Your Seattle Sports Roundup

There's so much that has happened in the Seattle Sports scene in the past few days, I'd be writing like a bunch of different posts that would be just way to time-consuming. So for your own enjoyment, here are the biggest things to happen in or around the Emerald City lately.

1. UW ousts WSU from the Pac-12 Tournament - Still probably won't make the NCAA Tournament themselves. Save for Gonzaga, this college basketball season has been a whole lot of blah. Cue the Huskies fans saying they deserve to be in the field of 68...

2. Sounders are first MLS team to beat a Mexican team in CONCACAF quarterfinals - Seattle could also become the first MLS team to win the CONCACAF Champions Cup if they keep doing what they're doing. Now if this could just translate to success in the MLS postseason.

3. Seahawks sign Percy Harvin, suddenly become the free agent darlings of the league - Because you know it always works when you get a bunch of free agents. Ask the Philadelphia Eagles how that worked out for them when they claimed they had the "Dream Team."

The Sonics have also opened up a season ticket waiting list, even though it isn't even official if the Kings are moving here. But if you really have a hankering for some Sonics stuff, get some gear here.

Gold star for the Cougars?

Hey Coug fans! Congrats! You're Apple Cup Champions!

In was has otherwise been a disappointing season, Washington State Cougars can at least hang their hat on the fact that they defeated their cross-state rivals. The University of Washington may be headed to a bowl game, but they won't have bragging rights over their smaller sibling. They choked this game away against an opponent that just wanted it more.

But lets turn the blame a little bit. WSU played inspired. Never gave up, even when down 18 points in the fourth quarter. They made the big plays. They had energy. Where was this team all year long?

They've literally been walking corpses throughout the entire Pac-12 slate, and you're telling me that Washington just played a stinker of a game? Other than the morbid offense that they have had all season, this was the same Huskies squad that's been good enough to be ranked nationally. So why can't the Cougs do this for a full season?

Embattled (and apparently "abusive") Cougars coach Mike Leach has said all season long that his team lacks mental toughness. They lacked that under Paul Wulff. They proved it again this year. Any Washington State fan who is truly a fair observer of the game of football understands that these kids were not very likable this season. Hit a little adversity in a game and they crumbled.

It was an epidemic, no wonder Leach called them "corpses."

Now, when they actually have a little fire in their belly, they defeat one of the country's better teams? You've got to be kidding me Cougs. You've had this in you all along?

Hopefully Leach can establish a tougher mentality. Fans have better hope he does because they're going to need it in the very tough Pac-12 Conference. Unless the only game you want to win is the Apple Cup, the players need to be more juiced, more often.

Are you ready for Jeff Tuel to be WSU's savior?

Casey will brag and brag about his Huskies, meanwhile the Washington State Cougars might have the biggest ace up their sleeves and that's junior quarterback Jeff Tuel...

PULLMAN - As a true sophomore last season, Jeff Tuel completed nearly 60-percent of his passes for nearly 2,800 yards and 18 touchdowns. But the Cougars' coaching staff believes this will be his breakout season.

"He's done everything we've asked him to do and more," said head coach Paul Wulff. "Just more command of everything. More leadership. Bigger. Stronger."

"He's at a whole other level right now, going into fall camp, than he was a year ago," added offensive coordinator Todd Sturdy. "And, you know, that's just because of all the value he got out of playing last year, all twelve games."

I'd be on the Jeff Tuel wagon if he wasn't behind an offensive line that was less effective than the exhausdt vent defenses on the Death Star. What has been the common theme throughout the past few seasons? Physical domination by the other team.

Unless Wulff fields a much bigger team this year in terms of size, I think it will be the same result.

What is Paul Wulff saying in this photo?

"Stick with me and this team and you'll probably be playing for a new coach next year."

"The best teams sometimes finish last or in our case, always finish last."

"We're not as bad as you think we are. We just don't win very many games."

"Anyone got UW to win the Pac-12 in a conference gambling pool?"

