The Monday Morning Wash
by John Berkowitz on Mar 1, 2010 7:14 PM PST
47 comments
The Olympics ended last night and I have to admit that I spent a good part of the last two weeks watching and hanging out in front of the TV. I thought NBC did a decent job, though they didn't really satisfy the urge for live coverage. I did think that it was pretty strange that they interrupted the closing series for something called the "Marriage Ref". I mean what the heck was that?
The Gold Medal Hockey game yesterday had me on the edge of my seat. I forgot how much fun it was to watch a hockey game. The big plasma really helps you get into it compared to the old days. It is much better when you can actually see the puck. USA lost in overtime to the Canucks but they left it all out there the entire tournament.
I am sure most of you guys watched the games so we start off with this series of questions for fun.
1. What is your favorite sport in the Winter Olympics?
2. Who was your favorite male athlete in the 2010 Winter Games?
3. Who was your favorite female athlete in the 2010 Winter Games?
I like pretty much everything except men's figure skating and ice dancing. I guess if I have to pick one sport it would be the bobsled followed closely by the half pipe. As for my favorite male athlete it would be Shaun White, who grabbed some incredible air in the half pipe, followed by local guy Apolo Ohno. On the female side I have to go with Lindsey Vonn.
Husky Basketball
Washington won a road game this weekend and has two more to go before the Pac 10 Tournament begins. UW is very capable of sweeping on the road in the Willamette Valley this weekend; in fact, if they don't sweep, in my opinion, they really aren't tournament-worthy. I am thinking that even if UW does sweep, they may need to win the Pac 10 tournament to jump off the bubble. The Cassino, of course, is a better judge of that than me, but that is where my head is at.
Softball
It is softball season again and the Huskies have all the parts needed to win a second consecutive national championship. The women went 5-0 over the weekend in Palm Springs. The team is now 12-1 this pre-season. Next stop for the Huskies is Honolulu next week for another tournament.
Football
Oregon actually made it through the weekend without any of the players getting thrown in jail, a huge relief if you are a Duck fan, but kind of a bummer for me because now I don't have anything new to write about this morning. That will change this week because spring practice is beginning for some of the Pac 10's southern schools. Stanford kicks things off today. Ted Miller of ESPN came out with his spring primer today to let us know what everyone in the conference is up to.
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Favorite sport: It has to be curling. It’s absolutely enthralling. Games based almost wholly around strategy are great, and a nice change of pace from the regular “bigger, faster, stronger” US sports.
Favorite Male Athlete: Shaun White. The guy has been at the top of his sport since before he could drive.
Favorite Female Athlete: The super hot British Curler. She’s only 19, but came out firing and has that hot shot swagger that’s just gravitates me toward the TV.
by B Money on Mar 1, 2010 7:53 PM PST via mobile reply actions
People looked at me crazy when I said I love curling
Favorite sport: tie between curling and hockey. The level of hockey in this tournament was insane and the games were all fun to watch.
Honorable mention: Women’s downhill for the most horrific crashes I’ve seen in a while
Favorite Male Athlete: Shaun White. Ridiculous.
Honorable mention: Ryan Miller. Beast
Favorite Female Athlete: A tie between the hot swedish curler and the hot Canadian curler.
Honorable mention: Lindsey Vonn/Julia Mancuso
Every time I watch a game
And they show bubble teams and their resumes, I almost always think: that team is out if UW is out, our resume is at least as good, if not better. And then I go check the numbers, and Im right about it. Yet for some reason it seems nobody has us as even a bubble team.
I only hope that the committee is smarter than the media.
I'd be curious to see which numbers you are talking about, compared to which teams
I see the Pac 10 getting two teams in for sure only if Cal doesn’t get the auto bid, and then ASU appears to have the best chance as an at-large if Cal does win. I’d put UW third. Of course, if UW actually made the tournament I could see them making noise, but I don’t know if their “resume” is good enough.
