Now that you feel enlightened (you might want to wipe that bit of mashed potatoes off your chin), here are the winners.

1 SEC Referee Wilbur Hackett Jr.

We’ve always made fun of referees for affecting the game, but in Hackett Jr.’s case he actually tackled a football player.
Whether the former Kansas linebacker suffered the first-ever case of a football flashback, or he inadvertently squared up and delivered the smack down … well, it’s all over YouTube, so you decide.

2 The New England Patriots

Way to blow a chance at history guys. Instead, you were on the wrong end of an upset in the Super Bowl. And Eli Manning wasn’t even wearing a fur coat …

3 Larry Johnson

The highest-paid running back in the NFL has been arrested four times since 2003, the latest involving Johnson spitting a drink on a woman’s face in a night club and saying, “I’m going to kill your boyfriend.”
Hopefully Johnson isn’t releasing a “Dating for Dummies” book anytime soon.

4   Mike Singletary

Hanes still hasn’t offered him an endorsement contract after he dropped his pants in an effort to motivate his players at halftime during the San Francisco 49ers-Seattle Seahawks contest.

5 Barry Bonds

He hasn’t been offered a contract either.

6 Columbia Basin Big Nine

The only team to make it out of regionals from this league after playing GSL teams was their No. 1 seed Southridge and that was because they got to play another CBBN team instead of a squad from the Lilac City.
In the end-of-the-season crossover games between most of the non-playoff teams of each league, the Big Nine went winless.
7 Tyrone Willingham

He’s out the door since the Huskies are winless and this was coming into a season where some Husky fans had hope of a Bowl game.

8 Paul Wulff

We just hope that WSU gives the former EWU head coach a chance to rebuild the Cougars. It’s obvious the cupboards were left empty for this guy.

9 John McLaren

The former Mariners manager was fired midway through the 2008 season, but that wasn’t before he went on a expletive-laden post-game rant that we hope gets inserted into a Coors Light commercial someday.

10 Josh Childress

Let’s get this straight. Josh Childress left the NBA for more money to play in Europe? Where clubs are notorious for not paying their players?

11 That guy at a Spokane Riverhawks game

We here at HomeTeam Sports witnessed one fine middle-aged gentleman that tried to chase down a foul ball, only to get beat to it by a kid. This set off a tantrum by the man that rivals that of a 2-year-old, causing the kid to give him the ball.

Something tells us he won’t be sitting at the adult table during Thanksgiving.

12 A-Rod

Chasing Madonna? MADONNA? Didn’t she date Mickey Mantle?

13 Vince Young

When you’re benched for Kerry Collins and the play of your team actually improves, that’s a serious problem. But that’s only part of it.

His mom basically defended him in public for all the mean things football fans had been saying to her boy. We’re waiting to see if Young receives a Band-Aid for his boo-boo while he’s on the bench.

14 Stephon Marbury

The New York Knicks refuse to play you. That’s like the theatre department at your college not picking you for intramural basketball.

You’re better off not getting paid by a European basketball team.

15 People on the Internet

Since we’ve been in existence, we’ve heard people on the Internet clamor for the firing on EWU Head Football Coach Beau Baldwin, Idaho Head Coach Robb Akey and WSU Head Coach Paul Wulff. All coaches haven’t even been on campus for two full seasons.

Jumping the gun? More like pulling the trigger before you’ve even loaded the ammo.

Story by Brandon Hansen, editor-in-chief. Brandon can be reached by e-mail at brandon@htsports.org.

USATF sanctioned events will be held on Sunday, Nov. 23 and Saturday, Dec. 13 where runners from the region can compete against the nation’s best runners.

“You are racing to be known as the best club in the nation,” said Suzanne Boyce, director of sponsorships and communication for the Spokane Regional Sports Commission. “So there is incentive for people to come and have the title of national champions.”

While independent runners can compete in the races, they won’t win any titles. “Individuals can race just to see how they would compete against some of the best runners in the country,” said Boyce. About 1,000 people are expected to show up to fight for the national title and about 250 for the regional.

