By the numbers: Washington football teams and more!

Terrible weekend for Washington football teams. Look at these numbers.

Washington State 0, Arizona St. 42
Washington 0, Stanford 41
Seattle Seahawks 3, Oakland Raiders 33

So by my math, Washington teams got outscored 116-3 this weekend (and I had to bust out the calculator for that). What does that mean? Casey is huddled in a bathroom somewhere sobbing like a little girl AND I'm celebrating at a bar in Montana celebrating the fact that I left the worst football state in the nation.

But then again, Montana lost this weekend and with two conference losses, ruining their chances at a Big Sky title for the umpteenth year. So I'm not celebrating Washington's demise, but rather the Treasure State's suckage and Eastern Washington's thumping of Portland State. They're very close to an outright Big Sky Championship themselves. Taiwan Jones continues to cement his legacy as the best running back EWU has ever had.

Bad news from Idaho though. The Vandals lost to Hawaii meaning that Casey probably wont shut up about it. The Vandals are 4-4 and in real risk of not making a bowl game. Hawaii is 7-2 and 5-0 in the WAC. What up Boise State?

My Titans lost too. No wonder I'm drinking.

James and Heat blow out Nets

Remember when the Nets were considered possible suitors for King James?

Well that bridge has officially been burned.

The Heat defeated the Nets 101-78 tonight and what was most surprising was nobody from the Big 3 had a huge night. James had 20 points, Wade had 17 and Bosh had 18. This begs the question... is this what Miami needs to do to win?

Yes. Look at Boston. The Big 3 there constantly sacrifice stats for wins. Garnett, Allen and Pierce haven't been nearly as prolific statistically as they once were when they were on their own. However, each of their legacies have grown with gutsy playoff performance after gutsy playoff performance.

However, will Wade and James want to do that? All of the Big 3 from Boston are older and understand that it's more about wins that stats. They had done plenty to lay the groundwork for their career before they joined forces. Nobody hated them when they joined forces. They had nothing to prove individually.

James certainly has something to prove. Even if they win a championship, he'll get the "oh he needed his friends to help him out to win treatment" even though every NBA champion has had an ensemble opposed to a solo. He's backed himself into a no-win situation. This is exactly how the Heat should win games, but is this what these three guys will do?

Best Halloween Costumes Ever

This comes from good friend Dustin Snipes.

Charlo 58, White Sulphur Springs 50

White Sulphur Springs is a good team. Let that be known. They jumped out to a 20-0 lead but the Charlo Vikings kept their season alive and came back to win 58-50 in a back-and-fourth playoff football game.

Charlo will play Chinook next week at home.

Here are some images I took for the Charlo-White Sulphur Springs contest...

Rondo's big adventure tonight

Rajon Rondo has an absolute sick night tonight. There's good nights. Then there's great nights. Then there's ALMOST BREAKING BOB COUSY RECORDS nights. Rondo had the latter.

Rondo had a triple-double with a career-high 24 assists on Friday night to lead Boston to a 105-101 victory over the New York Knicks. It was second-most in franchise history and the most since Bob Cousy had 28 in 1959.

"It means a lot, but I'll try and catch him," Rondo said of being on a list with the Hall of Famer. "[It's] all about the teammates. If they don't make the shots, we don't get team assists."

Rondo had 10 points and 10 rebounds and topped his regular-season best of 18 assists set against Sacramento in March; he also had two playoff games with 19.

I don't want to make any overstatements, but we're watching one of the best point guards in NBA history in the making. If he continues to do this it will be Rajon Rondo and then that guy named Cousy.

And if you missed it, the freakin' Heat gave the Magic a whooping.

Lebron was Robin to Dwayne Wade's Batman again. Uh-oh legacy trackers...

No throwback jerseys for Seahawks game

This Sunday the Seattle Seahawks take on the onetime AFC West rival Oakland Raiders.

Earlier this week, Seahawks' quarterback Matt Hasselbeck got people talking when he tweeted:

Can we wear the old Silver & Blue uni's this week? That would be awesome!

But a post on Seahawks.com today says that was pure hype.

The matchup might be a classic, but the uniforms will not be.