I love this kind of stuff, so I’m really curious what specifically you think qualifies UW for the NCAA’s.
by johnnycougar on Mar 2, 2010 12:58 PM PST up reply actions
I just looked through Pomeroy rankings
UW is at 39, ASU is at 36, and New Mexico (everyone’s favorite sleeper) is at 38.
Maybe UW does have a decent shot at getting a bid if they sweep the Oregon’s and get deep into the conference tourney.
RPI and SOS are the ones that everybody hangs their hat on
But personally I think they’re both terrible. RPI is pretty well know to be outdated, but take SOS and a team like Cal for instance: their SOS is great, but as a number, that really doesn’t tell you anything, because if you actually go and look at their schedule, here is a list of quality teams they beat out of conference (in alphabetical order):
So should they be rewarded for losing a bunch of games to good teams? I really dont think so. Then you look at UW and our schedule is weaker, but we at least have a win over Texas A&M, which has to be considered the Pac-10s best non conference win at this point right? I just think it’s more important to beat some good teams that you play, rather than to just play a bunch of good teams regardless of the outcome, and I hope the committee does too, because if you look at it that way Washington is the Pac-10s best at large candidate, as ASU is basically in te exact same boat as Cal as far as quality wins.
Okay
You are correct (in my opinion) that the A&M win was the best for the conference this season. But one quality win doesn’t necessarily make you a bubble team. I should say two wins, I believe beating Cal qualifies.
Again, I haven’t looked over all the other teams’ resumes. The key point with UW’s schedule is that all (both?) the major wins have come at home. Just glancing at UW’s schedule, the only true non-con road game was at Texas Tech, a close loss, but TT is now a whopping 16-12 overall (4-10 Big 12). I do believe the committee looks closely at road & neutral records, maybe one reason why few are talking about UW as a bubble team.
Following your logic, I can see why you’d say UW is a better at-large candidate than ASU. I’d honestly rather see a team that lost a bunch to really good teams than a team that beat up a bunch of bad teams, but I think that has more to do with my football dislike of cupcake scheduling than basketball. Either way, ASU and UW aren’t exactly strong bubble contenders. I just thought ASU has a little better shot.
Any particular teams you have been hearing a lot about that you think UW would beat out on the bubble?
I agree that 1 win isnt enough
And when you look at UW’s schedule, many of the mid-majors we played are at or near the top of their leagues (Belmont, Wright State, Montana) and Portland was a top-25 team when we played them. Add in the A&M win and Cal, and that’s a pretty decent schedule, and if the Pac-10 was even average then I think we’d be a shoo-in for an at large at this point (assuming wins this weekend). So hat’s my reasoning in saying Washington is tops of the Pac-10. If we had been swept by Cal or ASU, I wouldn’t be comfortable saying that though.
Some teams I think we compare favorably to:
UConn (good resume, but just too many losses, probably going to finish below .500 in conference play)
Utah State (ran through a weak conference, hasn’t played a good team since December, lost to too many bad teams)
Wichita State (best win is over Northern Iowa, going 12-6 in the MVC doesn’t impress me in the least)
Dayton (best win is Xavier who they split with, no victories over BCS opponents, only 8-6 in the A-10)
Mississippi (good win over K-State, but that was in November, and are 0-6 against the Kenpom top-50 since then, just 7-7 in the SEC)
Cincinnati (awful resume, no shot, don’t know why people have floated their name)
And others. You can make a case for these teams over UW (except Cincy), but none of them have resumes that are clearly superior to ours, yet we don’t seem to be getting any love.
At this point the whole “Pac-10 as a 1 bid league” thing seems to be becoming a self fulfilling prophecy.
I think you nailed it
“if the Pac-10 was even average” is right on. It seems to me that the only reason a team like Cincinatti is being considered is because of how good the Big East is this year. Even UConn only has a good resume because of all the Big East teams they’ve played (and largely lost to).