Both events will be held at Plantes Ferry Park where a winding course will be created with varying distances.
Runners in the 2008 Northwest Regional Cross Country Championship can race in the masters men (10k) and women (6k) for those 40 years of age and over, open women teams (6k) and open men teams (10k) for runners 18 and over. Races start at 10, 11 and 11:40 a.m., respectively. Individuals pay $15 to get in and groups (three or five runners depending on the age group) pay $60.

“Open is usually the toughest competition,” said Boyce. “[Because] as old as you are you’re still competing against 18-year-olds.”

The regional race includes Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Montana and is “basically a race to see who’s the best in the region in the varying age groups,” said Boyce.

There is also going to be a community race with categories in juniors (18 and under), open and masters for men and women, which will be followed by the 2008 National Club Cross Country Championships. All races will start at 9:30 a.m. and cost $10 to enter.

The races are not qualifying events so anyone willing to register with USATF and pay the fee can join. Boyce said there have been a few teams from Spokane specifically formed for this event; Emde Sports has created two teams, the Spokane Swifts (local women) have a team, and Bloomsday Road Runners Club is also expected to compete.

This event has been rotating around the country for 10 years and this is the first year Spokane gets to host it. “Being a national champion in December is kind of rare… especially in this part of the country,” said Boyce.

To bring in an event like this into a city, there’s a bidding process agencies need to go through.

Requirements like a local organization that’s putting on the event, numbers of hotel rooms and an acceptable facility to host the occasion in have to be fulfilled. Spokane representatives need to come out to a previously-established destination and “sell the city,” said Boyce, after which someone will come down to check out the community and then vote on it.

“We recruit sporting events that will bring people from out of town into our community and basically spend money,” said Boyce, who’s worked for Sports Commission for four years. “Sports tourism is our primary purpose.” Also, the company is interested in building a bigger resumé so larger events can be brought to Spokane, boosting the economy.

If there are any proceeds from this event, they may go to the Spokane Regional Sports Commission Athletic Achievement Grant Program, said Boyce.

More information on registration and races can be found online at www.signmeup.com/62403 or usatf.org and at (509) 363-6825.

Story by Alina Shanin.

Since the twenty-something editorial staff at the publication don’t have kids yet (our publishers are quite happily married and have their kids involved in so many youth sports we think they’re trying to create the next Bo Jackson), we feel that we’re detached from the situation of parenting far enough that we don’t have to worry about painting some kid into a corner they don’t want to be in.

However, if the question was presented to us, hopefully in the far, far away future (especially Anna. We’re sure she’ll never have kids, maybe just a large assortment of small dogs), here’s what we would think.

Brandon’s Take - While I understand that there have been technological advances in equipment and the chances of a head injury are very slim, I don’t think I’d let my kid play football. High school and youth head injuries are much more common because their brains are still developing. Hits are just part of the game, but I think I’d much rather have them play basketball so I could spend the entire contest making up clapping chants. Ask anyone at Reese Court at EWU about me and clapping chants – in fact, ask my former professors about clapping chants. Sometimes I still just break out in random clapping chants.

And besides, with basketball I can over-hype them in high school to the point where they get scouted by NBA teams based purely on hypothetical potential, spend one year in college on scholarship and then make millions of dollars in the pros regardless of actual accomplishments. Cough! Cough! Greg Oden. Cough! Cough!

The other sport would be golf, which is something of an expensive hobby, but if the kid was good and eventually won the Masters someday, I’d love to be on the receiving end of a tearful, heartfelt hug from them. Or it would be just for the fun weekends hitting the links with them and enjoying the great weather. Either or. Forget the money, it would be for the memories.

Dylan’s Take - As an avid baseball fan, I’ve already envisioned watching my child growing up on the baseball diamond. I would hope my child would share the same passion for the game that I did growing up.
However, I would be very hesitant to sign my kids up for baseball leagues because of a growing trend… abrasive parents.

