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Just to let you know that this column is being written a bit early to meet the Thanksgiving deadline that all papers need to meet. So I'm going to try to bring some words of wisdom or maybe just some words that will hopefully be fun to read but there are no guarantees. I attended the November 16th EWU football game in Cheney versus Idaho State. Last year the Bengals rallied from a couple of touchdown deficit late to beat the Eagles by one in Pocatello. This year Idaho State...
I watched a lot of football over the years and I can tell you that the kicking game has really changed with the soccer style kickers. Pete Gogolak became the first soccer style kicker in the NFL. A couple of years later his younger brother Charlie would be the second. Up until that time most kickers were linemen. The NFL kicking award is named after Cleveland Browns tackle Lou Groza. There were other kickers that played skill positions like Paul Hornung and George Blanda but...
OTHELLO — The last football team from Adams County was eliminated from the playoffs Friday night, Nov. 15. No. 8-seeded Othello was upended by No. 9-seeded Sehome, 22-21, on the Huskies’ home field in Class 2A playoffs. The Huskies were leading 21-7 in the third quarter before Sehome junior quarterback Nolan Wright threw the first of two touchdown passes to Andre Watson. The second Wright-to-Watson pass came with less than a minute remaining in the game and Othello leading 21-15. Grady Evans kicked the PAT to give the Seh...
This is the time of the season when sports cross paths especially when it comes to the professional ranks. The Fall Classic (World Series for all of you baseball haters) may be over by the time you read this column. Or it might be getting really exciting for the fifth, sixth or seventh game. The Dodgers-Yankees matchup is one I grew up with in the 1950s and sixties. I guess the two richest franchises should be playing for the World Championship. I’m glad it isn’t every yea...
This has been an interesting season for college football and not necessarily good interesting. For someone that was a big fan of the Pac 8, 10 and 12 it has been a big adjustment to the Pac 2. But it looks like the Pac whatever number they end up with is on the rise. And for you purists that don’t think that Gonzaga is a good fit for the conference just check out how many full arenas there will be during basketball season when the Zags are on the road. They will also be a g...
RITZVILLE — The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos got off to a good start Friday night, but just couldn’t close out the game as Warden came from behind for the win. The Wardan Cougars topped the Broncos, 29-20. Senior Brody Boness put all three of the Broncos’ touchdowns on the board. Boness opened scoring in the first quarter with a 1-yard touchdown dive. With the point-after kick good, the Broncos held a 7-0 lead at the end of the first stanza. Boness added another TD early in the second quarter, when he took the hando...
So I’m sure that you heard about the passing of Pete Rose. Most people either hated him or loved him. There were very few sports fans that didn’t have an opinion. Rose was the all-time Major League hits leader with over 4000 hits. Rose played for the Cincinnati Reds or when he played they were known as the Big Red Machine. He played five different positions in the infield and outfield and earned two gold gloves. He was a part of three World Series championships, three bat...
A parlay is the most enticing of sports wagers, offering the chance to multiply your earnings exponentially. But it's a trap. Rather, parlays are huge winners for sportsbooks. The bet, in which two or (many) more gambles are combined, is popular among speculators and casinos alike. Instead of placing two single bets at even money, for example, you can combine them—and boost your potential payout. Your odds of winning, however, drop from 50% each to 25%, and when you stack b...
Postseason baseball is here and again the door was shut on the Mariners once again. They were one game out and still had a chance on Saturday but that was not to be. Since the Mariners last won their division in 2001 with 116 victories they’ve only made it to the postseason as a Wild Card team a couple of years ago. Now the M’s won 90 games in 2002 and 2003 but there was only one Wild Card team at that time. Since then the amount of Wild Card teams in each league is now thr...
The 2024 football season is off to a rip roaring start. Last year’s national champion Michigan Wolverines were humbled by the Texas Longhorns in week one and the runner up Washington Huskies were defeated by the WSU Cougars last Saturday at Lumen Field in Seattle. It was a great win for the Cougars who played the Huskies tough at Husky Stadium last November nearly upsetting the Dawgs until a gutsy 4th down play brought them new life leading to a game winning field goal. The n...
I was visiting with someone the other day when we got to talking about this column for the paper. They asked how long I had been doing this and it occurred to me that it had been 20 years. They were surprised and I guess I was too. It seems time really does fly by when you're having fun. Honestly, I didn't think it would become a weekly occurrence, maybe twice a month but when stuff happens I had to write about it. Sure I missed a week now and then because I was busy or I...
OTHELLO —An Odessa-Soap Lake area cowboy took home all-around honors from the Othello PRCA rodeo Friday and Saturday, Sept. 13 and 14. Caleb McMillan took home $998 after competing in bull riding, tie-down roping and steer wrestling. McMillan was fifth in steer wrestling with a time of 6.3 seconds, good enough for an $817 takehome. He was also eighth in tie-down roping, completing the task in 12.6 seconds and taking home $181. He also competed in bull riding, but did not get a score. McMillan was also one of the pickup m...
OLYMPIA – Smile, you’re on body camera. Beginning in September, 152 state Department of Fish and Wildlife law enforcement officers will be wearing body cameras to improve accountability and transparency, according to department officials. Game wardens who are commissioned law enforcement officers will be wearing the cameras, as will others with law enforcement certification. The cameras cost $915,000, officials said, noting the money was allocated by the Legislature during the 2023-25 supplemental operating budget pro...