Utah State has a better top-heavy record (8-4 vs. top 100, UW is 6-5) but also has an overall weaker schedule. They only lost to 2 “bad teams” (lower than 100 RPI) when you could also say UW has lost to 4. I’d pick them over UW.
Perusing some Bubble Watches out there and looking up numbers, I like UW over Wichita State, Dayton, and Ole Miss for sure. My gut tells me that the Huskies of Connecticut will be favored over the Seattle version, mainly because of the tougher schedule and the fact that they had a few losses without their coach.
Overall, you’re right. There’s no reason UW shouldn’t be in the conversation with a lot of these bubble schools. UW is starting to get a little bit of respect in the various Bubble Watch columns, but sweeping this weekend and maybe getting to the conference championship game might be enough to sneak into the tourney. I don’t think UW will be a 10 seed that anyone wants to play.
olympics
Julia Mancuso is seriously hot.
by Gig Harbor Husky on Mar 1, 2010 8:32 PM PST reply actions
I'm judgemental
But she strikes me as a total, “I’m hot and I know it” witch, with a capital "B.’ Seeing her cry after Von’s crash was pathetic.
It made sense, though
They were stupid for sending two racers on course at a time. A rerun cost her a medal, easily. Nothing good ever comes of a rerun and she got screwed because of the way the race was organized.
stuff happens
shes not playing rec league basketball, it’s kinda expected that athletes of that calibre would be able to deal with things that come up—or at least act that way.
It's not just the athlete, but also the equipment
Your wax job is screwed, you make half a run and have to pull up and start over again as well which isn’t easy on the body. You also run later and the course deteriorates (and it was it crap shape to start with). Basically 4 years of training went down the tube because the race organizers made a poor call trying to get people down the hill fast.
2 silver medals
I wouldn’t say thats 4 years of training, “Down the Tube.”
Once every four years
I don’t blame Mancuso for being upset. It is once every four years and the conditions were terrible out there. The restart just killed her chances.
by John Berkowitz on Mar 2, 2010 5:05 AM PST up reply actions
Conditions
The commentator said that sending skiers down at closer intervals is pretty standard when conditions worsen.
The way I understand it, the snow that fell in between her two runs was what really slowed her down, on top of the mental aspect. It is the nature of her sport that some things are out of her hands that effect the outcome. She should have been happy that her teammate was ok, and said, “I have 2 silver metals, I don’t need to cry and be a little girl. I can be a grownup.”
Olympics and Dawgs
1. What is your favorite sport in the Winter Olympics? Hockey, Speed skating and short track, Downhill Skiing, and Halfpipe
2. Who was your favorite male athlete in the 2010 Winter Games? Shaun White and Apolo Ohno
3. Who was your favorite female athlete in the 2010 Winter Games? Lindsey Vonn
Now back to the Dawgs. We have our work cut out for us but I think we can still get in if we run the table and win a couple in the Pac-10 tourney… go Dawgs!
word
‘i mean what the heck was that!’ what’re you drunk or something. see now that you’ve editied, but still MADE MAH NITE
Biathlon
I don’t know why, but I love it… the pressure thats on them to hit those targets after cross country skiing is intense. Short Track is a close second, though.
Male Athlete? mmm… Ryan Miller, maybe. But probably Johnny Spillane, who won three silvers in an event we had never medaled in before (Nordic Combined).
Female Athlete? Not huge into figure skating, but what that girl Joannie Rochette right after the death of her mother was as good of a story as you can see in the Olympics. Also, maybe the pregnant curler from Canada.
