10/31: Open World Series Game 3 Thread

As the event got closer, I realized this is not a team worth paying money to watch. Just awful. I’m resigned to the fact that you can’t really build a dynasty in a town like Pullman because elite prospects probably don’t want to hang out in the middle of nowhere, but we can at least be respectable. And I’m not seeing any progress. We’re getting worse every year.

by Teej on Oct 31, 2009 7:39 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm hopeful for Wulff, maybe he has an eye for talent like Mike Price

Like you say about Pullman and recruiting top talent, putting together a good team isn’t going to be easy. Price had them at the top, Doba really blew an opportunity. Success breeds success and all that.

by Kermit. on Oct 31, 2009 7:43 PM PDT up reply actions

They were pretty good at finding unknown talent.

But let’s be honest, it’s not like Price’s tenure was a period of great success. He was 83-78 in his time there. It’s just hard to do. Who’s going to turn down Seattle or Los Angeles — or even Eugene or Corvallis — to play in a podunk town like Pullman? (And I don’t want to get deep into the issue, but let’s just say Pullman probably isn’t the most comfortable and welcoming place on earth for a young black man.)

Scouting is the most crucial aspect of building a winner in Pullman. Price was pretty good, Doba sucked, and I guess the jury’s out on Wulff. I’m hopeful, too, but not encouraged.

by Teej on Oct 31, 2009 8:07 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm not sure about how much weight to put on the first few years of a college coaches tenure

What with finding players and developing them, building up your system. I kind of go with 5 years to really hit all eight cylinders. I don’t know, for Pullman size/location/television coverage, Price was pretty good. Left on a high note, so at least he knew how to make a dramatic exit.

Pullman was so weird, I used to run into Price all the time at Dismore’s. Never bothered him, but it was definitely a double take.

by Kermit. on Oct 31, 2009 8:16 PM PDT up reply actions

I was the sports editor at the Evergreen for a couple of semesters, so I got to spend some time with him.

Great guy. I really felt awful about the whole Alabama thing. His fault, but I still felt bad for him.

And one nice thing about Pullman/WSU is Wulff will probably get a few years to turn things around. It’s not one of those places where they fire coaches after a bad year or two.

by Teej on Oct 31, 2009 8:32 PM PDT up reply actions

That's a good point. I'm pulling for him, I have no idea if the success he had in Cheney can

I’m pulling for him, I have no idea if the success he had in Cheney can translate to the Pac 10.

Too bad that ding dong didn’t sign his contract. Not that it matters, but I firmly believe it was a good old boy hit job. That was really strange

by Kermit. on Oct 31, 2009 8:37 PM PDT up reply actions

Plus, it's not like you're choosing the greatest education by going to Pullman, either.

Good programs get multitudes of 3-star prospects who have little chance of going to the NFL. Football may be first for some of these kids but if you’re getting offers from universities like Washington, Stanford, USC, UCLA… I mean the difference in a degree from one of those places and one from Pullman isn’t a non-factor.

by lailaihei on Oct 31, 2009 8:25 PM PDT up reply actions

It's a land grant college, what kind of degree are you talking about.

by Kermit. on Oct 31, 2009 8:32 PM PDT up reply actions

Fair point, though WSU seems to get a bad rap based on the actions of a few idiots in the late 90s.

There are a lot of really fantastic professors there. It just depends on what you want to do. You can get a good education anywhere if you know what you want to do. (Of course, a lot of 18-year-olds don’t know what they want to do, so opting for a more prestigious university is understandable.)

by Teej on Oct 31, 2009 8:35 PM PDT up reply actions

WSU is nowhere near as bad academically as its reputation.

For more than a few majors it is one of the premier colleges in the nation. Is it Stanford? Well of course not. But it’s not a diploma mill either.

by Aaron Campeau on Oct 31, 2009 11:54 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs

I love you.

by Teej on Nov 1, 2009 12:10 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

Right back at ya Thunderdong

by Aaron Campeau on Nov 1, 2009 12:28 AM PDT up reply actions

Only my mom calls me Thunderdong.

by Teej on Nov 1, 2009 12:29 AM PDT up reply actions

I hate WSU but I wanted their sports management major so hard.

by Robert on Nov 1, 2009 12:55 AM PDT up reply actions

And engineering.

And architecture.
And computer science.
And journalism!

There are things WSU does well. There are things every university does well. WSU definitely has a big and active Greek system, and there are a lot of insane parties, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing for the dedicated kids who go there with a purpose and just want to have fun on the weekends. Which is most of them, from my experience. I knew some idiots, but I knew a lot more smart kids.

Sometimes I regret turning down UW to go to WSU, because it looks better on a resume, but then I realize that what I did at WSU is the reason I have a good, well-paying job. WSU simply had the better program in what I wanted to do. As I said earlier, you can get a good education anywhere. You just have to know what you’re looking for.

WSU is not the Animal House that people like to pretend it is.

by Teej on Nov 1, 2009 1:14 AM PDT up reply actions

As well as most things related to agriculture.

I find that, in general, college snobbery is ridiculous. Yeah, some schools are going to open doors for you that others won’t, but in general it just doesn’t make that big of a difference. It’s much more important to find a school with a good program relating to your major, or in a town you like, or that you can afford, or blah blah blah.

Or you could drop out like me. Whatever works.

by Aaron Campeau on Nov 1, 2009 1:28 AM PDT up reply actions