No Timeouts Left There Isn’t A Minute To Waste In A Day With Mike Price

It’s 6:44 on Tuesday morning and less than 104 hours remain until the California game. Time is of the essence.

Mike Price has meetings to coordinate, tapes to review, hands to shake, phone calls to answer, interviews to grant, pictures to autograph and letters to write.

He has a speech to compose, a luncheon to attend, a practice to conduct and a chicken dinner to inhale. There’s a radio show to star on, a game plan to refine and, wait, what time is it?

Sure, we figured Washington State’s ninth-year football coach would be busy. Just not this busy. Alas, the most comforting aspect of our Day With Mike was the realization that we could always sleep in the next morning.

Price would not be so fortunate.

The way we figure it, his six-figure salary works out to roughly 20 bucks an hour, college football having long since become a year-round pursuit. Assistant coaches might do better working in one of Kathie Lee’s sweatshops.

But no one’s complaining. There isn’t time for that.

6:44 a.m.: Price walks into his office on Bohler Gym’s third floor and heads straight for the portable fan. The new Bohler Annex has cut off any outside ventilation. It’s hot in here.

While Price gets situated, we take inventory.

The first thing you notice is the desk. With place mats and utensils, it might seat five for dinner, we think. Donated by a banker, Price explains.

The desk sits at the office rear, flanked on the left by a large white bookcase. Among the titles: Play Better Golf, Selling Today and The Paul Brown Story.

A television projector looms over Price’s shoulder, accompanied by a VCR.

There are 15 fresh video cassettes nearby, each featuring a different Cal formation, plus another tape for each of the Bears’ four previous games. Tools of the trade.

A giant retractable screen hangs against the wall opposite Price’s desk, maybe 10 feet away. The screen moves by remote control. What more could a guy ask for?

A stuffed cougar would be nice, and Price has one of those, too. “It was here when I got here,” he explains.

Over on the left wall, a king-sized whiteboard features code names for dozens of offensive plays, broken into various categories: second-and-4, third-and-short, etc.

A small couch borders the right wall; Ryan Leaf likes to sit there. Four other chairs are scattered about the room.

There are mementos from past WSU teams, but fewer than one might expect. The good stuff is left at home.

“We don’t bring too many recruits around Bohler,” Price says.

6:46 a.m.: Price takes his first sip. “When I was a grad assistant under Jim Sweeney, I made sure I was here to make the coffee,” he offers.

Now, the coffee is already made. “I used to pride myself on being the first one in the office,” Price adds.

Several doors down, assistant Craig Bray has been cranking away for some time.

6:50: Price reaches over and turns on the portable CD changer. Kenny G provides a calming influence.

7:06: “Let’s meet,” Price yells into an open hallway. His staff quickly assembles for its morning meeting in the war room next to Price’s office.

Once inside, the first thing you notice is the large sign that looks down from one corner:

“What you see here

What you say here

What you hear here

Let it stay here

When you leave here.”

Fair enough. In the meantime, we count 63 hand-drawn formations up on the twin whiteboards. There are 185 video tapes on various shelves.

Price takes his seat at the head of the table. They are all here: Livingston, Bray, McDonell, Preston, Doba, Lewis, Walker, Zeches, Levenseller.

Price has yet to call order, and the banter is bouncing around like a loose football. One conversation turns to a recruit’s upcoming visit.

“Have him sit next to Lawrence - get him some extra prime rib,” someone cracks, motioning toward Lawrence Livingston, WSU’s massive offensive line coach.

Undefeated comedians are the funniest kind.

The meeting takes 35 minutes. The afternoon practice is a central topic.

7:45: The meeting adjourns and Price returns to his office, ready to meet with his offensive staff.

Running backs coach Buzz Preston walks in first, cradling a box of blueberry bagels. He takes one and sets the box his boss’ desk. Price grabs one, too.

Offensive coordinator John McDonell brings in a can of Ensure Plus. Unlike the offense, it’s vanilla.

Receivers coach Mike Levenseller starts working on an apple, while Livingston sets up a personal buffet: blueberry bagels, coffee and an orange.

Price heads toward the whiteboard, pen in hand. No one seems to notice that Kenny G has given way to something that sounds like rap. Today’s topic: the passing game.

8:20: Price returns to his desk and grabs the remote. The lights go dim and the screen lowers. The first video features Cal’s various blitz packages.

Each play is reviewed from two angles, over and over. There’s a tendency in there somewhere.

8:28: Recruiting coordinator Jim Zeches pops in with a professional-quality highlight video, provided courtesy of a recruit’s zealous father. “When you get a chance,” Zeches says, leaving the tape on Price’s desk.

8:32: As the Cal video continues, Price flips on the lights without warning. He needs to see if a certain play is up on the board. Apparently satisfied, the room goes dark just as abruptly.

