John Blanchette

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Sports

It’s been a long road for former Shadle Park Highlander headed to Super Bowl LII

Sun., Jan. 28, 2018

Super Bowl LII arrives next Sunday, New England vs. Philadelphia – even if the participation of the Eagles seemed to be derailed six weeks ago when their wunderkind quarterback, Carson Wentz, shredded his left knee. Whom did the Eagles sign to replace him? Spokane’s own Bryan Braman.

Sports >  Seattle Mariners

John Blanchette: Disappointed Mariners fans must designate 2019 as Edgar Martinez’s year

Wed., Jan. 24, 2018

Remember the wry commercial that used to run during Seattle Mariners telecasts – and lives forever on YouTube – about all the things Edgar Martinez did between his at-bats as designated hitter to help the club?

Sports >  WSU football

John Blanchette: Pat Chun’s hire all about closing fund-raising gap

UPDATED: Wed., Jan. 24, 2018

Washington State has a new athletic director. Pat Chun, introduced Tuesday, was hyped even before he was offered and accepted the job. WSU president Kirk Schulz insisted more than a month ago that the Cougar constituency would let out a “Wow!” upon hearing of the choice – which has happened exactly never in the history of anyone’s AD hires.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Gaels senior Jock Landale rules in land of bigs

UPDATED: Thu., Jan. 18, 2018

Internet Fanworld is an amusement park of delights, earnest thoughts tossed into the anonymity Mixmaster with heavy amounts of vitriol and outrage in a struggle to survive.

Sports

John Blanchette: Though the voice for college football fans across the country, Keith Jackson’s heart never left Pullman

UPDATED: Sat., Jan. 13, 2018

Keith Jackson started calling football games as a boy shucking corn in his grandmother’s barn and … well, never left.

Sports >  EWU basketball

John Blanchette: Any Big Sky road win can be declared masterpiece

Fri., Jan. 12, 2018

Parachuted into the heart of a Big Sky basketball renaissance on Friday night.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Rui Hachimura finds friendly face 5,000 miles from home

UPDATED: Thu., Jan. 11, 2018

When they were high school kids, Rui Hachimura and Tahirou Diabate had the sizzle, the steak, the jam and the bread.

Sports >  WSU basketball

John Blanchette: Carlos Johnson and backseat strategy help Huskies find way to defeat Cougars

UPDATED: Sat., Jan. 6, 2018

PULLMAN – It’s a lonesome road, that ribbon from Spokane to Pullman. Especially so in the 1 a.m. darkness, when you figured to be snug under the covers against the chill, visions of tipoff 12 hours away dancing in your head. This was Mike Hopkins’ introduction to life in the Palouse precinct of the Pac-12 on Saturday.

Sports >  WSU football

John Blanchette: Mike Leach the last man standing from his Pac-12 hiring class after Rich Rodriguez’s dismissal at Arizona

Wed., Jan. 3, 2018

Mike Leach has been called a number of things in the week since his Washington State Cougars fainted in the Holiday Bowl.

Sports >  Seattle Seahawks

John Blanchette: Seahawks kicking themselves after playoff hopes sail wide of the uprights

UPDATED: Sun., Dec. 31, 2017

If the Seahawks have a kicker – a kicker – they aren’t just in, they have a bye next week. It truly boggles the mind.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Gonzaga’s latest rout shows why conference schedule needs tinkering

UPDATED: Sat., Dec. 30, 2017

So here’s the motion on the floor: trim the number of WCC games each school plays from 18 to 16, and let them schedule two more outside the conference that better fit their needs.

Sports >  WSU football

John Blanchette: Luke Falk’s celebrated career, WSU’s solid season come to a tragic end in Holiday Bowl beating

UPDATED: Fri., Dec. 29, 2017

No hand has received this much attention since Thing on “The Addams Family.”

Sports >  WSU football

John Blanchette: All the world’s a stage and Mike Leach’s Cougars are merely players

UPDATED: Thu., Dec. 28, 2017

It was a couple of weeks ago in a TV interview here that Mike Leach claimed to have booted wide receiver Tavares Martin Jr. from Washington State’s football roster “because he created drama.”

Sports >  WSU basketball

John Blanchette: Cougars’ positive buzz turns to sting of defeat

UPDATED: Wed., Dec. 20, 2017

Hey, remember when Washington State was the buzz of the West in college basketball?

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Gonzaga puts clunker in rear-view mirror

UPDATED: Mon., Dec. 18, 2017

Don’t know about you, but some us have a hell of a time distinguishing IUPUI from IPFW in our college basketball soup.

Sports >  Seattle Seahawks

Blanchette: Seahawks had a whole of lot of nothing in divisional showdown

Sun., Dec. 17, 2017

When historians come to write of the Great Comeuppance of the Dynasty That Wasn’t, much will be made of the sorry Sunday at CenturyLink Field, when the proud – or is that haughty? – spirit of the Seattle Seahawks flickered just once.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Huskies on the rise again, but Gonzaga still the state’s top dog

UPDATED: Sun., Dec. 10, 2017

Yes Mike Hopkins steered Washington to a win over Kansas. But getting the Gonzaga-UW game back to the rivalry the Huskies so desperately want it to be? That will take more work.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Zags must improve to match teams like Villanova

Tue., Dec. 5, 2017

Right now, the difference between No. 4 team in the country and No. 12 is not just simple subtraction, and the point spread in Villanova’s 88-72 dissection of the Bulldogs was an accurate representation, but not complete.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Don’t take offense, but Gonzaga’s scoring starts on defensive end

UPDATED: Fri., Dec. 1, 2017

Fifty-four points in the second half. Zach Norvell Jr. going from zero to 21 in not quite that many minutes. Silas Melson, career high in points. Killian Tillie, career high in points. This drive, that dunk, this 3, that three-point play.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Texas had a front-row seat to Rui Hachimura’s coming-out party

UPDATED: Sun., Nov. 26, 2017

Cue the Cult of Rui. You knew it was coming. It’s been simmering for a year anyway, bubbling to quick boil every time Gonzaga’s sleek SUV of a forward rose for one of his powerful dunks – usually in the latter stages of blowouts, when feats like that can reclaim a distracted fan.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins makes serious fashion statement during PK80 stay

Sun., Nov. 26, 2017

There’s something about a man in a robe. Just what, Mark Few isn’t sure.

Sports >  WSU football

John Blanchette: Washington again proves it wants Apple Cup more than Cougars

UPDATED: Sat., Nov. 25, 2017

While we were all still chuckling at Mike Leach’s oh-so-original and comical thoughts on weddings and his incisive theories into the College Football Playoff over the past couple of weeks, his Washington State football team was losing another Apple Cup, 141-14.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: Zags should gain stature through these growing pains

UPDATED: Sat., Nov. 25, 2017

PORTLAND – All grown up? OK, maybe not quite.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

John Blanchette: PK80 Invitational gives basketball fans an early-season glance at college hoops royalty

UPDATED: Fri., Nov. 24, 2017

Somewhere between the first forkful of Aunt Alice’s anchovy stuffing and the third Zantac on Thursday afternoon, a glance at the TV revealed a college basketball first: A player fouling out while sitting on the floor, waiting to check into the game.

Sports

John Blanchette: Seahawks have taken a turn for the weird

UPDATED: Mon., Nov. 20, 2017

When the going gets apocalyptic, the apocalyptic get weird. Knuckleball kickoffs. No-hope challenge flags. Fake field goal shovel passes with an open-mic night comic’s delusional sense of timing. The only thing Pete Carroll forgot on Monday night? Pranking the Atlanta Falcons with whoopee cushions on their bench and dribble glasses for their Gatorade.