Blissful Neglect For Awhile, But Then, Alas, I Got The Call
My Christmas vacation officially ended Monday when the first message I checked on my office answering machine was from a man who declared: “You’re scum.” I gave the fellow points for identifying himself - and for calling back later to leave another message apologizing for the tone of his first message. He’d been set off by my disdain for Bill Clinton. This, after I hadn’t thought about Bill, Hillary, Monica and the other White House soap opera Starrs for weeks. It felt wonderful. I envy you folks who have no professional duty to think about them.
Boiseans, Vandals share first tasty yam
Two opposing forces will share 1999’s first Sweet Potato: the Boise Speck Tators who wildly cheered rival Idaho on to victory in the Humanitarian Bowl and the Vandals who gave all Idahoans reason to cheer with their huge upset win over Southern Mississippi … Yeah, the possible loss of Idaho football coach Chris Tormey to a bigger school and the postgame drunken mischief of two Vandal players and two coaches took away some of the thrill of victory. But not much … During the Humanitarian Bowl, I was reminded again why I prefer barber shops to beauty salons: TV sports. At Mike Cheevers’ Family Values shop on Government Way, we macho, macho men - and boys - huddled around the set Wednesday, root-toot-tooting for the home team. Hey, it beats thumbing through Glamour and GQ magazines … However, I didn’t need a TV to enjoy my last game of the holidays: WSU’s 72-71 victory over UW Sunday. Cougar Jan-Michael Thomas welcomed in the new year for me and my 6,931 closest friends at the Spokane Arena by nailing a winning three-pointer with 3 seconds left. The Cougs should play more games in Lilac City.
Montana rally cry: Start your engines
Montana’s “reasonable and prudent” speed limit (read, wild and woolly) is history, thanks to a state supreme court ruling. But that doesn’t mean the Big Sky State will settle for Idaho’s pedestrian 75 and 65 mph limits. Sixty-two percent of Montana men prefer the old pedal-to-the-metal limit - and men control the legislature. Stay tuned … I flubbed the new year by dating my first check, “1998.” How long does it take you to adjust? … So the holidays are over. Look on the bright side. Each new day has a little more daylight in it than the previous one … Sweet Potatoes to City Councilman Chris Copstead for trying to provide area teens with a hangout. It wasn’t as easy as it looked. Ask Chris. His recent decision to close The Spotlight after a 13-month run will leave a vacuum.