A Great Olympics Moment
(I was a huge Olympics nerd this year) A great moment was at the closing ceremonies when Ryan Miller walked in. Just hours after the disappointment of losing the Gold Medal game, the look on his face was as if he was in awe. It was good to see him so happy.
set the RECORD STRAIGHT
1) JB as to Barbara Hedges I used the term graduate inappropriately. It should have been “promoted” from assistant Athletic Director at U$C to AD at the University of Washington replacing Mike Lude as I recall. There is not much good reporting on her but apparently was a politically correct choice to make sure the football program didn’t rise fron the ashes. Hired Rick Neuhiesel. Her successor Todd Turner hired TY. Nickname Babs enough said.
2) more on TYEE later.
3) an uplifting story on the Q13 ten thirty sports show Sunday last. Interviewing a cornerback for the New Orleans Saints Reggie Jones. Can’t find much info on Reggie but one of his favorite coaches Nick Holt who apparently recruited him to Idaho and when Holt left he was “runoff” and ended up at Portland State.
Very personable and a credit to any program but apparently UW and WSU overlooked him. Will receive his SUPER BOWL ring in April. I can’t find how many stars he was rated. PORTLAND STATE to the NO SAINTS and the SUPER BOWL!!!! C’mon, you must be kidding?
BUT he is a graduate of KENT-MERIDIAN HIGH SCHOOL right under the Huskies nose and apparently radar too.
I know Reggie from hs
He was a heck of an athlete and actually played QB at Km. He wasn’t overlooked, but was a non qual. He was going to Oregon but didn’t make grades and ended up at Idaho. He ended up being injury prone and was a casualty of the multiple coaching changes
He’s a good kid who had a rough life and made it to the NFL and got a ring (on IR by the way)
by cougfan on Mar 1, 2010 10:24 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
MORE REGGIE
He was a NFL final round draft pick. He did have a tragic childhood but made the most of it and is a very impressive person. His high school coach gave him the nickname “SHOWTIME”.
If coach holt recruited him that bodes well for the Huskies and his ability to evaluate one or two star recruits. Obviously Reggie should have been a five star.
1.) For the record Hedges was incompetent IMHO. It wasn’t where she was from it was all about her qualifications for the job.
2.) In 1976 they did re-name the group the Tyee Club.
3.) If you look at NFL rosters you will find players from in the NFL who simply didn’t get BCS offers who should have. You even find a number from time to time guys like Jon Kitna who didn’t even play division one.
by John Berkowitz on Mar 2, 2010 5:14 AM PST up reply actions
She was never qualified.
President Gerberding came out and said he was going to hire a woman no matter what, regardless of her qualifications relative to the rest of the field.
It was a PC hire, and to those that actually care, probably hurt the future of women in that position more than helped it.
Please!!!! Let it go!!
It’s time to get over the Tyee thing. Life is too short, just let it go!!!
Hedges – All you have to know is that during the best economic time in ages, the football program was completely forgotten about. It would be just like President Obama saying the economy is good.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
I would be like President Obama saying that the recession is over. ; )
by John Berkowitz on Mar 2, 2010 5:48 AM PST up reply actions
FINAL FINAL TYEE
I will let it go but it still burns deep the unfairness of the brave new world. I personally knew Husky fans for generations, buying tickets since the early thirties under cover fifty yard line who were over a period of years moved into the end zone because they couldn’t afford TYEE prices.
That people who never attended the UW or for that matter a UW football game could buy in over 50 year season ticket holders rubbed me the wrong way. Why didn’t they upgrade well it’s like this. If you live too long and don’t have an escalator clause in your retirement, few do outside the Federal, State governments your retirement check shrinks to about the price of a loaf of bread.
Poof, I put it in a rose and blew it away. Thanks LEAR I don’t need to hold this any longer.
I’m not buying what you’re claiming here. My family has had season tickets from the early 1960’s, and up until this off-season, we were never Tyee. Our seats never got worse, they always got better. The only major shift in our seats was when the North Deck was built and we were moved from the North lower bowl next to the student section up to the North Deck in section 39.
INSIDE JOB
You did better than I did. After 44 years I only made it to the 5 yard line with people walking up and down directly in front. Some people just got it. Congratulations.
