Great American Sports Column...

I’ve heard about a few people that took some time off from their regular jobs to start on the great American novel that would certainly bring fame, fortune and notoriety. To do this the person would need a real good story with a plot to keep the reader in suspense and keep them from setting the book down. No easy task for sure.

I like to read something that keeps me in suspense or makes me think. A well-written article or book can certainly do that. I would think doing something like that would be fun for at least a day and then I’m sure I would need to do some research on day two, otherwise the story wouldn’t have a lot of excitement and the book may not get read past page 37. Now, if the book was only 37-pages long then that might be okay.

The great American football season will be getting started soon with the pros, college and high school teams preparing for the 2013 season. For each team that comes together for preseason drills and conditioning they should already know what their teams’ chances are for the upcoming year.

The offseason plays out differently for each and every player. What is their physical state? What is their mental state? Are there any nagging little injuries that are holding the athlete from being in tiptop shape once the two a day practices begin?

There comes a time for every athlete when they finally say to themselves, “This is going to be my year.” But in order to do that a player can’t wait for the preseason camp to start they have to come ready to go or else they’ll be watching from the sidelines.

Things have changed quite a bit from days gone by. Years ago most farm kids bucked bales of hay, moved irrigation pipes and do other types of labor to get in shape. The kids in town might go to the field and run or try to get in shape anyway possible as there were no big weight rooms to work out in. That has all changed and the team that doesn’t lift together usually doesn’t see the playoffs very often.

When it comes to the Seattle Seahawks I think we all see the potential for something special this fall. QB Russell Wilson is a gem that seems to get better each and every game. He breathes and sweats confidence and his leadership has rubbed off on many of his teammates. As long as he is in the game the Seahawks’ chances of victory are extremely high.

There are a lot of QBs that are really good, but there are just a few that have real greatness and are destined to be considered to be elite in the NFL. Wilson has the maturity and ability to be an MVP candidate during his career. There is no doubt that he is already a big time winner.

WSU may still be a year or two away from another bowl bid. They are making steps in that direction and the Husky win in OT in the Apple Cup proved they have the ability to come from behind to beat a bowl team. They’ve had an interesting offseason so far. Fans just hope that some of these guys grow up and realize that in Pullman all athletes are under a microscope.

EWU lost some great receivers after last season but guess what, they have a good group coming back. They also have red shirt sophomore Vernon Adams who threw six touchdowns in the second half of the semi-final loss to Sam Houston State. This kid has a lot of talent and with him at the controls his teammates seem to make more than usual big plays. The Eagles have a very rugged schedule this fall and will need to scratch out big wins to make the playoffs again.

The LRS Broncos are defending 2B state champions and have some very fine athletes returning for their senior season. There are a number of underclassmen that will be relied on to secure big victories as well.

Each year is different and Bronco fans will certainly have high expectations. I once saw a statement that said, “The Road to the Championship is paved with Iron.” The weight room will be buzzing with athletes this summer in hopes or writing the Great American Championship Season.

I’ll be watching attentively in hopes of writing that next great sports column. But I’m not going to quit my job to do it.