I heard that

Do you remember the time when going to a bowl game was what every school desired? With C-19 and everything that goes along with it, bowl games seemingly don’t mean that much this year.

Maybe it was the delayed start of the season for several conferences. Maybe it was the cancellation of games after those delays. Maybe it was the fear of new outbreaks. Maybe it was the fact that some states or counties made it difficult to come home without first quarantining for two weeks.

Whatever the case may be, schools like USC after losing to Oregon in the Pac 12 championship game said no to going to a bowl game, as did several other schools.

Bowl games in California were cancelled, period. Even the Rose Bowl game was moved to Texas. Having some fans in the stands is important and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena would not allow fans to attend the game there. Not even family. So they did the right thing by allowing the game to be played in the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

You may have noticed that several teams with losing records have accepted bowl offers. Mississippi State with former head coach Mike Leach will be playing in a bowl game this week. The Bulldogs are 3-7 but said yes, and why not? There was no spring ball to speak of, so having more practice time before a bowl game should help MSU master the Air Raid offense. At least it couldn’t hurt.

Yes, it has been weird watching games with a few thousand people in the stands. But at least there is a live audience and not just cardboard cutouts. I must say the fans that get to attend these games seem to be happy. Okay, I really can’t see the expression on their faces because a vast majority of them are wearing masks, but it is hard to high-five a touchdown or interception without a smile. I should know, since I’m always smiling when I high-five a neighboring fan after a big play.

There were a couple of big games played this weekend that I intended to watch on the TV. On Saturday Gonzaga played Virginia in a big NCAA matchup. On Sunday, Seattle hosted the Los Angeles Rams in a showdown for the NFC west title. I intended to watch them, but decided to go to my rather cold shop and listen to the games on the radio. I had a couple of projects going on and thought it was time to get a perspective from the announcers who know the Zags and Seahawks a lot better than the national announcers.

I honestly enjoyed listening to both of these games, not just because each of the local teams were victorious, but because of the excitement level you only get with the announcers that are a bit more informative about the players and the plays. Sure, you hear the euphoria of a Corey Kispert made three-pointer from deep or a Jalen Suggs assist or steal, but there is also the fact that the announcer knows the players. There was a story or two about Zag post Drew Timme getting to see family that live in nearby Dallas, and the fun they were having acknowledging Timme’s mustache.

Probably the best thing is that I made some progress with a project or two in the shop. That would not have happened had my rear end been planted in my Lazy Boy watching the game.

On Sunday, it was time for the Seahawk game and the long trek to the shop was a bit chilly but not nearly as cold as Saturday seemed to be. When it was time to listen to the pregame show, I moved the radio dial to the Seahawk station and kept working on a fun project. As the game progressed I noticed that whenever the Rams needed a big play in a third down situation, they threw the ball to former EWU Eagle Cooper Kupp, and he always knew how many yards he needed for a first down. I’m still a big fan, because he is the ultimate professional receiver.

He was a major contributor in the first half, but not in the second half and it was in the second half that the Rams had trouble moving the ball and scoring. At the EWU games we used to call him ‘Suction Kupp’ because he caught everything thrown his way.

Kupp is the ultimate teammate and would never say anything negative toward a coach or QB or another receiver, but if the Rams want to have more success they should try getting the ball to Kupp more often. Just sayin’.

I probably won’t be a radio listener for every game, but I’m glad I took the time last weekend. I heard those games loud and clear. Happy New Year from the Worst Seat in the House.