of competing for the WAC title, another BCS berth in 2007 is unlikely. The 2006 Bronco's were very good, and they could compete against anyone in the country. This years version while following the same blueprint will have a hard time living up to that. The Bronco's are going to be breaking in a new QB, new recievers, and dealing with a shuffling offensive line. they will have growing pains. Washington is still going to have to play a complete game to beat these guys next year. They need to get it in to their mindset that they need to bury these upstart Bronco's and let them know that the Pac Ten is on a much higher level than the WAC. The Bronco's are still made up of guys the Pac Ten didn't want, and the talent level has to tip strongly to Washington. Don't expect a rout, expect a game like last year when we played San Jose St, a game we could have easily lost. This is going to be a fight to finish, but I am pretty sure Washington will prevail if they control the ball and don't cough it up for easy one's.
Steve Kelley returns to the Seattle Times after a two month vacation....let me ask did anybody miss him? I certainly didn't, Kelley is the biggest pompous ass currently writing in the Seattle area. The Philadelphia native has never become a true Seattle type of guy....hard to imagine he was the replacement for the legendary George N. Meyers. The Times did get it right when they made the recent hire of Jerry Brewer. Jerry does his homework, and even though he isn't a Seattle native he has made double the effort that Steve has done in his twenty plus years at the Times in understanding the local sporting intelligencia. Kelley has only one area of expertise, and that is the NBA, hopefully if the Sonic's move on to Oklahoma City they will take him with him.
Ah, back at last! So ... what did I miss? (Steve you missed that nobody missed you, and the circulation of your paper probably increased in your absence.)
Washington senior Ryan Brown capped his illustrious UW career with a third-place national finish in the 800-meters Saturday, leading Washington's men to its highest team finish in 22 years at the 2007 NCAA Track and Field Championships. Brown was one of six Washington athletes to earn All-America honors at the four-day meet at Sacramento State's Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex, which concluded Saturday.
Brown was one of six Huskies to earn All-America honors at the four-day meet, including five UW men. Those outstanding performances - including a third-place long jump finish for junior Norris Frederick, a sixth-place hammer finish for senior Martin Bingisser, an eighth-place pole vault finish for freshman Scott Roth and a 10th-place finish for quarter hurdler James Fredrickson - lifted the 11th-ranked UW men into a tie for 15th in the final team standings with 16 points, equal to No. 14 Baylor and No. 15 Oklahoma.
Six more Washington baseball players were drafted on the second and final day of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft Friday. Third baseman Matt Hague, right-handed pitcher Brandon McKerney, right-handed pitcher Harrison Bishop, right-handed pitcher Johnny Durocher, first baseman Curt Rindal and shortstop Danny Cox were all drafted.
Boise State Preview
Think Dan Hawkins wouldn't mind having his old job back?
The 2006 Bronco's hit that elusive goal of going to a BCS game, and they actually beat Oklahoma in one of the most exciting bowl games in years. The Bronco's aren't Cinderella anymore. Did you ever think Boise State would be the dominant football program in the Northwest? They are right now, and they visit Husky Stadium for the first time looking to cement that fact in a game which will have as much meaning for that program as the Fiesta Bowl. Make no mistake, this is a Bowl Game for Boise State and they will treat it as such.
Boise State completed spring practice with their annual spring game, a competitive contest won by the offense, 27-26. The score doesn’t matter at all. Coaching staff 's are looking for individual efforts much more than which team won.
Offense
Bush Hamdan will be Boise State's starting quarterback when the Broncos open their season against Weber State under the lights at Bronco Stadium on Aug. 30. Hamdan, a redshirt junior, took the lead in the Broncos' four-way quarterback derby during spring practice — even if Boise State football coaches aren't conceding that anyone is a favorite to succeed Jared Zabransky.
Now Hamdan must hold his slim lead over Taylor Tharp through summer workouts and fall camp to make the prediction stand up. Hamdan has the best mix. Impressive arm strength. An ability to make plays when they aren't there or buy time with his feet.
Who will be the go-to wideout? That will be determined in the fall, when the Broncos identify their top five or six receivers and let them jell with the eventual starting quarterback.
Sophomore Jeremy Childs and junior Vinny Perretta are the top candidates, but junior Toshi Franklin had a breakout spring, sophomore Aiona Key improved and converted tight end Julian Hawkins developed into a nice target over the middle.
The offensive line was shuffled by an injury to center Paul Lucariello, who will miss the entire season, and the absence of All-WAC left tackle Ryan Clady for much of the spring due to a minor injury. Junior tailback Ian Johnson rested his banged-up body for the entire spring. Will senior Pete Cavender, who missed all of last season and the contact drills this spring, return to the starting lineup at right guard? The line at the end of spring featured Andrew Woodruff, the starter at right tackle last season, at right guard and Dan Gore, a defensive lineman until last August, at right tackle. If Cavender starts, Woodruff likely will move back to tackle.
What will the tailback rotation look like? It starts with Johnson and freshman Jeremy Avery, but freshman Jarvis Hodge and incoming recruits Doug Martin and D.J. Harper will compete for the leftover carries. Avery, who ran a 4.44 40, capped an impressive spring with 107 total yards in the Spring Game. The 5-foot-9, 161-pounder showed he could take a pounding on a team that played just two tailbacks after spring break.
Defense
The future at safety for the Bronco's looks good as Freshmen Jason Robinson and Jeron Johnson, junior-college transfer Garcia Day and senior Austin Smith delivered some big hits and broke up five passes in the Spring Game. Robinson, in particular, proved he can provide a physical presence. The second safety job - alongside senior starter Marty Tadman - remains an open race going into the fall. Robinson, Johnson and Day are learning quickly on the job.
Boise State lost two of the top defensive playmakers of the school's WAC era in linebackers Korey Hall and Colt Brooks, yet the position remains one of the team's greatest strengths.
Juniors Kyle Gingg and David Shields, who shared the weak-side job last year, move into starting roles. Junior walk-on Tim Brady, promising freshman Derrell Acrey and potential role players Josh Bean, Ellis Powers, Dallas Dobbs and Garrett Tuggle give defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox flexibility.
Gingg didn't hit much this spring as he continued to recover from a broken ankle suffered in the first quarter of the Fiesta Bowl. He was a force in the Spring Game, though, including a nasty hit that caused a fumble. The third starter could be Brady, who would force Gingg or Shields to move to middle linebacker, or Acrey, who is a natural middle linebacker.
On the Defensive front the Broncos will enter the fall with a four-man tackle committee led by senior Ian Smart and junior Joe Bozikovich. Senior Sione Tavake and junior Phillip Edwards also are in the mix. The group improved in the spring, but none showed he was ready to replace Browning - a three-year starter, All-WAC first-teamer and the unsung hero of the Broncos' run defense.
Consensus Opinion
The general consensus on Boise State is that they are young, they have holes to fill, and while they are capable of competing for the WAC title, another BCS berth in 2007 is unlikely. The 2006 Bronco's were very good, and they could compete against anyone in the country. This years version while following the same blueprint will have a hard time living up to that. The Bronco's are going to be breaking in a new QB, new recievers, and dealing with a shuffling offensive line. they will have growing pains. Washington is still going to have to play a complete game to beat these guys next year. They need to get it in to their mindset that they need to bury these upstart Bronco's and let them know that the Pac Ten is on a much higher level than the WAC. The Bronco's are still made up of guys the Pac Ten didn't want, and the talent level has to tip strongly to Washington. Don't expect a rout, expect a game like last year when we played San Jose St, a game we could have easily lost. This is going to be a fight to finish, but I am pretty sure Washington will prevail if they control the ball and don't cough it up for easy one's.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Puppy Chow
Well it's Friday, and the Spring sports schedule is coming to a close with the track team competing with a strong team down in Sacramento at the NCAA championships. I actually remember when track meets drew a crowd in the Northwest. I went to more than a few at Husky Stadium, and caught Jim Ryan at the Olympic Trials in Eugene one year when I was a kid at old Heyward Field. for some reason track faded as a spectator sport in this country despite the excitement a meet generates.
I have been watching our poll question closely this week and Marques Tuiasosopo has pulled into the lead in the voting. So many great QB's to choose from, and the Woodinville native remains a favorite in the hearts of Husky fans. Hopefully Marques will get a chance to show what he can do in the pro's this year. Make sure you vote for your all time Husky QB, polls close next Thursday.
Washington junior Norris Frederick captured his fifth-career All-America honor with a third-place finish in the long jump Thursday, highlighting another busy day of action for Washington's track and field teams at the 2007 NCAA Championships in Sacramento. The four-day meet, featuring 12 Husky athletes, continues through Saturday at Sacramento State's Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex. The Husky track team is projected to be in the top ten once the meet is concluded which would give them their highest finish in quite some time. The Dempsey indoor facility has given that program quite a boost.
Washington pitcher Nick Hagadone was selected by the Boston Red Sox with the 55th overall pick in today's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Hagadone, a junior lefty from Sumner, Wash., was Boston's first pick as the the Red Sox did not have a first-round selection. Hagadone was chosen in the first compensation round, which falls between the official first and second rounds.
The Husky Crew has decided not to compete at Henley this year due to scheduling conflicts regarding members participating on various national teams. The three event titles were the most for the Huskies' fleet of crews since 1997 when they claimed top IRA honors in the three eight-oared events. The trio of championship boats continued a streak that has seen at least one Washington crew win a national title during each of the last seven years. The Huskies' top crew completed a perfect season. That marked their first undefeated campaign since 1997, which was also the last year they won the varsity eight event.
I have been watching our poll question closely this week and Marques Tuiasosopo has pulled into the lead in the voting. So many great QB's to choose from, and the Woodinville native remains a favorite in the hearts of Husky fans. Hopefully Marques will get a chance to show what he can do in the pro's this year. Make sure you vote for your all time Husky QB, polls close next Thursday.
Washington junior Norris Frederick captured his fifth-career All-America honor with a third-place finish in the long jump Thursday, highlighting another busy day of action for Washington's track and field teams at the 2007 NCAA Championships in Sacramento. The four-day meet, featuring 12 Husky athletes, continues through Saturday at Sacramento State's Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex. The Husky track team is projected to be in the top ten once the meet is concluded which would give them their highest finish in quite some time. The Dempsey indoor facility has given that program quite a boost.
Washington pitcher Nick Hagadone was selected by the Boston Red Sox with the 55th overall pick in today's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Hagadone, a junior lefty from Sumner, Wash., was Boston's first pick as the the Red Sox did not have a first-round selection. Hagadone was chosen in the first compensation round, which falls between the official first and second rounds.
The Husky Crew has decided not to compete at Henley this year due to scheduling conflicts regarding members participating on various national teams. The three event titles were the most for the Huskies' fleet of crews since 1997 when they claimed top IRA honors in the three eight-oared events. The trio of championship boats continued a streak that has seen at least one Washington crew win a national title during each of the last seven years. The Huskies' top crew completed a perfect season. That marked their first undefeated campaign since 1997, which was also the last year they won the varsity eight event.
The Weekly Poll Question
Last weeks poll question was:
Who is the greatest running back in Husky History?
It went right down to the wire between two running backs who were separated by about forty years in their tenure at UW. It is really tough to say who is better. I saw Nip, and have only seen a few snippets of film on McElhenny, but I will say this for Hugh, most feel he would be as effective today, as he was during his run in the 1950's, and early 60's.
Hugh McElhenny 30% (6 votes)
George Wilson 5% (1 votes)
Chuck Carroll 0% (0 votes)
Joe Steele 5% (1 votes)
Napoleon Kauffman 30% (6 votes)
Corey Dillon 15% (3 votes)
Greg Lewis 15% (3 votes)
Robin Earl 0% (0 votes)
Kauffman was a great back, and probably the best Pac Ten back in quite some time till Reggie Bush came around who was very similar. They both had legs that resembled sewing machine needles. Nip went on to have a solid career in the NFL before retiring early to pursue the ministry.
McElhenny possessed a trait that few have had in history, and that was the ability to stop on a dime and change direction time, and time again. Hugh actually scored a TD in a Pac Ten game where he covered about 175 yards running side to side. He was one of the best open field runners in the history of the game....think Gayle Sayers. Hugh was voted as a first string RB to the NFL first 50 year team.
Greg Lewis got more votes than I thought he would, and that is great because he was an excellent college running back who won the Doak Walker award as the best running back in the country his senior year. He is the only Husky who has ever won that honor.
Right up there with Lewis, was Corey Dillon. Dillon probably would have won the vote if he had stayed at Washington a second year and led his team to a Rose Bowl, and National Championship. For the record that is what would have happened if he had stayed. Jim Lambright would probably still be head coach and getting near to retirement, and the Husky program would not have plummeted to the depths it did over the past five years.
Joe Steele of course is among the best who ever played, and an injury ruined his chances for a pro career. Joe goes down as the most important recruit of the Don James era. He was the guy you had to have, which is very similar to the importance of Jake Locker becoming a Husky.
George Wilson gets a single vote, and while time has faded over the last eighty, or so years since he played, he banged heads with legends such as Ernie Nevers, Johnny "Mack" Brown, Red Grange, Jim Thorpe and came out on top. Nobody really knows how good he, or Chuck Carroll who came later really were since most that saw them play are dead now.
For the record I voted for McElhenny based on the testimony of such guys as Y.A. Tittle, Frank Gifford, Mike Ditka, and the recollections of my father who saw Hugh play quite a bit at Husky Stadium.
When I was in HS and college the best Husky RB in my mind was Joe Steele, nobody really compared to him until Kauffman arrived, and I think Nip was better, even though Joe is still my favorite. My father felt that while Joe was very good, he wasn't in the same league as a McElhenny, or an OJ Simpson. Hugh was in that OJ, Sayres, Brown, and Payton type of class according tot he old timers.
This weeks poll question:
Who is the greatest Quarterback in Husky History?
Wow, this is a tough one because there have been so many great QB's at Washington. You have to go back to Don Heinrich, in the 50's, Schloredt, in the 60's, then Sixkiller in the late 60's and early 70's.
That was pretty much it as far as greatness was concerned until Don James arrived. His first QB was a guy by the name of Harold Warren Moon who did pretty good for himself. DJ followed it up with a great one almost every year he was at Washington. In fact UW at one time had more QB's in the pro's than any other school. While Moon is a Hall of Fame QB, can you honestly say he was the best college QB UW ever had?
Heinrich was where the bar was set, not only was he the best collegian while he was at UW, he went on to have an all pro career. I never saw him play, but he was the best pure QB until Sixkiller came onto the scene. Schloredt is in a special category, he led the Huskies to two Rose Bowls playing both ways, and he was more of a running QB.
I saw a lot of Sixkiller, probably every game he played at home, and he had lot's of zing on the ball, but the best in the conference while he was at UW were Plunkett at Stanford, and Fouts at Oregon. Sixkiller was fun to watch, and his teams rekindled the excitement Husky football lost in the late 60's.
Moon of course had a great senior year after a rocky start as a sophomore at UW. He went on to be one of the best pro QB's in the history of the CFL, and NFL. Once again, was he best QB the Huskies ever had based just on his days at UW?
After that came the DJ prototypes, Flick, Pelleur, Conklin, and probably the best in my mind in the early models was Chris Chandler who has had an unbelievably long career as a pro. Brunnel, and Hobert followed in the 90's. BJ never lost a game, hit some scandal, and he never did click in the pro's. Looking back he was screwed since what he did didn't end up being a violation, however he did open Pandora's box. Brunnel on the other hand has had a great career in the NFL, and is still playing.
The Huard brothers, like Cary Conklin never quite lived up to the hype, but the hype of course was Heisman potential, both had solid careers at UW. Finally of course we have Marques Tuiasosopo who is a legend in these parts after leading the Huskies to their first and only bowl game since the Millennium.
Who is the greatest running back in Husky History?
It went right down to the wire between two running backs who were separated by about forty years in their tenure at UW. It is really tough to say who is better. I saw Nip, and have only seen a few snippets of film on McElhenny, but I will say this for Hugh, most feel he would be as effective today, as he was during his run in the 1950's, and early 60's.
Hugh McElhenny 30% (6 votes)
George Wilson 5% (1 votes)
Chuck Carroll 0% (0 votes)
Joe Steele 5% (1 votes)
Napoleon Kauffman 30% (6 votes)
Corey Dillon 15% (3 votes)
Greg Lewis 15% (3 votes)
Robin Earl 0% (0 votes)
Kauffman was a great back, and probably the best Pac Ten back in quite some time till Reggie Bush came around who was very similar. They both had legs that resembled sewing machine needles. Nip went on to have a solid career in the NFL before retiring early to pursue the ministry.
