It was a bad weekend for WSU Athletics

Good morning. As you’re probably aware, this weekend will not go down as one of the banner periods in WSU Athletics history. There were losses on the field and court, which we’ll touch on soon, but the biggest loss came away from the court, as longtime Strength and Conditioning Director David Lang passed away.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Lang Family,” said WSU Director of Athletics Patrick Chun. “David was beloved and respected by our entire department. He impacted and positively changed the lives of countless Washington State student-athletes during his two decades of service. He will forever remain in our hearts and will be dearly missed.”

Lang was most closely involved with the basketball teams and the golf team. As a result, WSU has canceled Sunday’s home game against Stanford.

From a win/loss perspective, the men’s basketball result was expected, as WSU was a 12-point underdog at Stanford Saturday night. Sports being sports, the way WSU arrived at yet another loss didn’t exactly go the way we all thought it would. The Cougs looked to be headed to another ho-hum defeat, but then caught fire and got right back into it.

I happened to check the score on my phone and saw that they trailed by just two points with a minute to go. I cued up the game on my phone just in time to see the following things:

• A WSU steal and dunk to tie the game.
• A garbage foul call that gave Stanford the lead
• A hero ball move by Malachi Flynn (who otherwise had a decent-to-good game) in which he shot a fadeaway three-pointer over a much taller defender.

The shot’s result was predictable, and the Cougs boarded the plane with yet another loss.

On the baseball diamond, Marty Lees’ Cougars ventured to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama. WSU has struggled mightily to score runs so far this season, and Saturday was no different. Following a Friday double-header during which they were outscored 20-6, the Cougs managed just three more runs on Saturday. That would have been ok if the Crimson Tide scored two or fewer runs. Alas, Alabama pushed nine runs across, and WSU left on the wrong end of a three-game sweep. They will make their home debut this Thursday against Sacramento State.

Football

Mike Leach appeared on a sports radio show in Utah this week, as he continues his vacation through the state. In between his driving app’s turn-by-turn navigation, he covered some interesting topics. Among them, Leach said he tried some apple beer (no thanks), talked about his philosophy for when to hold open and closed practices, the typical amount of time he spends at the office during the season, and who he thinks can replace Cole Madison. He sounded really excited about Abe Lucas.

The conversation then delved into the Winter Olympics, where Leach said was quite impressed with a Czech snowboarder who switched to skiing and won gold in the Super G. His family is Norwegian, so he was rooting for them along with the US. It ended with a bit about Kyle Whittingham’s love for...jean shorts?

Mike Leach -Washington State Head Coach -2-20-18 – ESPN700
Leach, who has been with the Cougars since 2012 is in town visiting family in Utah, and discusses his love for the state. Leach also talks about some of the players he’s recruited from the state of Utah.

NFL Combine: J.T. Barrett, Luke Falk, and other college stars who need big combine showings
The biggest knock on Falk is the Air Raid system he played in. Fair or unfair to him, Mike Leach-coached QBs haven’t gone onto much success in the NFL. Add in less-than-elite arm strength, and you have your reasons for Falk being ranked so low.

Washington State's Mike Leach says new Bears strength coach Jason Loscalzo particularly good with linemen - Chicago Tribune
Leach knew about Loscalzo for some time before adding him to his staff when he went to Washington State in 2012. He credited Loscalzo for being a leader on the staff and getting the players to work hard.

Basketball

Stanford takes advantage of second-chance opportunities to topple Washington State 86-84 | The Spokesman-Review
It was the offensive game they’d been searching for, with efficient shooting, acute passing and scoring from just about every position on the floor – the bench as well. But the Washington State Cougars also had to re-learn an old lesson Saturday afternoon at Maples Pavilion.

Baseball

Alabama baseball completes sweep of Washington State
Alabama took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first that it never relinquished. It tacked one more run in both the second and third innings to hold a 4-1 lead when the rain delay stopped the game in the middle of the fourth.

Beer

Best beer I had this week: Southern Tier Thick Mint Stout is back in my life, and I’m considering a plan to empty out my kids’ play room to convert it to a Thick Mint storage area. I love it that much. The even better news is that it’s now available in 4-packs, at a better price point than the bomber version.

Beer, whiskey makers hail giant excise tax cut
Supporters hope brewers and distillers pour the savings back into the businesses.

Non-Sports

I assume most of you have had at least one roommate in your lifetime. I had them throughout college, and one ended up being a really good friend (shoutout to Dave Pearson). The worst roommate I ever had was probably the guy I shared a dorm room with when I was a freshman at Iowa. He had a really weird girlfriend and some friends who were major losers. Anyway, he would win an award for best roommate ever compared to the subject of this article.

Jamison Bachman, the Worst Roommate Ever
One scheming, sinister man. A dozen unsuspecting victims. The story of Jamison Bachman is the ultimate Craigslist nightmare.