I don’t fear myself becoming one of these, but I would not want to subject my children to a group of these, who are becoming more prevalent in most sports, but particularly baseball.

Berating umpires, coaches and other players is something that shouldn’t be tolerated at any level, but particularly when the players are still developing the fundamentals of the game and are playing to have fun.
Should attitudes and perspectives of future parents change by the time I have children, I would want my kids playing on the diamond. But until that point, I wouldn’t want those parents setting examples for my children.

Darren’s Take - While I value my child’s safety, I am more concerned about what sports they play because of my potential for being “that parent.” You know the one… the guy with head-to-toe school apparel, whose vociferous tones bellow through the gallows of an eighth-full elementary school gymnasium. Perhaps my child would be best suited in sports that have the least outside influence possible. How about golf? Swimming? Track? Distance running? Those are still great sports for participation and activity, and would not be prone to my going postal on an unsuspecting 11th grader. Don’t get me wrong, I love basketball, baseball and football, but I am being proactive in preventing my likely incarceration.

Anna’s Take - Of course I’d like to start by saying if I have children I will encourage them to pursue any interest that seriously engages their mind and physical abilities. Not to say there aren’t a few activities that I would be wary about, say racing cars or blind base jumping, but as long as they’ve got that insurance card handy I’d be willing to let them try it! That being said, there are a few sports that I’d love to see my kids try or play, and I’d be more than ecstatic to help them practice.

Tennis- My school didn’t even have a tennis program, but after picking up the sport in college, I can appreciate its challenges and merit. And scorekeeping isn’t rocket science, another plus for the distracted spectator.

Swimming- I promise this doesn’t stem from Michael Phelps or the Olympic fascination with the sport, but swimming is a great activity to push your personal limits in a whole different element.

Snow sports- Well this is pretty much a no-brainer with the Northwest’s winters providing several months of the wonderful fluffy stuff. Plus you can get away with throwing snowballs at your kids.

Competitive Cleaning- OK, well I don’t think this is an actual sport, but in my house I figure I could get away with an elaborate game for several years, especially so it would become a habit.

Story by the HomeTeam Sports staff.

Anyone who’s laced up the cleats in high school knows that friendships and teams are forged in that first year of freshman football. Moving from the playgrounds of middle school to the Friday Night Lights (well actually more like Tuesday or Wednesday) – it’s where kids learn what they’re made of.

And boy does Riverside High School have something brewing.

The freshman football team for the Rams went 7-0-1 this year, which, according to Head Coach Randy Miller, is first time that the team has gone undefeated in recent memory.

“You’d have to go back a long ways if there was a team,” he said.

Miller first came to Riverside in 1991 and coached middle school football before leaving for Royal City for a few years and then returning back to the area to take the reins of the freshman team.

Coming into this year, Miller knew he had a decent team on his hands but didn’t expect the level of success that they had.

“We didn’t expect them to come together like they did,” he said.

Miller pointed out that they had the communication of a varsity squad, and it certainly showed as the Rams averaged 28 points per game during the season.

“Which is phenomenal for a freshman team,” said Miller.

For the Rams, that was normal; beating opposing teams by a couple of touchdowns was normal as well.

“Everybody had a key position with the team, I could substitute kids without having weaker play,” said Miller.

Freshman football is also the time where the coaching staff has to instill a work ethic into the players, said Miller, who hopes that his players also try their hand in either wrestling or basketball during the winter.

“This is when they find out that they’re going to have to work on their own in the offseason,” he said.

Setting goals and showing commitment are also other things that the coaching staff tried to instill into the players. While the team wasn’t an exceptionally large class physically, they certainly have the opportunity to grow into their shoes, according to Miller.

“There are a couple kids that will get varsity playing time next year,” said Miller.

Another factor for the success of the team was the guys in the trenches. When you can control the line of scrimmage, you can usually control the game.