McElhenny possessed a trait that few have had in history, and that was the ability to stop on a dime and change direction time, and time again. Hugh actually scored a TD in a Pac Ten game where he covered about 175 yards running side to side. He was one of the best open field runners in the history of the game....think Gayle Sayers. Hugh was voted as a first string RB to the NFL first 50 year team.
Greg Lewis got more votes than I thought he would, and that is great because he was an excellent college running back who won the Doak Walker award as the best running back in the country his senior year. He is the only Husky who has ever won that honor.
Right up there with Lewis, was Corey Dillon. Dillon probably would have won the vote if he had stayed at Washington a second year and led his team to a Rose Bowl, and National Championship. For the record that is what would have happened if he had stayed. Jim Lambright would probably still be head coach and getting near to retirement, and the Husky program would not have plummeted to the depths it did over the past five years.
Joe Steele of course is among the best who ever played, and an injury ruined his chances for a pro career. Joe goes down as the most important recruit of the Don James era. He was the guy you had to have, which is very similar to the importance of Jake Locker becoming a Husky.
George Wilson gets a single vote, and while time has faded over the last eighty, or so years since he played, he banged heads with legends such as Ernie Nevers, Johnny "Mack" Brown, Red Grange, Jim Thorpe and came out on top. Nobody really knows how good he, or Chuck Carroll who came later really were since most that saw them play are dead now.
For the record I voted for McElhenny based on the testimony of such guys as Y.A. Tittle, Frank Gifford, Mike Ditka, and the recollections of my father who saw Hugh play quite a bit at Husky Stadium.
When I was in HS and college the best Husky RB in my mind was Joe Steele, nobody really compared to him until Kauffman arrived, and I think Nip was better, even though Joe is still my favorite. My father felt that while Joe was very good, he wasn't in the same league as a McElhenny, or an OJ Simpson. Hugh was in that OJ, Sayres, Brown, and Payton type of class according tot he old timers.
This weeks poll question:
Who is the greatest Quarterback in Husky History?
Wow, this is a tough one because there have been so many great QB's at Washington. You have to go back to Don Heinrich, in the 50's, Schloredt, in the 60's, then Sixkiller in the late 60's and early 70's.
That was pretty much it as far as greatness was concerned until Don James arrived. His first QB was a guy by the name of Harold Warren Moon who did pretty good for himself. DJ followed it up with a great one almost every year he was at Washington. In fact UW at one time had more QB's in the pro's than any other school. While Moon is a Hall of Fame QB, can you honestly say he was the best college QB UW ever had?
Heinrich was where the bar was set, not only was he the best collegian while he was at UW, he went on to have an all pro career. I never saw him play, but he was the best pure QB until Sixkiller came onto the scene. Schloredt is in a special category, he led the Huskies to two Rose Bowls playing both ways, and he was more of a running QB.
I saw a lot of Sixkiller, probably every game he played at home, and he had lot's of zing on the ball, but the best in the conference while he was at UW were Plunkett at Stanford, and Fouts at Oregon. Sixkiller was fun to watch, and his teams rekindled the excitement Husky football lost in the late 60's.
Moon of course had a great senior year after a rocky start as a sophomore at UW. He went on to be one of the best pro QB's in the history of the CFL, and NFL. Once again, was he best QB the Huskies ever had based just on his days at UW?
After that came the DJ prototypes, Flick, Pelleur, Conklin, and probably the best in my mind in the early models was Chris Chandler who has had an unbelievably long career as a pro. Brunnel, and Hobert followed in the 90's. BJ never lost a game, hit some scandal, and he never did click in the pro's. Looking back he was screwed since what he did didn't end up being a violation, however he did open Pandora's box. Brunnel on the other hand has had a great career in the NFL, and is still playing.
The Huard brothers, like Cary Conklin never quite lived up to the hype, but the hype of course was Heisman potential, both had solid careers at UW. Finally of course we have Marques Tuiasosopo who is a legend in these parts after leading the Huskies to their first and only bowl game since the Millennium.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Pac Ten Alley
We have officially reached the start of the slow news time for the year when it comes to college athletics, but we were able to unearth some nuggets during our walk down Pac Ten Alley.
Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times rips the Sporting News which has been a shadow of itself ever since it was purchased by Paul Allen.
I had just glanced at this Sporting News ranking of the Pac-10 schedules for this season and was about to begin a blog wondering how they could really rank UW's slate second to UCLA's when I realized that the magazine once known as "The Bible of Sports'' had done it again. Close readers of this blog know that I regard The Sporting News --- which like the Yankees, is a shell of its once-great self --- as having about as much insight into Pac-10 sports as Lindsay Lohan does about safe driving habits.
The Quarterback situation at USC is just ridiculous.
John David Booty's starting spot is in no danger after a breakthrough performance in the Rose Bowl, earning him a spot on the Heisman Watch List but the quarterback situation at USC is about to get a lot more interesting with the arrivals of Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain and Orange Lutheran graduate Aaron Corp to eventually compete with Mark Sanchez. There are plenty of story lines heading into fall camp.
Cal at Stanford tickets getting tough to get in smaller Stanford Stadium.
The 115-year-old Cal-Stanford football contest transcends mere athletics. It's a gathering of the tribes, a bacchanalian ritual akin to Mardi Gras and Christmas combined. For fans of both schools, the Big Game is seared into their internal clock like the turning of the seasons. In the past, any Cal season ticket holder automatically got a ticket to the Big Game. But that has changed -- tickets for November's showdown are expected to be rarer than Stanford victories last year. The only way for Cal fans to get Big Game tickets at this point is to have donated at least $6,800 to the athletic booster fund or to buy Stanford season tickets. Many have.
The magic is still happening as Oregon State advances to the Super Regionals at home against Michigan.
Lonnie Lechelt's solo home run sparked a three-run second inning and put defending national champion Oregon State ahead to stay today in a 7-3 victory over Virginia in the Charlottesville Regional. The Beavers (42-18) won for the third time in two days, and beat the Cavaliers for the second straight time, to keep alive their hope of defending their title. Oregon State advanced to the Super Regional round, hosting Michigan starting Saturday. "The guys are just really pumped to be able to go back to Corvallis," Beavers second baseman Joey Wong said. "It will be really fun. "Virginia, hosting a regional for the third time in four years, has never made it out of the regional. The Cavaliers were in their seventh trip to the tournament.
Oregon Nabs a Tight End from California.
Tight End Mychal Rivera from Birmingham High in Van Nuys, CA says he's committed to Oregon. Telling Educk.com, ""I'm a solid verbal," said Rivera. "I'm relieved to get it over with. In my mind, I had it over with about two weeks ago, after they offered, but I didn't want to say anything until I got up there."
The war against Karl Dorrell continues at UCLA.
I'm sure the guys over at Bruins Nation and Dump Dorrell will be interested to know that when you perform this same analysis for the games where Dorrell had input (i.e. after the WSU game) and when just Svoboda was in charge (i.e. WSU and earlier) there is virtually no difference in the plays called. In fact, Dorrell was even more conservative, passing the ball only 26% of the time in the red zone to Svoboda's 39%. In goal line situations the team followed the run-run-pass pattern almost exclusively when Dorrell was helping call the shots.
The search for a cornerback coach continues at WSU.
Washington State's football program already was facing a 2007 season with an unproven secondary. Now the uncertainty includes a new assistant coach. Ken Greene, former standout WSU safety in the 1970s, later an NFL player and for the past four years an assistant under Bill Doba, has been dismissed from the staff.
The Arizona Softball teams falls in the first round against Tennessee.
Arizona pitcher Taryne Mowatt rolled her eyes because she knew the question was coming.
Are you tired? "Yeah, it's getting tougher, but it doesn't mean I'm getting tired," she said. "I don't get tired." And yet for the first time at the College World Series, Mowatt was merely mortal, allowing two home runs as Tennessee beat Arizona 3-0 Monday night in the first game of the best-of-three championship round.
Stanford win the NCAA Mens Golf Title.
The Cardinal shot a 1-over-par 281 Saturday in Williamsburg, Va., and ran away with the NCAA tournament by 12 shots, its first golf title since 1994. "Our first three years, we were happy with a top-five, a top-three," senior Matt Savage said once the win was secure. "To finally progress to winning one tournament, and then winning six, and then winning the championship, it's unbelievable."
ASU advances to the Baseball Super Regional.
Arizona State gets an extra day to prepare for its NCAA baseball super regional against Mississippi, a best-of-three series that will begin Saturday at Packard Stadium. Game 2 is Sunday and Game 3, if necessary, is Monday. Times will be announced today. The winner advances to the College World Series and is more likely to play its first game in Omaha, Neb., on June 16 because of the Saturday super regional start.
Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times rips the Sporting News which has been a shadow of itself ever since it was purchased by Paul Allen.
I had just glanced at this Sporting News ranking of the Pac-10 schedules for this season and was about to begin a blog wondering how they could really rank UW's slate second to UCLA's when I realized that the magazine once known as "The Bible of Sports'' had done it again. Close readers of this blog know that I regard The Sporting News --- which like the Yankees, is a shell of its once-great self --- as having about as much insight into Pac-10 sports as Lindsay Lohan does about safe driving habits.
The Quarterback situation at USC is just ridiculous.
John David Booty's starting spot is in no danger after a breakthrough performance in the Rose Bowl, earning him a spot on the Heisman Watch List but the quarterback situation at USC is about to get a lot more interesting with the arrivals of Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain and Orange Lutheran graduate Aaron Corp to eventually compete with Mark Sanchez. There are plenty of story lines heading into fall camp.
Cal at Stanford tickets getting tough to get in smaller Stanford Stadium.
The 115-year-old Cal-Stanford football contest transcends mere athletics. It's a gathering of the tribes, a bacchanalian ritual akin to Mardi Gras and Christmas combined. For fans of both schools, the Big Game is seared into their internal clock like the turning of the seasons. In the past, any Cal season ticket holder automatically got a ticket to the Big Game. But that has changed -- tickets for November's showdown are expected to be rarer than Stanford victories last year. The only way for Cal fans to get Big Game tickets at this point is to have donated at least $6,800 to the athletic booster fund or to buy Stanford season tickets. Many have.
The magic is still happening as Oregon State advances to the Super Regionals at home against Michigan.
Lonnie Lechelt's solo home run sparked a three-run second inning and put defending national champion Oregon State ahead to stay today in a 7-3 victory over Virginia in the Charlottesville Regional. The Beavers (42-18) won for the third time in two days, and beat the Cavaliers for the second straight time, to keep alive their hope of defending their title. Oregon State advanced to the Super Regional round, hosting Michigan starting Saturday. "The guys are just really pumped to be able to go back to Corvallis," Beavers second baseman Joey Wong said. "It will be really fun. "Virginia, hosting a regional for the third time in four years, has never made it out of the regional. The Cavaliers were in their seventh trip to the tournament.
Oregon Nabs a Tight End from California.
Tight End Mychal Rivera from Birmingham High in Van Nuys, CA says he's committed to Oregon. Telling Educk.com, ""I'm a solid verbal," said Rivera. "I'm relieved to get it over with. In my mind, I had it over with about two weeks ago, after they offered, but I didn't want to say anything until I got up there."
The war against Karl Dorrell continues at UCLA.
I'm sure the guys over at Bruins Nation and Dump Dorrell will be interested to know that when you perform this same analysis for the games where Dorrell had input (i.e. after the WSU game) and when just Svoboda was in charge (i.e. WSU and earlier) there is virtually no difference in the plays called. In fact, Dorrell was even more conservative, passing the ball only 26% of the time in the red zone to Svoboda's 39%. In goal line situations the team followed the run-run-pass pattern almost exclusively when Dorrell was helping call the shots.
The search for a cornerback coach continues at WSU.
Washington State's football program already was facing a 2007 season with an unproven secondary. Now the uncertainty includes a new assistant coach. Ken Greene, former standout WSU safety in the 1970s, later an NFL player and for the past four years an assistant under Bill Doba, has been dismissed from the staff.
The Arizona Softball teams falls in the first round against Tennessee.
Arizona pitcher Taryne Mowatt rolled her eyes because she knew the question was coming.
Are you tired? "Yeah, it's getting tougher, but it doesn't mean I'm getting tired," she said. "I don't get tired." And yet for the first time at the College World Series, Mowatt was merely mortal, allowing two home runs as Tennessee beat Arizona 3-0 Monday night in the first game of the best-of-three championship round.
Stanford win the NCAA Mens Golf Title.
The Cardinal shot a 1-over-par 281 Saturday in Williamsburg, Va., and ran away with the NCAA tournament by 12 shots, its first golf title since 1994. "Our first three years, we were happy with a top-five, a top-three," senior Matt Savage said once the win was secure. "To finally progress to winning one tournament, and then winning six, and then winning the championship, it's unbelievable."
ASU advances to the Baseball Super Regional.
Arizona State gets an extra day to prepare for its NCAA baseball super regional against Mississippi, a best-of-three series that will begin Saturday at Packard Stadium. Game 2 is Sunday and Game 3, if necessary, is Monday. Times will be announced today. The winner advances to the College World Series and is more likely to play its first game in Omaha, Neb., on June 16 because of the Saturday super regional start.
Monday, June 04, 2007
The Monday Morning Wash
Washington won a national championship in Crew, and finished third in the race for the national championship in Softball losing to conference rival Arizona in two straight games. The softball program has been here before, and while they have knocked on the door it seems there is always someone a little better who keeps them from the championship trophy. Heather Tarr did an excellent job this season and has the program back to the level it was before Teresa Wilson was let go.
On the Cooper River in New Jersey the Husky Crew showed everyone that they are back on top, and that the program is in great shape winning the overall title in addition to the Varsity Eights. Look for the Huskies to announce soon that they will be headed to Henley.
With Spring Sports for the most part completed we enter the slow period of the Summer for the football, and other athletic programs at UW. Over the next eight weeks we will be reviewing where our upcoming football opponents stand headed into the season.
This week we kick off our reviews with the opener at Syracuse. The Orangemen are currently down, and Washington should enter the game a prohibitive favorite. If you take a good look at the schedule this may be the least skilled opponent Washington will face this year. The Orange have problems on both sides of the ball, but like Washington last year have bottomed out and are starting the long return to the upper division of their conference.
Syracuse Preview
First of all Syracuse's hopes of escaping the Big East cellar were dealt a serious blow with the season-ending injury to RB Delone Carter, who led the Orange in rushing with 713 yards as a freshman. Carter dislocated his hip during a 7-on-7 passing drill during spring practice. In 2006, Carter split time with Curtis Brinkley, who had knee surgery during the spring but is expected to be healthy in the fall.
What can you learn from a spring scrimmage that features a punter lining up as a wide receiver and two stoppages of play for video review? Apparently, quite a bit from reports.
Despite Syracuse's defense pushing forward for an unsurprising 25-24 victory in the spring game, Orange sophomore quarterback Andrew Robinson stepped to the fore, likely earning himself the starting role in 2007. The sophomore from Baltimore was impressive during the team's annual spring football game. The defense won the contest 25-24, but it was Robinson who carried the day as the game's most arresting performer.
Robinson completed 12-of-19 passes for 146 yards and one touchdown. He threw one interception, though it was a pass receiver Taj Smith caught, then fumbled into the arms of defensive lineman Anthony Perkins. Robinson directed two touchdown drives and one field goal drive. All three came against the first-team defense.
Robinson's display must surely buoy the expectations of even the most pessimistic of Orange fans. Without starting running backs Delone Carter (dislocated hip) and Curtis "Boonah" Brinkley (knee), Robinson managed to carry the load most of the afternoon. His poise in the pocket and ability to complete a myriad of throws proved that he can, under the right circumstances, compete in head coach Greg Robinson's West Coast Offense. The pieces are there among the skill players for a night-and-day improvement from last year’s putrid attack that cranked out a mere 264 yards and 17.4 points per game, but the injuries are a disappointment that will be hard to overcome coming out of the gate.
On defense it might take a little while for the team to gel next season, but the defense should improve as the season goes on. In 2006 it struggled in every area but getting into the backfield, and with a strong defensive line returning, led be end Jameel McClain, generating pressure won’t be much of a problem. The linebacking corps will be work in progress with three new starters, but the they will be blessed with two excellent safeties who will have to clean up the mess in Dowayne Davis, and Joe Fields. The inside-outside combination of Jenkins and McClain will be the teams strength on defense. For all the dire news about the defense, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Jenkins and McClain were the disruptive catalysts for a group that finished 19th nationally at almost three sacks a game.
