Meet the man behind Nike U.
HUSKIES
Jumping ahead in my usual schedule of teams, but had to get this up as soon as possible.
The Huskies travel down I-5 this Saturday to face the University of Oregon, or as it's known in some parts (re: the rest of the Pac-10): Nike U.
So the Seattle Times' Bud Withers did an in-depth piece on the co-founder of Nike, Phil Knight. It's a well-written, well-reported, interesting piece and worth spending time with.
But get your eyes back here, because there are other Husky vs. Duck stories worth reading.
Like … this Times story about UW's coaching situation. The big news from coach Tyrone Willingham is the staff may still burn Jake Locker's redshirt year if "it were the best move for the team."
Sorry, coach Willingham, but I disagree about this. It's time for you to put what's best for the student-athlete instead of what you believe is best for the team. Sure, playing Locker might help the Huskies win a game, but is it worth the cost?
Sure, there's a chance Jake Locker might be good enough to play in the NFL, and using him for one, maybe two games this season would accelerate that path.
But there is a better chance that college football is going to be the highlight of his athletic life. And there are just so many games he'll get to play. Save those for him. Don't throw away 10 or 11 chances to run out on that field as a starting quarterback just for a Quixotic quest for a bowl game.
Besides, I'll argue that letting him redshirt will be best for your program in the future, a future you want to be a part of. Save the year for him no matter what. It's best for him and best for UW - in the long run.
The Huskies immediate future means winning two of its last three games if they want to have a chance to be invited into the postseason bowls. And they believe they can do it.
Johnny DuRocher, who started his college career in Eugene, was hoping to get the start against the Ducks on Saturday. But, with starter Carl Bonnell cleared to practice after a concussion suffered last Saturday, DuRocher will be probably be the backup. But that doesn't mean he won't see action. Everett columnist John Sleeper is calling for the coaching staff to play DuRocher a lot.