But because of NFL rules, the Seahawks won’t be wearing throwbacks this Sunday, this season or even next year.

Jersey changes — throwback, alternate or otherwise — must be approved by the NFL 18 months before the season. So for the Seahawks to have worn old-school uniforms this weekend, it would’ve had to be cleared in March 2009. And the Seahawks didn’t submit any attire change requests this March either, so the Seahawks will be wearing their normal jerseys all of this season and next, according to head equipment manager Erik Kennedy.

I guess that means no green jerseys this season. Bummer. I thought they

were SWEET!

Maybe the Seahawks could put in a request for a hybrid uniform combining the new logo and the old colors. Like this:

Oprah & Gayle's Ultimate Camping Adventure

See REI and first-time campers on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Friday, October 29 and Wednesday, November 3, as part of “Oprah & Gayle’s Ultimate Camping Adventure!”

Oprah and Gayle head out on a camping trip to Yosemite National Park. I'm sure it will be very interesting.

View the preview video on the page here.

What does a 2-0 lead in the World Series mean?

This series is over.

Matt Cain's dominant pitching performance in Game 2 for San Fran, and Cliff Lee's rare appearance as a human for the Rangers in Game 1 has given the Giants a 2-0 lead and it's hard to come back from that.

The last seven teams with a 2-0 lead in the World Series have won it, and 13 of the last 14 teams with the 2-0 lead have also won rings.

It's not like San Fran is squeaking by. Their pitching looks better, they're hitting looks better. They just look utterly dominant while the Texas Rangers haven't gotten off the bus.

Unless somebody runs out  there with a bloody with a blood sock or Dave Roberts materializes on the Rangers' roster, I'm gonna say it's over.

Journey on the Wild Coast

I came across this preview for the documentary"Journey on the Wild Coast."

In June 2007, Bretwood Higman and Erin McKittrick walked out of Seattle heading north. Twelve months and 4,000 miles later, they came to a stop at the end of the Aleutian Islands chain, having made their way by foot, pack raft, and skis. The trip was ostensibly about raising awareness of conservation issues, but the underlying reason, says Erin, was to bite off a huge challenge.

Worst. Mom. Ever.

This takes the cake for the most disturbing/hilarious/non-suprising/ridiculous news story I have ever read.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A north Florida mother has pleaded guilty to shaking her baby to death after the boy's crying interrupted her game on Facebook.

Alexandra V. Tobias pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Wednesday and remains jailed.

The Florida Times-Union reports that she told investigators she was angered because the boy was crying while she was playing the game FarmVille.

The paper also reports that she told investigators she shook the boy, smoked a cigarette to compose herself and then shook him again.

Looks like her friends won't be getting any invitations to fertilize her crops on Farmville anytime soon. Bazinga! I wonder if she smoked during the pregnancy...

Another thrilling photo from Montana

This is a real photo from Yellowstone Park. That would be a grizzly bear chasing a mauled Bison. Oh goodie. Looks like I wont be venturing outside anytime soon.

Click here to read the full story.

Sounders FC playoffs

This Sunday, October 31, the MLS Cup Western Conference Semifinals kickoff at Qwest Field as the Seattle Sounders FC will be taking on the Los Angeles Galaxy.

It's been a crazy second MLS season for the Sounders FC. They started out very slow and fell to the cellar of the West. But a late season burst set the team on fire. Winning 7 straight MLS games as well as the U.S. Open Cup.

The Galaxy beat the Sounders 4-0 and 3-1 earlier this season. But that was before the team gelled. It's anyones match! Scarves up!

Here's the road to the playoffs:

Road to the Playoffs from Seattle Sounders FC on Vimeo.

Celtics lose to... Cleveland?!

I'm not sure exactly how this happens, but it just goes to show you that the NBA season is 82 games. The Celtics lost to the Cleveland Cavs last night 95-87, prompting a wave of "Cleveland doesn't need Lebron!" talk from ESPN and probably a few delusional fans.

It is funny, the sentiment was that the aging Celtics will probably cruise though the season half-asleep and then gear up for the playoffs. Last nights game certainly mirrors that sentiment.