“The eyes get used to it,” Price assures us.

8:40: The lights go on again and Levenseller heads to the board. As receivers coach, he takes a more active role in today’s session; McDonell, Livingston and Preston had more input when the running game was discussed Monday.

Through a series of diagrams, Levenseller makes his case for several pet plays. Price isn’t sold. Not yet, anyway.

8:46: Livingston returns after taking a phone call, bagel in one hand, coffee in the other. Discussions intensify. We know this much: If Cal has the nerve to employ three linebackers, the Cougars are going deep.

8:58: Another CD spins to life. “I hate to admit it,” Price will say later, “but this Garth Brooks stuff kind of gets me.”

9:10: Price is back at the board. They continue to talk Xs and Os.

Price breaks the monotony: “It’s all up to you, Lawrence. Screw this up and we’re sending you back to Weber State.”

Price returns to his desk and pops a couple of Certs.

10:06: Next door, the defensive coaches are using colored felt-tip pens to diagram Cal’s offensive plays on large white cards. It’s a funny picture: grown men sitting around a table, coloring like a bunch of 4-year-olds.

The image is quickly shattered when Bray wolfs down a jalapeno bagel, tips back a can of orange Gatorade and takes a copious dip of Copenhagen.

The coloring continues. Later, during practice, assistants will hold up the cards for the scout team, which will attempt to run the plays against WSU’s first-string defense.

“Watch ‘em score 80 on us now,” cracks Bill Doba, the defensive coordinator, to no one in particular.

10:30: Price is alone in his office, phone in hand. It’s time for the biweekly Pac-10 coaches conference call with the media. “The best thing about our defense is that its back stiffens in crucial situations,” Price tells them, among other things.

After 9 minutes, Price’s time is up.

10:42: Price grabs the recruiting video left by Zeches. The lights go dim and the highlights roll, one after the other.

10:52: Price looks over a list of several possible scenarios. Each one is accompanied by a list of corresponding plays. If it’s second-and-10, for example, a handful of plays might apply.

Once the game begins, Price has the final say on what offensive plays will be sent into the huddle. McDonell and Levenseller provide suggestions from the press box. They often spot tendencies that go unnoticed on the sideline.

11:15: Upstairs, in McDonell’s office, scouts from the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arena league’s San Jose SaberCats are watching tapes of WSU’s first four games. McDonell draws up plays for the scout team.

11:30: For the next 15 minutes, Price meets with Dr. Jim Bauman, WSU’s sport psychologist. Bauman interacts with coaches and players on a daily basis, and is often seen at practice.

11:49: Price has another conference call, this one with Bay Area media. He’s on autopilot.

“The Cal game is not an obstacle, it’s an opportunity,” Price tells them, casting another glance at the clock.

At least no one asks him to compare Leaf with Drew Bledsoe.

Noon: Price is running late for his weekly Cougar Club luncheon, held at Shermer’s Restaurant. Price bumps into offensive lineman Cory Withrow on his way through the office door. Halfway between Bohler and his late-model four-wheel-drive, Price runs across defensive lineman Taeao Salausa, who will have an interception against Cal.

Salausa is carrying a photo album with pictures of his young daughter. He is beaming. Price takes a minute to flip through the book.

12:10: Price walks through the entryway at Shermer’s and is immediately recognized. He waves politely and stops off at the coat room. He proceeds into the luncheon room, where the audience is true and the hair mostly blue.

“Great people,” Price says.

After a quick trip through the buffet line, Price takes his seat among the crowd of maybe 50 supporters.

12:25: Price, who admittedly wouldn’t know durum wheat from DeJuan Wheat, makes his way to the podium and proceeds to compare WSU’s remaining games to a crop that has yet to be harvested.

When he refers to a John Deere tractor, he is corrected. “International,” an older lady scolds.

Either way, the speech lasts 16 minutes. Price takes three questions and bids farewell. As he walks back through the restaurant, the bandwagon takes on a couple more passengers. “Just keep it up,” one man tells him.

12:52: As Price walks back into Bohler, he runs across Lamont Thompson, a promising freshman defensive back. They exchange high-fives.

12:55: Price pops his head into a darkened room, where two more pro scouts are evaluating tapes. Price knows them by name. They congratulate him on being 5-0.

1:01: Price returns to his office and finds several phone messages, including one from his wife, Joyce. She thought they were meeting for lunch that day. Price picks up the phone immediately.

“You waited for me to go to lunch?” he asks. “I’m sorry.”

1:08: Video man Rob Brandenburg drops in and asks about appropriate music for this week’s inspirational highlight tape, to be shown before the game.

“I don’t mind the rap, as long as it’s not nasty,” Price tells him. “But if the kids like it, I like it. Because I’d be picking out Kenny G.”