Consensus Opinion on Syracuse
Syracuse goes into 2007 being labeled as the worst team in the Big East, and is a good candidate to make most people's national bottom ten lists initially. The Orange are rebuilding, and while it won't be quite as bad as 2006, this is definitely a team Washington should beat up on road to start the season. One key for Washington is keeping the Orange out of their offensive backfield. The other is exploiting what should be a porous Orange defense. Washington needs to start quickly, control the ball, and bottle up the Syracuse offense, and watch them self destruct. Jake Locker needs to be wary of the pressure the Syracuse defense can bring and turn it to Washington's advantage by using his speed to make plays. The Huskies as in most cases this season need to establish a strong running game early and control the temp putting away the underdog early.
On the Cooper River in New Jersey the Husky Crew showed everyone that they are back on top, and that the program is in great shape winning the overall title in addition to the Varsity Eights. Look for the Huskies to announce soon that they will be headed to Henley.
With Spring Sports for the most part completed we enter the slow period of the Summer for the football, and other athletic programs at UW. Over the next eight weeks we will be reviewing where our upcoming football opponents stand headed into the season.
This week we kick off our reviews with the opener at Syracuse. The Orangemen are currently down, and Washington should enter the game a prohibitive favorite. If you take a good look at the schedule this may be the least skilled opponent Washington will face this year. The Orange have problems on both sides of the ball, but like Washington last year have bottomed out and are starting the long return to the upper division of their conference.
Syracuse Preview
First of all Syracuse's hopes of escaping the Big East cellar were dealt a serious blow with the season-ending injury to RB Delone Carter, who led the Orange in rushing with 713 yards as a freshman. Carter dislocated his hip during a 7-on-7 passing drill during spring practice. In 2006, Carter split time with Curtis Brinkley, who had knee surgery during the spring but is expected to be healthy in the fall.
What can you learn from a spring scrimmage that features a punter lining up as a wide receiver and two stoppages of play for video review? Apparently, quite a bit from reports.
Despite Syracuse's defense pushing forward for an unsurprising 25-24 victory in the spring game, Orange sophomore quarterback Andrew Robinson stepped to the fore, likely earning himself the starting role in 2007. The sophomore from Baltimore was impressive during the team's annual spring football game. The defense won the contest 25-24, but it was Robinson who carried the day as the game's most arresting performer.
Robinson completed 12-of-19 passes for 146 yards and one touchdown. He threw one interception, though it was a pass receiver Taj Smith caught, then fumbled into the arms of defensive lineman Anthony Perkins. Robinson directed two touchdown drives and one field goal drive. All three came against the first-team defense.
Robinson's display must surely buoy the expectations of even the most pessimistic of Orange fans. Without starting running backs Delone Carter (dislocated hip) and Curtis "Boonah" Brinkley (knee), Robinson managed to carry the load most of the afternoon. His poise in the pocket and ability to complete a myriad of throws proved that he can, under the right circumstances, compete in head coach Greg Robinson's West Coast Offense. The pieces are there among the skill players for a night-and-day improvement from last year’s putrid attack that cranked out a mere 264 yards and 17.4 points per game, but the injuries are a disappointment that will be hard to overcome coming out of the gate.
On defense it might take a little while for the team to gel next season, but the defense should improve as the season goes on. In 2006 it struggled in every area but getting into the backfield, and with a strong defensive line returning, led be end Jameel McClain, generating pressure won’t be much of a problem. The linebacking corps will be work in progress with three new starters, but the they will be blessed with two excellent safeties who will have to clean up the mess in Dowayne Davis, and Joe Fields. The inside-outside combination of Jenkins and McClain will be the teams strength on defense. For all the dire news about the defense, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Jenkins and McClain were the disruptive catalysts for a group that finished 19th nationally at almost three sacks a game.
Consensus Opinion on Syracuse
Syracuse goes into 2007 being labeled as the worst team in the Big East, and is a good candidate to make most people's national bottom ten lists initially. The Orange are rebuilding, and while it won't be quite as bad as 2006, this is definitely a team Washington should beat up on road to start the season. One key for Washington is keeping the Orange out of their offensive backfield. The other is exploiting what should be a porous Orange defense. Washington needs to start quickly, control the ball, and bottle up the Syracuse offense, and watch them self destruct. Jake Locker needs to be wary of the pressure the Syracuse defense can bring and turn it to Washington's advantage by using his speed to make plays. The Huskies as in most cases this season need to establish a strong running game early and control the temp putting away the underdog early.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Arizona Knocks UW out of CSWS
The Huskies went down for the first time in the tournament losing to conference nemesis Arizona 2-0. The Huskies could have eliminated the once beaten Wildcats with a victory this morning. The two teams play at 4:00 PM PST on ESPN with the winner going on to championship round. We will be back with the recap after the second game. Arizona has now topped the Huskies in 11 of their past 12 meetings. It was the Wildcats' third victory in four tries against Washington this year. Arizona has seven national titles to its credit, while the Huskies are seeking their first one.
In the nightcap Arizona pounded Washington 8-1 to move onto the championship series. Arizona pounded out 12 hits in the decisive game, a season-high allowed by Washington. The seven-run margin of defeat was the largest against Washington since the Huskies lost to Texas, 9-1, to end the 2006 season in the NCAA Super Regional.
In the nightcap Arizona pounded Washington 8-1 to move onto the championship series. Arizona pounded out 12 hits in the decisive game, a season-high allowed by Washington. The seven-run margin of defeat was the largest against Washington since the Huskies lost to Texas, 9-1, to end the 2006 season in the NCAA Super Regional.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Husky Mens Crew Wins the National Championship
Washington won their first IRA title and completed their first undefeated season since 1997 today, and took their first Ten Eyck points trophy since 1970, after winning the national men's eights title with a powerful, commanding, and almost workaday performance; they didn't make it quite look easy, but neither did it ever really seem in doubt. And it's not like there wasn't a race right behind them; the race for the medals resulted in a dead heat for second between Stanford, and Harvard, a hair under one second behind Washington. Brown was only 0.8 second behind them, followed by Cal, and Princeton. While Washington was the class of the field this was one of the better races in years from a competitive standpoint.
California finished a dissapointing fourth, and they may have rowed their best race in the semi-finals in which they turned in the best time of the three day event. This is the Huskies' first varsity eight championship at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) regatta since 1997 and 12th national title overall. Washington went a span of almost twenty years without participating in the IRA's because of scheduling conflicts with finals.
Varsity Eight Grand Final
1. Washington 05:33.165
2. Stanford 05:34.125
2. Harvard 05:34.125
4. Brown 05:34.981
5. California 05:40.126
6. Princeton 05:43.419
From GoHuskies.com
The focus is usually on purple in the University of Washington color scheme. Saturday the primary color for the school's rowers was gold. Three crews gathered gold medals in one of the most rewarding days in Husky crew history. Washington won its 12th varsity eight national championship, while the second varsity and open four boats also garnered gold during the final day of the men's Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) championships on the Cooper River.
FINAL OVERALL TEAM STANDINGS
1. Washington 216
2. Harvard 191
3. California 190
4. Brown 185
5. Cornell 157
6. Princeton 147
7. Wisconsin 142
8. Yale 141
9. Northeastern 123
10. Stanford 112
California finished a dissapointing fourth, and they may have rowed their best race in the semi-finals in which they turned in the best time of the three day event. This is the Huskies' first varsity eight championship at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) regatta since 1997 and 12th national title overall. Washington went a span of almost twenty years without participating in the IRA's because of scheduling conflicts with finals.
Varsity Eight Grand Final
1. Washington 05:33.165
2. Stanford 05:34.125
2. Harvard 05:34.125
4. Brown 05:34.981
5. California 05:40.126
6. Princeton 05:43.419
From GoHuskies.com
The focus is usually on purple in the University of Washington color scheme. Saturday the primary color for the school's rowers was gold. Three crews gathered gold medals in one of the most rewarding days in Husky crew history. Washington won its 12th varsity eight national championship, while the second varsity and open four boats also garnered gold during the final day of the men's Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) championships on the Cooper River.
FINAL OVERALL TEAM STANDINGS
1. Washington 216
2. Harvard 191
3. California 190
4. Brown 185
5. Cornell 157
6. Princeton 147
7. Wisconsin 142
8. Yale 141
9. Northeastern 123
10. Stanford 112
Huskies Blow Past Northwestern
The Huskies, increasingly looking like a team capable of winning a title, throttled No. 2 seed Northwestern 9-0 in five innings, gaining themselves a day off today and a favorite's tag to win a spot in the best-of-three championship series starting Monday.
While the Huskies still have a way to go to win the national title, they can declare themselves the champions of Chicago after dispatching both DePaul, and Northwestern on succesive days. By winning the first two days the Huskies earned themselves a day off before playing either ASU, DePaul, or Arizona at 10:00 AM on Sunday. A win on Sunday will propel the Huskies into the championship round which begins on Monday.
While the Huskies still have a way to go to win the national title, they can declare themselves the champions of Chicago after dispatching both DePaul, and Northwestern on succesive days. By winning the first two days the Huskies earned themselves a day off before playing either ASU, DePaul, or Arizona at 10:00 AM on Sunday. A win on Sunday will propel the Huskies into the championship round which begins on Monday.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Huskies Win Heat in Semi Finals
Washington won it's semi final heat today at the IRA. California upset Harvard in a very fast heat turning in the best time so for the event. The national championship race is tomorrow, and California, Harvard, and Washington will be the odds on favorites. The course record for the varsity eight on the Cooper where the IRA is held came in the 1999 grand final when California clocked a 5:23.60. Conditions of course vary from race to race and they have a direct bearing on the times turned in during each race.
Heat One
1. Washington 05:37.005
2. Princeton 05:38.251
3. Stanford 05:38.755
Heat Two
1. California 05:32.527
2. Harvard 05:32.795
3. Brown 05:33.798
Heat Three
1. Virginia 05:40.370
2. Boston U. 05:40.425
3. Syracuse 05:41.097
Heat Four
1. Navy 05:45.367
2. Georgetown 05:45.943
3. Penn 05:47.347
Grand Final Qualifiers for Saturday
Washington, Princeton, Stanford, California, Harvard, and Brown.
Heat One
1. Washington 05:37.005
2. Princeton 05:38.251
3. Stanford 05:38.755
Heat Two
1. California 05:32.527
2. Harvard 05:32.795
3. Brown 05:33.798
Heat Three
1. Virginia 05:40.370
2. Boston U. 05:40.425
3. Syracuse 05:41.097
Heat Four
1. Navy 05:45.367
2. Georgetown 05:45.943
3. Penn 05:47.347
Grand Final Qualifiers for Saturday
Washington, Princeton, Stanford, California, Harvard, and Brown.
Big Friday
The softball team takes on Northwestern this afternoon at 4pm, the game will be on ESPN2. The Huskies play their second game in a row against a Chicago area team. The Wildcats are one of the top seeds in the tournament, and dispatched Arizona yesterday.
The Northwestern team (51-11) that Washington faces today is sixth-ranked (Washington is No. 11), went to the WCWS final a year ago and features the two-time Big Ten pitcher of the year in 6-foot Eileen Canney, who shut down Arizona State on one hit.
IRA
The Husky Crew advanced to todays Semifinals which kick off at 9:00 AM PST. The Huskies expect to be challenged in this one by Cornell, and Stanford. Cornell was a surprise victor in their heat yesterday.
Michigan
Princeton
Washington
Cornell
Stanford
Northeastern
The Finals will be on Saturday, and everyone is expecting a showdown with Harvard which had yesterdays second fastest time. Don't count out California either who has raced the Huskies close all season.
The Northwestern team (51-11) that Washington faces today is sixth-ranked (Washington is No. 11), went to the WCWS final a year ago and features the two-time Big Ten pitcher of the year in 6-foot Eileen Canney, who shut down Arizona State on one hit.
IRA
The Husky Crew advanced to todays Semifinals which kick off at 9:00 AM PST. The Huskies expect to be challenged in this one by Cornell, and Stanford. Cornell was a surprise victor in their heat yesterday.
Michigan
Princeton
Washington
Cornell
Stanford
Northeastern
The Finals will be on Saturday, and everyone is expecting a showdown with Harvard which had yesterdays second fastest time. Don't count out California either who has raced the Huskies close all season.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Huskies Row a Smoking Heat
The University of Washington men's varsity crew won its heat this morning in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta on the Copper River in Cherry Hill, N.J.
The Huskies rowed the 2,000-meter course in 5 minutes, 35.951 seconds. Brown was second in 5:36.656 followed by Syracuse, Purdue, Holy Cross and Dartmouth. The Huskies turned in the best time of the day during the four heat event.
Heat 1
1 Washington 05:35.951
2 Brown 05:36.656
3 Syracuse 05:48.820
Heat 2
1 California 05:37.833
2 Princeton 05:38.988
3 Navy 05:40.837
Heat 3
1 Cornell 05:37.860
2 Yale 05:38.295
3 Wisconsin 05:38.657
Heat 4
1 Harvard 05:36.361
2 Stanford 05:36.588
3 Michigan 05:48.282
The Huskies rowed the 2,000-meter course in 5 minutes, 35.951 seconds. Brown was second in 5:36.656 followed by Syracuse, Purdue, Holy Cross and Dartmouth. The Huskies turned in the best time of the day during the four heat event.
Heat 1
1 Washington 05:35.951
2 Brown 05:36.656
3 Syracuse 05:48.820
Heat 2
1 California 05:37.833
2 Princeton 05:38.988
3 Navy 05:40.837
Heat 3
1 Cornell 05:37.860
2 Yale 05:38.295
3 Wisconsin 05:38.657
Heat 4
1 Harvard 05:36.361
2 Stanford 05:36.588
3 Michigan 05:48.282
No Hitter Pushes UW Past DePaul
Pretty nice performance by the Dawg's in the first game of the tournament. The Huskies play the winner of Arizona State/Northwestern on Friday.
Washington got a no-hit pitching performance today from Danielle Lawrie and home runs from Dena Tyson and Ashlyn Watson to win its opener of the Women's College World Series in softball, 3-1. Lawrie, the sophomore righthander from Langley, B.C., shut down the 14th-seeded Blue Demons, walking one and striking out nine.
Washington got a no-hit pitching performance today from Danielle Lawrie and home runs from Dena Tyson and Ashlyn Watson to win its opener of the Women's College World Series in softball, 3-1. Lawrie, the sophomore righthander from Langley, B.C., shut down the 14th-seeded Blue Demons, walking one and striking out nine.
Huskies take on DePaul to open Series
The Husky Softball team opens this morning with a game against DePaul University of Chicago to open the College Softball World Series.
Only one potential problem for UW: Cinderella has been on a roll. The Blue Demons, regular-season champions (20-0) of the Big East (generally regarded as a second-tier softball conference), have marched through the postseason with five straight wins -- the first four coming on shutouts.
ESPN will carry the game live at 10:00 AM Seattle time.
Only one potential problem for UW: Cinderella has been on a roll. The Blue Demons, regular-season champions (20-0) of the Big East (generally regarded as a second-tier softball conference), have marched through the postseason with five straight wins -- the first four coming on shutouts.
ESPN will carry the game live at 10:00 AM Seattle time.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
The Weekly Poll Question
It is unanimous, and no surprise that 21 of 21 readers voted that USC would be in the Top Five of the Pac Ten this year. One person dissented on Cal and predicted a fall, and while Oregon was close, they finished with 13 votes, one shy of inclusion into the top five. UCLA picked up quite a few more votes than I thought they would, while Washington pulled in 15 votes to sit behind them in fourth place. ASU under first year head coach Dennis Erickson was picked to struggle as they only netted 3 votes. WSU, Arizona, and Stanford came up with a goose egg.
I picked USC, Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington. For some reason UCLA, despite the talent, doesn't impress me, the Bruins still seem like a work in progress on offense.
Who will be the top five teams in the Pac Ten this year?
1. USC (21 Votes)
2. California (20 Votes)
3. UCLA (16 Votes)
4. Washington (15 Votes)
5. Oregon State (14 Votes)
6. Oregon (13 Votes)
7. Arizona State (3 Votes)
8. WSU (0 Votes)
9. Arizona (0 Votes)
10. Stanford (0 Votes)
This weeks question is:
Who was the Greatest Running Back in Husky History?
Who do you think was the greatest running back in a history of Husky football that goes back over 100 years? We all have our favorites, but don't forget guys like George Wilson, Chuck Carroll, and Hugh McElhenny who were consensus All Americans during their time. Here are a couple of links to follow concerning their careers at UW.
My dad thought McElhenny was the best, in fact some think he may be second all time in the pro's to the great Jim Brown. It is pretty tough to find anyone alive today that saw Carroll, and Wilson play, but Wilson outplayed such legendary players as Red Grange, Ernie Nevers, and Johnny Mack Brown.