And how about Blake Griffin? For the Clippers last night, the guy has 20 points and 14 rebounds, with a few nice entries into his highlight reel. He's going to be a force in the NBA this year, mark it down. Trailblazers lost 98-88, and I'm going to blame Chris Kamen's hair.

The Heat won their second game, by the way, Dwayne Wade scored 30 in a 97-87 victory over the 76ers. You know what this means? Lebron can't carry the team! Or Wade just had a good night. Either or.

The Thunder also came out strong with Kevin "The best player in the NBA" Durant scoring 30 points in a 106-95 win. One thing that struck me is that the Oklahoma City crowd was really into the game. I hate them. That team belongs in Seattle. Okay, I'll move along. The second thing that struck me was just how great the Thunder run the fast break. The ball hardly touches the floor when they turn the switch on another team.

Two nights down, a few months to go.

Halo was almost on an iPad

 This would have made launch of the original XBox very different.

According to a former Bungie employee, Microsoft purchased the Halo creator just "days" before Apple. In a chat with Develop, ex-Bungie developer Tuncer Deniz said things went down like this: the studio asked Apple if it was interested in an acquisition and CEO Steve Jobs mulled the idea but initially declined. Jobs changed his mind about a week later and Cupertino contacted Bungie to cut a deal -- but it was too late. "Bungie had already consummated the deal with Microsoft," said Deniz.

And the rest is history. Can you imagine trying to play Halo on a Mac? Ew.

I have to say that since getting my newspaper job in Montana and having to work on a Mac, I'm convinced PCs around a gazillon times better. Sure there's a bunch of fun little trixy things you can do with Macs but if you just want a computer that gets the job done and makes sense... go with the PC.

Epic Broadcasting blowup of greatness

This is what it would sound like if Casey and I called Eastern Washington University football games.

Breaking down the Big Sky Conference this week

Another week, another crazy slate of Big Sky Conference games. We'll break down what's happening this week...

No. 7 Montana (5-1 conference, 6-2 overall) @ Weber State (3-2 conference, 4-3 overall)
The Griz pulled out a dramatic win last week and they keep seeming to do just enough to win football games. This Weber State game has all the trappings of a danger game for Montana though. Eventually the luck is going to run out and Weber State is a tough team.

However, it's the Griz and you know they'll pull some miracle out of their back pocket like a sideline warning that costs the Wildcats the game or a freak tornado that injuries their quarterback. Seriously, it will happen. Trust me.


No. 13 Montana State (4-1 conference, 6-2 overall) @ Idaho State (0-5 conference, 1-6 overall)
Ah, the Idaho State Bengals. Not only do their uniforms remind me of 1986, but they are possibly the only Big Sky team that is terrible this year. However, that won't stop Montana State from falling behind by 30 points and posting a huge comeback. The Bobcats apparently don't need things like a "strong first quarter" or "dominant win."

They have won the last six against ISU and I would imagine every else has too.

Sac State (2-3 conference, 3-4 overall) @ No. 25 Northern Arizona (2-2 conference, 4-3 overall)
Sac State and NAU are the ultimate bad luck teams right now in the Big Sky. Nobody can deny their talent, no one is thrilled to be playing them. Now they're playing one another... there will be blood.

Northern Colorado (2-6) @ South Dakota (3-5)
Ugh... who cares?

No. 8 Eastern Washington (5-1 conference, 6-2 overall) @ Portland State (1-3 conference, 2-5 overall)
This game scares me. Portland State has always given Eastern Washington fits and despite their record, all their games have been close. The Eagles have been skating on thin ice in their games all season and this might finally be the time that the ice breaks.

Breaking down the Heat's loss to the Celtics

Since Casey doesn't know what the game of basketball is, unless the loathsome Washington Huskies are playing in the NCAA Tournament, I will take it upon myself to enlighten you on the wonderful world of the NBA. If you missed the Heats-Celts game last night, you missed a nice kickoff to the season that is sure to be one of the most interesting in years (and that's saying a lot). Here's what happened...

Chris Bosh sucked. Dwayne Wade sucked. Lebron James had a mountain of turnovers but was the only one of the big three that turned in a respectable game. The Celtics won 88-80, and in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter because it's the first game of the season.

