Longball’s Apple Strudel

Lets Take Over the CLink!

Happy Apple Cup Eve everyone! Since we seem to have established a theme of Husky interlopers commenting on this here Cougar blog on this of all weeks, I decided not to rock the boat and just roll with it. I mean, we got a good thing going here, so lets get to it after the jump…

Dick, always ready for some DOMINATION

I’d like to introduce you all to my good buddy Richard, or as his friends know him… Dick. Dick is a longtime Husky fan ever since he first attended Green River Community College back in 1997 and has graciously agreed to dip his toe in the enemy waters this week and provide his one-of-kind insights into the latest installment of this storied rivalry. Take it away, Dick…

Dick says: Well hello there Kewg fans. I guess by now you’ve all got the cows fed or milked or whatever and are sharpening your arrows for your afternoon bow hunt. As much as we like to make fun of you Cooogs, I must admit that I really do appreciate living in a world that has things like stable hands, short order cooks, jiffy lube mechanics, high school janitors and whatever else it is you do. So thanks for that. I wanted to just take this opportunity to prepare you all for what is going to happen tomorrow, since at the end of the day you are kinda like people too and so I feel a little bad about it. Basically you are going to be surprised by how dominant we are tomorrow since you probably don’t really pay attention to things like Big Name coaches or highly rated recruits. We have these guys like ASJ and Bishop Sankey who are called 4 star recruits. Basically these are like the awesomest football players in the world who come here so they can be part of the glory of Husky Football. They were probably surprised when they arrived to hear that we have this rivalry called the Apple Cup with a team they’ve never really heard of before. Needless to say, we are not really in favor of having to drive to the middle of nowhere every other year and play in a high school stadium, but this year we don’t have to worry about that. Instead, this is a great opportunity for you Coogies to come see what a big city is all about. Its pretty rad and we have all kinds of things that will blow your mind, like malls, freeways, Starbucks and Claim Jumpers. You are going to freak OUT at all the exotic foreign cuisine. I live just a 10 minute drive to at least 3 Outback Steak Houses. That’s Australian food and it is BOMB. Thank God I was just the runner-up to be the new Coug beat writer for the Spokesman. If I had gotten that gig I would have had to live on a farm or something. Anyway while you won’t really enjoy the game tomorrow (unless you are a fan of DOMINATION) there is always the tailgating to enjoy. I plan to leave Kent (another big city you should check out sometime) around noon tomorrow and park my metallic purple Hummer in North lot. You can find me by following the BUMP BUMP BUMP of the killer beats of the Beiber blasting out my sub woofers (being assistant manager at Car toys has benefits that are BOSS).  GO DAWGS WOOOF WOOOOF, DOMINATION!

Wow, thanks Dick. That was enlightening and I think we are all better fans for having read it. I for one cannot wait to try a bloomin onion.

As for my thoughts on the game tomorrow, I am back and forth on this one depending on my emotional state. The last two weeks, this team has played well and in my mind WON both games. However, those efforts came at a steep cost, namely our spark plug rookie QB and the most underrated receiver in the conference. We are also playing in my new least favorite stadium in the WORLD. I have never seen the Cougs play well in Seahawk Stadium and that was always in front of a friendly, if disinterested, crowd. I really don’t like the atmosphere of an NFL stadium, the sterility, the lack of character. I also think the weather is likely to favor the stronger running game and that ain’t us. But still, I can’t help but wonder about the emotional state of these two teams. Have the Cougs recovered from heartbreak? Have the Dawgs received their wakeup call? With their bowl fates already decided, the Cougs should have the greater sense of urgency entering this game. At the same time, don’t discount that as much as Wulff has riding on the outcome tomorrow, Nick Holt might have just as much.

For a team like the Cougs that is dominated by youth at most positions, I think the irony is how much tomorrow’s game will hinge on the performance of a few key seniors. On defense Alex Hoffman-Ellis and Brandon Rankin need to go out with a bang while on offense, Marshall Lobestael and Jared Karstetter need to be sharp and Guerra, Gonzo and Roxas need to be a force up front. If our seniors can lead from the front and give us the game of their lives tomorrow, we could have a win for the ages in the Clink. If not, we could find ourselves hanging our heads early in the 2^nd half while being serenaded by a cacophony of Tequilla and Woof’s. I’d like to have some faith in these guys, even though that is something they have inspired very little of over the last 4 seasons. At the end of the day all the predictions and prognostications just don’t matter. The bottom line is I want this win badly and I suspect the players do too. All I can do is show up and yell my ass off and hope that my fellow Cougs do the same.

Travel safe everyone, and GO COUGS!!!