A Saturday Reunion

It was a reunion of sorts at Willows Run Golf Course on Saturday. I was back together with old friends at a familiar place, the golf course. I've never played very well in the spring, and this year is no exception. It was the typical spring round for me, missed greens, missed putts, and missed opportunities. But this day wasn't about golf, or score. It was about spending time with old friends. I spent five hours with a guy who was a fixture in Seattle sports for a long time. Donald "Slick" Watts hasn't changed a bit. He still has that huge smile, and he's still in remarkable shape. Although he has given up the game of basketball for tennis, he still finds plenty of time to knock the rock around from time to time.

We talked about Tiger Woods, we talked about Butler's run in March Madness--we even talked about NBA salaries and how they've sky rocketed. It's hard to fathom the kind of money LaBron James is making, or Kobe Bryant for that matter. We didn't talk about his days as a Seattle Supersonic. He's not like most former professional athletes, who still feel the need to live in the past and their glory days. He still runs basketball camps with his son Donald Jr., the head basketball coach at West Seattle High School. In July, Slick will turn 59 years young.

It's hard to believe it was that long ago he was running up and down the court in that trademark headband. Few people will forget Donald "Slick" Watts. After Saturday, I know I won't.

No Place Like Home

He is probably the most celebrated Husky receiver ever. He could single handily take over a game. And he's back in Seattle. Reggie Williams got the break he needed when the Seahawks decided to give him a try out with new coach Pete Carroll. Carroll obviously sees the value in this kid, still only 26 years old with a four month old son. He is also engaged and has promised to turn his life around. He is a former number one draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he admits it just wasn't "a good fit". I agree. Who wants to be a receiver for a team that mostly relied on ball control, defense, and the kicking game. The Jags grind it out with the running game, which doesn't give you many chances as a wide receiver, so you better take advantage of the opportunities when they arise.

Well, that opportunity is here for the former Husky star. Reggie Williams is relishing it. And there's no place like home.

An Unfortunate Couples Retreat

The 74Th Masters was well represented with players from the Northwest making some noise, in one of the most exciting weekends you will ever see at the Masters. And once again Seattle's own Fred Couples excited the crowd with some remarkable play. It might have been nerves that shattered his chances for another green jacket but we can't downplay the gutsy performance by Phil Mickelson. Lefty picked up his third green jacket, joining an exclusive group that includes Gary Player and Nick Faldo to name a few. Faldo has said on numerous occasions that nobody swings it better than Freddy, a swing that hasn't changed since his glory days at O'Dea High School. Couples got off to a great start with birdies on two of the first three holes, but it was an unfortunate double bogey 5 on number 12 that started his fall on the leaderboard. This shot found the water in Rae's Creek, he wasn't as lucky as he was when he won his first green jacket when the ball was hit in the same place but managed to stay up. It was the third iron shot in a row that Couples missed to the right, ending his chances of a second green jacket at 50 years of age.

Another Seattle native, Ryan Moore, dazzled the crowd with a hole-in-one on number 16 to finish in the top 16 and earn another trip to the Masters next year. The top 16 and ties earn invites for the following year. Ryan might have received an invite anyway, showing his respect for the game by sporting a tie. Moore closed with a final round 68, two shots better than Couples' final round 70.

I have a sneaking hunch we haven't heard the last of Fred Couples at the Masters. There's a reason why people call him "Boom Boom".

My First Spring Training

It only took 50 years but the wait was worth it. I was able to spend my first spring training in the valley of the sun. My good friend Jeff Parker was a great host, but even better tour guide. He definitely knows where the hot spots are, and he found us the cheap beers too. A 24 oz. Corona for only six dollars and change, now that's a bargain.

The biggest thing I got out of this was the acquisition of Milton Bradley by the Mariners. Or was it an acquisition? The dude definitely sports an attitude. He was a big gamble in a lot of people's eyes, and this game proved the point. The attitude reared it's ugly head. He had a terrible error in this game resulting in two runs scored and two other runners left in scoring position. Now when you go to spring training with a guy who hangs out there every day you learn the tricks of the trade. You spend the first three innings or so on the third baseline. And the boys around us were getting their money's worth with the taunting of Milton Bradley. As the beer kicked in it got worse. Some of these spring training fans are relentless. Bradley had enough after a couple innings and made a less than desirable gesture toward the fans on his way off the field. They start practice early at around 8:00 am and then play a game at 1:00. By the time the six or seventh inning comes around the veterans start to file out after a long day at the office. That is when our tour guide Jeff informed us it's time to move to the first baseline to watch the veterans leave. Bradley left by himself two innings earlier. It was a tough day all around for Milton. As Ken Griffey Jr. was filing out with his wide smile my friend Jeff asked him why Milton wasn't hanging around with his teammates. Griffey covered the side of his mouth and snickered, "dentist appointment".