EXCEPT...

Boston showed everyone how to beat the Heat. Clog the middle. Force them to shoot from the outside. Here's how the big three fared in that game shooting-wise.

Bosh - 3/11
Wade - 4/16
James - 10/21

If teams continue to do this and force the Heat to rely on their jump shot, you can forget about a championship because once you get to the NBA Playoffs - a jump shooting team is about as dead as a Democrat at a gun convention.

Is this an overreaction? Yes of course, but it sure is fun to have basketball back.

Dean Potter: 'King Air' First Ascent

Check out this awesome video from prAna staring Dean Potter:

Dean Potter: 'King Air' First Ascent from Prana Living on Vimeo.

Here's what Potter said about the video:

The Le Conte boulder, also known as the House Keeping boulder, is in Yosemite Valley, California. For more than a decade, I'd been trying to figure out the proudest, tallest line on the block, with no luck.

One day, I was playing with my sister Jenny's kids, Cyrus and Dahlia, in the forest amongst the rocks. They were acting all whacky, wild and uninhibited, jumping and bouncing around from rock to rock and scampering up trees. I had been trying this sick line on the boulder but never figured out the crux move in all the years before. Somehow the kids, 'anything is possible' energy drifted into me. I stood before the starting bucket giggling. I was loose and moved my body in a different way than ever before. To my amazement, I stuck the crux with my nine-year-old nephew and my 7-year-old niece spotting me. I jumped down, careful not to squish them and finally believed I would send this lifetime project within my next few efforts.

King Air is one of the most obvious boulder problems around. For years I tried the problem alone, somehow keeping it completely secret. My bro, Ivo Ninov and I worked on it together. We kept our efforts stealth by washing off the chalk with water before leaving for the night. For years, I doubt anyone else ever seriously looked at the bold line as it was too high and there wasn't any chalk to lead them. Ivos enthusiasm literally lifted me higher and higher. On every serious attempt he spotted me, making sure that at least I wouldn’t split my melon.

This is the proudest highball boulder problem I know of in the Valley. The business scales over 30 feet to the final bucket. Its on the verge of being a free solo. When I fell my feet traveled 20 feet before impacting the pads. I was lucky not to shatter bones. My quads were very sore and I limped around for the next few days. King Air is the most beautiful boulder problem Ive ever done. You would be hard pressed to find any line, more aesthetic.

~Dean Potter

Monday wake-up song

At Just South of North we know that Mondays can be kinda dragging. Especially rainy or snowy Mondays.

So we introduce "Monday Wake-up Songs".

Sing along. We know you want to.

Oregon Duck Tracker 2010

The latest BCS rankings came out this afternoon and wow do computers suck at picking the #1.

With their loss to Missouri, Oklahoma was going to give up their number one spot but the question was to who? With a 60-13 beatdown of UCLA it seemed that Oregon would be the new #1.

But nope. Those computers strike again. Leapfrogging both Oregon and Boise State, Auburn moves into the number one spot.

Wow do computers suck.

But want to know something that doesn't suck. The Oregon Duck Tracker.

This site keeps track of all of the strange uniform combinations that the Ducks have each game. So far this season in seven games they have wore seven different uniforms.

These include three different color helmets, five different jerseys and four different color pants.

Perhaps to get the respect of the computers the Ducks really need to do something to grab the attention. Maybe all the players should play a whole game in these outfits:


I bet they'd still win by 50+ points.

I wonder what ever happened to that creepy RoboDuck mascot? He just kind of faded away. Yet, I still have nightmares of when he first appeared back in 2002:

Eastern Washington University red turf

When Eastern Washington University decided to replace the grass of Woodward Field with a red artificial turf one thing was certain, that the University would get a lot of national attention.

But another, and perhaps more important, item was that the red turf would provide a home-field advantage never before seen in Cheney, Washington.

The most popular colored turf is the blue turf of Boise State University. The Broncos installed their blue turf in 1986 and have dominated at home since then.

