Huskies, WSU: Welcome to bizarro world
It was so weird, the 2020 Pac-12 football season: Covid postponements, a mini-season, no fans in the stands, seniors playing their senior years before their senior years. Turns out that for us unsuspecting goofs in the state of Washington, weird was just getting underway. Has there ever...
Fantasy football: Oh, the way we were …
For the record, I’m turning 50 this week. No, not that 50 – I’m talking 50 years, 50 freaking consecutive seasons, of playing fantasy football. I’m not sure whether to be proud or embarrassed. It’s kind of like that ESPN-inspired slogan: Never Graduate. Yes, I’ve been...
Your move, Pac-12 (but feel free to pass)
Not so long ago, I looked around at the so-called “arms race” in college athletics, and wondered where it might end. You had to have an indoor football practice facility. Your stadium had to have state-of-the-art suites. You had to have a dedicated football-operations building. And that...
Larry Scott’s tenure is over, and hold the applause until the end
When I think of Larry Scott in the future — and blessedly, that shouldn’t be too often — I’m going to remember a personal saga fairly early in his 12-year tenure as Pac-12 commissioner. Before we go any further, let’s note that his regime ends today, June...
Dreaming or spending, Moos always thought in XL terms
Bill Moos always did kind of keep us guessing. So the other day, when his retirement from the athletic director’s job at Nebraska was announced a scant five days out, it was very much in keeping with the train of his career. His was a careening ride...
Ainge re-routed Harter’s career path (twice)
Danny Ainge announced his retirement as Boston Celtics president a bit ago, and for most folks who spent a lot of time in Eugene back in the 1970s – that’s me – it’s impossible not to relive some of the occasions that brought Ainge renown in Oregon, and...
Instead of a fine, give Osaka some space
When Naomi Osaka pulled out of the French Open Monday, it ignited a story that seems destined to linger, one entwined in elements of responsibility, compassion and common sense. And understanding, or lack thereof. Osaka is the No. 2-rated women’s tennis player in the world, and...
The Emmert era, such as it is, continues
Mark Emmert, the NCAA president, got an extension through 2025 the other day, a move the organization heralded grandly in a 15-word announcement buried at the bottom of an NCAA board of governors quarterly report. Not that it was trying to stave off potential criticism, but the...
Tommy Lloyd: The great ‘Zona gamble
For a better grasp on what sort of ground Arizona broke Wednesday with the news that Tommy Lloyd will be the next Wildcat basketball coach, let’s play a game: Among the formidable-to-blueblood Power Six basketball schools, name one that’s hired an assistant coach from another program to its...
Not so shockingly, Pac-12 is rolling
In the wake of the Pac-12 Conference short-sheeting the NCAA tournament last weekend, we’ve sought explanations from hundreds of hoops savants, including advanced-metrics statheads, Nate Silver, Charles Barkley, Joe Lunardi and Jake from State Farm. The consensus: Stuff happens. No, actually, there really is some perspective to...