So here's what happened at Casey's wedding

So some of you people are probably wondering what happened at Casey's wedding.

Let me be the first to say that it was Legen... wait for it... dary! I don't want to spoil it for you all because their wedding photography Julie Watts wrote this fantastic blog about what happened the day Casey and Lindsey got married.

I highly recommend you read it. And don't forget to leave Julie a comment, she's an awesome person!

Eastern Washington makes Deadspin

Everybody's beloved sports blog is taking pot shots at EWU's new red turf.

Did you know Eastern Washington was a school? An FCS program? That they are located in Cheney, Wash.? I learned all three of those fascinating facts while reading out their new red FieldTurf.

and...

So expect to occasionally see Roos Field show up on SportsCenter, and you know the blogs will have a field day. Eastern Washington will now be known as "that team with the ugly-ass field," but when the public's previous reaction was "EWU...is that a community college?", this is definitely a step up.

Ouch guys. Ouch.

Epic Photo: Hard work at Casey's wedding

So while Casey got married, I took some Z's. Congrats to him and Lindsey!

21-year old man plays Pop Warner football

I didn't think it was possible for Pop Warner football to sink lower but yup, it did.

...he changed his name to Chad Jordan and shaved seven years off his birthday so people would think he was really 14.

"He really acted like a kid," coach Ray McCloud said. "My son is 13, and my son was hanging out with him, and (Threatts) acted more immature than (my son)."

Adults acting more immature than kids? Yep, sounds like Pop Warner football to me.

Kasen Williams picks UW

Check out the video of Kasen Williams picking the University of Washington. It's unique and pretty awesome!

Superhero wedding

The Just South of North offices are closed today. We're at a wedding.

How to be "that guy" at a wedding

Casey didn't know what he got into when he invited me to be a groomsman. Here's some things I plan to do.

1. Color my hair an obnoxious green color, then slip the hair dye in the brides shampoo.

2. Make inappropriate comments around the parents like "Panty raid!" and "Anyone want to go to a strip club?"

3. Booze. Bring a flask. Give it to the ring bearers.

4. Start a slow clap way too often at the wedding. Probably when somebody starts crying during the speeches.

5. Push the bride in the pool before the wedding. Make sure the pool has that same green dye.

6. Hit on somebody's sister. Preferably on the fence of legality.

7. Refuse to shower starting three days before the wedding.

8. Reverse mohawk.

We value your business here at the SuperMall

Went to the "SuperMall" in Auburn, Wash. It was less than super. Here is the customer service desk. Woo!

The Dam Cup

Eastern Washington University and Portland State University are entering the 2010-2011 sporting year with a new rivalry. The winner gets The Dam Cup.

The Cup will cover five sports and will help push the rivalry between Washington and Oregon through the Big Sky Conference.

The five sports competing are football, volleyball, women’s soccer, women’s basketball and men’s basketball.

The so-named rivalry refers to the four dams linking Oregon and Washington that one passes on the 339-mile drive from the Portland State campus to the Eastern Washington campus.

Located along the Columbia River, they are Bonneville Dam, The Dalles Dam, The John Day Dam and the McNary Dam.

The purpose of the Dam Cup is to create a rivalry between Portland State University and Eastern Washington University and provide a sense of pride between alumni in the Portland and Spokane areas. Other goals include increasing attendance at events between both schools and building school spirit among each institutions' student body.

The winner of the Dam Cup will possess The Dam Trophy acknowledging the achievement for the following year. "It has always been enjoyable when we beat Eastern Washington," said Portland State Director of Athletics Torre Chisholm. "This should make it even better."

The Dam Cup is based on a point system. Each game played in the five sports between the two schools has a point value. Points are only rewarded for regular season contests. The annual football game is worth four points, the women’s soccer match is worth one point, each women’s volleyball match is worth two points for a total of four points possible, and each men's and women’s basketball game is worth two points for a total of four points possible in each sport.

The total points possible are 17 which means that to win the cup a school would need to win at least 9 points.

Here are the Dam Cup events:

Soccer - Oct. 8 @ PSU
Volleyball - Oct. 9 @ PSU; Nov. 6 @ EWU
Football - Oct. 30 @ PSU
Men's Basketball - Jan. 8 @ PSU; Jan. 27 @ EWU
Women' Basketball - Jan. 8 @ EWU; Jan. 27 @ PSU

Let's GO EAGLES!!!!

FCU: Fact Checkers Unit

“Friday Night Lights” star Zach Gilford is the latest celebrity to get checked in the NBC Universal Digital Studios series "FCU: Fact Checkers Unit".