George Wilson played football at the University of Washington from 1923 to 1925. He ran, passed, caught passes, punted, and played linebacker on defense, a 60-minute player. In 1925 his teammates selected Wilson as the Flaherty Award as the team’s most inspirational player. During his three years with the Huskies they won 28 games, lost three, were tied three times, and went to the Rose Bowl twice. Wilson was named by Grantland Rice (1880-1954) to the 1925 All-American backfield along with Illinois’ Red Grange (1903-1991) and Stanford’s Ernie Nevers (1903-1976).
Chuck Carroll recently passed away near age 100, and was a legendary figure in King County politics.
Chuck Carroll was an All-American halfback (1928) is one of just three Huskies to have his number retired and was called by Pop Warner the greatest player he had ever seen. Pop Warner saw a lot of great players up to that time including Jim Thorpe, George Wilson, Ernie Nevers, and Red Grange.
Here is a snippet on Hugh from Malamute's site.
McElhenny was the greatest runner in Husky history. One publication put it this way, “He was the kind of runner who could make more magic, write more stories and paint bigger pictures in the span of five yards than practically anybody else could do in 30, 40, or 50 yards…In all the history of football, perhaps only Red Grange before McElhenny and Gayle Sayers after him made open-field running such a spectacle.”
I picked USC, Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington. For some reason UCLA, despite the talent, doesn't impress me, the Bruins still seem like a work in progress on offense.
Who will be the top five teams in the Pac Ten this year?
1. USC (21 Votes)
2. California (20 Votes)
3. UCLA (16 Votes)
4. Washington (15 Votes)
5. Oregon State (14 Votes)
6. Oregon (13 Votes)
7. Arizona State (3 Votes)
8. WSU (0 Votes)
9. Arizona (0 Votes)
10. Stanford (0 Votes)
This weeks question is:
Who was the Greatest Running Back in Husky History?
Who do you think was the greatest running back in a history of Husky football that goes back over 100 years? We all have our favorites, but don't forget guys like George Wilson, Chuck Carroll, and Hugh McElhenny who were consensus All Americans during their time. Here are a couple of links to follow concerning their careers at UW.
My dad thought McElhenny was the best, in fact some think he may be second all time in the pro's to the great Jim Brown. It is pretty tough to find anyone alive today that saw Carroll, and Wilson play, but Wilson outplayed such legendary players as Red Grange, Ernie Nevers, and Johnny Mack Brown.
George Wilson played football at the University of Washington from 1923 to 1925. He ran, passed, caught passes, punted, and played linebacker on defense, a 60-minute player. In 1925 his teammates selected Wilson as the Flaherty Award as the team’s most inspirational player. During his three years with the Huskies they won 28 games, lost three, were tied three times, and went to the Rose Bowl twice. Wilson was named by Grantland Rice (1880-1954) to the 1925 All-American backfield along with Illinois’ Red Grange (1903-1991) and Stanford’s Ernie Nevers (1903-1976).
Chuck Carroll recently passed away near age 100, and was a legendary figure in King County politics.
Chuck Carroll was an All-American halfback (1928) is one of just three Huskies to have his number retired and was called by Pop Warner the greatest player he had ever seen. Pop Warner saw a lot of great players up to that time including Jim Thorpe, George Wilson, Ernie Nevers, and Red Grange.
Here is a snippet on Hugh from Malamute's site.
McElhenny was the greatest runner in Husky history. One publication put it this way, “He was the kind of runner who could make more magic, write more stories and paint bigger pictures in the span of five yards than practically anybody else could do in 30, 40, or 50 yards…In all the history of football, perhaps only Red Grange before McElhenny and Gayle Sayers after him made open-field running such a spectacle.”
Pac Ten Alley
It's that time of the week to take a walk down the coast to see what the other Pac Ten schools are doing. One thing for sure is that we are at the end of the academic year, and the blogs have started to take a bit of a rest as football related news is in hibernation, and Spring Sports are starting to wrap up.
We however are going to have Husky, and Pac Ten related information every week during the summer.
There is always going to be some news, and I will start pulling it out of local newspapers during the Summer until the blogs heat back up in late July.
At USC the talent pool is deeper than ever, so deep that it is scary.
Look, there's one of the 10 prep All-American running backs. That is not a misprint. With the addition of at least three all-world freshmen, USC has perhaps more good running backs than the rest of the Pac-10 combined. "They have so much energy out there, sometimes I'm thinking, why can't we have 10 quarterbacks?" Booty says with a laugh. Look, over there, nine star defensive backs, and six star linebackers, and five defensive linemen who could start for anyone in the country.
Ex WSU, and Fresno St coach Jim Sweeney's grandson Beau has verbaled to attend California.
Beau Sweeney's welcome to Cal's football program was a little different than most. Sweeney, a junior quarterback at Clovis West High School in Fresno, gave Cal coach Jeff Tedford an oral commitment last week. Sweeney's father, Kevin, was Tedford's teammate at Fresno State, when they both played for Sweeney's grandfather, Jim. When Tedford later became Fresno State's offensive coordinator, he lived just around the corner from the Sweeneys. So after Sweeney committed, Tedford sent him some old photos that featured his kids and Sweeney at various birthday parties and holiday functions. "I was a little kid, so I don't remember it too much," Sweeney said. "There were quite a few pictures. It was a good laugh."
Oregon State had a Pac Ten baseball season below expectations, but they still have a chance to defend their national title and get back to the World Series.
The OSU Baseball Team came into the 2007 with high hopes after winning a National Championship in June of 2006. However, they lost guys off that Championship team like Cole Gillespie, Bill Rowe, Tyler Graham, Chris Kunda, Shea McFeely, Dallas Buck, Jonah Nikerson, and Kevin Gunderson. This created holes at three infield positions; third, second, and first, as well as pitcher. The departures basically left all three outfield positions up for grabs.
Tacoma's Ahmad Rashad joins the College Football Hall of Fame.
Ahmad Rashad, who had an outstanding career as a wide receiver and running back at the University of Oregon under the name Bobby Moore, has been elected to the 2007 class of the College Football Hall of Fame. Rashad, 57, joins a 13-member class that includes Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie, former Notre Dame defensive tackle Chris Zorich and former Indiana running back Anthony Thompson.
UCLA looks to increase academic performance in basketball.
NCAA officials announced Tuesday the formation of a group that includes coaches, athletic directors, college presidents and others to investigate issues that may be hindering academic achievement. Dan Guerrero, UCLA's athletic director, will be chairman of the group, which is expected to submit recommendations to the Division I Board of Directors by the end of 2008."Nothing will be off the table,'' NCAA President Myles Brand said. If not for an adjustment allowed for squad size, up to 45 percent of Division I men's basketball teams could face penalties for poor academic performance, Brand said during a conference call with other officials and reporters.
Over at WSU Coach Daugherty is leaving the hospital after suffering from a heart attack. A full recovery is expected.
"June is doing very well," said Mike Daugherty, her husband and associate head coach at WSU, in a statement released through the school. "She would like to thank everybody for all of their good wishes, and she will be back soon."
Arizona heads off to compete for a berth in the World Series
The University of Arizona baseball team should be upset it didn’t host a regional, but delighted at the draw it got this week in NCAA regional action. The Wildcats have to go to Wichita, Kan., which is probably as exciting as Tucson, but in terms of what their future has in store it should be the promised land. No game is going to be easy, but having to knock off Wichita State, Oral Roberts and New Orleans sure beats having to play in some other pods.
Stanford and Cal fend off the NFL.
That was close. The big, bad NFL has dropped its pursuit of getting the trademark rights to the title “The Big Game” and “Big Game.” In other words, the Cal-Stanford football game can keep its name. No need to think about a new title — like the “Cal stomps Stanford” game, or the “Can Stanford finally beat Cal?” game.
ASU wins the Pac Ten Baseball Crown.
ASU whipped UA 8-5 last night at Packard Stadium to win the Pac-10 title outright, and the win ought to secure a home slot in both the regional and super regional in the upcoming NCAA tournament. The only thing left on the line is pride, and one more win against the Cats will give the Sun Devils the season advantage against the hated ferals of the south. The Diamondbacks must be doing really poorly right now, because the local media is all over this series. Both papers even sent photographers *gasp!* to Wednesday's victory!
We however are going to have Husky, and Pac Ten related information every week during the summer.
There is always going to be some news, and I will start pulling it out of local newspapers during the Summer until the blogs heat back up in late July.
At USC the talent pool is deeper than ever, so deep that it is scary.
Look, there's one of the 10 prep All-American running backs. That is not a misprint. With the addition of at least three all-world freshmen, USC has perhaps more good running backs than the rest of the Pac-10 combined. "They have so much energy out there, sometimes I'm thinking, why can't we have 10 quarterbacks?" Booty says with a laugh. Look, over there, nine star defensive backs, and six star linebackers, and five defensive linemen who could start for anyone in the country.
Ex WSU, and Fresno St coach Jim Sweeney's grandson Beau has verbaled to attend California.
Beau Sweeney's welcome to Cal's football program was a little different than most. Sweeney, a junior quarterback at Clovis West High School in Fresno, gave Cal coach Jeff Tedford an oral commitment last week. Sweeney's father, Kevin, was Tedford's teammate at Fresno State, when they both played for Sweeney's grandfather, Jim. When Tedford later became Fresno State's offensive coordinator, he lived just around the corner from the Sweeneys. So after Sweeney committed, Tedford sent him some old photos that featured his kids and Sweeney at various birthday parties and holiday functions. "I was a little kid, so I don't remember it too much," Sweeney said. "There were quite a few pictures. It was a good laugh."
Oregon State had a Pac Ten baseball season below expectations, but they still have a chance to defend their national title and get back to the World Series.
The OSU Baseball Team came into the 2007 with high hopes after winning a National Championship in June of 2006. However, they lost guys off that Championship team like Cole Gillespie, Bill Rowe, Tyler Graham, Chris Kunda, Shea McFeely, Dallas Buck, Jonah Nikerson, and Kevin Gunderson. This created holes at three infield positions; third, second, and first, as well as pitcher. The departures basically left all three outfield positions up for grabs.
Tacoma's Ahmad Rashad joins the College Football Hall of Fame.
Ahmad Rashad, who had an outstanding career as a wide receiver and running back at the University of Oregon under the name Bobby Moore, has been elected to the 2007 class of the College Football Hall of Fame. Rashad, 57, joins a 13-member class that includes Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie, former Notre Dame defensive tackle Chris Zorich and former Indiana running back Anthony Thompson.
UCLA looks to increase academic performance in basketball.
NCAA officials announced Tuesday the formation of a group that includes coaches, athletic directors, college presidents and others to investigate issues that may be hindering academic achievement. Dan Guerrero, UCLA's athletic director, will be chairman of the group, which is expected to submit recommendations to the Division I Board of Directors by the end of 2008."Nothing will be off the table,'' NCAA President Myles Brand said. If not for an adjustment allowed for squad size, up to 45 percent of Division I men's basketball teams could face penalties for poor academic performance, Brand said during a conference call with other officials and reporters.
Over at WSU Coach Daugherty is leaving the hospital after suffering from a heart attack. A full recovery is expected.
"June is doing very well," said Mike Daugherty, her husband and associate head coach at WSU, in a statement released through the school. "She would like to thank everybody for all of their good wishes, and she will be back soon."
Arizona heads off to compete for a berth in the World Series
The University of Arizona baseball team should be upset it didn’t host a regional, but delighted at the draw it got this week in NCAA regional action. The Wildcats have to go to Wichita, Kan., which is probably as exciting as Tucson, but in terms of what their future has in store it should be the promised land. No game is going to be easy, but having to knock off Wichita State, Oral Roberts and New Orleans sure beats having to play in some other pods.
Stanford and Cal fend off the NFL.
That was close. The big, bad NFL has dropped its pursuit of getting the trademark rights to the title “The Big Game” and “Big Game.” In other words, the Cal-Stanford football game can keep its name. No need to think about a new title — like the “Cal stomps Stanford” game, or the “Can Stanford finally beat Cal?” game.
ASU wins the Pac Ten Baseball Crown.
ASU whipped UA 8-5 last night at Packard Stadium to win the Pac-10 title outright, and the win ought to secure a home slot in both the regional and super regional in the upcoming NCAA tournament. The only thing left on the line is pride, and one more win against the Cats will give the Sun Devils the season advantage against the hated ferals of the south. The Diamondbacks must be doing really poorly right now, because the local media is all over this series. Both papers even sent photographers *gasp!* to Wednesday's victory!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The Monday Morning Wash
I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day!
We were on the road this weekend and put around 1200 miles on the car driving from Chicago to Bemidji, Minnesota and back for a wedding reception. It has been a long time since I drove like that in a short time period, but Bemidji is basically in the middle of nowhere. It costs less to fly to London than it does to Bemidgi. I would have rather been in London, but Bemidji had to do.
As we enter June it is going to be pretty dead over the next eight weeks. However I am going to keep you entertained with the usual malarkey, plus reviews of all of our upcoming opponents for 2007 starting next week. If there is anything else you would like to see just let me know, and I will see if I can swing it.
Spring Sports
On campus, Spring Sports are starting to come to the ends of their respective seasons.
The Washington softball team (40-17) swept Alabama in the Seattle Super Regional last week to advance to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla., May 31-June 6. The Huskies, who are making their eighth World Series appearance, are seeded sixth and will open play against No. 14 seed DePaul (46-11) on Thursday, May 31 at 10 a.m. (PT). UW has a pretty good chance to win it all since the winner will likely come from the Pac Ten. It looks like Heather Tarr has the program back on track.
The No. 14 seed DePaul Blue Demons upset No. 3 seed Oklahoma in straight games last week at the Super Regional to advance to their fourth WCWS. DePaul is making its 14th NCAA appearance and boasts a 32-23 all-time postseason record. The Blue Demons last appeared in the WCWS in 2005 where they placed seventh. The Huskies lead the all-time series 9-1.
The Washington men's rowing team makes its annual journey to Cherry Hill, N.J. for the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championships. The 105th-annual IRA regatta is scheduled for Thursday, May 31 through Saturday, June 2 on the 2,000-meter Cooper River course. Four crews will represent the Huskies who have entries in the varsity eights, second varsity eights, freshman eights and open fours. Washington's freshman eight and open four crews won their respective championships last year. The Huskies finished fourth in last year's second varsity eight grand final and fifth in the varsity eight. UW is aiming for its 12th IRA varsity eight title. The Huskies' most recent varsity eight championship came in 1997, which marks the last time they went undefeated through the collegiate season.
The Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta is the oldest collegiate crew championship in the country, and remains the premier event for national rowing honors for college men. The first IRA Regatta, on June 24, 1895, was a four-miler between Columbia, the winner, Cornell and Pennsylvania. In 1923, Washington, coached by Rusty Callow, became the first Western school to win the IRA's featured varsity eight competition, followed by another victory in 1926. When Callow left Seattle to coach at Penn, he was succeeded by his assistant Al Ulbrickson, who continued the Huskies' winning ways with six IRA varsity eight titles in 1936, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1948 and 1950. His freshman, second varsity and varsity crews "swept the river" in 1936, 1937, 1948 and 1950. Current Huskies coach Bob Ernst led his team to a modern-day sweep in 1997, when UW crews won all three races on the Cooper River, the permanent site of the IRA Championships since 1995. Washington is the favorite to win the event this year, and if they win look for the team to accept an invitation to row on the Thames at Henley.
Junior Matt Hague went 4-for-5 with a game-tying home run as the Huskies rallied for a 5-4 win over California Sunday at Husky Ballpark in the final game of the 2007 regular season. Both teams will await the NCAA tournament selection show Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN. The Bears (29-26 overall, 12-12 in the Pac-10) finished alone in fourth place in the conference. Washington finished alone in fifth at 29-27 overall and 11-13 in the Pac-10, meaning the Bears are probably the more likely team to earn a bid despite dropping two of three on the weekend. (As it turns out Washington was not selected, while sixth place Oregon State was, which will give the Beavers the opportunity to defend their title.)
Alex Slovic was denied in his attempt to become just the third Husky ever to make the NCAA Men's Singles Championships when he was beat by No. 1 seed John Isner of Georgia in the semifinals on Sunday. Slovic is the third Husky to reach the NCAA semifinals since 1999, with all three being denied a shot at playing for the championship.
Over on the football front everything is pretty quiet as the coaches begin to finish the May evaluation period alloted to them to evaluate next years class. The coaches golf tour went well from what I hear, and the only news that came out of that is Ty is very anxious about his kicking game after the poor performance during the Spring game. Next on the agenda for the coaches will be the Ty Willingham football Camp in June. Look for a couple more verbals to come out of that event.