My first spring training, and definitely not my last.

A Hump Day To Remember

You know the beers will be flowing in Pullman come late Wednesday afternoon. The local bars will be rocking because a good ole' boy is coming home. Bill Moos will be formally introduced as the new athletic director at Washington State, his Alma mater. It only took WSU president Elson Floyd 10 days to replace Jim Sterk, who left to take the same job at San Diego State. Sterk saw the writing on the wall and bolted south. Moos was hired as a consultant and Sterk knew it was a matter of time when the pressure would be just too much. WSU will get exactly what they bargained for, a man who knows how to raise money, something I believe was lacking under Sterk. Moos also brings charisma back to WAZZU, something that has disappeared since Mike Price left for Alabama. WSU has the smallest athletic budget in the conference and when you lack in funds and resources, you better make up for it with someone who can work a room and get it done.

Give props to Elson Floyd. He found his man.

There's a Moos in the Palouse

This will go down as the bench mark for Elson Floyd's tenure at Washington State University. It's a matter of time for the WSU president to name Bill Moos as the new athletic director, or something similar for the time being. The former Oregon AD has a non-compete clause in his contract not allowing him to take a job at any other BCS school. He would give up close to 1.9 million dollars if he does. Obviously WSU officials are confident they can put ink to this deal. President Floyd sent out an inter-office letter today indicating he invited Moos to campus Wednesday to meet with athletic officials and participate in a public forum. It's all but a done deal. And what a deal it will be for WSU boosters and fans, especially with the renovation project for Martin Stadium. Moos was instrumental in building the University of Oregon athletics department to what it is today. He changed the landscape of Oregon athletics, and as far back as 2003 he facilitated more than $160 million in improvements, which includes 12,000 new seats, 32 new suites, a new club at Autzen Stadium, and a new press box. There is no better fit for the Cougar Nation. Moos began his athletics career in 1982 as assistant athletics director at Washington State University. He was also associate athletic director from 1988-90. Moos was also an all Pac 8 lineman in 1972.

Bill Moos was raised on a wheat and cattle ranch in Eastern Washington. He knows the landscape, much like former Cougar AD Jim Sterk, who resigned to take the athletic director position at San Diego State. According to sources, Floyd and Sterk were never on the same page. Well, that page has been turned now.

I can hear it now, "there's a Moos in the Palouse".

A Night With Cougar Football

I keep referring to him as one of the guttiest quarterbacks I have ever seen. He helped beat UCLA with a broken leg, ultimately leading the Cougars to their last Rose Bowl. Despite the attention he has received both as a former football player and now as an analyst on Fox Sports Northwest (last time I checked it was the Husky Network), Jason Gesser remains humble and determined to promote WSU Football to the great northwest. Gesser delivered an impassioned speech that resulted in a standing ovation from the 200+ people who attended "A Night with Cougar Football" at Meadow Springs Country Club--an event designed to raise money for scholarships. Glenn Johnson, Mayor of Pullman and Public Address Announcer for football and basketball, did a masterful job as Master of Ceremonies. Gesser said it was the family atmosphere, similar to the one he was raised in, that made his decision to attend WSU an easy one. Following his recruiting visit to the U-Dub, three different Husky players from Hawaii told him Montlake wasn't the best place for him. Too much of the "me me" going on they said. He obviously made the right choice.

Things are changing in the Palouse. The Cougar faithful are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel after listening to Gesser, wide receiver Gino Simone, and redshirt freshman cornerback Nolan Washington, a real funny character to say the least. All three brought with them new life to the Cougar Program. There hasn't been much to celebrate the last couple years, and many close to the program are very aware of how one sided the outcomes have been. Embarrassing, humiliating, down right awful to say the least. But I can honestly say there's something that can be said for people who stick to their plan and believe in it. Head Coach Paul Wulff is one of those. The kids are believing too. WSU is recruiting quality people, like Simone and Washington. After raising $35,000, the alumni are obviously buying in too. The grade point average last year was the highest in the history of the school. Although we grade coaches on wins and losses, these are some of the things that are often times overlooked. Good things are happening in Pullman. Just ask these kids.

Paul Wulff needs time. I hope the administration gives it to him. Then we will learn that like Gesser, they too made the right choice.