Women’s basketball earns WBCA Honor ATLANTA, Ga. — In a season of historic success on the court, Eastern Washington women’s basketball maintained its elite level in the classroom. Eastern earned a Special Mention on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association honor roll. To qualify for the WBCA honor roll special mention, a team must have a 3.0 combined grade-point average. Teams also must be nominated for the honor by their head coach, who must be a WBCA member. The Eagles carried a 3.42 cumulative GPA for the 2023-24 academi...
Coaches and Managers at the professional level at least are basically hired on a temporary basis as firings are commonplace if things don’t go so well. Let’s face facts, it is much easier to fire a manager or coach than it is to fire the whole team. I know a few teams that a general manager put together and there was no way any head man could find success with the crew that went onto the field of play. Last Friday, Seattle Mariners’ General Manager Jerry Dipoto fired Manag...
The temperatures are beginning to be more reasonable which will be helpful for the start of high school football today (Wednesday). The weight rooms have been busy, hopefully, as athletes prepare for their fall camp practices. There is always a lot of anxiety and positivity especially if the returning team has a great deal of experience. There are always several schools that graduated much of their team and it is back to the drawing board about how to fill those key spots that...
A few days ago, I was thinking about a guy that had been hired at a place where I worked years ago. What is interesting about this guy is how he could involve himself in almost any conversation. It seems that this guy did it all. As we listened, it became quite clear that this guy had trouble keeping a job because he couldn’t tell the truth. This guy was in his early 30s, yet he had already driven over one million miles as a long-haul trucker. When someone asked what I did ove...
TAMPA, Fla. - Going into his final season at Eastern Washington, Efton Chism III is getting used to the national attention. Chism was included in the East-West Shrine Bowl's top 1,000 NFL prospects in the lead up to the 2024 college football season. The list intends to highlight the best players who are both eligible for the annual all-star game and ready for the NFL. The East-West Shrine Bowl is scheduled for January 30, 2025 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with 130...
OLYMPIA — Gray wolves will stay listed as endangered in Washington following a tight 5-4 vote by the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Commission. Despite a significant increase in the gray wolf population over the past 15 years, with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) reporting at least 260 wolves in 42 packs, the decision was made to retain their endangered status. The Commission’s virtual meeting on Friday, July 19 also covered changes to cougar hunting regulations. New rules set the cougar hunting seas...
There are a lot of songs that were once quite popular but as time goes on the lyrics get lost on younger generations. In the song ‘Return to sender’ made popular by Elvis in the 50s there is a line that says, ‘no such number, no such zone.’ A zone was utilized in big cities which basically located the nearest postal facility. That was replaced by the Zip Code. Imagine the song rewritten: No such number, no such zip code. Harry Chapin had a hit song Taxi in 1972 that has a l...
Forgotten in the annals of time is the story about a farm kid from Ritzville that nearly made the Olympic track team. Walter “Spike” Arlt was an outstanding athlete at Ritzville High School and as a track hurdler he set a state record for the 120 yard high hurdles in 1956 his senior year. That mark still stands as an all-time Bronco track record since the 120 yard high hurdles is now the 110 Meter hurdles. Spike would go onto run track at WSU and in 1960 was selected as the...
OLYMPIA – The Fish and Wildlife Commission is expected to downgrade the state listing of wolves from endangered to sensitive when it meets virtually Friday, July 19. The meeting is scheduled to run from 8:30-11:30 a.m. and will be aired on TVW. The wolf discussion is planned for 10:15 a.m. The discussion on downgrading the state listing stems from a state Department of Fish and Wildlife finding that gray wolves no longer meet the criteria to be considered endangered. “The anticipated effects of the proposed rule ame...
CHENEY - Caleb McMillan of Soap Lake was crowned the all-around cowboy Sunday for the 2024 Cheney Rodeo, earning $998. He competed in bull riding, tie-down roping and steer wrestling. The total payout for Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association events was $91,238. Additionally, the breakaway roping payout was $10,528. Here are the results: Bareback riding: 1. Clay Stone, 84.5 points on C5 Rodeo's Chasing Dreams, $2,611; 2. Tucker Zingg, 83, $2,002; 3. Hunter Greenup, 80,...
Bareback riding: 1. Mason Stuller, 85.5 points on Corey & Lange Rodeo's Buckaroo, $4,724; 2. Colton Clemens, 85, $3,621; 3. (tie) Richmond Champion, Jaceklane Frost and Keenan Hayes, 83.5, $1,837 each; 6. (tie) Taylor Broussard and Jayco Roper, 81, $709 each; 8. Clay Stone, 80, $472. Steer wrestling: 1. Tristan Martin, 4.4 seconds, $3,955; 2. Jesse Brown, 4.5, $3,490; 3. Traver Johnson, 4.7, $3,024; 4. Sam Goings, 5.0, $2,559; 5. Dakota Eldridge, 5.2, $2,094; 6. Kyler Dick, 5.8, $1,861; 7. Mike McGinn, 5.9, $1,629; 8. Logan...
The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever. These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and o...