Molly Yannity of the PI reports that Jermiah Pharms has been playing well in the Arena Football League which means he could get his long awaited shot to show an NFL team what he can do before it become too late in his career.
We were on the road this weekend and put around 1200 miles on the car driving from Chicago to Bemidji, Minnesota and back for a wedding reception. It has been a long time since I drove like that in a short time period, but Bemidji is basically in the middle of nowhere. It costs less to fly to London than it does to Bemidgi. I would have rather been in London, but Bemidji had to do.
As we enter June it is going to be pretty dead over the next eight weeks. However I am going to keep you entertained with the usual malarkey, plus reviews of all of our upcoming opponents for 2007 starting next week. If there is anything else you would like to see just let me know, and I will see if I can swing it.
Spring Sports
On campus, Spring Sports are starting to come to the ends of their respective seasons.
The Washington softball team (40-17) swept Alabama in the Seattle Super Regional last week to advance to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla., May 31-June 6. The Huskies, who are making their eighth World Series appearance, are seeded sixth and will open play against No. 14 seed DePaul (46-11) on Thursday, May 31 at 10 a.m. (PT). UW has a pretty good chance to win it all since the winner will likely come from the Pac Ten. It looks like Heather Tarr has the program back on track.
The No. 14 seed DePaul Blue Demons upset No. 3 seed Oklahoma in straight games last week at the Super Regional to advance to their fourth WCWS. DePaul is making its 14th NCAA appearance and boasts a 32-23 all-time postseason record. The Blue Demons last appeared in the WCWS in 2005 where they placed seventh. The Huskies lead the all-time series 9-1.
The Washington men's rowing team makes its annual journey to Cherry Hill, N.J. for the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championships. The 105th-annual IRA regatta is scheduled for Thursday, May 31 through Saturday, June 2 on the 2,000-meter Cooper River course. Four crews will represent the Huskies who have entries in the varsity eights, second varsity eights, freshman eights and open fours. Washington's freshman eight and open four crews won their respective championships last year. The Huskies finished fourth in last year's second varsity eight grand final and fifth in the varsity eight. UW is aiming for its 12th IRA varsity eight title. The Huskies' most recent varsity eight championship came in 1997, which marks the last time they went undefeated through the collegiate season.
The Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta is the oldest collegiate crew championship in the country, and remains the premier event for national rowing honors for college men. The first IRA Regatta, on June 24, 1895, was a four-miler between Columbia, the winner, Cornell and Pennsylvania. In 1923, Washington, coached by Rusty Callow, became the first Western school to win the IRA's featured varsity eight competition, followed by another victory in 1926. When Callow left Seattle to coach at Penn, he was succeeded by his assistant Al Ulbrickson, who continued the Huskies' winning ways with six IRA varsity eight titles in 1936, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1948 and 1950. His freshman, second varsity and varsity crews "swept the river" in 1936, 1937, 1948 and 1950. Current Huskies coach Bob Ernst led his team to a modern-day sweep in 1997, when UW crews won all three races on the Cooper River, the permanent site of the IRA Championships since 1995. Washington is the favorite to win the event this year, and if they win look for the team to accept an invitation to row on the Thames at Henley.
Junior Matt Hague went 4-for-5 with a game-tying home run as the Huskies rallied for a 5-4 win over California Sunday at Husky Ballpark in the final game of the 2007 regular season. Both teams will await the NCAA tournament selection show Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN. The Bears (29-26 overall, 12-12 in the Pac-10) finished alone in fourth place in the conference. Washington finished alone in fifth at 29-27 overall and 11-13 in the Pac-10, meaning the Bears are probably the more likely team to earn a bid despite dropping two of three on the weekend. (As it turns out Washington was not selected, while sixth place Oregon State was, which will give the Beavers the opportunity to defend their title.)
Alex Slovic was denied in his attempt to become just the third Husky ever to make the NCAA Men's Singles Championships when he was beat by No. 1 seed John Isner of Georgia in the semifinals on Sunday. Slovic is the third Husky to reach the NCAA semifinals since 1999, with all three being denied a shot at playing for the championship.
Over on the football front everything is pretty quiet as the coaches begin to finish the May evaluation period alloted to them to evaluate next years class. The coaches golf tour went well from what I hear, and the only news that came out of that is Ty is very anxious about his kicking game after the poor performance during the Spring game. Next on the agenda for the coaches will be the Ty Willingham football Camp in June. Look for a couple more verbals to come out of that event.
Molly Yannity of the PI reports that Jermiah Pharms has been playing well in the Arena Football League which means he could get his long awaited shot to show an NFL team what he can do before it become too late in his career.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
The Weekly Poll Question
Last week we asked: Which Freshmen will make an impact in the secondary in 2007?
Victor Aiyewa 12% (3 votes)
Quinton Richardson 20% (5 votes)
Nate Williams 20% (5 votes)
Marquis Persley 4% (1 votes)
Vonzell Mc Dowell 36% (9 votes)
Alvin Logan 8% (2 votes)
Brandon Yakaboski 0% (0 votes)
The majority of you picked McDowell followed by Richardson and Williams. I think Logan will play this year, but not as a DB, I think he ends up sticking at WR. McDowell should get a long look returning kicks. Richardson is physically ready to play, same for Williams. The coaches are very high on Aiyewa, but he could use a year of seasoning since he has only been playing two years. Once again it is a crapshoot because none of us know till they knock heads this Summer.
This week we ask you : Who will be the top five teams in the Pac Ten this year?
Once again it is a multiple choice question, so pick your top five finishers. I think it is going to more wide open than people think in the Pac Ten. USC will start the season at #1 in the country, but this is a team that lost to Oregon State, and UCLA last year. Will Washington climb back up into the upper half this season?
Victor Aiyewa 12% (3 votes)
Quinton Richardson 20% (5 votes)
Nate Williams 20% (5 votes)
Marquis Persley 4% (1 votes)
Vonzell Mc Dowell 36% (9 votes)
Alvin Logan 8% (2 votes)
Brandon Yakaboski 0% (0 votes)
The majority of you picked McDowell followed by Richardson and Williams. I think Logan will play this year, but not as a DB, I think he ends up sticking at WR. McDowell should get a long look returning kicks. Richardson is physically ready to play, same for Williams. The coaches are very high on Aiyewa, but he could use a year of seasoning since he has only been playing two years. Once again it is a crapshoot because none of us know till they knock heads this Summer.
This week we ask you : Who will be the top five teams in the Pac Ten this year?
Once again it is a multiple choice question, so pick your top five finishers. I think it is going to more wide open than people think in the Pac Ten. USC will start the season at #1 in the country, but this is a team that lost to Oregon State, and UCLA last year. Will Washington climb back up into the upper half this season?
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Pac Ten Alley
We start the day with some very bad news, June Daugherty is hospitalized in Everett after suffering an apparent heart attack. Let's all take a little time to pray for her recovery.
June Daugherty, the Washington State women's basketball coach and former Washington coach, was in critical condition at an Everett hospital Tuesday night. A Providence Everett Medical Center spokeswoman confirmed that Daugherty was hospitalized in critical condition at the Colby Campus, but declined to give more information. KIRO-TV reported that Daugherty collapsed Tuesday afternoon after suffering an apparent heart attack. She was given CPR, a source told the station.
Off topic, the Sonic's picked up the second pick in the lottery which means they will draft either Ohio State's Oden, or Texas's Durant. Clay Bennett the owner of the lame duck franchise celebrated by announcing the team could be headed to Kansas City, Las Vegas, or Oklahoma City. All three of those markets are much smaller than Seattle, and a move to any of them could spell even more financial disaster down the road for the Sonic's new owner who is now starting to resemble Ken Behring. The Sonic's of course can't survive in Seattle without a new arena, but the alternatives just aren't very appealing either. Too bad he can't arrange a trade with Paul Allen for the Portland franchise. Now that is a possible alternative that nobody has been talking about.
Luther Carr
Dan Raley of the PI writes about Husky Legend Luther Carr. There were a number of Carr's who played for the Huskies over the years who were related to Luther. In fact Husky CB Matt Mosley is his grandson. He also has a niece currently on the track team, and a nephew who is on a basketball scholarship at His brothers include, David Carr, former a UW basketball player, and Gary Carr, a former UW football player, His son Luther walked on at UW, was head coach at Garfield, did a stint as an assistant at UW, and now is an assistant at Idaho. Luther was the founder of great Husky Family Legacy.
Nicknamed "Hit and Run" Carr, he was foremost a football running back, considered such a can't-miss talent after scoring 20-plus touchdowns as a senior at Lincoln that Washington, UCLA and Illinois waged an illicit bidding war to secure his talents. The Bruins were so interested they twice brought him to Los Angeles on recruiting visits. They took him to nightclubs and introduced him to celebrities. Each school trumped the other with cash offers to Carr that were double and triple the monthly $75 scholarship limit set by the NCAA, a widespread way of doing business before the scandalous conduct was publicly exposed.
Pac Ten Alley
WSU makes a rare, late change in it's coaching staff.
Ken Greene, cornerbacks coach at Washington State, has been dismissed from the football staff.
A source familiar with the situation said Greene was fired because of incidents of misconduct. A source within the athletic department said Greene wasn't dismissed for insubordination.
Over at USC they take a look at the next Reggie Bush. Rumors still fly about the recruitment of Mc Knight.
Reggie Bush went from USC to New Orleans and the "next" Reggie is going from New Orleans to USC.Reverse direction, isn't that what the great tailbacks do? If this seems like tossing an expectations piano on the back of a kid days removed from his senior prom, well, 1) no one seems to mind and 2) maybe you haven't seen Joe McKnight's highlights on YouTube.
California is ranked 10th by Athlon.
Athlon Sports has ranked the UC Berkeley football team No. 11 in its preseason Top 25. The magazine has also selected DeSean Jackson as a Preseason First Team All-American and Alex Mack as a Second Team All-America honoree. The magazine hits newsstands on June 5.
OSU's hopes are fading for a repeat.
Arizona State beat Oregon State for the third straight day on Sunday. The score was 8-1 in favor of Arizona State. Arizona State scored more runs than Oregon State had base runners.
It was a fitting end to another sub-par series, with the Beavers only getting one run, one hit, and five base runners. The team that was predicted to finish second in the Pac-10 is now second to last, and with one series left, they have to sweep to have any hope of making regionals.
Oregon wins the Pac Ten Track and Field Championship
As I've said before, I'm not a big fan of track. But props to the men's track team, who won the Pac-10 title over the weekend. Oregon got critical points down the stretch to edge Arizona 114-111 (whatever the hell that means). Props to the track team, and best of luck at NCAAs.
It is the end of spring in Westwood and the drums still beat for the dismissal of Karl Dorrell.
Is the offensive this bad? The Bruins laid an egg most of spring and were particularly impotent during the spring game, scoring only a field goal before being placed into red-zone situations. That could be growing pains with a new coordinator or it could be ...
Age doesn't seem to be hindering Lute Olson at Arizona.
If other schools make Lute Olson’s age an issue on the recruiting trail, the players don’t appear to be listening. Olson, 72, is in the midst of another standout recruiting class for the 2008-09 season, including the commitment Tuesday of Brandon Jennings, considered by some recruiting services to be the top point guard in his class.
Will Stanford football ever recover?
This is no time to panic or prepare to “pack up the program.” Whether or not Jim Harbaugh is the answer, Stanford football has survived multi-year slumps before and will survive this one.My thought: The “pack up the program” line was meant to be in jest, although that might not have come through in writing. And yes, Stanford football has survived slumps before, and Harbaugh might revive the program. But the gap between the haves and have-nots is growing in these days of the BCS, and in 15-20 years it will be even greater. I’m not saying Stanford should lower its admissions standards, or that it should pay a football coach twice as much as a Nobel Prize winner — only that it’s going to be tougher to compete consistently in the Pac-10 if it doesn’t. That’s a choice the university will have to make.
In the absence of football news the House of Heat turns it's eye toward the ASU baseball team which just may be the best in the land this year.
In the abysmal absence of football news, I find myself reading more abot the baseball Sun Devils than ever before. There is a great article by Jeff Metcalfe in today's AZ Republic about the upcoming seres with UA that will determine the Pac-10 title. This little tidbit is what caught my eye: Tuesday is the 40th anniversary of what is widely regarded as the greatest ASU-UA baseball game.In a playoff for the 1967 Western Athletic Conference Southern Division title in front of 8,314 Phoenix Municipal Stadium, ASU's Gary Gentry pitched a 15-inning complete game on two days' rest in a 3-2 ASU win.
June Daugherty, the Washington State women's basketball coach and former Washington coach, was in critical condition at an Everett hospital Tuesday night. A Providence Everett Medical Center spokeswoman confirmed that Daugherty was hospitalized in critical condition at the Colby Campus, but declined to give more information. KIRO-TV reported that Daugherty collapsed Tuesday afternoon after suffering an apparent heart attack. She was given CPR, a source told the station.
Off topic, the Sonic's picked up the second pick in the lottery which means they will draft either Ohio State's Oden, or Texas's Durant. Clay Bennett the owner of the lame duck franchise celebrated by announcing the team could be headed to Kansas City, Las Vegas, or Oklahoma City. All three of those markets are much smaller than Seattle, and a move to any of them could spell even more financial disaster down the road for the Sonic's new owner who is now starting to resemble Ken Behring. The Sonic's of course can't survive in Seattle without a new arena, but the alternatives just aren't very appealing either. Too bad he can't arrange a trade with Paul Allen for the Portland franchise. Now that is a possible alternative that nobody has been talking about.
Luther Carr
Dan Raley of the PI writes about Husky Legend Luther Carr. There were a number of Carr's who played for the Huskies over the years who were related to Luther. In fact Husky CB Matt Mosley is his grandson. He also has a niece currently on the track team, and a nephew who is on a basketball scholarship at His brothers include, David Carr, former a UW basketball player, and Gary Carr, a former UW football player, His son Luther walked on at UW, was head coach at Garfield, did a stint as an assistant at UW, and now is an assistant at Idaho. Luther was the founder of great Husky Family Legacy.
Nicknamed "Hit and Run" Carr, he was foremost a football running back, considered such a can't-miss talent after scoring 20-plus touchdowns as a senior at Lincoln that Washington, UCLA and Illinois waged an illicit bidding war to secure his talents. The Bruins were so interested they twice brought him to Los Angeles on recruiting visits. They took him to nightclubs and introduced him to celebrities. Each school trumped the other with cash offers to Carr that were double and triple the monthly $75 scholarship limit set by the NCAA, a widespread way of doing business before the scandalous conduct was publicly exposed.
Pac Ten Alley
WSU makes a rare, late change in it's coaching staff.
Ken Greene, cornerbacks coach at Washington State, has been dismissed from the football staff.
A source familiar with the situation said Greene was fired because of incidents of misconduct. A source within the athletic department said Greene wasn't dismissed for insubordination.
Over at USC they take a look at the next Reggie Bush. Rumors still fly about the recruitment of Mc Knight.
Reggie Bush went from USC to New Orleans and the "next" Reggie is going from New Orleans to USC.Reverse direction, isn't that what the great tailbacks do? If this seems like tossing an expectations piano on the back of a kid days removed from his senior prom, well, 1) no one seems to mind and 2) maybe you haven't seen Joe McKnight's highlights on YouTube.
California is ranked 10th by Athlon.
Athlon Sports has ranked the UC Berkeley football team No. 11 in its preseason Top 25. The magazine has also selected DeSean Jackson as a Preseason First Team All-American and Alex Mack as a Second Team All-America honoree. The magazine hits newsstands on June 5.
OSU's hopes are fading for a repeat.
Arizona State beat Oregon State for the third straight day on Sunday. The score was 8-1 in favor of Arizona State. Arizona State scored more runs than Oregon State had base runners.
It was a fitting end to another sub-par series, with the Beavers only getting one run, one hit, and five base runners. The team that was predicted to finish second in the Pac-10 is now second to last, and with one series left, they have to sweep to have any hope of making regionals.
Oregon wins the Pac Ten Track and Field Championship
As I've said before, I'm not a big fan of track. But props to the men's track team, who won the Pac-10 title over the weekend. Oregon got critical points down the stretch to edge Arizona 114-111 (whatever the hell that means). Props to the track team, and best of luck at NCAAs.
It is the end of spring in Westwood and the drums still beat for the dismissal of Karl Dorrell.
Is the offensive this bad? The Bruins laid an egg most of spring and were particularly impotent during the spring game, scoring only a field goal before being placed into red-zone situations. That could be growing pains with a new coordinator or it could be ...
Age doesn't seem to be hindering Lute Olson at Arizona.