1:10: Price goes through his daily mail.

One man is disappointed in the coach for not accommodating a request for an autographed Drew Bledsoe jersey and helmet. Price shakes his head.

Another man, from Jacksonville, Fla., is purportedly dying of cancer and would like an autographed picture. Price grabs his pen.

We remind him of his 1:15 conference call. “Oh yeah,” he says, rushing for the door.

1:17: Price walks downstairs to the Ike Deeter room, where several reporters are waiting. He grabs a slice of pizza and takes his seat at the head of the table. More reporters are on the line via a speaker phone.

Several minutes into the questioning, someone asks Price whether he would like to see Michael Black have another big game against Cal. As if there’s a football coach in America who wouldn’t like his running back to have a big game every week.

Price’s answer is more diplomatic.

1:30: Price runs into senior strong safety Duane Stewart on the way back upstairs. Two minutes later, he walks into the war room, where the entire staff, plus trainer Mark Smaha, await.

Smaha delivers the day’s injury report: nothing too serious. In other words, no one should be excused from wind sprints.

After Smaha leaves, the coaches hammer out the schedule for the afternoon’s practice. As usual, it will be broken into 20 highly regulated segments, each lasting 5 minutes.

There is vigorous debate over when to work on special teams. Everyone seems to have his own idea, but Price’s counts the most. Details, details.

1:50: Back in his office, Price flips through media reports out of Berkeley, red pen in hand. “Uh oh,” he says, circling a potentially inflammatory remark.

Turns out the Cal quarterback loves road games and can’t wait to visit Pullman. What’s more, Justin Vedder hopes the crowd showers him with beer.

Price shakes his head. “Mistake,” he whispers.

Price takes the story out to his secretary. A copy will be made for every WSU player, we suppose. “No, no, I wouldn’t do that,” Price insists.

2:03: As Price prepares a short speech to be delivered at practice, an older gentleman stoops into the doorway. It’s Lawrence “Tag” Christensen, who lettered at WSU in 1942 and ‘47 before coaching at Mariner High School in Everett, where Price grew up.

Tag needs four tickets to the Nov. 1 game at Arizona State. “We’re down in Mesa all the time,” Tag explains.

No problem, Price assures him. “Let me put down your name, Tag,” Price says, no pun intended.

But that’s not all. Price offers to speak at an upcoming meeting of the Retired High School Football Coaches Association, of which Christensen is a member. What a deal.

2:10: Preston, the running backs coach, pops in just as the phone rings. He informs Price about a play that’s guaranteed to work against Cal. Price nods and picks up the phone. He and his wife talk for several minutes.

2:20: With an hour and 25 minutes until practice, Price resumes work on his speech. He tries to come up with something different each day. “The Cal game is not an obstacle, it’s an opportunity,” he offers, but it seems like we’ve heard that one before.

2:27: Secretary Marie Taylor hands Price his interview requests for the afternoon. NBC’s Inside Edition wants to interview Jason McEndoo and Ryan McShane about the well-documented traffic accident that killed McEndoo’s wife. Price winces. If only opponents were so damn predictable.

Price returns her call immediately. “After the season,” he tells her politely.

2:44: Price sneaks a peak at the video from the previous day’s practice.

2:50: Leaf and WSU’s five other quarterbacks begin to trickle into the office. The practice video continues, and Leaf sees a play he wants to run.

“We’re not going to run it,” Price informs him.

“Why not?” Leaf asks.

“Because I don’t like it,” Price replies.

3:45: Out on the practice field next to Martin Stadium, Price addresses the team for several minutes. The assistants take over from there. Players fan out into groups - linemen over here, quarterbacks and receivers over there, etc.

Price seldom strays from the passing drills.

4:10: Price sneaks a word with scouts from the San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

5:21: Practice isn’t running as smoothly as the coaches expect, and Price lets the players know it.

“Let’s go!” he yells.

Three minutes later, receiver Nian Taylor drops an easy pass. Price has had enough.

“Let’s block, catch, throw!” he bellows. “Get moving!”

If only it were that simple. Black proceeds to drop a pass, and backup tailback DeJuan Gilmore collides with Leaf on a play-action fake.

It’s nearly 5:30 now, and practice is supposed to be winding down. But Price has other plans.

“These guys think they’re going in,” he mocks loudly. “They’re not going in.”

As punishment, Price has the offense repeat several drills. Some 30 minutes later, the coach is satisfied. The players are exhausted. Practice is finally over.

6:07: Price hits the shower.

6:24: Price walks into his office and heads straight for the phone, failing even to sit down. He calls KJR radio in Seattle, which informs him that his weekly radio show won’t begin until after 7. Something about the baseball playoffs.

Moments later, Price is reminded of a poignant letter he received last week. It was from a prominent college basketball coach.

