I'm not one of those guys who believe the most recent occurrence of something is “the greatest of all time.” Far from it. I always try to add perspective to recent occurrences, whether it be a catch by a centerfielder (how does that rate compared to the best Willie Mays or Ken Griffey, Jr. had?) or a championship run (the Heat are exceptional but does a couple of titles pale in comparison to the Celtics' stretch in the '60s or the Bulls with Michael Jordan?). But this last week around here has been hard to match. There is more-than-the-usual optimism surrounding the opening of college football preseason practices, what with Eastern ranked among the FCS' best, Washington State looking to turn a corner, Idaho with a new coach and Washington opening a remodeled Husky Stadium/Vince Grippi, A Grip on Sports, SR SportsLink blog. More here.

Question: I'm with Vince on this one. I'm looking forward to the college football season in the Inland Northwest, expecting UI & WSU to be better (nowhere to go but up) and EWU to stay good. How about you?