"FCU: Fact Checkers Unit" is an eight episode digital series based on a short film of the same name and reunites the three creators; original cast members Peter Karinen and Brian Sacca and director Dan Beers. It also features a recurring appearance by actress Kristen Schaal (“Flight of the Conchords”).

"FCU: Fact Checkers Unit" follows the adventures of two overzealous fact checkers – Russell (Karinen) and Dylan (Sacca) – who work at the popular Dictum magazine and stop at nothing to check the most absurd celebrity facts. No star is too big and no fact too obscure or arcane to run down for accuracy’s sake. Tom Bannister is the executive producer of the series from SXM and Beers directs.

Upcoming episodes will feature guest stars Alex Trebek (“Jeopardy”), Dave Navarro (“Jane’s Addiction”), Jon Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite”) and Pauley Perrette (“NCIS”).

Skydiver stuck on pole

This is what will probably happen when Brandon and I go skydiving.

Bicycle training update

Today I headed out on my final training ride for the People's Coast Classic before the wedding and honeymoon. I'll have one more training ride when I get back before the PCC. Just a quick ride the week before.

However on today's ride I felt great. A quick 40 miles and the legs felt strong. Some climbing, some flat, some rolling hills.

Also, on my ride outside of Issaquah I saw these two cute little mini horses.

Cowboys cut Nichols

Sad news for Eastern fans coming out of Dallas. It appears that Matt Nichols' time in a Cowboys uniform has come to an end.

After a very lackluster performance in last weeks game the Cowboys decided that was all they needed to see.

They cut Nichols to make room for tight end Martin Rucker on the roster.

Hopefully another NFL team will give him a shot. He has a lot more potential than just a few snaps in the preseason.

Man in banana costume arrested

Today off the Seattle Times blotter:

Clallam County sheriff's deputies on Tuesday arrested a man dressed in a child's banana costume after he allegedly exposed himself to a woman at a Port Angeles restaurant.

Pieper said Kohnert didn't offer much of an explanation for the yellow banana costume. "All we know is he was drinking earlier in the day, but he didn't really have a reason for the costume," Pieper told the Daily News.

All I can say is. What. The. Heck? Maybe the guy just thought it was peanut butter jelly time.

Game photos from Ronan Orange and Black game

Here are some photos I took from the Ronan football team Orange and Black game tonight in Ronan, MT.

A Camel Farm

Brandon and I were thinking about starting the Just South of North alpaca farm. But I found these on Craigslist. Perhaps we should start a different farm. The question is, what do we trade for them? Any ideas?

Just Southeast: 4 Differences in Hiking Down South

Here's a great post from our outdoor site Just Northwest:

We normally cover the Northwest areas on Just Northwest since, well, that's where we are! However, we have a special treat for you today as we're featuring a guest post from David DuPont:

How many of you spend your days outdoors in the Pacific Northwest? That part of the country is arguably the best place to live if you love hiking, climbing, kayaking and other outdoor sports. I, on the other hand, live in a part of the country many people call 'Heavens Waiting Room' ... Florida.

Yes we have miles and miles of pristine beaches, but I would trade sand and waves for rocks and snow any day of the week. I do enjoy living in Florida most of the time, but when you get that "call of the wild" there is only so much you can do. We can still go hiking, kayaking and skiing ... it's just our versions have no stunning views, no whitewater, and skiing is done behind a boat.

I thought it would be fun to write a guest post on Just Northwest about what some of the major differences are between hiking in the Northwest and hiking in the Southeast. For the sake of this post I will mostly be referring to hiking in Florida - the exact opposite corner of Washington, where I believe most of the Just Northwest readers live.

1. Weather



The weather differences are the first thing that come to mind when thinking about hiking in Florida vs. hiking in the Northwest. It may get to 90 degrees on a hot summer day in Seattle ... but your 90 degrees is like our 70. It's hot here. Really hot. And we have 100% humidity every day during the summer. It makes hiking outdoors brutal. With staggering heat comes afternoon storms - the type of storms that bring lightning and heavy rains. You can set your watch the these storms -- 3:00 pm every day. You do not want to be caught in the outdoors when an afternoon storm rolls in. They don't usually last long, but they are fierce.

2. Elevation



Or lack there of... hiking in Florida means you're walking on a level path the entire way. It's easier on your legs, but makes for a boring trip when all you can see to the front, back, right and left of you are trees. Hikers in the Pacific Northwest have easy access to mountains at 14,000+ ft - Florida's hhighest elevation above sea level is 345 ft.

