WSU-UW game losing some luster

Could it be the Apple Cup has jumped the shark and finds itself swimming alongside “Will & Grace” in a pool of non-interest?

Is Apple Cup 2005, which kicks off at 12:15 p.m. today at Husky Stadium, a charitable name for Apathy Cup 2005?

“If the weather’s good, I’ll be golfing,” said retired insurance agent and Husky fan Bob Simmons, who apparently has a complete wardrobe of Gore-Tex and long underwear. “I might be taking crochet lessons – anything but watching the Apple Cup.”

The football game, the 98th meeting between the two schools, lost its rosy glow when both schools’ seasons soured. The Cougars’ weekly how-to-lose script has been creative, but the numbers boil down to 3-7 overall, 0-7 in the Pacific-10 Conference.

The Huskies, 2-8 overall and 1-6 in the conference, removed any drama regarding a conference win by beating Arizona last Saturday. This year, the big prize is salvaging the season and finishing on a high note, along with the usual state bragging rights.

Apple Cup apathy also is showing in ticket sales as Dawg and Cat fans aren’t exactly biting and clawing their way to ticket sites. As of Friday night, the game was not sold out. Those holding tickets also might decide to be counted as “no shows.” The average attendance in the 72,500-seat Husky Stadium this season has been 63,049.

According to Jim Daves, UW athletic director, the last time the game may not have been sold out was 1979, when the Apple Cup attendance was listed at 56,110 and the stadium capacity was 59,000. Washington finished 10-2 that season; the attendance may have been affected by a snowstorm, Daves said.

The Interstate 90 mess over Snoqualmie Pass – where only two lanes are open because of a Nov. 6 rockslide – makes attending all the less enticing for fans.

“Diehard fans are still interested, but there’s not as much hype,” said Ed Hansen, a retired Kimberly-Clark employee and Coug fan who settled in Desert Aire, Wash., in Grant County.

But there’s still buzz among people in the 3.3-square-mile town about the annual Husky-Cougar golf outing, to be played at the local 18-hole golf course this morning. Hansen said he’ll show allegiance to his favorite team today by flying the Oregon State University Beavers flag on his golf cart. The Beavers travel to Eugene today to decide the Civil War game winner.

Television options are limited for Anne V. Williams and her husband, Terry. As residents of Ione, Wash., the couple can pick up only one station. Apple Cup Saturdays have been spent driving 85 miles to Spokane and watching the game at The Swinging Doors, 1018 W. Francis. The Williamses will be in Metaline Falls today, attending a memorial service. Even so, a trip to The Swinging Doors was not in their plans. And apparently they are not alone.

“We hardly have any requests for the Apple Cup (special tables),” said Bob Materne, owner of the restaurant for 25 years.

Understandable, considering The Swinging Doors is the unofficial headquarters for Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats fans. Materne said when the two meet in their rivalry game at 11 a.m. today, the place will be swarming with alumni from both schools. The majority of the 60 TVs will be on that game.

“When the Cougars and Huskies are booming, it’s kind of about 50-50 around here,” Materne said.

Even with the down year, there always will be diehards like Tom Jackson, a doctor at the Moses Lake Clinic whose positive spin on the season could land him a job in politics.

“There is less noise than usual here around the clinic,” Jackson said. “Only because people don’t understand what a great team (the University of) Washington really is.”

Jackson, who spent eight years at UW, supported his theory as follows: UW beat Arizona, which beat UCLA, which beat Arizona State, which beat Northwestern, which beat Michigan State, which beat Notre Dame, which almost beat USC.

“This makes Washington the best, or maybe second best team in the nation,” Jackson said. “Some people think USC could beat a few pro teams, so the Huskies would hold their own in the NFL.

“They are really, really, really good. Maybe only two reallys.”

Is there hope the teams can reverse their slide? Indeed.

Unlike a George Clooney-less “ER” (Dr. Ross packed up in 1999) or the tired feeling of reality TV, the Apple Cup, with a strong cast of players and compelling storylines, could return to its stately status in Washington.