“They had a lot to do with it,” said Miller, who emphasized how well they picked up the footwork of being linemen.

Along with playing their normal Great Northern League 2A rivals, with the exception of Clarkston, Riverside also scored key victories over the JV squads of Chewelah and Springdale, which could show things to come for the class that will soon be playing on the A-squad for the Rams.

“You want it to kind of go that way but it’s a matter of the kids committing to the program,” said Miller on the prospects of this team being a dominant varsity class. “They’ve got a good shot at making the state playoffs and maybe even the state finals.”

The last time Miller remembers a freshman team being close to this good was when this year’s group of seniors were just fresh to high school. That squad had only one defeat.

“I’d love to go back and see those two teams play because that would be a battle,” said Miller. “It’s been great coaching these kids. It’s only begun.”

Story by Brandon Hansen. You can reach him at brandon@htsports.org .

So the younger Bond followed in his family’s footsteps by playing high school hoops at Gonzaga Prep, just two years his brother’s junior. A key widget to his team’s success, but never a starter at the varsity level, he left his career to end in the Prep gymnasium.

A brief stint as a full-time student at Eastern Washington University following high school in 2002 and some part-time classes at Spokane Falls Community College led to pursuing work in management for the Shilo Inn hotel chain, leaving Bond in limbo as to where his life was going.

“I was kind of stuck in Moses Lake, a pretty small town,” Bond said of where his work travels left him. “I didn’t really know anybody there, I just got shipped over there for job purposes and a lot of my employees were getting back to going to school at Big Bend Community College over there. I was just sitting there, 23 at the time, no degree, just a lot of work experience.”

A light went on in his head; that and a “nice swift kick in the butt” from his brother, Chris.

“I wanted to get back into school and play basketball,” Bond said. “I’d been in city leagues and stuff like that, just to stay active. But as far as wanting to come back to play, that [my brother] was a big determining factor. My brother was pushing me, saying, ‘Now is the time to do it.’”

So he moved back to Spokane at his brother’s suggestion. Then he started playing pickup games throughout the community, especially at Saint Aloysius (or Saint Al’s as most of Spokane calls it), which is where he got his foot in the Sasquatch door.

“One of the guys I played with knew the coach and he put in a call for me,” Bond said. “I started coming to the open gyms here and that just got the ball rolling.”

The phone rang in first-year CCS Head Coach Clint Hull’s office, with the Saint Al’s scout touting a 6-foot-5-inch post with gritty skills that could pique his interest.

“He said ‘Hey, we got a guy that we’re working out with that fits your style of play. He is tough-nosed, diving for loose balls …,’” Hull said. “Doing all the little things that he’s heard we do here at Spokane. It went from there.”

Now he has gone from second-stringer in his Prep days to someone who will battle for minutes playing in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges.

“I wasn’t even a starter on the varsity team,” Bond said. “I didn’t win any awards or anything like that … I played all four years, just making the team and I just love to play the game.”

That love rings true even on the CCS practice floor, as Bond may not be the fastest or most skilled player on the court, but he has shown to be a vocal leader nonetheless.

“The biggest things he brings [to the team] are his attitude and his effort,” Hull said of his “freshman” with life experience. “The fact that he understands this great opportunity to come back and play basketball, the whole nature around it is great.

“He is that energy guy, and he never lets anything get him down, getting everyone else on the team involved.”

While his exact role on the team is yet to be determined, Bond seems just happy being there.

“A lot of guys here think it’s more or less a job [being on the team], I just give them a little reminder when they complain about having to go to practice all the time, that this is a good thing and it is a privilege to be here,” Bond said.

With a majority of the players on the Sasquatch roster one or two years removed from high school, having someone who can provide a fresh perspective outside of the coaching staff has served as a key asset to the growth and maturity of the team.

Because there are worse places the players could be, sometimes that message has to be pounded into their minds before it truly hits home.

