Leach’s less-traveled path to Pullman
COUGARS
Weird questions run through my mind sometimes, especially as they relate to sports. The nice part of this job, though, is when such questions pop up, oftentimes you get to ask them. Read on.
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• Washington State: When it came to Mike Leach, the weird – hey, don't use that word, use odd – question that popped into my mind went something like this: How does a guy go from sitting in Professor Kingsfield's torts classes just across PCH from the Pacific Ocean to putting up 70 on Nebraska? So I asked him. And I asked about the life a non-college football player – without the network players build – trying to become a football coach. The result was this story, which ran in today's S-R. ... Bud Withers has the ability to voice his opinion and thoughts in a column, and does so about Leach in today's Times, pointing out some of the out-of-the-ordinary things Leach did while coaching at Texas Tech. ... So just how did WSU fare in the coaching sweepstakes, especially considering some other schools in the Pac-12? ... Washington State basketball team hosts Santa Clara this afternoon in Pullman and I'm sorry to say I won't be there. Today's the big retirement bash – c'mon gold watch – at the S-R, so instead of enjoying a college basketball game, I'll be enjoying a bunch of old guys – of which I am one – standing around reminiscing about glory days. Josh Wright is covering the basketball game and I'll link his story in this space tonight – if I am physically able – or tomorrow morning.
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• Around the Pac-12: Let's start in Southern California, where UCLA introduced Jim Mora Jr., to a resounding thud. After names like Chris Petersen and Steve Sarkisian bubbled up, maybe anyone else would have seemed like leftovers. ... Moving over to Tempe, the Sun Devils probably would love Jim Mora, Jr., right now, instead of who they have. That would be no one, as the search continues, with social media now playing the role of bad guy. ... After a wild final game, Robert Griffin III carries home the Heisman Trophy, one flashy televised game trumping a season of excellence. ... As the Huskies prepare for Griffin and the Baylor Bears, Chris Polk stiff-arms NFL talk. ... I wish my pension were something like this. ... Basketball in the Pac-12 was up – with Oregon defeating Fresno State, UCLA getting past Penn and Arizona running over Clemson – and down – USC showing all the offense of a grandmother in a loss to New Mexico, Duke pounding the tar out of Washington and Utah predictably losing to BYU.
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• That's it for now. We'll be back, I swear, sometime in the near future. Until then ...