Section 39 is roughly even with the West goal line.
My point though is this – other than the building of the North Deck, our non-Tyee seats never shifted dramatically, and when they did shift, they improved. I’m having a very hard time believing your story that people with non-Tyee seats saw their seat allotment get worse over time. I could buy that when the North Deck opened they may have had a significant shift of where their seats were located, but in general, if they were season ticket holders, they should’ve seen their seat assignments improve over time.
When I still had
non Tyee seats, they improved every year. I finally gave them up during the dark ages of Sark’s predecessors tenure. I couldn’t give them away.
Actually...
I do remember long time season ticket holders who were moved over a few sections because they didn’t contribute at the Tyee level. It did rub some people the wrong way at the time and I don’t belme them for being bummed. Thing is it costs extra to sit at the fifty anywhere…just the way it has been for thirty or so years.
by John Berkowitz on Mar 3, 2010 9:10 PM PST up reply actions
Olympics
Favorite Sport – Snowboard Cross (and ski cross). It’s like watching a demolition derby, who ever thought up the idea of sending multiple people down the same course at the same time is just brilliant.
Favorite Athletes – The American ones, USA, USA, USA!!!!!
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
Ice Dancing
I ilked sno cross…really cool sport.
The only one I really wasn’t in to was ice dancing. When that one came on I had to turn the channel. Funny thing though it is one of the most popular events according the NBC and Nielson.
by John Berkowitz on Mar 2, 2010 5:50 AM PST up reply actions
Actually, It's Pretty Logical
Why NBC’s rating were so high with the Ice Dancing (and yes, when Ice Dancing came on, I left the room and popped in some bloody, violent game in my XBox). NBC was catering the majority of their Olympic coverage to women. All the emotional profiles of athletes “overcoming”, the Ice Dancing and Ice Skating, occupying the bulk of the prime viewing hours, etc. When did the “guy” stuff primarily come on the tube? The last 30 – 45 minutes, after the wives were in bed, or went to the other TV to turn on CSI or Cold Case at 10 PM
by Purple Reign 91 on Mar 2, 2010 6:21 AM PST up reply actions
The hockey surprise
We were watching something and the last four minutes of the first USA-Canada hockey game came on. I was going what? The last four minutes?
by John Berkowitz on Mar 2, 2010 7:12 AM PST up reply actions
It would've been nice if they put the USA-Canada game in the round robin play on NBC
That was a fantastic game, as well.
Winter Olympics
Favorite Sports: 1st- Nordic Ski Jumping, 2nd- Bobsled, 3rd- Biathlon
Curling grows on you
We went to Scotland 15 years ago and it was free and warm to watch it. My wife continues to watch it on C-But, and I like it the more I watch it. Speaking of C-But, it was sad they didn’t cover the Olympics this year….they would have certainly covered the hockey game live.
Shaun White’s dominance of the half pipe had to make it one of the best sports. He seems to be a cross between Wilt Chamberlain in a high school game and that idiot in the Jack in the Box commercial thinking about ordering 100 tacos.
For races, you have to go with the short track. The bobsled may me fast, but its one sled doing the same thing as all the other sleds unless if crashes. Without a clock, they all look the same.
I hated that when I heard it.
The beauty of CBUT of CBC televising the Olympics would be not nearly sooooo much warm and fuzzy crap that you get from the American networks plus broadcasting it live. I HATE the American way of televising the Olympics. The only reason I’ll never get dish or direct TV is no CBC coverage
Hockey was hands down the best part of the Olympics.
That plus the free week of Center Ice on Comcast has me watching the Canucks every day.
The crappy thing is
That this may have been the last olympics withy NHL players if Bettman has his way. I watched an interview during the US Finland game where he blasted the Olympics for cutting in to the season.
If only he realized how many non fans were enthralled by the olympics and could parlay that in to more NHL fans
by cougfan on Mar 4, 2010 1:09 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
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