If other schools make Lute Olson’s age an issue on the recruiting trail, the players don’t appear to be listening. Olson, 72, is in the midst of another standout recruiting class for the 2008-09 season, including the commitment Tuesday of Brandon Jennings, considered by some recruiting services to be the top point guard in his class.
Will Stanford football ever recover?
This is no time to panic or prepare to “pack up the program.” Whether or not Jim Harbaugh is the answer, Stanford football has survived multi-year slumps before and will survive this one.My thought: The “pack up the program” line was meant to be in jest, although that might not have come through in writing. And yes, Stanford football has survived slumps before, and Harbaugh might revive the program. But the gap between the haves and have-nots is growing in these days of the BCS, and in 15-20 years it will be even greater. I’m not saying Stanford should lower its admissions standards, or that it should pay a football coach twice as much as a Nobel Prize winner — only that it’s going to be tougher to compete consistently in the Pac-10 if it doesn’t. That’s a choice the university will have to make.
In the absence of football news the House of Heat turns it's eye toward the ASU baseball team which just may be the best in the land this year.
In the abysmal absence of football news, I find myself reading more abot the baseball Sun Devils than ever before. There is a great article by Jeff Metcalfe in today's AZ Republic about the upcoming seres with UA that will determine the Pac-10 title. This little tidbit is what caught my eye: Tuesday is the 40th anniversary of what is widely regarded as the greatest ASU-UA baseball game.In a playoff for the 1967 Western Athletic Conference Southern Division title in front of 8,314 Phoenix Municipal Stadium, ASU's Gary Gentry pitched a 15-inning complete game on two days' rest in a 3-2 ASU win.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Huskies take on Alabama
The Washington softball team will host its first NCAA tournament games since the 2000 season on Friday and Saturday when Alabama, the No. 11 seed, visits the sixth-seeded Huskies for a best two-of-three Super Regional.
Washington (38-17) and Alabama (55-8) will meet in Game 1 on Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Husky Softball Stadium. Game 2 is at noon Saturday and a tiebreaker, if necessary, will start at approximately 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
The winner advances to the eight-team Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, starting May 31. The Huskies have reached the WCWS seven times in 14 previous seasons, most recently 2004. UW played in the 1996 and 1999 title games but lost both.
A return to the World Series certainly would show that the program has healed from the departure of ex coach Teresa Wilson. Can Washington win the whole thing? Well they certainly have a shot since they come from the toughest conference of the country.
Washington (38-17) and Alabama (55-8) will meet in Game 1 on Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Husky Softball Stadium. Game 2 is at noon Saturday and a tiebreaker, if necessary, will start at approximately 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
The winner advances to the eight-team Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, starting May 31. The Huskies have reached the WCWS seven times in 14 previous seasons, most recently 2004. UW played in the 1996 and 1999 title games but lost both.
A return to the World Series certainly would show that the program has healed from the departure of ex coach Teresa Wilson. Can Washington win the whole thing? Well they certainly have a shot since they come from the toughest conference of the country.
Monday, May 21, 2007
The Monday Morning Wash
Good Morning Husky fans!
I spent the weekend helping frame around 750 square feet of deck at our new house. It has always been a goal of mine to build my own deck, and I finally have the chance to do it. I have to say it is a lot more work than it looks like, and I am officially pretty sore this morning as I wait around for the building inspector to come by to approve the rough framing before we start attaching the decking.
I of course spent the Winter reading books on how to build a deck, and doing plans. One thing all the books have in common are photo's of cute women carrying lumber, wheeling cement, dumping gravel, cutting boards, and getting things level. One photo that amused us was two women using an auger to dig holes. We had 30, 42 inch deep footings to put in, and we went through a couple of augers digging in wet clay. The first hole took two pretty strong guys over an hour to complete, and we knew we were in trouble. I kept joking that if the girls in the book could do it, we could too, but at the rate we were going it was going to take around 28 hours without a break. We ended up bring in a Bobcat which finished the job in around 4 hours.
Derek Johnson over at Dawgman has a nice article on the new Legends Center which will open up this Fall the weekend of the USC game. From what I have read it is going to be an instant focal point that will greatly aid future recruitment.
"Husky Football in the Don James Era" is a book by Dawgman's Derek Johnson which was just released. It covers the years 1975-1993, when Don James was head football coach for the University of Washington Huskies. In eighteen years, James led his team to six Rose Bowls and one Orange Bowl, as well a national championship in 1991. His sudden retirement in 1993 was in protest of Pac-10 sanctions against his team, and was very controversial. In this book, James purportedly discusses his retirement publicly for the first time. Don James wrote the book's introduction, and former players Lincoln Kennedy, and Dave Hoffmann wrote forewords.
Bob Condotta over at the times is doing his best to keep his blog rolling as Husky football news starts to dry up as we head into summer. He did a little research and found that there are currently 30 Huskies playing in the NFL which is actually a little more than I thought during this downswing. Check out Bob's blog because he digs up new and interesting things to post each week. Bob is also going back in time as he argues that Rick was a poor recruiter. I personally think he was a great recruiter who didn't spend much time evaluating which of course would make his results poor. No doubt about it that Rick could sell, he just needed to do a lot more homework and listen to Chuck Heater who has done a marvelous job at Utah, and Florida after his Husky stint.
Nathan Ware who does the Seattle PI Husky Fan Blog gave us a link on his page this month which should help us pick up quite a few readers once the season gets under way. Nathan does a great job with his blog. He did a nice review after the Spring game so check it out if you haven't been there lately.
2007 Husky Coach Tour
Join the University of Washington Alumni Association and the Department of Athletics!
Enjoy a day of golf, meet local alumni, get the inside scoop on Husky sports straight from the coaches and support scholarships for UW students from your region.
Tacoma - Monday, May 7 Fircrest Golf Club
Spokane - Monday, May 14 Manito Golf & Country Club
Everett - Monday, May 21 Everett Golf & Country Club
Longview - Wednesday, May 23 Longview Country Club
Port Orchard - Tuesday, June 12 McCormick Woods Golf Course
Bellingham - Thursday, June 14 Bellingham Golf & Country Club (banquet only)
Yakima - Monday, June 18 Yakima Country Club
If you enjoy golf this a great way to get to know the coaches when they visit your neck of the woods!
Spring Sports Round Up
The No. 6 seed Washington softball team used a RBI-single from sophomore Alicia Matthews in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat Georgia in the Lincoln Regional Championship game to advance to the program's third consecutive Super Regional.
Washington men's golf came three shots shy of qualifying for a spot in the NCAA Championships, as the Huskies carded a final round score of 1-under 287 to finish 14th at the NCAA West Regional that wrapped up at Arizona State's Karsten Golf Course, Saturday.
Arizona's Bill Rhinehart hit for the cycle with four RBI and C.J. Ziegler went 4-for-6 with six runs batted in as the 14th-ranked Wildcats completed a series sweep of the Washington baseball team with a 17-8 win Sunday at Kindal Field. Arizona retained second place in the Pac-10 with the win, improving to 39-13 overall and 14-7 in the conference. Washington dropped to 27-26 overall and 9-12 in the league.
Tia Jackson rounds out her staff
University of Washington head women's basketball coach Tia Jackson has solidified her coaching staff with the hiring of highly-successful former Missouri State University head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson as an assistant coach. Abrahamson-Henderson began her duties at Washington this week and joins Fred Applin and Loree Payne on the Husky coaching staff. Tia Jackson commented that they have a great understanding of each other and a remarkable bond, having both played for Coach C. Vivian Stringer at Iowa and become a part of a trusted sisterhood. She will be integral in helping rebuild the great tradition of Husky women's basketball and helping bring us to national prominence
I spent the weekend helping frame around 750 square feet of deck at our new house. It has always been a goal of mine to build my own deck, and I finally have the chance to do it. I have to say it is a lot more work than it looks like, and I am officially pretty sore this morning as I wait around for the building inspector to come by to approve the rough framing before we start attaching the decking.
I of course spent the Winter reading books on how to build a deck, and doing plans. One thing all the books have in common are photo's of cute women carrying lumber, wheeling cement, dumping gravel, cutting boards, and getting things level. One photo that amused us was two women using an auger to dig holes. We had 30, 42 inch deep footings to put in, and we went through a couple of augers digging in wet clay. The first hole took two pretty strong guys over an hour to complete, and we knew we were in trouble. I kept joking that if the girls in the book could do it, we could too, but at the rate we were going it was going to take around 28 hours without a break. We ended up bring in a Bobcat which finished the job in around 4 hours.
Derek Johnson over at Dawgman has a nice article on the new Legends Center which will open up this Fall the weekend of the USC game. From what I have read it is going to be an instant focal point that will greatly aid future recruitment.
"Husky Football in the Don James Era" is a book by Dawgman's Derek Johnson which was just released. It covers the years 1975-1993, when Don James was head football coach for the University of Washington Huskies. In eighteen years, James led his team to six Rose Bowls and one Orange Bowl, as well a national championship in 1991. His sudden retirement in 1993 was in protest of Pac-10 sanctions against his team, and was very controversial. In this book, James purportedly discusses his retirement publicly for the first time. Don James wrote the book's introduction, and former players Lincoln Kennedy, and Dave Hoffmann wrote forewords.
Bob Condotta over at the times is doing his best to keep his blog rolling as Husky football news starts to dry up as we head into summer. He did a little research and found that there are currently 30 Huskies playing in the NFL which is actually a little more than I thought during this downswing. Check out Bob's blog because he digs up new and interesting things to post each week. Bob is also going back in time as he argues that Rick was a poor recruiter. I personally think he was a great recruiter who didn't spend much time evaluating which of course would make his results poor. No doubt about it that Rick could sell, he just needed to do a lot more homework and listen to Chuck Heater who has done a marvelous job at Utah, and Florida after his Husky stint.
Nathan Ware who does the Seattle PI Husky Fan Blog gave us a link on his page this month which should help us pick up quite a few readers once the season gets under way. Nathan does a great job with his blog. He did a nice review after the Spring game so check it out if you haven't been there lately.
2007 Husky Coach Tour
Join the University of Washington Alumni Association and the Department of Athletics!
Enjoy a day of golf, meet local alumni, get the inside scoop on Husky sports straight from the coaches and support scholarships for UW students from your region.
Tacoma - Monday, May 7 Fircrest Golf Club
Spokane - Monday, May 14 Manito Golf & Country Club
Everett - Monday, May 21 Everett Golf & Country Club
Longview - Wednesday, May 23 Longview Country Club
Port Orchard - Tuesday, June 12 McCormick Woods Golf Course
Bellingham - Thursday, June 14 Bellingham Golf & Country Club (banquet only)
Yakima - Monday, June 18 Yakima Country Club
If you enjoy golf this a great way to get to know the coaches when they visit your neck of the woods!
Spring Sports Round Up
The No. 6 seed Washington softball team used a RBI-single from sophomore Alicia Matthews in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat Georgia in the Lincoln Regional Championship game to advance to the program's third consecutive Super Regional.
Washington men's golf came three shots shy of qualifying for a spot in the NCAA Championships, as the Huskies carded a final round score of 1-under 287 to finish 14th at the NCAA West Regional that wrapped up at Arizona State's Karsten Golf Course, Saturday.
Arizona's Bill Rhinehart hit for the cycle with four RBI and C.J. Ziegler went 4-for-6 with six runs batted in as the 14th-ranked Wildcats completed a series sweep of the Washington baseball team with a 17-8 win Sunday at Kindal Field. Arizona retained second place in the Pac-10 with the win, improving to 39-13 overall and 14-7 in the conference. Washington dropped to 27-26 overall and 9-12 in the league.
Tia Jackson rounds out her staff
University of Washington head women's basketball coach Tia Jackson has solidified her coaching staff with the hiring of highly-successful former Missouri State University head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson as an assistant coach. Abrahamson-Henderson began her duties at Washington this week and joins Fred Applin and Loree Payne on the Husky coaching staff. Tia Jackson commented that they have a great understanding of each other and a remarkable bond, having both played for Coach C. Vivian Stringer at Iowa and become a part of a trusted sisterhood. She will be integral in helping rebuild the great tradition of Husky women's basketball and helping bring us to national prominence
Friday, May 18, 2007
The Weekly Poll Question
If you read Jim Moore's column today in the PI you will notice that he talked with the Redmon Family last week and here is part of what they had to say.
Turner maintains that Redmon signed a letter of intent to the school, not the coach. If she is not released, Redmon will lose a year of eligibility. The Redmons are appealing the decision.
"The day he let June go, he changed the deal," Chuck Redmon said. Chuck Redmon said the family was not informed that Daugherty had five months left on her contract when Katelan signed in November. "We got the impression she was going to be there forever," he said. "There was a misrepresentation of what we'd been told."
I find it interesting that the Redmon family feel that the coach who was recruiting their daughter, June Daugherty, was misleading during her recruitment. Despite that comment they want to renege on the letter of intent to follow June Daugherty to WSU. The fact that Daugherty was on the hot seat this season was no surprise if you read the newspaper after milking the cows.
To be honest those comments make me feel a whole lot less sympathetic about the situation, even though it is unfortunate. When you sign a Letter of Intent it is to the school, not the coach.
Katelan, enjoy a year milking cows before heading off to WSU.
Should Todd Turner release Katelan Redmon from her letter to play basketball at UW?
Yes 54% (7 votes)
No 23% (3 votes)
Release Katelan, but not to WSU 15% (2 votes)
Release Katelan, but not inside the Pac Ten 8% (1 votes)
The yes's have it by one vote if you consider the fact that there were three variations of the NO question. For the record I voted to release Katelan, but not to WSU. You can't allow your ex coach to pluck current recruits, it just doesn't happen.
This weeks poll question:
Which Freshmen will make an impact in the secondary in 2007?
I included a couple of guys like Logan and Yakaboski who will likely end up elsewhere, but all these kids are going to get a strong look this August to see if they can contribute immediately. Once again this is multiple choice so vote for as many as you want.
I have a pretty good idea who the two or three will be based on what I have heard, but nothing really counts till they hit the field and start knocking heads.
Turner maintains that Redmon signed a letter of intent to the school, not the coach. If she is not released, Redmon will lose a year of eligibility. The Redmons are appealing the decision.
"The day he let June go, he changed the deal," Chuck Redmon said. Chuck Redmon said the family was not informed that Daugherty had five months left on her contract when Katelan signed in November. "We got the impression she was going to be there forever," he said. "There was a misrepresentation of what we'd been told."
I find it interesting that the Redmon family feel that the coach who was recruiting their daughter, June Daugherty, was misleading during her recruitment. Despite that comment they want to renege on the letter of intent to follow June Daugherty to WSU. The fact that Daugherty was on the hot seat this season was no surprise if you read the newspaper after milking the cows.
To be honest those comments make me feel a whole lot less sympathetic about the situation, even though it is unfortunate. When you sign a Letter of Intent it is to the school, not the coach.
Katelan, enjoy a year milking cows before heading off to WSU.
Should Todd Turner release Katelan Redmon from her letter to play basketball at UW?
Yes 54% (7 votes)
No 23% (3 votes)
Release Katelan, but not to WSU 15% (2 votes)
Release Katelan, but not inside the Pac Ten 8% (1 votes)
The yes's have it by one vote if you consider the fact that there were three variations of the NO question. For the record I voted to release Katelan, but not to WSU. You can't allow your ex coach to pluck current recruits, it just doesn't happen.
This weeks poll question:
Which Freshmen will make an impact in the secondary in 2007?
I included a couple of guys like Logan and Yakaboski who will likely end up elsewhere, but all these kids are going to get a strong look this August to see if they can contribute immediately. Once again this is multiple choice so vote for as many as you want.
I have a pretty good idea who the two or three will be based on what I have heard, but nothing really counts till they hit the field and start knocking heads.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Pac Ten Alley
Due to a little bit of vacation we have a little catching up to do in Pac Ten Alley. One of the nice things about going on vacation this time of year is that after spring practice the football news really starts to slow down as the coaches start evaluating talent for next years class. Every weekend there will be combines and camps going on up and down the coast. The crew at Dawgman will be keeping an eyes on everything that is going on.
One interesting development was the story that Bellevue's David DeCastro has decided to commit early to Stanford. This was pretty much a surprise for everyone including Jim Harbaugh who is officially the conferences new Rick Neuheisel. In other words he is the guy all the other coaches hate. Harbaugh is turning things around at the Farm, and he is getting through to a lot of kids early this year. Look for Stanford to pull in a nice national crop of recruits for 2008. DeCastro reportedly made a comment that slaps both Washington schools. He reportedly said he didn't want to waste all the effort he put into getting good grades by going to a school like WSU, or UW.
