Catching up with WSU
COUGARS
Been spending time this week trying to get the house in order for the upcoming football season. And by house, I mean that literally – getting crud done that needs to be taken care of before winter hits – and figuratively – making sure our 30th wedding anniversary doesn't slip through the cracks. Luckily, the amount of WSU-related news has cooperated. But there is some today, so read on.
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• When I was in Los Angeles for Pac-10 media day, Bud Withers mentioned he was working on a Cory Mackay story. Mackay, if you missed it, was the Washington State defensive end injured in a one-car, rollover accident headed home from school in May and has been paralyzed from the waist down since. But, if you watched this guy on the football field, you know that Mackay will hit his injuries straight on, with as much force as he can muster until they give in. It's his way. Well, Bud has his feature in the Times today and it's worth reading. The picture alone is enough to make you emotional. ... By the way, here's a link to Mackay's fund.
• Other than that, there was the news earlier this week that Chelan's Joey Harris has committed to Virginia and former WSU coach Tony Bennett. I can pass on that, last year, there was a lot of discussion in the basketball office whether or not Harris was a Pac-10 prospect. The final answer, in Bennett's mind, obviously was yes, and an ACC prospect as well.
• In other news, the USA Today coaches preseason poll is out, and USC is fourth. Cal clocks in at 12 with Oregon 14 and Oregon State 25. I ask you: Think there should be preseason polls, or should the coaches, whose poll has something to do with the BCS championship, wait until the third or fourth week of the season to put out a poll? … ESPN's Ted Miller had the best/worst-case scenarios this week for WSU. ... The Los Angeles Wave had this piece on Dwight Tardy.
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• That's it for this morning. We're headed for Pullman tomorrow as football practice kicks off early Sunday morning. We've also got a couple of stories for you for Sunday which we'll post tomorrow evening. Until then …