"Remember, the Cougars used to be good at football. With the emphasis being on 'used to'"

"If you party and get drunk, I don't care, because it will probably help you deal with the pain on Saturdays."

"Good news, Jake Locker isn't on the Huskies anymore."

"The bad news is... a bunch of other Div. I-A football players are."

"Sooo if you would, send out my resume to anyone you know..."

Add your comments below!

Zach Enyeart Trick Shot Long Snapper

Last month Just South of North showed you UConn's QB Johnny McEntee performing some amazing trick throws.

Well Washington State University's very own Zach Enyeart has up loaded his own trick shot video.

Only being a long snapper his is a bit different.

None the less it's some amazing talent. He's hoping it will get him noticed and take him to the NFL.

Check it out:

Happy Apple Cup Day

It's here!

The Washington rivalry.

The Apple Cup!

Washington State football uniform

The official uniform of the Washington State University football team.

Brandon also has the same item!

WSU Cougars need more than a football stadium

WSU Athletic Director Bill Moos thinks that Martin Stadium needs some serious improvements and a football facility in order for the Cougars to be competitive in the Pac-10 Conference. While those things would certianly be nice and the size of Martin Stadium is laughable compared to the other schools in the conference, that's not going to fix everything. Here is what you have to consider...

1. Pullman is a small town compared to the cities the other schools are in. While Spokane is just an hour a way, the school is always going to be lacking in the corporate sponsorships and media market money because there just simply aren't enough heavy hitters and people in the area.

2. It's a northern school and it's colder than balls in Pullman. Nobody from California is going to jump at the chance to live there.

3. They get out-recruited in their own state by Washington. They get out-recruited by Montana and Eastern. They get out-recruited by everyone. If you think I'm joking, just look how big EWU and Montana are as a team and how many local kids are and then look at how big WSU is and where their kids are from. When I saw WSU walk out of the tunnel two years ago I was shocked at how small they were.

So as much as it pains me to talk badly about the Cougs in front of Casey "Dawgfan" Knopik, they need a lot more than just some luxury suites.

University of Hawaii joins PAC 10

Ok, ok. So maybe the title of this post hasn't exactly happened yet but hear me out.

I recently got NCAA Football 2011 and started a dynasty with the Hawaii Warriors.

In my first season I finished second in the WAC with a loss in the New Mexico Bowl. In my second season I won the WAC and finished the season with a victory in the Emerald Bowl.

But the big news came at the end of that season.

A neat feature in the game is that at the end of the season you get offers from other schools to come coach for them. But at the end of the second season Hawaii got an offer to leave the WAC for the PAC 10 because the PAC 10 wanted rid of WSU.

No joke.

So of course I took the offer and moved Hawaii to the PAC 10. And WSU consequently got put in the WAC.

Now here's why that would make sense in the real world. WSU is terrible but during the third season they are currently leading the WAC with a 5-3 record.

In the PAC 10 they are hard fought to even put points on the board, but in the WAC they'd stand a chance. And it's not like they dominate in other sports either, so as a whole it'd benefit the athletic department.

As for Hawaii they'd put up much more of a fight than WSU has in football. Sure both lost to USC but Hawaii was in it for the whole game until a few mistakes cost them the win and they lost 49-36.

However USC crushed WSU 50-16.

So Hawaii lost by 13 and WSU lost by 34.

And that's not just for football. In volleyball Hawaii is currently 14-1 and ranked number 5 in the nation. Which is ahead of all but one PAC 10 school with Stanford being number 1.

Where's WSU? Well they currently are 6-8 and sitting in a nice 9th place in the PAC 10.

This move would only make sense. I say that the PAC 10 take a vote and kick Pullman into the WAC. Or worse yet, but possible more appropriately, Division 2 and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Oh wait. But then Central Washington would beat them all the time.