The Husky women's crew somehow was invited to the NCAA championships despite having a very mediocre year which was the varsity boat finish 6th at last weeks Pac Ten Regatta. They are going to need a strong finish in that event to keep their coach.
Pac Ten Alley
Marc Tyler continues on the road to regain full speed this Fall for USC.
All-American running back Marc Tyler of Westlake Village Oaks Christian passed an important milestone Monday when he ran at full speed for the first time since breaking his left leg during a playoff game last November, and his future coach, USC's Pete Carroll, was on hand to watch.Tyler, who had a stainless steel rod surgically implanted in his leg, ran some pass patterns with Oaks Christian players during a 15-minute spring football practice workout at Oaks Christian in which Carroll dropped by to observe.
Cal fan's await the college football magazine predictions which help fill the void now that Spring ball is over.
Spring ball is a wrap, and the next big college football event is the arrival of the preseason magazines. You'll just have to wait for some of them, but I can give you a sneak peek at selected rankings for Lindy's Football Annuals. As senior editor at Lindy's, I'm mostly to blame for all the ratings - from the team rankings, to player rankings to position rankings. Sure, it's a collaborative effort, with input from every corner of the country (and all the wonderful, small college towns in between), but I do have a very presidential-like veto power. I had to use that to make a tweak to Lindy's Pac-10 rankings. Parts of the Pac-10 are easy to pick. USC is first (brilliant!). Stanford is last. Cal, on the basis of a great offense and great coaching, is second. UCLA, with 10 starters returning from a defense that smothered USC last season, is third.
Oregon State is starting to tune up and get ready to defend it's national championship in baseball.
The Beavers play Arizona State this weekend, one of the most powerful offensive teams in the conference. I'll get some stats up to back this hypothesis, but the Sun Devils are good. The Beavs and Devils played once earlier in the year during the Coca-Cola Classic. Oregon State won 12-4. We'll also take a look back at the stats from that game as well.
OSU, and Oregon afraid to play Portland State?
If you didn't read John Canzano's laughable column on Sunday, its worth a chuckle. In this article, Canzano tries to make a point that Oregon and Oregon State will be viewed as "afraid" until they step up and play Portland State every year. He even encourages the state legislature to require it. Canzano, who is basically Portland's village idiot, shows what a clueless moron he is once again. In case you don't remember the last two times we played Portland State, the combined scores of those games were 96-17. I don't give a shit if they have Jerry Glanville. The are a 1-AA also ran, plain and simple. Oregon doesn't play PSU on a regular basis because they have nothing to gain by doing so. Scheduling 1-AA games only fucks up good bowl chances, as seen in 2005. We only play the Vikings when we are in a crunch, and there is no reason to play them more often than that.
Setting standards for Dorrell at UCLA.
Before heading into Dorrell’s 4th season last spring we laid down our marker last year on what we expected from the Bruin head football coach: 9 wins and a victory over Southern Cal. Dorrell came short on getting his 9 wins and eeked out an expected home win (from the pov of BN) over a Trojan squad with vanilla offense. It's time for us to lay down our marker again. As we head into Dorrell’s 5th season, I think there is a general consensus on what we expect from the head coach who has year after year fallen short of the expectations he set for himself when he was hired in Westwood.
WSU names it's captains and picks up a couple of recruits.
In a move lacking little suspense, the Cougars named their four captains for the 2007 season. Senior QB Alex Brink, senior WR Michael Bumpus, senior safety Husain Abdullah and junior linebacker Greg Trent all won out in the vote by the team. Brink is the only repeat captain from last year's group, which also consisted of seniors Scott Davis, Mkristo Bruce and Jason Hill. Meanwhile, WSU actually signed a couple of players yesterday who will be eligible to play this fall as late additions to the 2007 recruiting class. And it appears the Texas pipeline has paid off again, as both players hail from Blinn Community College in Brenham, TX..
A list of former Arizona asst coaches and where they are now. My guess would that they would be in a far, better place.
Here's a list of former UA assistant football coaches who are active in coaching in college or the NFL. We think we got them all, but let us know if we missed any. There are some interesting names on the list, and plenty of folks who are in key roles both in college and in the professional ranks.
For those who haven’t heard: Stanford might have found its quarterback of the future.
He’s Jason Forcier, a former Mater Dei/St. Augustine’s standout who is transferring to Stanford from Michigan. Jim Harbaugh also let it slip that Michigan is just so so academically when it comes to recruiting football players. A kid who goes to Stanford is more likely to get a good job after graduating, while at Michigan the same kid is quickly forgotten.
I happen to think Harbaugh is a genius, I really do. Stanford receives absolutely no coverage in the Bay Area from the newspapers, even San Jose gets quite a bit more for football. He keeps saying outrageous things so he can get some print, and by getting that print draw more of the Bay area writers back into the fold. Just ask Jim Moore, writers are suckers for a controversial byline.
ASU has had plenty of scandals over the years, and the house of Heat takes a look back this week at some of the most memorable.
No, not the halftime bar upstairs from Julio's Too. You're thinking of Fumbles. Not the skeezy local bar on Tybee Island, either. Today we continue our countdown of ten ASU scandals not quite as bad as the Loren Wade/Brandon Faulkner situation.
One interesting development was the story that Bellevue's David DeCastro has decided to commit early to Stanford. This was pretty much a surprise for everyone including Jim Harbaugh who is officially the conferences new Rick Neuheisel. In other words he is the guy all the other coaches hate. Harbaugh is turning things around at the Farm, and he is getting through to a lot of kids early this year. Look for Stanford to pull in a nice national crop of recruits for 2008. DeCastro reportedly made a comment that slaps both Washington schools. He reportedly said he didn't want to waste all the effort he put into getting good grades by going to a school like WSU, or UW.
The Husky women's crew somehow was invited to the NCAA championships despite having a very mediocre year which was the varsity boat finish 6th at last weeks Pac Ten Regatta. They are going to need a strong finish in that event to keep their coach.
Pac Ten Alley
Marc Tyler continues on the road to regain full speed this Fall for USC.
All-American running back Marc Tyler of Westlake Village Oaks Christian passed an important milestone Monday when he ran at full speed for the first time since breaking his left leg during a playoff game last November, and his future coach, USC's Pete Carroll, was on hand to watch.Tyler, who had a stainless steel rod surgically implanted in his leg, ran some pass patterns with Oaks Christian players during a 15-minute spring football practice workout at Oaks Christian in which Carroll dropped by to observe.
Cal fan's await the college football magazine predictions which help fill the void now that Spring ball is over.
Spring ball is a wrap, and the next big college football event is the arrival of the preseason magazines. You'll just have to wait for some of them, but I can give you a sneak peek at selected rankings for Lindy's Football Annuals. As senior editor at Lindy's, I'm mostly to blame for all the ratings - from the team rankings, to player rankings to position rankings. Sure, it's a collaborative effort, with input from every corner of the country (and all the wonderful, small college towns in between), but I do have a very presidential-like veto power. I had to use that to make a tweak to Lindy's Pac-10 rankings. Parts of the Pac-10 are easy to pick. USC is first (brilliant!). Stanford is last. Cal, on the basis of a great offense and great coaching, is second. UCLA, with 10 starters returning from a defense that smothered USC last season, is third.
Oregon State is starting to tune up and get ready to defend it's national championship in baseball.
The Beavers play Arizona State this weekend, one of the most powerful offensive teams in the conference. I'll get some stats up to back this hypothesis, but the Sun Devils are good. The Beavs and Devils played once earlier in the year during the Coca-Cola Classic. Oregon State won 12-4. We'll also take a look back at the stats from that game as well.
OSU, and Oregon afraid to play Portland State?
If you didn't read John Canzano's laughable column on Sunday, its worth a chuckle. In this article, Canzano tries to make a point that Oregon and Oregon State will be viewed as "afraid" until they step up and play Portland State every year. He even encourages the state legislature to require it. Canzano, who is basically Portland's village idiot, shows what a clueless moron he is once again. In case you don't remember the last two times we played Portland State, the combined scores of those games were 96-17. I don't give a shit if they have Jerry Glanville. The are a 1-AA also ran, plain and simple. Oregon doesn't play PSU on a regular basis because they have nothing to gain by doing so. Scheduling 1-AA games only fucks up good bowl chances, as seen in 2005. We only play the Vikings when we are in a crunch, and there is no reason to play them more often than that.
Setting standards for Dorrell at UCLA.
Before heading into Dorrell’s 4th season last spring we laid down our marker last year on what we expected from the Bruin head football coach: 9 wins and a victory over Southern Cal. Dorrell came short on getting his 9 wins and eeked out an expected home win (from the pov of BN) over a Trojan squad with vanilla offense. It's time for us to lay down our marker again. As we head into Dorrell’s 5th season, I think there is a general consensus on what we expect from the head coach who has year after year fallen short of the expectations he set for himself when he was hired in Westwood.
WSU names it's captains and picks up a couple of recruits.
In a move lacking little suspense, the Cougars named their four captains for the 2007 season. Senior QB Alex Brink, senior WR Michael Bumpus, senior safety Husain Abdullah and junior linebacker Greg Trent all won out in the vote by the team. Brink is the only repeat captain from last year's group, which also consisted of seniors Scott Davis, Mkristo Bruce and Jason Hill. Meanwhile, WSU actually signed a couple of players yesterday who will be eligible to play this fall as late additions to the 2007 recruiting class. And it appears the Texas pipeline has paid off again, as both players hail from Blinn Community College in Brenham, TX..
A list of former Arizona asst coaches and where they are now. My guess would that they would be in a far, better place.
Here's a list of former UA assistant football coaches who are active in coaching in college or the NFL. We think we got them all, but let us know if we missed any. There are some interesting names on the list, and plenty of folks who are in key roles both in college and in the professional ranks.
For those who haven’t heard: Stanford might have found its quarterback of the future.
He’s Jason Forcier, a former Mater Dei/St. Augustine’s standout who is transferring to Stanford from Michigan. Jim Harbaugh also let it slip that Michigan is just so so academically when it comes to recruiting football players. A kid who goes to Stanford is more likely to get a good job after graduating, while at Michigan the same kid is quickly forgotten.
I happen to think Harbaugh is a genius, I really do. Stanford receives absolutely no coverage in the Bay Area from the newspapers, even San Jose gets quite a bit more for football. He keeps saying outrageous things so he can get some print, and by getting that print draw more of the Bay area writers back into the fold. Just ask Jim Moore, writers are suckers for a controversial byline.
ASU has had plenty of scandals over the years, and the house of Heat takes a look back this week at some of the most memorable.
No, not the halftime bar upstairs from Julio's Too. You're thinking of Fumbles. Not the skeezy local bar on Tybee Island, either. Today we continue our countdown of ten ASU scandals not quite as bad as the Loren Wade/Brandon Faulkner situation.
Monday, May 14, 2007
The Monday Morning Wash
Last week I was in the Bahamas and had a great time toasting up in Atlantis. The internet connection down there wasn't great, so rather than struggle with it I took the week off from writing, but was able to keep up with what was going on in the Northwest.
I was surprised to read that Artem Wallace was in some potential hot water after being in a car that alledgedly was invloved in a hit and run, and potential DWI type incident. Not much out since the initial announcement so it is unclear of what his role was in the event.
On the womens basketball front Washington is playing hardball to keep June Daugherty's recruiting class together now that she has surfaced at WSU. Katelan Redmon a top in state recruit wants to follow Daugherty to WSU, but Todd Turner is making it very difficult for that to happen, and he is getting a little criticism for it form John Mc Grath of the Tribune. It will be interesting to see how this develops, but it doesn't create a lot of good feeling towards Tia Jackson in the first couple of weeks on the job. UW might force her to sit out a year if she wants to go to WSU.
The Washington men won their 29th Pac-10 Championship today at Lake Natoma, with the varsity eight and junior varsity eight crews both picking up gold medals on the day. The other two men's crews, the freshman eight and the varsity four, both captured second place to help the Huskies win their first team title since 2004. The women finished poorly which means a coaching change will most likely be made after the season concludes. The Husky men are dominate this season, and this may be their best crew in over a decade.
Senior Ryan Brown won his second-career Pac-10 title Sunday and led Washington's 4x400-meter relay to a second-place finish, keying the Husky men to a sixth-place team finish at the 2007 Pac-10 Track and Field Championships at Stanford's Cobb Track & Angell Field. Brown was one of five Husky men or women to earn first- or second-place finishes Sunday, and one of a team-record 18 to earn top-five conference finishes over the meet's two days. In addition, three Huskies on Sunday clocked times among the nation's 10-fastest this year, while five achieved marks among the top-10 in UW history. Trailing USC's Duane Solomon by 20 meters with 200 meters to go, Brown surged off the final turn to outsprint Solomon to the finish line for the win in 1 minute, 47.51 seconds, the second-fastest collegiate time this year. In so doing, Brown won back the Pac-10 title he first earned in 2005, before losing it to Solomon last year. The two currently rank first and second in the NCAA this season.
Stanford collected 16 hits, including eight for extra bases, and picked up its first Pac-10 series win of the season with a 10-7 victory over the Washington baseball team Sunday at Sunken Diamond.
The Washington softball team (35-16) earned a No. 1 seed in the 2007 NCAA Regional Tournament and will travel to Lincoln, Neb. on Wednesday. The Huskies, who are seeded sixth overall among the 64-team field and are making their third trip to Lincoln in the last five years, will open play against Creighton (39-12-1) on Friday at 2 p.m. (PST). Creighton was one of 29 schools to receive an automatic berth into the tournament after winning the Missouri Valley Conference Championship. Joining UW and Creighton at the double-elimination regional are host Nebraska (37-18) and Georgia (43-26). Nebraska and Georgia, like Washington, were among 35 schools to receive an at-large berth.
Weekly Poll Question
Which Husky Offensive Players will make All Pac Ten in 2007?
QB Jake Locker 7% (4 votes)
RB Louis Rankin 18% (10 votes)
FB Paul Homer 0% (0 votes)
WR Marcel Reese 29% (16 votes)
WR Anthony Russo 2% (1 votes)
WR Corey Williams 0% (0 votes)
TE Michael Gottleib 4% (2 votes)
TE Johnnie Kirton 5% (3 votes)
OT Chad Macklin 5% (3 votes)
OT Ben Ossai 0% (0 votes)
OG Morgan Rosborough 2% (1 votes)
OG Matt Bulyca 2% (1 votes)
C Juan Garcia 27% (15 votes)
This is a real dead time of the year for football news, but the combines are starting. The Barton's had one last week which was attended by coaches up and down the West Coast. If you go over to Dawgman, Kim, Chris, and Scott will give you their take on what promises to be one of the deepest and most talented in state classes in recent memory. Chris did an excellent writeup on the combine.
No big news in recruiting, but it seems UW has the attention of the Northwest this year. Look for UW to sign 15 or more from the region this year while bringing in close to 25 overall.
UW had two players drafted in the NFL draft. Isaiah Stanback (Dallas) and Dashon Goldson (49er), each in the fourth round; those signed to free agent contracts were Kenny James and C.J. Wallace (each by the Seahawks), Stanley Daniels (Rams), Sonny Shackelford (Chargers) and Marlon Wood (Tampa Bay). Sean Douglas is still deciding which team to sign with as a free agent.
Seattle U headed back to the bigtime
Seattle University announced that they were going to move up to division one and begin life as an independent playing it's games at Key Arena. UW hopes to get the Huskies on the schedule, but don't look for that to happen anytime quickly. UW has a history of ignoring SU in basketball. Of course times have changed, at SU obviously won't be playing at a level close to UW for at least five years.
SU has an uphill road to get things back to level they were in the 50's, and 60's when they were one of the top programs on the coast. The school will notify the NCAA by May 25 that it intends to enter the 12-month exploratory period required before a school begins reclassification to Division I. There is a $15,000 deposit required, and Seattle U. also intends to hire an outside consultant to assist in the process.
Seattle U. currently is a member of the Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference. It will remain a member of the conference next year during the exploratory period.
The reclassification will begin in 2008-09, a season spent in limbo because Seattle U. won't be a Division II school but its games won't count as Division I, either.
The school will play a full Division I schedule beginning in 2009-10, but won't be eligible to compete for Division I championships until the fall of 2012, after the four-year reclassification cycle has been completed.
I was surprised to read that Artem Wallace was in some potential hot water after being in a car that alledgedly was invloved in a hit and run, and potential DWI type incident. Not much out since the initial announcement so it is unclear of what his role was in the event.
On the womens basketball front Washington is playing hardball to keep June Daugherty's recruiting class together now that she has surfaced at WSU. Katelan Redmon a top in state recruit wants to follow Daugherty to WSU, but Todd Turner is making it very difficult for that to happen, and he is getting a little criticism for it form John Mc Grath of the Tribune. It will be interesting to see how this develops, but it doesn't create a lot of good feeling towards Tia Jackson in the first couple of weeks on the job. UW might force her to sit out a year if she wants to go to WSU.