“They could be working 40 hours a week or they could be working graveyard. College basketball is a full-time deal in itself; you have to balance school, maybe a part-time job,” Hull said. “Sometimes it can be overwhelming for guys coming fresh out of high school, playing only three months out of the year.

“Now all of a sudden you’re here year ‘round and we’re asking for a lot of time out of you.”

With years of management and experience in the customer service industry, biding his time between school and basketball may be a reprieve from his years at Shilo Inn. Nowadays, he is studying to get his associate of arts degree in business management and accounting.

So today, the “freshman” in his mid-20s has found his niche. And he is putting his experience in management to good use on the basketball court, being the vocal leader and motivational centerpiece for the young team around him.

Story by Darren Shimp, who can be reached at darren@htsports.org.

A majority of those pictures and memorabilia rest at home as the offices in the athletic department are in a transition of renovation and expansion. But one particular memento remains close to his desk.

It is a Whitworth Pirates flag, donning Schwarz’s face in the center, on which a patch-covered eye takes the attention away from the thrown-together Photoshop work of the student-athletes of his, which adorn his enthusiasm and passion toward the sport of distance running.

Because behind the hard shell of discipline and intimidation is a man as goofy and outgoing as any on the team.

“Sometimes the least mature person at practice is going to be me, saying or doing the wrong things,” Schwarz said.

Schwarz, in his 11th season as head man for the Pirates distance crew, has overseen a dominance of the Northwest Conference this season, with his men garnering the school’s first conference championship in 36 years, while the women finished tied for second. The ladies have finished that high five times in the last eight years.

As 2008 NWC Cross Country Coach of the Year, Schwarz brings a fierce spirit toward his athletes, and a mantra that goes beyond the dirt or paved trails they compete on. It has also brought forth a Division III Regional title, won last weekend (Nov. 15) at Bush’s Pasture Park in Salem, Ore.

“If you ask my athletes to describe me in one word, usually the word they use is intimidating,” Schwarz said. “If you ask me, I would say I am the least intimidating person in the world … or the other [word] they would use is intense, more than intimidating.

“I think my coaching style is to make the athletes excited for what they are doing and put everything into it. I want them to be passionate about it, I want them to be intense about it … not just do things and go through the motions. With that, I try to be amiable. I think the athletes enjoy being around me, but that there is also a line there too.”

Jo E. Mayer, a junior and Spokane’s East Valley High School alum, says it is his attention to detail and personal approach that makes him stand out as a leader.

“He is very in tune with each one of us as athletes, and very demanding of each one of us as athletes,” said Mayer, who sports a 3.987 grade point average at Whitworth, studying mathematics and pursuing a secondary education certification. “He demands excellence, which is a good thing, but not to the point where it’s bad. Our motto is perfection, and that includes our academics, our faith … we strive for perfection.”

As for that near-perfect GPA Mayer totes?

“It’s going to drop after this semester, because I’m taking advanced calculus and number theory,” said Mayer, who finished 26th in the regional meet in Salem, part of the ladies team that took fifth in the team totals.

While the goal of being the strongest force in distance running is the ultimate goal of the team, there are four tenants to the program’s definitive success, and that is a combination of four unique standards: achieving athletic success, academic success, social growth and spiritual growth.

“We talk about those four things, and how they are not mutually exclusive,” Schwarz said. “We think you can be successful at all four things at the highest level possible, but you do have to sacrifice other things to reach that.”

With such strong standards and expectations of his student-athletes, an obvious concern would be how he is able to recruit without scaring anyone off.

The key word for prospective Pirates is commitment.

“There is talent and there is potential talent,” Schwarz said. “Potential talent is rooted in ‘Is this person willing to sacrifice?’ … ‘Is this person willing to give up things to achieve other things?’ If I ask anybody, ‘Do you want to win?’ Everybody says ‘Yes,’ but the whole idea of, ‘I’m competitive because I like to win?’ No. A competitive person is someone that has to win, almost at all costs, they want to sacrifice in order to win.

