The Slice: Let’s set up a GU togs focus group

Sending Gonzaga University apparel as gifts to far-flung friends and family is not new.

Some of us have been doing that since the turn of the century.

But here’s what I’m wondering. What sort of feedback from strangers does your brother-in-law in Buffalo or your aunt in Nashville get when they wear their Zags sweatshirts or windbreakers out in public?

And how that has changed over the years?

It used to be, of course, that GU was far from universally known. Wearing a Zags hat in, say, Ohio, was a bit more like being a member of a secret club.

Now? You tell me. Or better yet, send my email address to your relatives back East or in the South and have them tell me.

Just wondering: So OK, sure. It’s way too early to be asking this. You can’t predict these things. Blah blah blah. But what would it be like around here if GU actually did win a national championship?

If the state of Washington had been named after Abraham Lincoln: “We would have an outdoor amphitheater located near the center of the state in a town named Abraham,” wrote Russ Salvadalena.

And an annual summer concert series there would be called …? “The Jam in Abraham.”

Scott Brunell said that if Washington had been named Lincoln, residents would not have to spend so much time saying “No, not D.C.”

Jim Clanton also weighed in. “At least if we were Lincoln State (to differentiate from the capital of Nebraska) everyone would pronounce the name the same way. I think.”

Not sticking around for the finish: “I walked out of the original ‘Star Wars’ in the theater after about half an hour,” wrote Bruce Werner. “Since my daughter found out she will not listen to whatever I say about any movie.”

Once, when living in Seattle, Patti Green and her church pastor husband left an opera performance after the first act. “My husband said to me, ‘Let’s go home. The soprano is sharp, and I can hear that every Sunday in the church choir.’ ”

Kenyon Fields and his sister-in-law attended a concert featuring a choir of Nepalese monks. The singers’ fine performance featured sonorous, thrumming sounds. It put both of them to sleep.

When they awoke during intermission, they decided to finish their slumbers at home.

How Spokane looks in your dreams: “Warm and dry,” wrote Jean Shute.

Today’s Slice question: Who inspires you?

Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. It usually takes someone just a matter of minutes after meeting Jeannie Maki to realize horses are her passion.