The Washington men won their 29th Pac-10 Championship today at Lake Natoma, with the varsity eight and junior varsity eight crews both picking up gold medals on the day. The other two men's crews, the freshman eight and the varsity four, both captured second place to help the Huskies win their first team title since 2004. The women finished poorly which means a coaching change will most likely be made after the season concludes. The Husky men are dominate this season, and this may be their best crew in over a decade.
Senior Ryan Brown won his second-career Pac-10 title Sunday and led Washington's 4x400-meter relay to a second-place finish, keying the Husky men to a sixth-place team finish at the 2007 Pac-10 Track and Field Championships at Stanford's Cobb Track & Angell Field. Brown was one of five Husky men or women to earn first- or second-place finishes Sunday, and one of a team-record 18 to earn top-five conference finishes over the meet's two days. In addition, three Huskies on Sunday clocked times among the nation's 10-fastest this year, while five achieved marks among the top-10 in UW history. Trailing USC's Duane Solomon by 20 meters with 200 meters to go, Brown surged off the final turn to outsprint Solomon to the finish line for the win in 1 minute, 47.51 seconds, the second-fastest collegiate time this year. In so doing, Brown won back the Pac-10 title he first earned in 2005, before losing it to Solomon last year. The two currently rank first and second in the NCAA this season.
Stanford collected 16 hits, including eight for extra bases, and picked up its first Pac-10 series win of the season with a 10-7 victory over the Washington baseball team Sunday at Sunken Diamond.
The Washington softball team (35-16) earned a No. 1 seed in the 2007 NCAA Regional Tournament and will travel to Lincoln, Neb. on Wednesday. The Huskies, who are seeded sixth overall among the 64-team field and are making their third trip to Lincoln in the last five years, will open play against Creighton (39-12-1) on Friday at 2 p.m. (PST). Creighton was one of 29 schools to receive an automatic berth into the tournament after winning the Missouri Valley Conference Championship. Joining UW and Creighton at the double-elimination regional are host Nebraska (37-18) and Georgia (43-26). Nebraska and Georgia, like Washington, were among 35 schools to receive an at-large berth.
Weekly Poll Question
Which Husky Offensive Players will make All Pac Ten in 2007?
QB Jake Locker 7% (4 votes)
RB Louis Rankin 18% (10 votes)
FB Paul Homer 0% (0 votes)
WR Marcel Reese 29% (16 votes)
WR Anthony Russo 2% (1 votes)
WR Corey Williams 0% (0 votes)
TE Michael Gottleib 4% (2 votes)
TE Johnnie Kirton 5% (3 votes)
OT Chad Macklin 5% (3 votes)
OT Ben Ossai 0% (0 votes)
OG Morgan Rosborough 2% (1 votes)
OG Matt Bulyca 2% (1 votes)
C Juan Garcia 27% (15 votes)
Looks like Garcia, and Reese are the most likely offensive players in our readers mind to merit all Pac Ten honors this season. Louis Ranking was in there too! I agree with the readers and picked those three also...let's hope a few other guys join them and break through to the next level.
This weeks question is, "Should Todd Turner release Katelan Redmon from her letter to play basketball at UW?"
I hate to do another womens basketball poll, but this decision affects more than the womens basketball program, it sets a precendent on how Todd Turner will handle like issues in the future.
Husky FootballThis is a real dead time of the year for football news, but the combines are starting. The Barton's had one last week which was attended by coaches up and down the West Coast. If you go over to Dawgman, Kim, Chris, and Scott will give you their take on what promises to be one of the deepest and most talented in state classes in recent memory. Chris did an excellent writeup on the combine.
No big news in recruiting, but it seems UW has the attention of the Northwest this year. Look for UW to sign 15 or more from the region this year while bringing in close to 25 overall.
UW had two players drafted in the NFL draft. Isaiah Stanback (Dallas) and Dashon Goldson (49er), each in the fourth round; those signed to free agent contracts were Kenny James and C.J. Wallace (each by the Seahawks), Stanley Daniels (Rams), Sonny Shackelford (Chargers) and Marlon Wood (Tampa Bay). Sean Douglas is still deciding which team to sign with as a free agent.
Seattle U headed back to the bigtime
Seattle University announced that they were going to move up to division one and begin life as an independent playing it's games at Key Arena. UW hopes to get the Huskies on the schedule, but don't look for that to happen anytime quickly. UW has a history of ignoring SU in basketball. Of course times have changed, at SU obviously won't be playing at a level close to UW for at least five years.
SU has an uphill road to get things back to level they were in the 50's, and 60's when they were one of the top programs on the coast. The school will notify the NCAA by May 25 that it intends to enter the 12-month exploratory period required before a school begins reclassification to Division I. There is a $15,000 deposit required, and Seattle U. also intends to hire an outside consultant to assist in the process.
Seattle U. currently is a member of the Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference. It will remain a member of the conference next year during the exploratory period.
The reclassification will begin in 2008-09, a season spent in limbo because Seattle U. won't be a Division II school but its games won't count as Division I, either.
The school will play a full Division I schedule beginning in 2009-10, but won't be eligible to compete for Division I championships until the fall of 2012, after the four-year reclassification cycle has been completed.
Friday, May 04, 2007
The Weekly Poll Question
Last week we asked which Husky Defensive Players will make All Pac Ten in 2007?
Here are the results with the leaders in bold:
DT Afoa 10% (5 votes)
DT Reffett 2% (1 votes)
DE Gunheim 24% (12 votes)
DE Teo Nesheim 6% (3 votes)
ILB Butler 12% (6 votes)
SLB Howell 22% (11 votes)
WLB Savannah 4% (2 votes)
CB Lewis 10% (5 votes)
CB Davenport 4% (2 votes)
S Wells 6% (3 votes)
S Forrester 2% (1 votes)
I personally voted for Howell, Lewis, and Gunheim figuring picking the seniors was a pretty safe bet. Gunheim was the top vote getter even though he was coming off a sub par season. Howell followed one vote behind. I honestly thought Lewis, and Afoa would get a few more votes. Lewis is one of the league's better cornerbacks, and Afoa just needs a little help from Reffett, or Elisara to get a little more space to operate in. I am pretty sure butler will be all league before he leaves Montlake, not sure if he moves up to that status in his second year.
This weeks question
Which Husky Offensive Players will make All Pac Ten in 2007?
We all expect a tough defense, but who is going to break out on offense in 2007? One of this teams biggest problems has been not scoring enough points, hopefully that will change this year.
Once again the list is made up of the most likely starters, so vote for as many as you wish, but you only get to vote once.
One more quick note
I am going to be on vacation next week, and I am not exactly sure what the internet situation is going to be in the Bahamas, or how much time I am going to have to be writing.
Here are the results with the leaders in bold:
DT Afoa 10% (5 votes)
DT Reffett 2% (1 votes)
DE Gunheim 24% (12 votes)
DE Teo Nesheim 6% (3 votes)
ILB Butler 12% (6 votes)
SLB Howell 22% (11 votes)
WLB Savannah 4% (2 votes)
CB Lewis 10% (5 votes)
CB Davenport 4% (2 votes)
S Wells 6% (3 votes)
S Forrester 2% (1 votes)
I personally voted for Howell, Lewis, and Gunheim figuring picking the seniors was a pretty safe bet. Gunheim was the top vote getter even though he was coming off a sub par season. Howell followed one vote behind. I honestly thought Lewis, and Afoa would get a few more votes. Lewis is one of the league's better cornerbacks, and Afoa just needs a little help from Reffett, or Elisara to get a little more space to operate in. I am pretty sure butler will be all league before he leaves Montlake, not sure if he moves up to that status in his second year.
This weeks question
Which Husky Offensive Players will make All Pac Ten in 2007?
We all expect a tough defense, but who is going to break out on offense in 2007? One of this teams biggest problems has been not scoring enough points, hopefully that will change this year.
Once again the list is made up of the most likely starters, so vote for as many as you wish, but you only get to vote once.
One more quick note
I am going to be on vacation next week, and I am not exactly sure what the internet situation is going to be in the Bahamas, or how much time I am going to have to be writing.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Pac Ten Alley
I didn't really want to mention it last weekend after UW beat Cal in the Montlake Cut, but what has happened to the womens Crew program at UW the last few years? The Huskies used to be clearly the best womens program in the country, but that has changed since Jan Harville retired four years ago.
The Seattle times had no problem bringing the subject up today as rumors swirl that their could be a change at the end of the season.
Evidence is mounting that it will take a strong end-of-the-season performance by Washington women's crews, particularly the varsity, to save the job of coach Eleanor McElvaine.
To be fair to McElvaine the landscape has changed in womens Crew, with scholarships has come competition from across the country, but at Washington winning isn't just expected, it is insisted on, varsity women's crews have won 11 national titles.
Brandon Mebane finally makes it home
The Bay Area used to be a hot bed of Husky recruiting, but that started to change at the turn of the century when Jeff Tedford led the resurgence at California. Brandon Mebane was one of those kids who would have traditionally chose UW and look mighty good in Purple, in fact Washington was his second choice. Now as a third round draft choice he finally will make it to the Seattle area as a Seahawk.
Pac Ten Alley
I am a little late this week since I have spent the last two days excavating and pouring the foundation of a couple of sundecks at out house with my uncle. It is a pretty big project, and we had 28 footings and a hot tub pad to excavate and pour.
I am going to be taking about a week off since we are haeaded to the Bahamas for a little vacation on Saturday. I will write when I can, and if the internet is convenient down there, but my first priority will be hanging out in the sun.
With that being said, let's take a walk down Pac Ten Alley to see what the neighbors down the coast are up to.
Exit interviews at USC.
In this latest installment of our Exit Interview series, WeAreSC sits down with walk-on defensive tackle Mike Davis to talk about his career both on and off the field at USC.
Cal get it's second verbal.
The Cal Bears received their second commitment of the young season this week, securing the services of their first Bay Area recruit from across the bay in San Mateo. Serra (San Mateo) High School linebacker J.P. Hurrell (5-11/195, 4.58 forty, 80 tackles, 4 sacks) gave the Bears word that he was heading to Berkeley in 2008.
OSU moves up to ninth in the baseball poll.
The Beavers are in the nine spot yet again, with Arizona State still right behind them. Arizona dropped a few spots, but other than that, no new teams have entered the Top 10.
Oregon contributes some players to the NFL.
Jordan Kent, Dante Rosario and Matt Toeaina were all chosen during the second day of the NFL Draft Sunday in New York City, with Rosario the first University of Oregon player to go off the board with the 18th pick in the fifth round by the Carolina Panthers.
Still musing about basketball at UCLA.
I am really happy to see Baron and Matt doing so well in the NBA. I think everyone kind of expected Baron to have a great career in the NBA. Matt on the other hand snuck up on lot of folks who are not closely alligned with UCLA. To me Matt's emergence as NBA star has been nothing short of awesome. I always liked this kid's game in Westwood. Despite being saddled with a joke of a basketball "coach," he kept chipping away. He kept working away and developed his game year by year. And now he has found himself the perfect fit. One can only imagine what this kid would have done at UCLA if he had the opportunity to play for a coach like Howland.
Cougars headed to prime time.
Brink gets one more chance at USC, and it'll be the prime-time ABC game. That will be, uh, interesting. USC gets major ABC night-game love this year, with 5 games. Glad to see the Beavs-Trojans will be one of them. I'm big on the Beavers' chances next year, as in 2nd-place in the Pac-10 big, so that could be a good one.
Softball is very big at Arizona.
I saw Canyon Del Oro softball player Kenzie Fowler pitch yesterday in a win over Sabino in the regional championships. Kenzie is only a sophomore and can only have a verbal commitment to a team. But she looks like she could grow up to be solid part of a future UA team.
Stanford finds a quarterback.
Before we get to the first spring of the Jim Harbaugh era, let’s quickly address the first real roster news of the Harbaugh era. For those who haven’t heard: Stanford might have found its quarterback of the future.
Keeping ASU's Chad Green in our prayers.
I would like to thank Chad's ASU coaches, teammates, fans and friends for all of their support during this difficult time. That support has meant a lot to our family. Chad's condition has stabilized enough for us to transport him to a step-down facility in California near our home. Chad continues to gradually improve and with your support we are all hopeful for continued improvement in his condition. We urge people who want to send something to Chad to continue to forward it to the Sun Devil Football Office. That correspondence means a lot to the Green family. Thank you."
The Seattle times had no problem bringing the subject up today as rumors swirl that their could be a change at the end of the season.
Evidence is mounting that it will take a strong end-of-the-season performance by Washington women's crews, particularly the varsity, to save the job of coach Eleanor McElvaine.
To be fair to McElvaine the landscape has changed in womens Crew, with scholarships has come competition from across the country, but at Washington winning isn't just expected, it is insisted on, varsity women's crews have won 11 national titles.
Brandon Mebane finally makes it home
The Bay Area used to be a hot bed of Husky recruiting, but that started to change at the turn of the century when Jeff Tedford led the resurgence at California. Brandon Mebane was one of those kids who would have traditionally chose UW and look mighty good in Purple, in fact Washington was his second choice. Now as a third round draft choice he finally will make it to the Seattle area as a Seahawk.
Pac Ten Alley
I am a little late this week since I have spent the last two days excavating and pouring the foundation of a couple of sundecks at out house with my uncle. It is a pretty big project, and we had 28 footings and a hot tub pad to excavate and pour.
I am going to be taking about a week off since we are haeaded to the Bahamas for a little vacation on Saturday. I will write when I can, and if the internet is convenient down there, but my first priority will be hanging out in the sun.
With that being said, let's take a walk down Pac Ten Alley to see what the neighbors down the coast are up to.
Exit interviews at USC.
In this latest installment of our Exit Interview series, WeAreSC sits down with walk-on defensive tackle Mike Davis to talk about his career both on and off the field at USC.
Cal get it's second verbal.
The Cal Bears received their second commitment of the young season this week, securing the services of their first Bay Area recruit from across the bay in San Mateo. Serra (San Mateo) High School linebacker J.P. Hurrell (5-11/195, 4.58 forty, 80 tackles, 4 sacks) gave the Bears word that he was heading to Berkeley in 2008.
OSU moves up to ninth in the baseball poll.
The Beavers are in the nine spot yet again, with Arizona State still right behind them. Arizona dropped a few spots, but other than that, no new teams have entered the Top 10.
Oregon contributes some players to the NFL.
Jordan Kent, Dante Rosario and Matt Toeaina were all chosen during the second day of the NFL Draft Sunday in New York City, with Rosario the first University of Oregon player to go off the board with the 18th pick in the fifth round by the Carolina Panthers.
Still musing about basketball at UCLA.
I am really happy to see Baron and Matt doing so well in the NBA. I think everyone kind of expected Baron to have a great career in the NBA. Matt on the other hand snuck up on lot of folks who are not closely alligned with UCLA. To me Matt's emergence as NBA star has been nothing short of awesome. I always liked this kid's game in Westwood. Despite being saddled with a joke of a basketball "coach," he kept chipping away. He kept working away and developed his game year by year. And now he has found himself the perfect fit. One can only imagine what this kid would have done at UCLA if he had the opportunity to play for a coach like Howland.
Cougars headed to prime time.
Brink gets one more chance at USC, and it'll be the prime-time ABC game. That will be, uh, interesting. USC gets major ABC night-game love this year, with 5 games. Glad to see the Beavs-Trojans will be one of them. I'm big on the Beavers' chances next year, as in 2nd-place in the Pac-10 big, so that could be a good one.
Softball is very big at Arizona.
I saw Canyon Del Oro softball player Kenzie Fowler pitch yesterday in a win over Sabino in the regional championships. Kenzie is only a sophomore and can only have a verbal commitment to a team. But she looks like she could grow up to be solid part of a future UA team.
Stanford finds a quarterback.
Before we get to the first spring of the Jim Harbaugh era, let’s quickly address the first real roster news of the Harbaugh era. For those who haven’t heard: Stanford might have found its quarterback of the future.
Keeping ASU's Chad Green in our prayers.
I would like to thank Chad's ASU coaches, teammates, fans and friends for all of their support during this difficult time. That support has meant a lot to our family. Chad's condition has stabilized enough for us to transport him to a step-down facility in California near our home. Chad continues to gradually improve and with your support we are all hopeful for continued improvement in his condition. We urge people who want to send something to Chad to continue to forward it to the Sun Devil Football Office. That correspondence means a lot to the Green family. Thank you."
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