Today is Apple Cup day in the state of Washington. To the uninitiated, that means the annual college football game between the University of Washington Huskies and the Washington State Cougars.
On this side of the Cascade Mountains, the Washington State side, this is the one time of the year when it is not only politically correct to mercilessly beat the Dawgs, it's positively encouraged. Celebrated. Cheered. Relished. You get the picture.
It ranks up there, among college rivalries, with Harvard-Yale, Army-Navy, Texas-Texas Tech, Michigan-Ohio State, Oregon-Oregon State, Florida-Florida State and USC-UCLA. And, of course, there the annual rivalry jokes to accompany the game.
One of my new favorites: Why did the Washington Husky cross the road? To get to the Seattle Bowl.
Now, for the non-college football fan, that won't seem like much. But I won't explain unless you ask.
In Eastern Washington, where I grew up and now live, after a all-too-brief sojourn to Maui (any sojourn to Maui is, by definition, too brief), Washington State football is an annual passion and a test of moral fiber. Compared to most of the schools in the Pac-8 and later, the Pac-10 Conference, Wazzu, as we call it, ranks as the Little Sisters of the Poor. The conference posts schools in Seattle, Greater San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix. And Pullman, Washington.
Pullman, Washington. It bears repeating. I now pause for you to remark, inevitably `Where in the hell is Pullman, Washington?'
Hence a favorite joke of one of my former editors at The Seattle Times: How do you find Wazzu? You drive east until you smell it, then drive south until you step in it. (It must be noted that this particular editor, who shall remain nameless, graduated from the University of Idaho, which resides about two stones throws away from Pullman, across the Idaho border. For the several years, Idaho played its home football games in Martin Stadium, at WSU.) (It also should be noted that I said he was a former editor, not a favorite former editor)
When it comes to futility, thy name is Cougar. One of my colleagues coined the term 'To Coug,' which means to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. All that has changed over the past few years, under Coach Mike Price.
Washington State is a land grant university. You don't find them just anywhere. And no where else in the Pac-10. Pullman is the antithesis of Seattle. It's small. It's thoroughly dominated by the University. It's located over several of the rolling hills of the Palouse country -- countryside that would be ideal for a roller coaster. It's all wheat fields. Water towers dominate the landscape.
And when the WSU quarterback was publicized as a Heisman Trophy candidate, they plastered his picture on a grain silo in a neighboring small town, aptly named Dusty. The joke, and it's definitely an in-joke, is that last year, when Oregon touted its quarterback, Joey Harrington, for the Heisman, they plastered his picture on a building in Times Square. Ha ha.
The University of Washington, on the other hand, is just off of Downtown Seattle, across the Montlake cut, where the school holds its annual crew regatta.The real estate value of the school is enough to cover our national debt.
I enjoy covering football games at WSU, although I'm not working this one. The coach is about as classy as they come -- the perfect fit for the school, which had a number of high profile coaches bolt for bigger schools (Dennis Erickson, Warren Powers and Jackie Sherrill to name a few).
Covering football at UW, however, is a bit more of a chore. The atmosphere is much less fun and much more proper. And of course, the school draws twice as many fans to its home games as WSU -- so the nightmare of getting to and from the game is intense.
By the way, as the UW has struggled with a long running series of legal trouble with members of its football team, my favorite Husky joke runs as follows: What do you say to a Husky football player wearing a three-piece suit? Will the defendant please rise.
The fuel that makes the Apple Cup burn is the contrast in attitudes between alums. Cougar alums are your basic, laid-back, rural-yet-rabid college football fans. Husky fans are arrogant (one of their favorite bumper stickers is: On the Eighth Day, God Created Huskies). Husky fans are elitists. They are Urban/Suburban snobs. And they've been spoiled by success.
Cougar fans tailgate in their motor homes; Husky fans tailgate on their yachts. Cougar fans grill up brats and toast the home team with a few brewskies; Husky fans have catered affairs, with vintage wine. Cougar fans appreciate the team's success and buy season tickets to support the athletic program; Husky fans expect success and expect a return on their investment in season tickets.
Today, Washington State comes in ranked higher than any time in school history -- No. 3 in the national polls. And the hoopla has gone up considerably because of it. The Rose Bowl is on the line -- a rarity in Pullman.
So, I will watch the game on television while listening to the radio broadcast. The radio voice of Washington State is Bob Robertson. He's been there for as long as I can remember -- which makes listening to the radio broadcast almost institutional for Couger football fans. After I get back from covering a hockey game, I may update with the final score.
