Letters To The Editor

WASHINGTON STATE FOOTBALL

Doggedly, OVERwrought

The verdict is in. It cannot be OVERturned or OVERruled. OVERall, the Cougs have been OVERranked, OVERrated, OVERblown, and very OVER “Priced.”

(Last) Saturday night, they failed to OVERcome and OVERtake. Simply put, OVERshadowed. ASU was OVEReager in front of an OVERflowing home crowd. They put it in OVERdrive. They OVERpowered, OVERwhelmed, and OVERran the Cougs.

So, why did the Cougs rollOVER and play dead? Perhaps they were OVERconfident. Or, could it be a few plays need a good OVERhauling? And, the next question is, did the media just plain go OVERboard with hype? Without being OVERly conspicuous, any hope of a long OVERdue Rose Bowl appearance now seems to be, well, ahem - OVER.

Forever Husky, Arley M. Bischoff Harrington, Wash.

Husky fan, go back!

It’s time people like Arne E. Sippola realize that the Cougars are the home team here in EASTERN Washington. I too am a (gulp!) transplant from the West Side, and I remember a much different version of the Seattle Times and P-I, where the Huskies got most of the coverage while the Cougs were treated in the same light as Cal, Arizona, and Oregon (i.e., just another Pac-10 team). The P-I must print a special version for narrow-minded Husky fans like Arne.

The world may not revolve around Pullman, but it doesn’t revolve around Seattle, either. (Thank God!) You want more Husky coverage? Go back from where you came! Matthew Larsen Pullman

Husky fan, hang in there!

Kudos to writer Arne Sippola, for his letter in the S-R of Nov. 2, 1997, “Too Much WSU, not enough UW.”

Like Sippola, I am also a West Side transplant, having lived here since 1988. Sippola has said it all. … almost! For some reason, there is an anti-Western Washington psychosis in this area, that seems to be endemic to almost all aspects of life, but is especially pervasive in the sports!

In addition to Sippola’s truisms, one other disturbing thing which I have noticed since living here, is that many (possibly even a majority) of the Cougar fans will actually root against the Huskies, even when they are playing outof-conference teams!

Prior to moving here, I always pulled for the home state team, with the only exception being if the game had an effect on my beloved Huskies. Then, and only then, would I root against the Cougars.

Since moving here, however, I find myself slowly but surely changing, into a rabid anti-Cougar fan! I don’t like it, and I try to control it, but the feeling is growing, nonetheless! I find myself drawn more and more to EWU and Whitworth, rather than reading about or watching the Cougars!

Indeed, poor little Whitworth really gets short shrift when it comes to sports coverage, and they have one of the nicest stadiums and most affordable venues in the area!

As writer Sippola said, get some balance in your coverage, and try to remember that not everyone on this side of the Cascades supports the Cougars! Continued, blatant favoritism by the S-R and the other news media in Spokane will only help to ensure a growing legion of anti-Cougar fans! Roger Erdman Spokane

Logically, just plain wrong

I have seen (staff writer) Mike Sando’s poll where you have ranked the Cougars over the Huskies … that is wrong. Please look at the non-conference schedules of both teams.

First for the better team, the Huskies. First game of the year, at BYU when they were ranked 16th, then San Diego State at home, and their final non-conference game was against now No. 1 Nebraska. That seems pretty tough to me.

Now for the Cougars. Winless Illinois, a tough home game against BSU, right! And finally Saturday’s game against SW Louisiana. Wow, a tough schedule.

The University of Washington Huskies have the second-toughest schedule in the nation. They play tough, nationally known teams, not powder-puff teams the Cougars play.

Stop smelling the roses, Sando! Mike Young Coeur d’Alene

Play better sooner

I don’t know that I would agree with Mr. Blanchette’s assessment of the Cougars’ November woes. Jinx, shminx. This is no jinx, this is a trend.

Did you see the first half of that game? How about the first half against Arizona? How about the last-minute dashes against USC and UCLA?

My old college cross country coach would say that last-minute heroics are not courageous; they’re just bad planning.

The Cougars simply need to play as well as they’re capable, right from the opening gun; none of this spotting the opponent one or two (or three!) touchdowns. Bryan Beel Pullman

Accentuate the positive

He’s no Jim Murray!

Over the years, I have read John Blanchette’s column on your sports page. I consider his attempts at humor to be ill-timed and his cliches, like the “November Jinx” for WSU football to very negative. When you compete in the Pac-10, against some of the Top 20 teams in the country, you can lose in August, September, October or November.

His reference to “Couging” in the Saturday night game with Arizona State is ridiculous! A more objective and sensible professional journalist, would emphasize the courage and effort that was extended by the Cougars to erase a 24-0 deficit. Not John Blanchette!!

WSU has five walk-ons in its starting lineup. Arizona State delivered 14 players to the NFL from last year’s team. Why not give coach Price, his coaches and the Cougar players the praise and support that they deserve. The rosters for the Arizona schools, the three California schools and the UW include some of the top 100 athletes from high schools. Seldom has WSU been fortunate enough to recruit the blue-chipper.

In raising our families and in our careers, we try and emphasize the positive, sometimes from difficult situations. The Cougars had an opportunity to win but fell short. One would read the article and assume that Blanchette is employed in Arizona. Darrel Monasmith Spokane

OUTDOORS

State fails to protect trout

It seems as though Fenton Roskelly and I are the only trout fishermen in this area who have the guts or interest to protest the illegal planting of the pike family in the waters of Eastern Washington. The pike lovers intend to destroy the last vestiges of a trout fishery in the state of Washington.

To my utter amazement and disgust, I see where walleyes are inhabiting the Colville River, a real tragedy here. The Colville - once the premier brown trout stream of Washington - is now nothing but a pleasant memory.

These criminals in the walleye fraternity are determined, it seems, to destroy the trout fishing in Washington state.

The state of Alaska has a reward out for information leading to the arrest of person or persons who planted Great Northern pike in a well-known fly-fishing stream. These toothy predators have destroyed the grayling and rainbow fishing there.

Or there is the idiot that illegally planted lake trout in Yellowstone lake. Or there is the largemouth bass fishers whom have illegally planted L.M. Ross in high mountain lakes.

Bass fishing clubs are a joke. These people do not fish for sport but only for money medals. They spend thousands of dollars to catch one stinking bass.

The greatest tragedy of all, in my mind, is the seemingly disinterested State Fish and Game Commission. In the destruction of our trout fisheries, the State Fish and Game Commission is a misnomer in my mind. Better to call it the State Pike and Game Commission.

As a fly fisherman and trout lover for some 60 years, I have seen us allow a valuable resource to be destroyed, all to satisfy the spiny-ray radicals.

P.S.: I wish that I were younger (82 years now) so that I could, with my friends, destroy some of the bass and walleye waters in this state and confront the idiots face to face. The penalties for illegal planting should be much more severe than they are now. A heavy fine, say 90 days in jail and taking all their fishing gear and vehicle, loss of license for five years, reciprocal to all 50 states. A.K. Stirling Spokane