Future jobs for Paul Wulff

After Wazzu barely eeked by Montana State, I've got to say that the writing is on the wall for head coach Paul Wulff. Instead of showing signs of improvement, this might be the worst incarnation of Cougar football in Wulff's three years in Pullman. As much as we make fun of the school for being out the way, small and generally the little brother of the Pac-10, it still should have no problem beating Montana State.

There's no excuse. Even when they were TERRIBLE Wulff's first year, they managed to blow out Portland State. Heck last year they beat an actual Div. I-A football team.This year they were embarrassed by Oklahoma State and challenged by Montana State. Wulff may not even make it to the end of the season. Luckily, here's a couple things he could do...

1. Bartender - He's use to making people stumble around on defense. Why would at a bar be any different?
2. Coach for the Oakland Raiders - After the Tom Cable hiring... I mean would this shock you at all?
3. Septic Tank man - He's use to playing with crap.
4. Spokesman for Pepcid AC - You think this poor guy has ate well the past three years? I think not. I think the post-game spread is bigger than the Cougars actual offensive line.
5. Jesse James PR Agent - Things couldn't go worse for either guy, right?

Casey's dawgs suck, Cougars officially a division II team now

After much barking, Husky fans (including our very own Casey "I love Brock Huard" Knopik) got to see their team in action against BYU. Guess what happened? UW suffered another disappointing loss and Jake Locker failed once again to lead his team to victory. Now usually I would take the high road and not rub this in to other side of the state but since the Cougars suck so badly, what the hell is the point?
UW's football program is full of hot air! All talk! No substance and no winning seasons in a loooong time.

But hey, at least their arch-rival (gag) Oregon didn't do so hot right? Actually they had a record setting 72-0 victory over New Mexico. No mention from the Ducks about whether they'd rather be playing the Huskies than the Lobos.

Now with that being said. Let's talk about those lovable Cougars from the east side of Washington, or as I like to call them...

They got slaughtered by Oklahoma State and it's my guess this is Paul Wulff's last season in the Palouse. Hell, it will be a miracle if he makes it through the entire season. Oh yeah, and he has a big hat.

Eastern Washington in play-down game against Washington State

You know, I hate games like these. When a big school like Eastern Washington decides they need a cup-cake as their opponent and they go and schedule Washington State.  EWU is usually in the national playoff picture in football nearly every year, so they're not fooling anyone.

Ask yourself this... when was the last time Washington State made the playoffs in football? That's right. Never. It's in a small rural community town, it's stadium is among the smallest in the league and they don't even have a track around their field! How ghetto!

EWU needs to schedule tougher teams like Whitworth and Central Washington. If they don't get a big to the playoffs in 2012, all one has to do is point to their pedestrian scheduling with a doormat like Washington State.

I mean couldn't the Eagles at least play a Div. I football program?

Idaho vs. WSU ... college basketball nobody cares about

WSU vs. Idaho. The Beer Pong between these two schools must be epic. I hear that when these two play basketball is pretty good. I'd rather play beer pong though. 

PULLMAN – There aren’t many schools that have met more often in basketball than Washington State University and the University of Idaho.

When the two get together tonight in WSU’s Beasley Coliseum, it will mark the 105th consecutive year the two schools, separated by about 8 miles and an invisible state line, have met.

But despite having played 264 (or 263, if you go by Idaho’s records) times, these aren’t desperate rivals. More like two brothers playing in the backyard.

“We played against them this summer, so we know them all pretty well,” said WSU sophomore Abe Lodwick, who did not play in last year’s 55-41 WSU win in Moscow, the Cougars’ sixth consecutive win in the series.

Now you might be wondering who I'm going to root for, and to that I say... GO VANDALS!

Making fun of the Apple Cup

Good god, that was a terrible game. Sure the Huskies trounced the Cougars but they can't be too pleased about it because Jake Locker played like he was mildly drunk. In fact, I'd say that Locker's play in the first half kept WSU in the game. Why are NFL scouts so high on this guy? He makes poor reads, weak throws and can run the ball.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the next Jamarcus Russell!