Thus endeth the most I will write about sports for quite a while.
More soon
On this side of the Cascade Mountains, the Washington State side, this is the one time of the year when it is not only politically correct to mercilessly beat the Dawgs, it's positively encouraged. Celebrated. Cheered. Relished. You get the picture.
It ranks up there, among college rivalries, with Harvard-Yale, Army-Navy, Texas-Texas Tech, Michigan-Ohio State, Oregon-Oregon State, Florida-Florida State and USC-UCLA. And, of course, there the annual rivalry jokes to accompany the game.
One of my new favorites: Why did the Washington Husky cross the road? To get to the Seattle Bowl.
Now, for the non-college football fan, that won't seem like much. But I won't explain unless you ask.
In Eastern Washington, where I grew up and now live, after a all-too-brief sojourn to Maui (any sojourn to Maui is, by definition, too brief), Washington State football is an annual passion and a test of moral fiber. Compared to most of the schools in the Pac-8 and later, the Pac-10 Conference, Wazzu, as we call it, ranks as the Little Sisters of the Poor. The conference posts schools in Seattle, Greater San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix. And Pullman, Washington.
Pullman, Washington. It bears repeating. I now pause for you to remark, inevitably `Where in the hell is Pullman, Washington?'
Hence a favorite joke of one of my former editors at The Seattle Times: How do you find Wazzu? You drive east until you smell it, then drive south until you step in it. (It must be noted that this particular editor, who shall remain nameless, graduated from the University of Idaho, which resides about two stones throws away from Pullman, across the Idaho border. For the several years, Idaho played its home football games in Martin Stadium, at WSU.) (It also should be noted that I said he was a former editor, not a favorite former editor)
When it comes to futility, thy name is Cougar. One of my colleagues coined the term 'To Coug,' which means to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. All that has changed over the past few years, under Coach Mike Price.
Washington State is a land grant university. You don't find them just anywhere. And no where else in the Pac-10. Pullman is the antithesis of Seattle. It's small. It's thoroughly dominated by the University. It's located over several of the rolling hills of the Palouse country -- countryside that would be ideal for a roller coaster. It's all wheat fields. Water towers dominate the landscape.
And when the WSU quarterback was publicized as a Heisman Trophy candidate, they plastered his picture on a grain silo in a neighboring small town, aptly named Dusty. The joke, and it's definitely an in-joke, is that last year, when Oregon touted its quarterback, Joey Harrington, for the Heisman, they plastered his picture on a building in Times Square. Ha ha.
The University of Washington, on the other hand, is just off of Downtown Seattle, across the Montlake cut, where the school holds its annual crew regatta.The real estate value of the school is enough to cover our national debt.
I enjoy covering football games at WSU, although I'm not working this one. The coach is about as classy as they come -- the perfect fit for the school, which had a number of high profile coaches bolt for bigger schools (Dennis Erickson, Warren Powers and Jackie Sherrill to name a few).
Covering football at UW, however, is a bit more of a chore. The atmosphere is much less fun and much more proper. And of course, the school draws twice as many fans to its home games as WSU -- so the nightmare of getting to and from the game is intense.
By the way, as the UW has struggled with a long running series of legal trouble with members of its football team, my favorite Husky joke runs as follows: What do you say to a Husky football player wearing a three-piece suit? Will the defendant please rise.
The fuel that makes the Apple Cup burn is the contrast in attitudes between alums. Cougar alums are your basic, laid-back, rural-yet-rabid college football fans. Husky fans are arrogant (one of their favorite bumper stickers is: On the Eighth Day, God Created Huskies). Husky fans are elitists. They are Urban/Suburban snobs. And they've been spoiled by success.
Cougar fans tailgate in their motor homes; Husky fans tailgate on their yachts. Cougar fans grill up brats and toast the home team with a few brewskies; Husky fans have catered affairs, with vintage wine. Cougar fans appreciate the team's success and buy season tickets to support the athletic program; Husky fans expect success and expect a return on their investment in season tickets.
Today, Washington State comes in ranked higher than any time in school history -- No. 3 in the national polls. And the hoopla has gone up considerably because of it. The Rose Bowl is on the line -- a rarity in Pullman.
So, I will watch the game on television while listening to the radio broadcast. The radio voice of Washington State is Bob Robertson. He's been there for as long as I can remember -- which makes listening to the radio broadcast almost institutional for Couger football fans. After I get back from covering a hockey game, I may update with the final score.
Thus endeth the most I will write about sports for quite a while.
More soon
posted by wurdsmith at
12:22 PM
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