“He saw the Sports Illustrated article on McEndoo and McShane,” Price says, “and he just wanted to say he was impressed by the way we were handling things.

“It was a nice touch.”

Two or three days after mailing the letter, Steve Fisher was fired by Michigan.

6:30: Price heads across Colorado Street to what is commonly called the training table - the cafeteria where football players and many of WSU’s other athletes eat daily. Finally, he has time to reflect.

If this year is one of Price’s most rewarding, 1996 was one of the most difficult. His oldest brother, Walt, died in the spring after an eight-month battle with cancer.

“He had just retired from Boeing, bought a camper and was into fishing,” Price says between bites. “He was just fine, and then all of a sudden he had a seizure - it was a brain tumor.”

Does it really matter how many linebackers Cal uses?

6:58: On his way back to the office, Price shares a laugh with Black, who is on his way to dinner. “Let’s have a better practice tomorrow,” the coach adds.

Moments later, as Price opens the door to Bohler Gym, he nearly runs into receivers Farwan Zubedi, Shawn McWashington and Kevin McKenzie. There are high-fives for everyone.

7:14: “Damn,” Price says abruptly, suddenly remembering to call KJR. For the next 41 minutes, he is either on the air or on hold. The questions are all too familiar, but Price is undeterred.

“The Cal game is not an obstacle, it’s an opportunity,” Price tells listeners, in case anyone hadn’t heard.

7:28: Leaf walks into the office to read his mail. There are five more letters today, each requesting an autograph. Over the weekend, he and his mother answered more than 100 such letters, Leaf says.

7:29: KJR goes to the phones. Ken’s on the line, but we can’t hear the question. “I like the New York Post, too,” Price answers. “It’s a fine newspaper.”

On and on it goes.

Twenty-six minutes later, the Mike Price Show is finally over.

8:05: Price props up his feet on the desk. Leaf kicks back on the couch, armed with Pringles and ranch dip. Before long, in walk Levenseller and special-teams coach Aaron Price. There are more tapes to watch, starting with video of that day’s practice.

“Ryan looks like Jack Thompson there,” Mike Price says to Levenseller, who was one of Thompson’s favorite targets in the mid-1970s.

“Jack Thompson threw a lot harder than that,” Levenseller quips.

“I’m surprised you could catch him,” Leaf jokes back, “since you couldn’t catch me.”

As the tape continues to roll, Price leans forward in his chair, craning for a better view. The video was taken from an atop the library, providing an overhead angle. Levenseller’s bald spot makes him an easy target.

“Is that a beanie?” Price cracks.

8:38: Price lets his mind wander, if only briefly. “I could go for a nice pitcher of beer,” he mumbles.

9:15: They’re watching the Cal tapes now.

“Serwanga’s a good corner, so stay away from him,” Price warns.

“No, coach, I’m going to go at him all day,” Leaf says, and we assumed he was joking.

Come Saturday, Leaf will throw five touchdown passes. Kato Serwanga will be the primary defender on three of them. Whatever you say, coach.

9:32: Price flicks on the lights, but only for a moment. There are four more tapes to review.

Price guards against irritability by keeping the atmosphere as light as he can, at one point telling Leaf, “It doesn’t have to be a perfect pass, so you can throw one of your regular kind.”

10:02: Finally, the lights come on once again. Leaf takes off. Price picks up the phone and summons McDonell to his office for yet another strategy session. Levenseller is also on hand.

“If we just keep it simple …” Price says.

“The first series is taken care of,” Levenseller shoots back, “but now what are we going to do?”

Price points to the whiteboard, where McDonell is diagramming away. “These plays are sure-fire,” Price says. “If we have to run this thing 10 times, let’s run it.”

10:14: Ebert turns to Siskel. “You want to look at this for just 1 second?” Price asks, reaching for yet another tape. Just like that, Cal’s game against USC is on the screen.

“If they’re in this defense right here,” Price finally concludes, “the sweep will look pretty good.”

Finally, class is dismissed.

10:33: Fifteen hours and 49 minutes after entering his office, Price grabs his coat and walks into the hallway. When he gets home, he’ll hop into bed and watch a game recorded off TV. Joyce hates it when he does that, but winding down isn’t easy.

As Price continues down the hallway, he stops at the stairwell leading up to Bohler’s top floor.

“I’ll bet you anything I’ll yell up there and Lawrence Livingston will be in the office,” Price assures us.

Price yells. Livingston’s response is immediate.

“What’s up?” Price hollers back.

“Nothing,” Livingston says.

“Just checking,” Price responds knowingly. “See ya later, buddy.”

Price continues down the hallway, making a left and then a right. He heads through the double doors and into the night.

Sixty-three to thirty-seven is the furthest thing from his mind.

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