3. Wildlife



For the most part, the wildlife from the Pacific Northwest is somewhat similar to the wildlife in Florida. Florida has black bears, deer, panthers (our version of the mountain lion), lots of birds, squirrels, rabbits, etc. One of the major differences in wildlife is the Pacific Northwest is home to Bigfoot! Just kidding ... I'm talking about alligators! And they are everywhere down here. No joke - we have alligators here that walk across the street. They live in the swampy outdoor areas, which happened to be the same areas Florida hikers venture in to.

4. Ecosystem



Not all of Florida is in the "tropics" but our ecosystem and vegetation down here varies greatly from what hikers in the Northwest are used to. In Florida, we have a lot of sawgrass marshes and palm trees - I'll admit that hikes along the beaches and marsh areas are actually pretty nice. Florida also has a lot of pine trees, cypress trees and mangroves. We have vegetation that thrives in wetlands. We have swamps and creeks, but our creeks are not the same as yours. We don't have snow melt in Florida so our creeks aren't the swift running, crystal clear type - they are the slow moving, muddy, snake infested type.

I may have painted Florida as an awful place to go hiking and spend time in the outdoors, but that's not really the case. I guess when you're pointing out the differences it sometimes can seem like a negative thing. We do have a lot of amazing hikes here, like The Florida Trail... which starts near the Everglades National Park and works its way up through the panhandle.

If you don't live in the Northwest, where do you live? What are some of the major differences in hiking from your area? Post a comment and let us know.

About the Author: David DuPont is a hiker, climber and outdoor enthusiast who writes for Adayak, a designer and seller of hiking shirts. Get more from Jacob and Adayak on twitter.

Why Casey is wrong about the Huskies

Being in Montana now, I can tell that most of the Inland Northwest doesn't exactly jive with Husky fans like Casey. After he wrote that purple and gold-tastic article that basically did nothing but brag about the Huskies, I felt the need to retaliate. First off here's how you spot a husky fan...

1. Girl Pants - Husky fans always wear girl or mom pants.
2. They're never at Husky games - They're too busy doing things like writing music, crying about their ex, cutting themselves, generally not caring about football and generally doing douchey things.
3. They dont have a job - Because they're a bunch of freeloading hippies!
4. They don't like WSU fans - Because Coug fans have jobs, like to put in a hard days work, and could drink them under the table.
5. They don't know they aren't good - Remember when they beat USC and everyone was like "oh, CHAMPIONSHIP" and that didn't happen. In fact they didn't finish the season with a winning record. Just saying.

Second, you're the Notre Dame of the West Coast, except much worse. You think your program is awesome and it's not. It hasn't been good for quite some time. And your stadium stinks like mold.

And finally...

(I'd show a photo of a UW Cheerleader too, but I don't think the width of this blog could take the size.)

GO COUGS!

Biking over Snoqualmie Pass

Figured I'd give you guys an update on how my training for the People's Coast Classic has been going.

This week I rode up Snoqualmie Pass. It was 71 miles round trip and hot, hot, hot.

Now I'd never ridden on Interstate 90 before. And now that I can say I've rode over the pass, I don't think I'll ever do it again. Or if I do I'll bust out the mountain bike and head up the John Wayne Trail.

I didn't like the Interstate. Too loud. There was just a constant noise and cars flying by. Most were pretty good though and gave extra room on the side. Others weren't so good. Also there was construction going on the side on the way up, so I had to watch for cars and cross over the left.

But now I can say I did it. Sure hope I'm ready for the ride in September!

Crews to finish up red turf at night

The red turf at Eastern Washington University is almost ready to go. The installation crews will be working under the lights tonight in order to get the project done early.

Obviously there's the webcam which you can watch here.

You can read the full story on the under the lights installation tonight here.

Bear Grylls video game survival tips

With the new season of Man vs. Wild underway (two awesome episodes by the way) Bear has been busy with his Northwest Passage adventure and he's also been promoting the Man vs. Wild video game.

The game comes out this fall, but what would Bear do if he were in other video game situations?

Well, here's the "Bear Grylls guide to video game survival".

NCAA FCS Football

Football season is almost here! Can you tell that we're pretty excited about the season here at Just South of North?

Check out this commercial for the Football Championship Subdivision.

Epic Photo: What is this cat doing?

Good god, what is this cat doing?

Q&A with John Robertson

Check out this Q&A article I did with John Robertson from Polson. He's a PRCA team roper and is currently third on the money list in the Montana Circuit.

Click here to read the full article.

We'll stay updated with how he does for the rest of the season. You can check the PRCA standings here.