“The potential talent, in my opinion, is that there is a direct correlation to achieving your talent, based on how hard you are willing to work and how hard you are willing to sacrifice, and how much you are willing to dedicate. What I always tell prospective student-athletes, what I say to them is, ‘Are you a runner, or are you someone who likes to run?’ If you are a runner, then you are going to eat, sleep, breathe being a successful runner. If you like to run, then you go do Bloomsday. Compare it to golf … I play golf, but I’m not a golfer. I look for runners when I recruit.”

That attitude and mantra can come as a surprise to “runners,” but even some of the newer Pirates have already caught on in believing in the system.

“It’s definitely different from normal,” said Nick Gallagher, a sophomore from Bedford, Iowa, who won the individual meet at regionals. It was the first time any Whitworth runner had won a regional meet.

“Normal coaches, I suppose, just give you the workout and holler at you with times and whatnot. But Toby actually gets out there and runs with you for some of the runs, and he’s really active in marking out the courses by every 100 meters. It’s really helpful when working on tempos and such.”

While pre-physical therapy is Gallagher’s ultimate goal at Whitworth, he is currently pursuing a degree in health fitness physical education. In his free time, he and his running mates do everything together: eat, run, take classes, even their social activities revolve around their distance peers.

But one line that never gets crossed is to push the limits of coach Schwarz’s patience. While he may be a funny guy at heart, he can get his point across if you’ve done something wrong.

“He can tell you how stupid what you did last night was, but he can make you laugh while doing it,” Gallagher said. “He gets the point across to not do certain things because they can hurt your performance. But yet at the same time, he still maintains that personal relationship with you.”

And it’s those personal relationships that have made it so the only lines the Pirates cross are the finish lines in good time.

Following Saturday’s results at the NCAA Division III West Regional Championships in Salem, Ore., the Whitworth men’s team will be traveling to Hanover, Ind., this weekend (Nov. 22) to participate in the NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships for the first time in school history.

Story by Darren Shimp, who can be reached at darren@htsports.org.

Over the Hill -
Make sure you have an enjoyable experience on the slopes by following our handy-dandy skiing and snowboarding guide. We’ve asked the experts since our experience is limited to the bunny hill. Don’t forget the sunscreen and a mid-day snack!

Making tracks -
Area enthusiasts are ready to take to the mountains for snowmobiling. See just exactly what the sport is all about.

A rink runs through it -
Riverfront Park’s ice skating rink serves the needs of a city.

Classic at Albi? -
HomeTeam Sports editor Brandon Hansen explores the possibility of a hockey game at Joe Albi Stadium.

Need for Speed -
Competitive skier Makaela Kerl is only a freshman at Lewis & Clark High School, but already has hopes for the Olympics.

The senior defensive end set an Eastern Washington University single-season record for sacks with 16 when he chased down the quarterback twice against Northern Colorado last Saturday, Nov. 8, in a 31-16 road victory. His 33 1/2 career sacks is also a school record, and he has two more games to add to his total with matchups against Big Sky Conference opponents Northern Arizona, Nov. 15, in Cheney and Weber State, Nov. 22, on the road.

Jeremy Pargo
Gonzaga basketball

Jeremy Pargo was named to the preseason watchlist for the John R. Wooden award, the most prestigious honor in college basketball. It’s given to the best player in the land, and after averaging 12 points, six assists and four rebounds a game last year, there’s no real surprise that Pargo is in the spotlight for this award. He was named the WCC Player of the Year in 2007-2008, which is the eighth-straight year a Bulldog has won that honor.

Holly Tomlin
Whitworth volleyball

The senior from Kirkland, Wash., had a career-high 18 kills in her last game as a Whitworth Pirate for the volleyball team. Finishing the season with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Linfield College, the Bucs finished with a 14-14 record overall and a 7-9 Northwest Conference mark.

Compiled by Brandon Hansen, editor-in-chief. Brandon can be reached by e-mail at brandon@htsports.org.