1986: 4-2 1987: 5-2 1988: 5-2 1989: 5-2 1990: 7-1 1991: 7-0 1992: 3-3 1993: 3-4 1994: 10-0

1995: 5-2 1996: 1-6 1997: 3-2 1998: 4-3 1999: 8-0 2000: 6-0 2001: 5-1 2002: 7-0 2003: 6-0

2004: 7-0 2005: 6-1 2006: 6-0 2007: 7-0 2008: 6-0 2009: 7-0 2010: 2-0 Total: 135-31

Take a look at the Broncos' home records each season since the blue turf went in.

*NOTE: Boise State went 10-0 in the 1994 season while competing in the FCS regular season and playoffs when they were members of the Big Sky.












Now that is home field advantage!

Well yesterday the red turf of Roos Field, or the Inferno as it's called, claimed another victim. The Sacramento State Hornets lost in the final seconds to Eastern 28-24.

Eastern improves to 3-0 on the red and 6-2 on the season (5-1 Big Sky).

The home field advantage is starting!

And if you missed the feature on the red turf that ESPN ran before the Boise State/Oregon State football game a few weeks ago, here it is:

Fat man gets kicked out of seats at Purdue game

This was sent to Purdue's student newspaper, and I can't help but laugh.

Man angry after being tossed out Ross-Ade for being ‘too large’


To the faculty, staff and student body of Purdue University,
I would like to thank you all for the shabby treatment that I was subjected to at the homecoming football game on Saturday. Apparently I, at 6-foot-2-inches and 465 lbs, am of too large of carriage to be allowed to sit in your football stadium. I payed face value for a ticket in the “horseshoe” of Ross-Ade stadium and was told that I had to leave my seat as I was taking up too much space after the first quarter and spent the rest of the game listening to it from a bench outside the access to section 115 on the concourse. I have now attended football games in EVERY Big Ten Conference stadium, and must say this is the worst treatment I have EVER been subjected to. So I guess I would like to thank all involved, especially the worthless employees of Andy Frain Services for truly making me hate Purdue University, and Purdue football. Now the upshot, for those of you who believe in the eastern belief of Kharma, I feel it was served by Robbie Hummel’s injury, so in closing I say enjoy the whooping that OSU is going to apply Saturday, and enjoy watching the University of Illinois win the Big 10 men’s basketball title. I thought Purdue was an institute of intellect, understanding and compassion – now I know it’s just slack-jawed, inbred hicks who do not adhere to the Americans with disabilities act of 1996.


Matt Lignell
New Notre Dame Fan
Orland Park, Ill.

Matt, I think that a general requirement for stadium seating is that you ACTUALLY have to fit in the seat. I would feel bad for those people that bought seats next to you and had to deal with your "oozing over." Please don't act like this is something you can't control either. Eating is a basic human function and you do too much of it. You refuse to look at yourself but rather blame everyone else for you problems. There's not an inkling of personal responsibility in this man's letter.

Being fat is not a disability.

Snuggie song

Just when I thought that dumb blanket with sleeves couldn't get any, well dumber, I see this commercial.

Bigfork 42, Mission 21

Bigfork showed why they were undefeated in the District 7-B, but Mission showed why they went from a team that was picked last in the conference to a 5-3 record. The Bulldogs played one tough half of football and only trailed the Vikings 21-13 at halftime before losing 42-21 last Thursday night in St. Ignatius.

"We played hard against these guys. They were big," Mission head coach Peter Hamilton said.

The Bulldogs rushed for 332 yards in the game, including a 172-yard performance from senior running back Lane Wheeler. Junior Austin Durglo, who had just recently switched from tight end to running back, had 105 yards on 19 carriers. Junior Scotty Gilleard had 53 yards. All had a touchdown rushing.

Despite their command on the ground, penalties hampered drives and plagued the Bulldogs all night.

"We kept slipping all over the place," Hamilton said.

The loss puts the Bulldogs in a position that if Troy loses tonight against Thompson Falls then they're in the playoffs. If Troy wins, their season will end with a strong showing of improvement. Numerous coaches in the league commented on the hard-nosed running game the Bulldogs bring to every game and just how punishing they are.

"People don't like to play against us," Hamilton said.

Asked if he would be watching the Troy game, Hamilton gave a resounding "no."

"I don't even want to think about it," Hamilton said. "I haven't slept in two days."