Morning coffee... August 19, 2010

Roger Clemens has been indicted for making false statements to Congress in 2008. Is anyone else excited about this? Not only is this the perfect ending for one of the biggest jerks in baseball history (read: how he gave up on the Red Sox), but it's also going to cause a lot of other baseball players that testified to Congress to look over their shoulder.

Baseball has to feel great that their seven-time Cy Young Award winner has a chance to go to the klink. Wonderful. Now what the heck is Barry Bonds going to do?



College News

UM soccer starts this weekend
Two games this weekend. SCAVES UP!

Former Griz, Bobcats players shine in NFL
Preseason roundup of players from the Treasure State

Eastern Washington holds first football scrimmage
Better known as "EWU has first dress rehearsal of their dismantling of the Griz."

National News

Big Ben to play on Saturday
Lets hope its not "Ladies Night" at the stadium.

Lance Berkman to 15-day DL
Yankees fans rejoice.

Smell like Lamar Odom
No really smell like him.

Reasons why you're still single... this license plate

Not exactly getting the ladies with this one...

It's the Jersey Shore, Charlie Brown

Brandon has a strange fascination with GTL. Every time I talk to him he's quoting the Jersey Shore. He's even taking to calling himself, "The Perspective." I think it has something to do with the fact that in college his life involved a lot of fist pumping, lighting gas barbecues with charcoal and having a hot-tub in his dorm room.

Well, now he can enjoy a new ABC show, It's the Jersey Shore, Charlie Brown!

College football in Washington

College football season kicks off in just a few weeks. And that means that the state of Washington will once again become divided. Huskies vs. Cougars. Cougars vs. Huskies. Either way, you have to pick just one.

In case you're not partial to either team, I figured it was a good time to get some facts about each school out there that have been bouncing around in the media as of late.

Washington has been singing the praises of Steve Sarkisian since, in his first year at UW, he lead the Dawgs from a dismal (to say the least) 0-12 season to a 5-7 record with a landmark win over powerhouse USC.

The future isn't looking as bright for Sarkisian's WSU counterpart Paul Wulff. In Wulff's two seasons at WSU he has a gruesome 3-22 record. The fact is that Wulff is on the hot seat. By hot seat I mean that the seat has been lite on fire and if he can't do things fast this year I don't see him coming back for a fourth year. (And could someone find him a larger hat!!!) The problem for Wulff is that the Cougars are predicted to be terrible. Their defense is awful. Just awful. Last season they gave up 6,144 yards in 12 games, which converts to 3½ miles. And along with all those yards, the Cougars also gave up a ton of points. They allowed 30 points or more in nine games. Perhaps these are a few of the reasons that Maxim dubbed the WSU Cougars THE WORST team in college football for the 2010 season. Sorry Coug fans.

On a brighter note for the state of Washington, UW has a Heisman candidate on their roster. And it's no surprise that candidate is none other than THE Jake Locker. ESPN has him slated at number two starting the season:

2. Jake Locker, Washington: The NFL loves the quarterback's skills. The Dawg fans just love him. The Heisman voters won't love this senior unless the Huskies return to the winning ways of yore.

Speaking of the Huskies winning this season they have a HUGE game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on September 18. Lincoln, Nebraska is already talking about the National Championship parade and even Brian Griese says that the nation will be all about the "Big Red". And won't have any problems in Seattle. Eventually going 11-1. A win over these "touted Huskers" would do wonders for Sarkisian and the Dawgs season. Not to mention cause the midwest to implode.

Let's not forget how the 1991 Washington Huskies went into Lincoln and blew-up the Huskers hopes for a National Championship. UW beat NU 36-21Husker Nation still hates UW because of that. Oh, and the fact that instead UW raised the National Champion banner.



With one team on the rebuild and one sinking further into the cellar, it's sure to be an interesting season. I'm just glad football is back!

FCS rankings are out

Even with a new coach, the Grizzlies were ranked No. 2 in the preseason FCS rankings. Montana State was also in the rankings at No. 24.

They're not alone in the Big Sky Conference though, my wonderful Eastern Washington Eagles are ranked no. 13 even though they have a new quarterback at the helm.

The Weber State Wildcats were ranked 19.

And Idaho State? Well they just suck. But four teams ranked in the Big Sky Conference means that everyone is thinking that it's going to be competitive this year. Wow.

Epic Photo: Midnight football practice

In Lake County where I work, the Charlo football team laced up their cleats last Thursday/Friday at midnight to usher in the new season. Charlo is a small town of 439 people and they play 8-man football. Here are some photos I took from that night...