Anyways, they took some photos at the game, and boy we're they funny... (Click on the title of this post for more photos)

"But the football tastes just like BAAACON! I want BACON!! BACCCCON!"

To give your dog something they want, try Beggin' Strips (aka Kevin Lopina) ...

(Again, click the title of this article for more photos.)

College football in the northwest and its screwed up schedule

While BSU clinched the WAC championship with a win over Nevada last night, I am scratching my head over how they schedule their games. Basically, they're ESPN's poster team and usually get broadcasted on the World Wide Leader.

However, usually their games start at 7 p.m. pacific time, which is totally fine if they played in the pacific time zone. They do not, Boise is located in the mountain time zone, meaning that they actually start their games at 8 p.m. and don't wrap things around midnight. While everyone on the West Coast sees these games as kind of a prime-time matchup... Boise State fans kind of get the short end of the stick. Weird.

(Note: Listen to all the East Coast fans complaining when their baseball team plays till 1 a.m., now imagine if their team played till 1 a.m. every single night. Boy Boise St. fans sure are tough)

That being said, at least Boise St. is on ESPN, today I'm not sure if UW-WSU is even on TV, because don't you have to be a college football team to get on TV on Saturday?

And don't forget to listen to Eastern Washington vs. Stephen F. Austin today in the FCS playoffs at noon on 1510 KGA. That mid-day game is pretty much the only game that makes sense this Saturday.

Things that are bigger underdogs than the WSU Cougars

The Cougars are 45-point underdogs today against the University of Southern California, meaning that the Trojans are more likely to lose against a collection of tackle dummies than Washington State University athletes.

However, things could be worse, I've come up with a list of underdogs more hopeless than the WSU Cougars.

Poland VS Germany, 1939 - The Polish had horses, the Germans had tanks.

A seagull VS a black hole - The bright side on this is that perhaps the black hole is some sort of portal to a seagull heavan where it's just one big park populated with old people handing out bread crumbs.

A 40-year old man VS Male pattern baldness - Ask Karl Malone. This is a hopeless fight.

VHS VS DVD - Think of it this way, how many VHS tapes have you bought in the last five years.

Pedophile VS Chris Hansen - On Dateline, Hansen lays down the law against Chi-mos. WSU will be shoved to the ground and handcuffed in the very same way.

Dogs VS Michael Vick - Oh wait, too soon?

Remember how bad football season was?

Well the hoops season has started oh so much better. Washington State is receiving votes in the Top 25 poll instead of providing less competition to USC than their practice squad, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are ranked No. 5 in the nation and the Eastern Washington Eagles are playing some pretty good ball and kickoff their Big Sky Conference schedule this Saturday against Montana State at Reese Court.

While everyone expected the Cougs and Zags to be doing pretty good at this point, the Eagles are a bit of a surprise at 5-2. Namely because of this guy...

No not Bobby Knight, he's moonlighting as an ESPN analyst at the moment, the guy on the right is Benny Valentine, perhaps the best athlete EWU has seen walk through its doors since Rodney Stuckey. Don't believe me, here's the stat line for every game so far for Valentine.

vs. Illinois - 14 points
vs. UC Irvine - 17 points
vs. Texas Arlington - 28 points
vs. Minnesota - 29 points
vs. UC Irvine - 21 points

That's every game he's led the Eagles in scoring this season. If this were a player for Gonzaga, we'd probably be hearing about how he should be named Player of the Year.

And speaking of the Zags, they showed what they made of at the Old Spice Classic and they seem to be doing just fine without this guy...

I'm glad that Spokane will be remembered for producing the athlete that looks like the hero who wears a mask in V for Vendetta. Way to improve this city's image!

But hey, if Pargo does his thang, I think we'll be forgetting about Morrison a whole lot quicker since he seems to not be making very many waves in the NBA.

And as far as WSU goes, we'll I'm fully convinced they'll win 20 games this season and only cross the fifty-point barrier in conference play about three times. Who's ready for a 35-20 NCAA Tournament first round win?