You probably know that a pushing and shoving match ensued when victorious WSU began dancing on the U-Dub logo after the Apple Cup. But did you know who tackled Coug footballer Brandon Asuega-Stark as he carried the Coug banner around Husky Stadium? Thanks to Jim Moore, a WSU fan and the Seattle PI’s Go 2 Guy, Huckleberries does. UW senior marketing major Jacob Esparza defended the Huskies’ honor by blind-siding Asuega-Stark. “He went down pretty easy for being a football player,” Esparza told the Go 2 Guy. “He got up and looked pretty much dumbfounded to me." Esparza hadn’t had that much to drink either: “a little bit of beer and a few mixed drinks” at a tailgate party. P’haps the Huskies woulda won if he’d suited up?

Out of Favor
First, you should know that there are two registered voters in Coeur d’Alene’s Precinct 61, a freak of the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course annexation. Then, you should know that Duane Hagadone’s Coeur d’Alene Press endorsed incumbent Mayor Sandi Bloem prior to her easy win in November’s city elections. Onward. Not only did the two voters not take Brand X’s advice on the mayor’s race, voting unanimously for underdog Joe Kunka, but they also, surprisingly, both ignored the paper’s recommendation and picked newcomer Steven Fox over incumbent Woody McEvers, the popular Rustler’s Roost owner who easily won re-election. So, what’s the big deal? According to the records of the Election Department, the two registered voters are Hagadone Hospitality partner Jerry Jaegar and his wife, Ellen. Seems Mayor Bloem fell out of favor with HHospitality by not supporting its push for a downtown garden last year. But what about the votes against Woody? Mebbe he burned Jerry’s soufflé years ago when he was learning to cook at The Coeur d’Alene Resort.

Sightem
In the busy Post Falls Wal-Mart parking lot, earlier this month, a Berry Picker spotted a father racing around in an unstable grocery cart, with one young child in the cart seat and two others hanging from the sides. Wondered the BP: “How stupid can you get?” … And the answer to that question is – plenty. Consider the two rabid shoppers who were pushing their way into Fred Meyer at the opening bell on Black Friday, only to wind up talking to CPD Blue. Seems one cursed the other for cutting. And was socked. Do not pass the store door. Do not collect your cheap laptop … Ex-state senator Kent Bailey from Hayden was lucky he didn’t get poked at the recent GOP central committee meeting when he announced his intention to regain his seat by challenging incumbent Mike Jorgenson (pictured left) in the Republican District 3 primaries next spring. Jorgenson was sitting next to Bailey at the time, smile frozen in place.

Huckleberries
Poet’s Corner: “It’s a mighty long way/from Post Falls to Iraq,/but they did us all proud/and we welcome them back” – The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“Welcome Back, Idaho Guard”) … And the answer is – “praying and evangelizing loudly.” The question? Why did unrepentant Bonner County Deputy Dawgs escort an Oldtown, Idaho, man home last Tuesday afternoon … Bumpersnicker (on an older pickup in Spokane): "The government’s motto: If it ain’t broke, fix it until it is" … Inscription on the back window of a black Ford Probe zooming east on I-90: “Boyfriend applications being accepted.” The gender of the driver was concealed by tinted windows … Quotable Quote: “Technically, we’re on a holiday, and we’re not going to send out any press releases until Monday” – Bonner County sheriff’s dispatcher on Black Friday when asked about a house fire. Your tax dollars in action.

Parting Shot
Then, there were the long faces of Fox 28 anchor Greg McKinney and his femme sidekick Dana Haynes Wednesday night as they watched their monitor as an unhappy worshipper punched a pastor in the face repeatedly. Actually, the hothead got one surprise punch off, but Fox 28 showed it over and over, prompting McKinney to say with faux sincerity: “I hope we don’t see that scene again.” They did. One more time. If it bleeds, it leads.

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